Following the Footsteps of Destiny
by Broken Angel01
Summary: With the fate of the Digiworld at stake, Daichi Motomiya and his friends must find the Spirit Chips to defeat Vampiramon and her allies, but even that isn't going to help them if they can't find the elusive Lucemon and discover the secrets of the past...
1. Prologue

Hey everyone, I have another story! This one is going to take place twenty-five years after season 2. Now, like a lot of people, I didn't particularly like the ending of season two so...I decided to write a story based on my own ending! This story follows season 2, if you cut out the last seven minutes of the final episode and all! I basically use my favorite couples, changed some of there jobs, and made up their kids. (he he!) Trust me, there a lovable group. You'll see.This story has tons of stuff with the parents involved too! (Even some romance between the kids and then between the parents) Since my story Lessons in Friendship only needs one more chapter (which I'm working on right now!) I figured it'd be okay to start another one even if I'm writing One World Away from Darkness. I'm actually very reliable in updating and it's possible for me to do two stories at once. All I ask is a little patience. Please send in the reviews, I do so love to read them! Oh yes and I intend to write a romance soon too.

Following The Footsteps Of Destiny

Prologue

_It has been twenty-five years since that fateful day when Digidestined around the world joined together to defeat the evil MaloMyotismon. Since then, the Digital World has been a land of beauty and peace. Yukio Oikawa's great sacrifice restored the Digital World's defences to perfection and his life essence remains there to this day. None of us will ever forget or take for granted what he did. What he accomplished was not only for us, but for all digimon and the entire human world as well. If it wasn't for him, both worlds would have succumbed to the Powers of Darkness. His story has become legend and will forever be a part of the Digital World's history. After overcoming a life of sadness and pain, Yukio Oikawa can truly be called a hero. We Digidestined will always honour his memory, his gift, our final chance of hope and victory against the darkness._

_Over the years, myself and my amazing friends, who still stand by my side, have travelled to our second home to visit our partners. They have given so much to us and our world. They have remained forever fated to their human counterparts, their lives weaved together with ours. It's unbelievable that they have stayed so loyal to us after such a long time. I suppose it isn't really so hard to believe. Patamon and the others have always been more than partners. They're our friends to the end, and nothing will ever change that._

_A lot, though, has changed since our childhood days, but strangely enough, many things have stayed the same. Even time can't erase some memories or change who we are inside. My friends, the Digidestined and I, are closer than we have ever been. The experiences we've shared couldn't have made it any other way. The love we have for each other can never be broken, and the fact that we are still inseperable proves it._

_Since our adventures in the Digital World, things have remained pretty stable. Time wore on, the days passed by...that is...until several years ago when the gates to the Digital World closed. All of a sudden, we could not get in to see our digimon friends. We tried everything to get back, but nothing worked. It has been fifteen years since we last saw our partners. Izzy says it's because the Digital World doesn't need us anymore, now that the darkness and MaloMyotismon have been defeated. We were heartbroken, but we had to accept it. What else could we do? I wonder if Patamon has forgotten me. We've never been away from them this long before. They've had so much time to forget we ever existed. I miss him so much, and I know the rest of my friends miss their partners, too. We haven't had much time to think about it, though. The last fifteen years have been filled with much to occupy us. Our jobs, our families, our daily activities, and most importantly, raising our children, have had to come first. Besides, what Izzy had said was true. That was how it had always worked before. Little did we know just how wrong Izzy could be. We thought our days in the Digital World were long gone. The gates were closed; the adventure was over. It was nothing but a distant memory, or a forgotten dream. It has left us with an empty feeling in our hearts. Those days were gone forever. We were just about to find out that really the adventure was only just beginning. Destiny's pattern had weaved itself through us once again. Who knew twenty-five years of peace could come crashing to an end in such dramatic fashion..._


	2. A Day in the Takaishi House

A/N: The first chapter is up! This story is going to take place from the kids' and the parents' POVs. Don't worry, Daichi is going to show up soon. All the Takari haters are going to skin me alive! I know they didn't get married in the show but...sigh...I can dream, can't I? The first few chapters are my 'getting to know the characters' chapters, but don't worry, there will be lots of action later. I'll leave Davis' wife as a surprise for later on. I always liked her in the show and I thought they would make a cute couple. I'll give you a hint. She is a Digidestined. Now remember, this does NOT follow the twenty-five year later ending in the show that those fool Digimon creators came up with.(Honestly, what were they _thinking_?)

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. If I did, it would have ended along the lines of this story! (I forgot the disclaimer at the beginning. I always do that...I'm hopeless)

I apologize for grammar and spelling ahead of time. Other than that, enjoy!

Following The Footsteps Of Destiny

Chapter 1: A Day In The Takaishi House

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

_Where is my bookbag? _

The young, golden-haired boy stuck his head in the closet and made a face at its contents. He was in the process of throwing coats over his shoulder to search for it when a loud voice called, "Masato Takaishi! You get in here this minute!"

Thirteen year old, handsome blond, Masato Takaishi froze and winced slightly. _Uh oh. Dad must have found the garbage bags shoved between the wall and the kitchen counter. _

Masato (whom friends and family called Matty in tribute to a certain blond uncle of his) carefully stepped his way over the coats and reluctantly entered the kitchen. There he found himself face to face with his father, who at the moment, was frowning at him with disapproval, his arms crossed. The last twenty-five years had been kind to the youngest member of the Ishida/Takaishi family. At thirty-seven years of age, his father, T.K. Takaishi, looked remarkably young. Many mistook him for being thirty rather than almost forty. His close cropped sunny hair was still a rainbow of golden shades and his eyes a sparkling blue. With an easy going attitude and a smile that could light up the world, it was no wonder he appeared younger than he was. The only real hint of his true age were the faint lines at the corners of both his eyes. Regrettably, he wasn't smiling now.

"Morning, Dad! What's up?" Matty asked. He put what he hoped was a cheerful smile on his face.

"Matty, did you stick the garbage bags behind the counter?" his father asked, giving him a long look. His expression made it seem as if he already knew the answer and he wasn't impressed.

_So Dad had spotted them. _He had been planning to take the bags out to the curb eventually, but he was kind of running late this morning. The young blond had figured he would deal with them after school, or better yet, have someone else deal with them. Unfortunately, since he had gotton up late, he had not managed to get away from the house in time.

"Um...would you believe me if I said I didn't?" Matty asked, trying to look innocent. He was sure his face appeared positively angelic. Takara was always saying he and Mickey could get away with anything once they got that look on their faces. Heavenly features she called them. Those words had made him groan more than once, but sometimes his looks paid off.

His father just stared at him. Unfortunately, this was not one of those times. So much for Takara's idea of heavenly features. They might win over some people, but not his parents. They knew him too well.

Matty felt his face heat up.

_Darn_.

His father always seemed to know when he was lying. It was seriously inconvenient, not only for him, but for his other siblings, as well. They hardly ever got away with anything. He had always wondered how his parents could be so in tune with their children. Most parents were clueless or pretended to be if they did not want to admit that something was wrong. With his dad, the ability to sense a troubled heart, or a lie, was astonishing. It was also seriously annoying. Then again, at times, it could also be very cool. His dad always knew when something was wrong and did everything he could to make it right. His mom was exactly the same way. Needless to say, the Takaishi children had a hard time covering it up if they did something they weren't supposed to be doing, but what the heck, he'd give it a shot.

"It was Mickey, I swear!"

His father raised an eyebrow. "Matty, I know very well it was you. Mickey did the garbage last week, without shoving it behind the counter, I might add!"

Oops. He had forgotton. So much for that. Before he could think up another lie, though, his father rolled his sky blue eyes to the ceiling and sighed loudly. "How many times do I have to tell you the space by the wall is not a garbage can. I assume you did it the last two times, as well?"

"What!"

_Okay, so maybe it was me, but that doesn't mean Dad has to go an accuse me of it! _

"How do you know it wasn't Mickey those times!"

"Because it always happens on your garbage weeks."

A small smile of amusement formed on his dad's lips, and Matty flinched. _Busted. _Just when he thought he had managed to slip out of the house twice before his parents discovered it was him. The bags had always been gone by the time he got home and it had been nice to have someone else doing the work. He should have known his parents would put two and two together. Well, it was great while it had lasted. He was just surprised they had not said something earlier. They were probably waiting to catch him in the act so they could get him into trouble later.

"Now stop blaming your brother," his father scolded. "You know very well we expect you to help out around the house a little bit and that means doing your share of the work!"

_Oh no. I feel a lecture coming on. _

"Alright, alright, I'll take them out."

Anything to avoid another boring reprimand.

His dad shook his head and laughed. "Honestly, Matty, I never have to hassle Mickey to do his chores. I don't know why you always makes things more difficult for yourself. We've told you many times before that we expect you and Mickey to do an equal share of work. Even Rina helps out where she can, despite being so young."

Matty sighed. His father was right, as usual.

_Why do I always have to come out looking like the bad guy?_

It wasn't that he didn't help out with the chores. He just got a little bit lazy once in a while.

The young blond started to yank the trash bags out of their temporary home, conceding defeat. He glanced up at his father and gave the man a sullen look. "You know, this is probably going to make me late for school."

His dad smiled at him, his blue eyes sparkling. "Then you had better hurry up, hadn't you?"

Matty dragged the bags out into the hall, muttering under his breath the whole way. _This is so unfair! I don't have time to be hauling trash around! Now I'm definitely going to be late for school. Why do we have to take them out so early, anyway? _The Takaishi house was on the last street of the garbage route and the trucks wouldn't be there for a few hours yet.

Out in the sunshine, it was boiling hot. By the time Matty got the bags to the curb and raced back into the house, he was sweating like crazy and the clock was ticking. "Give me the dirty work," he grumbled and stepped back into the kitchen.

His father was waiting for him by the sink. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He looked like he was trying not to laugh at his son's expense. Matty made a face at him, but he couldn't help smiling back.

In his opinion, he had the best father in the whole world. Always understanding and sympathetic, his dad knew how to cure everything from a skinned knee to a broken heart. Despite the parental scolding earlier, Matty knew his mom and dad loved him just as much as his other siblings, even if he did give them the most grief. One thing Matty knew for sure was that his dad would always be one of his heroes.

"You look hungry after all that exercise." Smiling, his father came forward and gently ruffled his hair. "You'd better have something to eat before you leave."

The affectionate gesture took the sting out of his earlier disiplining and cheered Matty up considerably. The young blond hopped into a seat at the table, feeling happy again, and eagerly went to work on his breakfast. He was quite content to listen to his father's suggestion this time.

"You really are hungry!"

A soft shuffling sound made Matty look up from his plate. Standing at the opposite door, looking every bit as blond and angelic as he did, was his identical twin brother, Thirteen year old Makiya Takaishi. Makiya (affectionally called Mickey) shuffled into the room rubbing sleep from his large, amber brown eyes. His tousled golden hair was sticking up in several places, and his rosy cheeks were flushed from a good night of sleep.

"What time is it?" Matty's partner in crime mumbled.

_Speak of the devil, or should I say angel? _

Matty laughed and smiled fondly in his twin's direction. Despite the fact that he had tried to frame Mickey only two minutes ago, Matty loved his shy, sweet brother with all his heart and soul. They were the best of friends, despite the fact that they were complete opposites. He was outspoken, yet at the same time, very laid back and mellow. He did not often stress about things unnecessarily. Mickey, on the other hand, was shy, thoughtful, and fairly quiet. He could also be very emotional when things affected him deeply. Their personalities were not the least bit alike, but they still understood one another, even if they didn't always look at things the same way.

"Hey, sleepy head! It's about time you got up. You were out like a light when I left the room." He sent his twin an affectionate look and motioned him towards the table. Usually, Mickey always woke up early and he was the one who slept in. This time Mickey was even later to get ready for school than he was. Talk about a big surprise. Mickey followed the rules like clockwork. He was practically perfect, which was why he hardly ever got into trouble.

Makiya gave him one of his trademark shy smiles and slipped into the seat across from him. "Morning, Matty," he said softly.

Mickey looked so adorable rubbing sleep from his eyes that Matty wanted to hug him. Regrettably, the table happened to be in the way of his twin, so he shoved a large piece of fruit in his mouth instead.

"Here, Mickey, you had better hurry up and finish your breakfast." Their father handed Mickey a plate and smiled warmly at him. "Otherwise you two are really going to be late."

Mickey flushed and quickly shoved his spoon in his mouth.

"Morning to you, too," Matty replied, grinning at his twin's embarrassment. Mickey tended to blush easily and get embarrassed over the littlest of things. It was just the way he was.

_Wait a minute! My bag! _

"Dad, I can't find my bag!" His sudden purpose for destroying the coat closet had just come back to him. It was the reason he was so late to begin with.

"On the stairs."

Matty blinked in surprise. "Oh, is that where I left it? How did you know?"

"Because I nearly tripped over it this morning."

_If only I had known that earlier. I could have grabbed my backpack and gotten away from the house before dad discovered the garbage! Oh well, he would have just gotten in trouble after school instead of before._

Matty snuck a look at Mickey and rolled his eyes just as their father turned his back to them. Mickey smiled and quickly shoved a piece of toast in his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud. The twins held a deep resemblance to both their mother and their father. Each had bright, silky, golden blond hair they had inherited from their dad, and his sparkling smile. From their mother, they had been gifted with amber brown eyes and high cheekbones. Often people would mention how much they looked like their father, or they looked like their mother. It seemed to make their parents immensly proud to hear it and Matty had no clue as to why. He guessed it was a parent thing.

At the sound of squealing, father and sons looked up. Standing at the door, holding a squirming child in her arms, was the twin's pretty, dark haired mother. Her shiny tresses still shone a rich chestnut colour, with burgundy highlights, and her eyes were a sparkling amber. She, too, looked quite young for her age, her face still unlined. Their father came forward and relieved her of the wriggling girl, with a smile, and she gave him a grateful smile in return.

"No, Mummy! I don't want to go!" Six year old Yurina Takaishi pouted, making faces. Rina was Matty's and Mickey's younger sister. Her hair was the same colour as her mother's and her eyes were the same sparkling blue as her dad's.

The twin's mother, thirty-seven year old Kari Takaishi (formerly of the Kamiya surname), turned to Matty and gave him a disapproving look. "Matty, honey, how many times do I have to tell you not to leave things on the stairs? One of these days someones going to trip and fall."

"I was coming to get it!"

_How unfair is this! Why do my parents have to go and pick on me today?_

"Bad Matty!" Rina giggled, hiding her face against her father's shoulder.

Matty made a face at her and slumped down in his seat, sulking. _This is totally turning out to be a crummy day!_

"Right," his mother said, giving him a small smile. She obviously didn't believe him.

"At least he had an excuse for you," his father grinned.

"Hey, I took the garbage out!"

His father rolled his eyes. "Eventually, after twice not doing it! I'm certainly not going to keep taking the garbage out for you!"

"Matty." His mother frowned at him. Normally she was easy going, except when it came to shared housework.

"I'm kind of running late in case you didn't notice the time!" Matty wailed. "Otherwise I would have done it, really! Besides, how come you don't make Dad do garbage?"

"Who do you think empties all the garbage cans into big plastic bags in the first place?" His father looked very amused. "Trust me, your mother makes me do all kinds of things I don't particularly want to do, but she's the boss!"

Kari laughed and kissed his cheek.

"It's still not fair!"

"Poor Matty." Mickey murmured reaching across the table and giving his hand a sympathetic pat.

"Were you late the other two times you didn't do garbage?"

When he didn't answer, his mother smiled slightly. "I thought so and no more sticking it behind the counter!"

_Great, Mom knew all along it was me, too. This day just keeps getting better and better._

"Daddy," Rina whined, "I don't want to go to school!" She looked quite disgusted by the fact that she had not been included in the conversation.

"Don't you want to play with all your friends," their father asked. He kissed her cheek and set her in a seat at the table.

Rina appeared determined to be difficult today. No wonder it had taken their mom so long to get her ready. The youngest Takaishi could be quite a handful if she didn't get her own way. "No," Rina pouted. The little first grader started to play with her food. "No docter either!"

Their mother looked up at the clock and gasped. "Mickey! Matty! Hurry up! You really are going to be late if you don't get moving!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Matty quickly shoveled down the rest of his food and ran to get his backpack.

"Pick up the mess you made with the coats while you're at it," his father called after him.

Matty groaned. _Doesn't Dad overlook anything? _Quickly, he shoved the coats back into the closet and raced into the kitchen. "Come on, Mickey, lets go."

"But...I barely started eating!" Mickey protested, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Their father laughed and kissed the top of Mickey's golden head. "Then maybe next time you should get up when the alarm goes off instead of sneaking in another half hour of sleep!"

"Yeah, like me!" Matty grinned.

"There's always a first time," his father joked. "Not that it put you any farther ahead. You're still going to be late too! See? It doesn't pay to skip out on garbage. You end up doing just as much work trying to hide it!"

"Dad!"

_What is this? Make fun of Masato day?_

His dad just laughed. "Here." He handed Mickey a piece of fruit and getting him out of his seat, he gave his son a gentle push towards the door. "You'll have to eat it on the way."

"But-"

"Come on!" Matty grabbed his brother's wrist and dragged him towards the door.

"I'll drop Rina off at school after her docter's appointment," T.K. told Kari as he attempted to clean his daughter up a bit.

"Thanks, T.K. I better get going or I'm going to be late, too." Their mother, Kari, worked at one of the local schools as a kindergarten teacher. It was the perfect job for her warm, caring personality, but truthfully, Matty was just grateful it wasn't his school otherwise she would never get off his case! She gave their father a quick kiss on the lips and started hurrying Mickey and himself towards the door. Even just that one small gesture showed how much his parents still loved eachother. It was the kind of love that would never fade no matter what fate threw their way. He knew how lucky he was to have two parents who loved him, his siblings, and each other.

"No needles!" Rina screamed at the top of her lungs.

"You need it to stay healthy. You don't want to get sick, do you?"

Rina continued to scream, ignoring her father.

"Don't forget to pick up some milk," their mother called over the noise.

"Bye, Dad!" Matty grinned. _Typical day in the Takaishi house!_

"Bye. Have a good day and don't get into trouble!"

Matty rolled his eyes and left their modest three bedroom house with Mickey in tow.

Their mother was right behind them calling out a goodbye to her husband and Rina. Then she turned her attention onto them. "You two be good," she said with a stern look. She got into one of the two family cars and drove off with a wave, along with several blown kisses.

The twins were left to walk to school on their own and quickly started off.


	3. Daichi and the Gang

Another chapter is up! This one is also in Matty's POV but it'll change to Daichi's in the next chapter, with the Digital World coming into play. I do intend to include all the Digidestined and their kids in this story in some way, so no one will be missed. I've also given you the name of Davis's wife! Did you already guess who she was? Thanks to Dark Qiviut (I do intend to read the story you suggested), Dark Lotus (nice comment, I think I'm going to like you!) and Catwarrior (I'm so glad at least someone sees it my way!)

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, sad but true. Enjoy! (Again, so sorry about grammar and spelling. Can you believe I had as high as 85 in English once? _In English!_ My teacher must have been on drugs.

Following The Footsteps Of Destiny

Chapter 2: Daichi And The Gang

_Masato "Matty" Takaishi_

The twins quickly started off down the sidewalk at a fast pace. Fortunately, it was a less then five minute walk to the school, so if they were lucky, they might just make it on time.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Mickey yawned. He chewed on his fruit and blinked, trying desperately to keep his eyes open.

Matty grinned and put an arm around him. "You looked so peaceful all curled up like that. I didn't have the heart to wake you."

Mickey blushed and smiled shyly at him. "Oh you," he said softly and Matty smiled back.

"Can you believe Mom and Dad?" Matty complained, changing the subject. "Why do they always have to make me look bad! You heard them; it's like they're already expecting me to get into trouble!"

"They were talking to me too," Mickey pointed out.

"Yeah, but they ment me," Matty grumbled. "All because of the stupid garbage thing."

Mickey gave him a sympathetic smile. "Look on the bright side. At least they didn't ground you."

"Only because they were using me for a good laugh!" He kicked at a stone in frustration and sighed. _Mickey does have a point. It could have been worse. They could have grounded me._

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be so lazy," Mickey said; he sounded amused.

"Not you too!" Matty cried and Mickey laughed.

"I'm just telling you the truth," his twin said with a smile.

"You could be a little more tactful about it!" Matty muttered and gave his brother a sullen look.

Mickey reached out and gave him a warm hug, his amber eyes filled with affection. Despite the fact that he was dressed in light blue jeans, a long sleeve white shirt, and a forest green t-shirt over top, he didn't look at all like he was suffering from the heat. "Don't worry, I'm still on your side. I knew you were the one doing it and I didn't tell Mom and Dad on you; not that it helped. They found out on there own anyway."

"Oh, okay then!" Matty happily hugged him back and the two started off again. Mickey always knew how to cheer him up and Matty was thankful to have such a great brother. Mickey was very loyal and Matty returned it. _At least someone understands me! _He knew Mickey would never get him into trouble on purpose.

"Bad luck they found out," Matty sighed. "I hope we don't have to work on those chemistry projects today."

"No kidding! Mrs. Hanari will kill me if I break anymore test tubes," a carefree male voice behind them laughed. Both twins turned to find a striking boy, with auburn hair and rich maroon coloured eyes, smiling at them. He was dressed in dark blue jeans and a red long sleeve shirt with a white stripe on each arm. Perched on his head were a pair of old, very familiar goggles. With a devious smile, fantastic soccer skills, and a knack for getting into trouble, it wasn't too hard to figure out who's son he was.

"You got that right!" Matty laughed. The young blond gave one of his best friends, thirteen year old, Daichi Motomiya a bright smile. Daichi had been a friend to him and Mickey since they were babies. Dai's parents, Davis and Noriko Motomiya, had been friends with Matty's parents since they themselves were young. As a result, they had spent a lot of time with Daichi and bonded quickly becoming fast friends. Because of that, the twins knew Dai almost as well as they knew each other.

"Hey, Dai. How come you're so late today?" Mickey asked; he sounded curious.

Daichi rolled his eyes and fell in step beside them. "Actually, funny story that his," he began in a dramatic voice. "I woke up late as usual, but I still would have been on time if it hadn't been for my dumb dog, Shadow. He insisted on having a walk. I tried to get out of it, but mom threatened to cut down my T.V. time if I didn't take him. I swear he's the slowest dog on the planet. I mean, does he really have to sniff everything? Anyway, by the time I got back, it was already getting late, and the dumb dog has to go and pee on our neighbour's leg! The guy yelled at me for fifteen minutes, like it was my fault, as if I'd been the one to personally pee on him or something! I swear Shadow did it on purpose just to annoy me. I bet he's not even really a dog. He's an evil demon in disguise. I finally got back into the house and Dad yells at me for sticking toothpaste in Ami's shampoo! I mean, where does he get off shouting at me? It's not like she didn't diserve it for letting all the air out of my soccer balls yesterday!" Their goggled headed friend took a deep breath and his rant finally came to a halt.

Matty and Mickey exchanged amused smiles and Matty rolled his eyes. One thing was for sure; his friend could be quite the character.

"So that's why I'm late. Do you think Mrs. Hanari will buy the excuse about the dog?" Daichi gave them a hopeful look.

"Um...I seriously doubt it," Matty grinned.

Dai's face fell and Matty patted his shoulder in sympathy.

"Stupid Ami, this is all her fault," Dai grumbled. "Now I'm grounded for two weeks!"

Ami Motomiya was Daichi's fourteen year old sister. The two of them constantly fought. They made Davis and Daichi's Aunt Jun look like best friends. Often Dai and Ami's parents yelled at them for the never ending pranks they pulled on each other. The two hardly ever got along, but Matty knew Dai loved his older sister and would stick up for her in a heartbeat. Ami was the same way. She might treat Dai like an annoying little brother most of the time, but if anyone tried to hurt him, she could be very protective of her younger sibling.

"I know how you feel, Dai. My day hasn't exactlly started off on the right foot either," Matty complained.

Mickey gave him an adorable smile and patted his shoulder. "Yeah, but in your case, it was entirely your own fault!"

"Hey!" Matty shouted, looking indignant. His friends and family often reffered to him as the black sheep of the Takaishi family just because he was the one who was always getting himself into trouble. This was entirely unfair. _I might not be the little angel Mickey is, but that doesn't mean I'm a bad person._ Not that he held any resentment towards his brother. That was just the way Mickey was. He couldn't help being sweet, good, and caring. The truth was, Matty wouldn't have had him any other way.

Dai grinned. "At odds with your parents too?"

"You could say that," Matty grumbled.

Daichi laughed and put an arm around each twin. "So why were you guys so late today? It's not exactly your style. I told you my story, now I want to hear yours."

"Later," Matty replied. "Right now we've got to hurry."

The elementary school came into view and the trio quickly headed for the door only to be stopped by a male voice. The tone was mildly amused. "You're late."

"Move it, Ishida, or you're going to make us even later," Dai snapped, looking angry.

Leaning against the door, and looking very much his father's son, was the Takaishi twins cousin, thirteen year old Ryoko Ishida. The only child of Matt Ishida, former lead singer of the rock band the Teenage Wolves, raised a blond eyebrow at them and smiled slightly. The bright morning sun reflected off his golden blond hair and made his gorgeous sapphire eyes sparkle. He was dressed in khakis and a deep blue shirt that matched the ocean blue of his gaze. Combined with his mother's finely shaped nose and high cheekbones, he made quite an amazing sight. There was only one way to describe Ryoko Ishida; stunningly handsome. According to Miya, Ryoko made the twins look like a pair of ogres. _I'll have to remember to get Miya back for that one. _Currently, Ryoko was blocking their entrance into the school and their last chance of making it to class on time.

"I can't say I'm surprised to see Daichi late, but the two of you?" Ryoko shook his head in disappointment. "Now that's something you don't see every day. I wonder what Uncle T.K. and Aunt Kari had to say about that!"

"Can it, Ishida and get out of my way! If I'm late because of you I'll-"

Matty sighed and put a restraining hand on Dai's arm. _We don't have time for this right now! When is Dai going to learn to keep his mouth shut!_

"Sorry, Ryoko, don't mind him. He's just having a bad morning," Mickey said, sounding apologetic.

Ryoko gave Daichi a cool look. At that moment, he was the spitting image of Matt. "That doesn't mean he has to take it out on me," the blond said calmly.

Daichi looked ready to start insulting him again, but Matty grabbed his friends arm and started dragging him up the stairs. "Come on, if we don't get inside quick then we'll all be late and that includes you, Ryoko! Mrs. Hanari will have a field day!"

Apparently Ryoko had not thought of this because his face paled and the blond sprinted into the building with the others right behind him. The four raced down the hallway and scrambled into the classroom just as the bell rang.

"Safe!" Dai cheered, flopping into his seat and trying to catch his breath.

Mrs. Hanari glared at him clearly disappointed to have missed an opportunity to get him into trouble. Needless to say, she was not a huge fan of Daichi. She and Dai had been at odds ever since the first day he walked into her classroom and set a garden snake loose during a history lesson. There had been instant panic. Guys were shouting while the girls were screaming and scrambling onto their desks. Dai had loved it all. That is, until Mrs. Hanari found out who it was and had given him detention. Noriko had grounded him for three weeks. Since then, Mrs. Hanari had been looking for excuses to get him into trouble. She was forever sniffing out Dai's practical jokes. Matty almost felt sorry for her, almost because of the fact that she wasn't to fond of him either. She seemed to think he was Dai's accomplice, and she was always watching them suspiciously as if she knew they were up to something and hadn't quite figured out what it was yet.

A tap on his shoulder made him turn in his seat between Dai and Mickey. He found himself gazing at the dark haired girl behind him. Her hazel coloured eyes were filled with curiosity. "Hey, cousin, cutting it kind of close aren't you?"

Matty smiled at his female cousin on his mother's side who was sitting with her feet up on the back of his chair. She was dressed in blue jean shorts, red sandels, and a yellow top. Thirteen year old, Takara Kamiya, was a tall girl with long chestnut brown hair, in a high ponytail, and had an easy carefree smile.

"That's an understatement!" Ryoko snorted from his seat beside her and behind Dai.

Daichi turned in his own seat to make a rude gesture at the blond and Ryoko frowned.

Takara rolled her eyes and gave Ryoko a stern look. Ryoko smiled innocently at her in return and Takara shook her head, smiling.

The famous Ishida charm; it never failed. Even Dai wasn't immune to it as much as he liked to think he was. At least, that was what Matty suspected, though he had his doubts.

"Long story," Matty whispered. "I'll tell you later."

"You better," she muttered.

"Now this should be interesting," the boy behind Mickey and to Takara's right said dryly.

They all turned to look at another one of their best friends since childhood. Named after his beloved deceased uncle sat the first born son of former boy genius, Ken Ichijouji. Thirteen year old, Sam Ichijouji, gave the twins a warm smile. His eyes were the same deep blue as his father's, but his personality was more a mixture of both parents. Sometimes he could be shy and reserved, like his dad, but at other times he got very passionate about things, like his mom. Currently, he was dressed in grey pants, a black t-shirt, and a long sleeve green zip up shirt over top.

"It is, trust me," Mickey whispered, laughing softly.

Matty looked around at the group and smiled. His best friends since infancy, the six of them were inseperable. That is, if you didn't count Ryoko and Daichi, but that was a different story.

"Alright students," Mrs. Hanari spoke up. "I want you to continue working on yesterday's math problems. Your test is coming up in a week, so if you have any questions, make sure you ask before then."

"What are you guys all doing after school today?" Matty asked, turning to his friends. His math book lay untouched on the desk. Around them the classroom was filled with the sounds of flipping pages, scratching pencils, and chatting students.

"Nothing!" Dai moaned, letting his forehead drop to the desk. "I'm grounded, remember?"

Ryoko rolled his deep blue eyes. He gave Dai a sharp poke between his shoulder blades with a pencil from behind. "You're always grounded, Daichi," the blond drawled. "It's amazing we even see you anymore!"

"The less I see of you the better!" Dai snapped, his auburn gaze sparkling with anger.

Ryoko gave the goggle headed boy a nasty smile. Disgusted, Dai turned back to face the front of the room and promptly began to ignore him.

Takara sent Daichi a sympathetic look and turned to the rest of them. "My soccer game was cancelled today, so my calender's free. Any suggestions?"

Takara was the captain of their elementary school soccer team and a bit of a tomboy. The best thing about her was that she was really easy to get along with. Even Ryoko got along with her. In fact, Takara was the only person Ryoko ever listened to. Matty was pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that their father's were best friends and so were their mother's. Ryoko seemed to feel it was his duty to protect her or something, as if Takara's parents had personally appointed him. They were actually more like brother and sister then they were friends; the two were very close. Takara was the only one Ryoko appeared comfortable telling his secrets to and Takara always told Ryoko hers. For some reason, this always seemed to annoy Dai and he was constantly glaring at the two of them. Poor Takara. She was always getting stuck in the middle of their fights, but she handled it well. A combination of her father's laid back attitude and her mother's sensible good natured personality made her one of the most easy going people Matty knew. Nothing seemed to faze her.

"Why don't we all go for ice cream?" Sam suggested.

Mickey smiled, his amber eyes lighting up. "That's a great idea!"

"If Ishida's going them I'm not!" Dai said stubbornly and crossed his arms. "I've had just about enough of him today!"

"Good. You'll only embarrass us anyway!" Ryoko said nastily. "Besides, you can't go. You've already gone and gotten yourself into trouble again!"

Matty tried desperately to stop him, but unfortunately, he was too late. Flaring up, Dai turned and punched Ryoko hard in the chest. Matty's heart sank. Mrs. Hanari had turned just at that moment and seen him.

"Daichi Motomiya! What do you think you're doing punching other students in my class! Detention after school, three-thirty sharp, and you'd better not be late!" The rest of the class started snickering loudly, including Ryoko.

"What! That's not fair!" Dai shouted. "Ishida's the one who-"

"Young man, you keep your voice down in my class!" Mrs. Hanari looked very pleased to have gotten Dai into trouble after the first missed opportunity. "I don't want to hear your excuses and you will treat other students in this class with proper respect when speaking their names! You learn to behave in my class or it'll be the principal's office next!" Dismissing him, Mrs. Hanari turned back to the chalkboard. Her face was filled with the delight and satisfaction of sweet revenge.

"I'd hate to see how she treats Dai on a bad day," Sam muttered, shaking his raven head.

Matty had to agree. That had been Mrs. Hanari in a good mood. He shuddered to think what she would be like otherwise, especially towards Dai.

Dai lapsed into a sullen silence fuming, and he turned to find Ryoko smiling sweetly at him. If looks could kill, Ryoko would have dropped dead on the spot.

"Don't let her get to you, Dai," Takara said, leaning over Ryoko's desk to whisper in his ear.

Dai appeared determind to sulk, but at her words, he turned and gave her a warm smile.

"I don't know why you bother with him," Ryoko muttered. He rubbed his chest where Dai had hit him and gave Takara a dark look.

Takara blushed and refused to meet Ryoko's gaze. Matty glanced curiously at her, but Kara wouldn't meet his eyes either. The young blond frowned thoughtfully. _What's up with her? She usually doesn't get embarrassed so easily._

_"_Because, she has a heart, unlike you!" Dai hissed at Ryoko, without turning around. Ryoko's pale creamy cheeks turned red with rage, his sapphire eyes sparkling dangerously.

Takara put a hand on Ryoko's arm which stopped the words that looked ready to explode out of his mouth. "You were the one who started the fight this time," she murmered softly.

"I didn't do anything of the sort!" Ryoko snapped, low enough so that Dai wouldn't overhear. He leaned closer to Takara and whispered in a harsh voice," But I will be the one to finish it!"

Matty rolled his eyes, sighing again, and exchanged one of his signature twin looks with Mickey. His twin had overheard as well and he didn't look at all happy about Ryoko's words; neither did Takara. _It looks like today's going to be a long day..._


	4. The Message

I'm back with another chapter and don't worry I won't forget the other Digidestined's kids. Thanks a million times over to Helena for the advice. Unfortunately I already started writing One World Away From Darkness before you had a chance to give me the heads up and more advice is very welcome! Also thanks to Dark Qiviut, miricles-3, Catwarrior, and foreverbluegreen for the reviews. You guys are all amazing! Sorry this chapter is kind of short but the next one will be longer!

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon and never will. Enjoy everyone!

Following The Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 3: The Message

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

Late that afternoon, a disgruntled Daichi Motomiya found himself seated in the computer room with the rest of Odaiba Elementary's delinquent students. He was seething with anger. "When I get out of here I'm going to kill Ryoko," he muttered to himself. If there was person on the planet that he absolutely could not stand, it was Ryoko Ishida. Normally, he got along with pretty much everyone in the school. That was one of the reasons why he was so popular. Dai was well aware of the fact that he had some less then stellar qualities, but if there was one good thing about him, it was that he treated all his classmates with equal respect. That was why popular and non popular students alike enjoyed being around him, and he in turn, enjoyed being around them. Things like popularity had never mattered to him. He just wanted to be friends with as many people as possible and he never judged. _Who am I to judge when I hate being judged myself?_

Ryoko, of course, was the exception. Dai hated everything about the blond. To him, Ryoko was nothing but a stuck up, snobby, pampered, spoiled little prince, with an ugly smirk and a bad attitude. The only reason he even put up with him was for Takara, Mickey, and Matty's sake. If it had been up to him, Ryoko would have been kicked out of the group the day he was born! Everything about Ryoko annoyed him, but what bothered him the most was the way Ryoko treated him like a disgusting slug he wanted to step on. Everytime he walked into a room, Ryoko would wrinkled his nose as if he smelled something nasty. The blond always acted as if he, Dai, was nothing more then a stepping stone and it drove Dai crazy. _The worst part is I have know idea why. I've never done anything to him and yet he's acted like this since we were little. What in the world is his problem?_

_"_Alright everyone it's four p.m. Time to go home." Mr. Hara's voice broke into Daichi's thoughts and he glanced up at their supervisor for detention. "I better not see any of you in here tomorrow!"

The noise of scraping chairs and loud chatter filled the room. Within seconds, Dai found himself alone in the room and he remained seated. Wincing, he put a hand to his forehead and groaned softly. He could feel the beginnings of a huge headache coming on and it was all Ryoko's fault.

"I hate him," Dai muttered, making a mental note to get revenge on the blond later. Slowly, he stood up and began to pile his books into his bag silently cursing Ryoko, Mrs. Hanari, Mr. Hara, his parents, and pretty much anyone else he could think of. He was definitely not in any hurry to get home and confront two extremely angry parents.

"I guess I can't dely any longer, otherwise they'll be even more mad." Dai sighed and stretched his arms. For the first time since walking in the door, he finally noticed the room around him. He paused to take a closer look, frowning slightly. Usually detention was held down the hallway in one of the regular classrooms, but a chemistry accident (thankfully not one of his, otherwise he'd be in even more trouble) had forced them to locate to another room. The janitor was probably still cleaning up the mess and muttering curses under his breath.

Slowly Dai walked around the classroom taking in it's interior. The other students had certainly run out of the room quick enough; even Mr. Hara. He probably wanted to get home and feed his grumpy old cat that he was fond of more then anything else in the world. None of the students had a clue as to why he cared so much about what had to be the most hateful, ugliest, cat in the city. He was always talking about it like you would a cute little puppy. No wonder he was still a bachelor. _Even his neighbours can't stand the thing, imagine having to live with it?_

Dai frowned at the computers. Being a sports fan, he was hardly ever in this room except occasionally for class, but something about it today had caught his interest. It didn't look any different then it usually did; at least, he didn't think so. It was just a regular classroom with white walls, chalkboard, uncomfortable chairs, and long tables, but still...there was something different about it today.

A sudden soft sound behind him made Dai jerk around and he expected to see someone walking into the room. There was no one there. "Hello? Is anyone out there?" Dai stepped a little closer to the door, his stomache fluttering nervously. The hallway remained empty and no one answered his call. _Was I just imagining things?_ he started to tremble with unexpected fear and took a step back.

"Alright! Enough playing around!" Dai snapped; he was starting to get angry. "Who's there?" His loud voice filled the room, breaking the silence, and he winced at his own tone; it was shaky and uncertain.

"Ryoko? Is that you?" Rage flared inside him, erasing his fear, and he stalked towards the door. _There's no way I'm going to let Ryoko get a good laugh out of frightening me!_

"Haven't you done enough damage already!" Dai snapped. "When I get my hands on you, I'm going to kick your-"

Dai poked his head out the door and stopped in mid sentence; the hallway was empty.

"Ryoko?" Still no answer and not a single blond head in sight. He slowly stepped back into the room his fear, once again, beginning to mount. "I thought for sure Ryoko-" he broke off when he realized his voice was trembling.

The silence in the computer room was almost overwhelming. In fact, the whole school appeared to be quiet, too quiet for Dai's liking. Normally there would still be a few students hanging around, but the place seemed empty. A quick glance out the window showed him that the school grounds were empty too. Now that was weird. There should have been at least one of the school's sports teams out there practicing. It wouldn't be the boys soccer team. Dai himself was the captain and their practice wasn't until tomorrow. _Where is everyone?_ That's when he remembered that Takara's soccer practice had been cancelled. At least that was one mystery solved. Still, even with all the kids running out of detention, eager to hang with friends or have supper, there should have a least been some teachers around.

Slowly Daichi walked back towards the computers and stopped short when he realized that one of them was turned on.

"Huh?" Feeling confused, Dai stepped towards it until he was directly facing the screen and scratched his head. _That's strange. I could have sworn all the computers had been off, unless one of the other students had turned it on when Mr.Hara wasn't looking. _Dai's frown deepened._ But that can't be possible. I spent all of detention watching everyone else and no one touched them. I'm sure of it._ "Then...how can it be on?" Dai said in confusion. "A computer can't turn itself on!" No one answered back; he had not really expected anyone to.

Curious, Dai leaned forward and studied the screen. It was filled with static...but...that was impossible. Computer screens did not fill with static the way televisions did. The rational part of his brain was telling him he should be very afraid, and yet, for some reason he wasn't. Despite his fear earlier, he felt strangly calm and mildly interested. The screen almost seemed to be pulsing with life. Dai figured he should probably be running for the door right about now, but his feet felt rooted to the tile floor. He would not have been able to move a muscle even if he had tried.

A sudden flash of light lit up the screen and Dai stumbled backwards into a chair with a gasp. His rich dark eyes grew wide with shock. The computer screen was glowing!

"What's going on in here?" Dai whispered to no one in particular. _I knew I was coming here for detention, but I hadn't expected something like this!_

Dai watched in awed fasination as the screen began to change. Salt and pepper static faded away to reveal a glowing white screen. An odd assortment of zeroes and ones began to scroll down it's surface, and slowly those numbers began to break up reforming into strange letters and sentences.

"Cool!" Dai gasped. Finally the activity on the screen stopped and Dai found himself staring at what looked to be a letter or message of some kind.

"There's something very wrong here," Dai muttered. He could feel it in his very bones. He hit a button on the keyboared, but nothing happened. He stared at the screen in confusion. "What's wrong with this thing?"

Without warning, the computer screen turned black and shut off. Just like that, the message was gone as suddenly as it had appeared. Dai blinked in astonishment. "Okay, this is getting just a little too weird for me," he murmured. _There's no way a computer can turn on by itself, much less turn off by itself!_ Dai tipped his chin up to look at the lights feeling uneasy. Still on. A power surge was out of the question. The lights hadn't even flickered. All of the fear that had been missing earlier came back to Dai in a rush of panic. His hands were clutching the desk and he quickly backed away from the computer. He found himself wanting to get out of the room as soon as possible. Dai turned his head and his eyes happened to fall on the clock. It read four-thirty. Uh oh. He was late; very late.

"My parents!" Dai cried. _They're going to kill me!_ He grabbed his bag and raced out of the room. All thoughts of the computer and Ryoko disappeared from his mind. The only thing he could think about was how his parents were going to freak when he walked through the front door.


	5. Family Ties

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, and I'm tired of saying this!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 5: Family Ties

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Wow! This ice cream is great! It's too bad Dai couldn't join us," Mickey commented, and Takara nodded in agreement, blushing slightly. She and the others were strolling down the streets of Odaiba with cones in their hands and the sun shining down on their backs. She could not help feeling a little disappointed that Dai had not come with. He was always so energetic and fun to be around, despite his fights with Ryoko. Takara frowned. _Speaking of Ryoko..._

"Serves him right," her blond friend snorted and turned up his nose. "He should learn to control his temper!"

Takara exchanged a look with Sam and rolled her eyes. _That's Ryoko for you; always the sympathetic one. _She loved Ryoko very much, but sometimes she just could not understand him, and that frustrated her. In all the years that she had known him, she still could not understand why he was so hostile towards Dai. It did not matter how much she bugged him, he still would not give her a straight answer. That worried her. She and Ryoko always told each other their secrets, but this was one thing he would not clue her in on; not that she blamed him. After all, there was one secret she was keeping from him.

Takara blushed hotly and lowered her eyes to the sidewalk. There was one thing about her that none of her friends knew, including Ryoko, and it was the fact that she had a huge crush on Daichi Motomiya. Deep down she felt that she had a good reason for not telling Ryoko this, but it did not make her feel any less guilty. Ryoko hated Dai so much that he would not even call the other boy by the nickname that everyone else used. He always insisted on calling Dai by his full name and Dai always called Ryoko by his last name. Takara figured it was a way for Dai to get a little bit of revenge. Their dislike for each other was reason enough to keep silent. She did not think Ryoko would approve of her taste in boys, and she was afraid that if he knew she liked Dai, it would cause and even bigger rift between the two. She had not told any of the others, including her twin cousins, because she was afraid one of them might let it slip to Dai, and she definitely did not want him to know. They would not do it on purpose, but she wasn't willing to risk an accident either. _Dai will never feel the same way about me. If he found out, I'd be totally humiliated. _It would not only be awkward for her, but for the whole group as well. If they found out, it would create tension, especially considering the fact that Dai would never return her feelings. _I'm nothing but another soccer buddy to Dai. That's the way it has always been and that's the way it always will be! Stop moping around and face facts! _The thought made her feel lonely, and she let out a soft sigh.

"Hey, guys. Do you want to go in? I told Mom I'd stop off here before going home," Sam said. His words brought Takara out of her sad thoughts, and she looked up. They had stopped in front of the convenience store Sam's parents, Ken and Yolei Ichijouji, owned. Ken and Yolei had taken over the business when Yolei's parents had decided to give it up and enjoy retirement. Now the couple ran it full time and it was busier then ever.

"Okay. Hey, maybe your mom will let us have some toppings to spruce up these ice creams a bit!" Matty grinned and elbowed Sam in the ribs, nearly dropping his cone. Takara frowned at him and shook her head. He was lucky he had not gotten it all over his blue jeans and hooded navy sweater.

Sam laughed and smiled back at him. "Are you kidding? There's no way my mom would let me spoil my supper like that!"

Takara gave her raven haired friend a sympathetic pat on the back. Sam's mom was known in their group for being pretty strict.

The five of them headed inside and were greeted by Sam's mother. Thirty-eight year old, Yolei Ichijouji, who was formerly of the Inoue surname, stood behind the counter wiping the surface clean with a hand towel. Her long, lavender hair was still a vibrant colour and fell down her back in a thick braid. Behind a pair of glasses, her brown eyes were as sharp as ever and her tongue just as quick. Even after three kids, Yolei was still slim and young looking, with a legendary temper to rival Davis'.

"Sam! How was school today?" Yolei leaned over the register to kiss his cheek and gave him a bright smile.

"It was okay, only..." Sam frowned. "Dai got stuck in detention again, so he couldn't come for ice cream with us."

Takara winced. _Uh oh_. Telling Yolei about Dai probably wasn't a very good idea._ Here it comes_.

"That boy!" Yolei muttered. "Honestly! Just like Davis at that age! The fool doesn't have enough sense to keep his kid in line! Spoils him to much if you ask me. Poor Noriko; how she puts up with the two of them I'll never know!"

Takara exchanged amused looks with the others and tried not to laugh. According to her Aunt Kari, Yolei had not changed much, if at all, in the past twenty-five years!

"I swear Noriko spends just as much time disciplining Davis as she does Daichi! Why she ever married him is beyond me. If Davis hasn't learned to grow up by now, he's never going to! Oh well. I suppose loves makes us do some crazy things!" Yolei glared at the counter she was wiping and continued to mutter to herself.

Sam sighed. It was obvious he had heard all of this before. "Whatever you say, Mom. Is Dad around?"

"In the back with Nao," a voice replied. Takara glanced down to find Sam's fifteen year old sister, Miya Ichijouji, seated on the floor with her back against the counter and a textbook in her lap. She and Dai's sister Ami were best friends, which was astonishing when you considered how well Davis and Yolei got along. Miya had inherited her father's raven hair, which she wore long, and her mother's honey brown eyes. Miya smiled at her from behind a pair of stylish glasses, and Takara smiled back.

Sam's sister was dressed in a short skirt and a bright top, which made her look even taller and slimmer than she was. Her personaltiy was a lot like her mom's and she drove Sam crazy sometimes. Despite that, she and Sam, along with Nao, got along really well.

"Miya, how many times do I have to tell you not to do your homework in the middle of the floor! I don't want my customers tripping over you," Yolei said in exasperation.

Miya rolled her eyes. "Chill out, Mom. There's no one even in here!"

"What are we, chopped liver!" Takara laughed and smiled at the older girl. She really liked Miya and admired her spirit. The female Ichjouji was also very smart. Takara figured that probably had to do with the fact that her father was a former boy genius. Even after all this time, people still pointed Ken out in the streets when they passed him. Her uncle had been one as well, before he had passed away, and Takara was sure that the genes had resurfaced in Miya.

"You know what I mean," Miya said, smiling back.

At that moment, Sam's father came into the room. Thirty-seven year old former boy genius and soccer star, Ken Ichijouji, was holding the most adorable little boy in his arms and nearly tripped over Miya's legs as he came around the counter.

"Miya, is it really necessary for you to sit there?" Ken asked. He grabbed the counter top, to regain his balance, and frowned at her with deep, midnight blue eyes. His sleek, black hair was cut shorter than it was in his childhood days, and his pale skin was as smooth as ever. Tall, slim, and still handsome, with a soft smile, Ken too had not changed much. Takara had always felt there was an air of mystery about him and a gentle kindness that put you instantly at ease. According to Yolei, the only real difference was that he smiled a lot more often then he had when he was young. He and Yolei were complete opposites, and as a result, they complimented one another perfectly. Yolei's talkative chatter made up for Ken's quiet soft tones and few words. Takara hated to think what life would be like for Sam if both his parents were like Yolei! It wasn't that they didn't like Yolei, they did, but one of her was quite enough to deal with!

Miya groaned. "Not you too, Dad! Where else am I going to do my homework in this place?"

"You could always use the frozen foods section with the glass covers for a desk!" Matty joked.

The older teen's eyes brightened. "Hey, you know, that might-"

"Don't even think about it," Yolei warned. Miya pouted as her mother gave her a stern look.

"Hey, Dad," Sam said and rolled his eyes at his sister.

Ken's face softened into a smile. "Hey, Sam, how was school?" In his arms, seven year old, Nao Ichijouji, chewed on the sleeve of his shirt glancing shyly at everyone. His hair was a think purple, the same as Yolei's, and his eyes were a deep blue like Ken's.

"It was okay. Hey, Nao, how's my little brother?" Sam grinned and held out his arms towards the younger boy. Nao's face brightened, and he wrapped his arms around Sam's neck. Sam pulled him into a hug and held him tightly.

"How was school?" Sam asked. He swung Nao around in a circle, and the younger boy let out a sweet laugh. He snuggled against Sam's chest and clutched the older boy's shirt. "It was alright," he said softly, and Takara smiled at him. Nao was a lot like Ken, and he was also very shy.

Sam smiled down at Nao and ruffled his hair. "Did you miss me?"

Nao nodded and gave his brother a big, adorable smile.

Ken gave his two sons a fond look at the obvious affection between them and turned to Yolei.

"Ken!" Yolei practically shouted. "Sam has informed me that Daichi's gone and gotten himself into trouble again! When is Davis going to learn to keep his children in line!"

An amused smile flitted across Ken's face. "Yolei, honey, you know Davis doesn't appreciate you telling him how to raise his kids. I think you'd better give it a rest."

Even after twenty-nine years, Ken was still a loyal best friend. He did what he could to defend Davis against Yolei's harsh judgements, even if it meant getting yelled at for his efforts. Yolei did not look as if she liked that very much from the way she was slamming things around on the counter. Yolei always seemed to think she knew best when it came to parenting and that being a mother of three meant she had all the answers. She was constantly acting like a mother hen and fussing over them whether they were her children or not. Miya was always complaining about how embarrassing it was, but Sam just shrugged it off. Takara knew Sam thought it was kind of cool that his mother was so caring. _I'm just glad she's not my mother!_

"Well someone should tell him! Noriko shouldn't have to do it all by herself," Yolei said loudly. She looked annoyed.

Ken raised an eyebrow. Despite the years, Yolei and Davis still bickered over everything. Most of the time it drove Ken up the wall because he was the one often stuck in the middle of it. Usually, he tried to go neutral or stay out of it completely. Otherwise they both ended up yelling at him for defending the other. _I thought we were suppose to be the immature ones. Adults get away with everything!_

"Honestly! Sometimes I think T.K. and Kari are the only ones with sense around here! At least their children behave!"

Matty and Mickey both beamed at Yolei looking as innocent as it was possible to look. Takara's Aunt Kari, also a mother of three, was the only one Yolei seemed to feel was as adept at being a parent as she was. Takara figured it had something to do with the fact that the two happened to be best friends. "Matty behave? Yeah right!" Takara giggled. It was to good of an opportunity to miss.

"Hey!" Matty shouted, glaring at her, and Yolei laughed.

"What about us? Don't we behave?" Miya gave her mother a grin and stood up.

"I mean, besides my own children of course," Yolei promptly replied.

Miya and her father grinned at each other. It was no secret that Sam and his siblings got along with their dad. If there were fights, they were usually with Yolei.

"We have to behave," Sam muttered. "Otherwise she'd skin us alive!" Everyone laughed this time, including Yolei.

"Miya, why don't you do your homework back at the house?" Ken asked.

Miya shrugged. "It's easier to do it here. That way you and mom can help me when I get stuck."

"You never get stuck," Sam said with a snort.

"Oh alright. I just like watching all the weirdos that come in here," she giggled.

"Miya!" Yolei shouted.

"What?" Miya gave her an innocent look.

Ken sighed and kissed Yolei's cheek with a small smile.

"Is there any chance we can get some toppings for these ice creams?" Matty asked hopefully.

Yolei rolled her eyes. "You've all had enough sweets for today. Go on, get out of here you troublemakers! I don't want your parents on my case if you're late for supper."

"Told you she wouldn't," Sam whispered to Matty who looked disappointed.

"Bye, Sam. See you tomorrow!" Mickey laughed.

"Bye everyone," Takara added with a wave. She left the store with the others shaking her head. _At least I'm not the only person with a crazy family!_

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ryoko Ishida sighed softly and leaned against the door of the house he lived in with his parents. Today had not been what he would called a very good day. In fact, if he was honest with himself, the day had been a complete disaster, and he was miserable. _I'm such a jerk. I might as well admit it. Dai is stuck in detention because of me, and now he's going to hate me more then he already does. When did everything fall apart without me even noticing? _He had not wanted to be mean to Dai, but somehow, he had not been able to stop the flow of words coming from his mouth._ Why does Dai hate me so much? It's not like I've done anything really horrible to him. It can't be that. Dai hated me even when we were little._ Since then, Dai's hatred of him had only gotten worse. Now they coud not even be in the same room together for two minutes without a fight breaking out. _I hate this. I just want it to end. _But it wouldn't. Not until he or Dai backed down, and he definitely wasn't going to back down first leaving Dai a clear path to his real feelings. If Dai knew, everything would be ruined.

He sighed once more, took a deep breath, and entered the house. The smell of something good cooking caught his attention, and he followed his nose to the kitchen where his father, forty-one year old, Matt Ishida, stood leaning over the stove.

Ryoko plastered what he hoped was a convincing smile on his face and stepped into the kitchen.

His father looked up at the sound of his footsteps, and a brillant smile covered his still strikingly handsome face. "Ryoko! How come you're so late today? Supper's almost ready," his dad said, sounding curious.

"We stopped off at the convenience store with Sam," he explained and felt suddenly more lighthearted; this time his smile was genuine.

He stepped up to his father's side and sniffed the food. His stomache rumbled, and he realized how hungry he was. "Smells great," Ryoko laughed. "At this rate I'll end up totally spoiled. I'll never be able to eat anyone elses cooking!"

His father laughed and leaned down to gently kiss the top of his head.

Ryoko smiled at his dad in return. He was well aware of the fact that he looked remarkably like his father. Everybody thay met always commented on it, and it always brought a soft smile to his dad's face. Even their personalities were similar. The best part was that they were very close and rarely argued. His father's hair still shone a golden blond and his sapphire eyes sparkled under the lights. The lines beginning at the corners of his eyes were the only real evidence of his age.

"So what are you cooking?" Ryoko asked curiously, his thoughts about Dai temporarily forgotten. _Time enough to think about that_. Coming home was always a wonderful feeling for Ryoko. He loved his parents very much and there was always a great sense of family atmosphere in the house.

"It's a new recipe. Want to be my guinea pig?" His dad handed the spoon to him and smiled.

"You haven't poisoned me yet," he joked and took a big bite. "Perfect as usual."

"Just be glad your father does the cooking around here, otherwise there might be a few poisonings," his mother said dryly as she entered the room. At forty years of age, his mother, Mimi Ishida, was still as beautiful as ever. She wore her rosy coloured hair long and her amber eyes sparkled with life. Currently she was working part time as a model.

"Hey, Mom," Ryoko smiled and gave her a big hug.

"Hello, sweetheart. How was your day?" His mother gave him a kiss on the cheek and returned his hug.

That's when his problems with Dai came back to him and he sighed. "It was okay, I guess." He took a seat at the table and frowned.

His parents exchanged looks, and Ryoko blushed.

"Is something bothering you?" His father turned down the stove and sat next to him looking concerned.

He shrugged and managed to smile. "Not really."

His father's deep blue eyes narrowed into a frown, but he did not push the subject. Ryoko had a feeling they did not believe him for a minute.

"So how are Yolei and Ken doing? I haven't had a chance to see them this week and I heard you say that you stopped off at the store with Sam." His mother gave him a funny look, and Ryoko slipped lower into his seat.

"They're doing alright."

"How's that nephew of ours?" His dad looked amused. "Is Matty staying out of trouble?"

"Yeah, he's not the problem," Ryoko muttered without thinking.

His mother stared at him, her face filled with concern. "What do you mean?"

"You know, the usual," he mumbled, avoiding her eyes. "Dai got in trouble at school again today; nothing new."

His mother gave him a look. " What has that boy done this time?"

Ryoko flushed, feeling guilty. _Nothing. It's my fault he got in trouble. I'm the one who should have been in detention, not him. _"Nothing really," he said softly. "You know what Mrs. Hanari is like. She'll find any excuse to get him into trouble."

"Still, Dai does seem to get into trouble a lot," his mother said thoughtfully.

His dad smiled slightly. "Does that surprise you? Look who his father is!"

"Don't I know it," his mother laughed. "Davis was the worst when it came to getting into trouble!"

"He made Tai look like an angel, and Tai was anything but," his father said dryly.

Ryoko laughed, and his dad smiled softly at the mention of Tai. His father and Takara's father had been best friends for twenty-nine years and counting, same with their moms. It was obvious from the fact that when he was born, his mom and dad had named him after Tai. His full name was actually Ryoko Taichi Ishida. When he was born, Tai had been so moved by his father's gesture that Tai had hugged his dad and promised that if he ever had a son, he would name him after his dad, Matt. Tai had kept his word. When his dad's friend's youngest child was born, it turned out to be a boy. Tai and his wife Sora named the newborn Taysuke Yamato Kamiya. Now, thirteen years later, even though Tai and Sora were not technically his aunt and uncle, he still called them Uncle Tai and Aunt Sora, just as Takara and Taysuke called his parents Aunt Mimi and Uncle Matt.

His father got to his feet and brought the food over to the table. He motioned for them to dig in, and Ryoko eagerly took a bite.

"So how is it?"

"You've outdone yourself as usual," His mother smiled and leaned over to kiss his dad on the nose.

After his father and the rest of the Teenage Wolves decided to call it quits, his dad had followed through with one of his other passions and became a gourmet chef. He still wrote music though and could often be found strumming his guitar or playing his harmonica. Ryoko just loved to sit and listen to him play. His music had this quality to it that captured your attention and did not let you go until the song was over. Often in the evenings he could be found curled up beside his father on the couch listening while he played. When he was little, his parents use to sing him to sleep when they tucked him in. Many times he would wake up the next morning to find himself warm and safe in his bed. His parents had great voices.

"Do you have much homework? If you need some help just let me know," his mother said.

He smiled at her. "No, I'm fine for now, but thanks anyway." To him, her skills as a parent more than made up for her lack of cooking skills!

Ryoko smiled at them, and they smiled back. One thing was for sure, he could not have asked for two better parents.


	6. Like Father, Like Son

Well, I'm finally back! I'd tell you who my favorite characters are only, I happen to be fond of all of them!

To miricles-3: I'm glad my story made you feel better and I hope you like the next chapter!

To Helena: I noticed that too about my stories. Oh well, most romance stories are based on miscommunication. It'll probably pop up in future stories even without me intending it to. Sorry! The advice about commas would be great. I might as well get a whole lesson, it's the only way I'll improve! Thanks!

To Dark Qiviut: We're going to find out what happens to poor Dai!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Okay! Onto the story!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 6: Like Father, Like Son

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

Daichi slipped inside the house and quietly closed the door behind him. The front hall was silent, and he let out a sigh of relief. _Maybe they aren't even home yet. If that's the case, then I might not get into trouble after all! _He made to tiptoe across the hall, but his mother's voice stopped him.

"Daichi, you get in here right now!"

Dai flinched. _I should have known. I never get that lucky! _He shuffled into the kitchen, feeling defeated, and found himself face to face with his mother. Thirty-six year old, Noriko Motomiya, was glaring angrily at him, her dark brown eyes flashing; she was furious.

"Where have you been all this time? You know very well that you're grounded! Explain yourself!"

"Er...well...you see..."

"What have you done this time?"

Daichi jumped at the new voice and turned to find his father, thirty-seven year old, Davis Motomiya, standing in the doorway; he didn't look at all pleased.

"It was Ryoko's fault," Dai said in self-defence. "I swear it!"

The frown on his father's face deepened. "Where have you been?"

"In detention," he said meekly. He twiddled his thumbs together and sighed. There was no use trying to hide it from them. They would find out eventually anyway thanks to Mrs. Hanari.

"That's the fifth time in two weeks!" His mother looked ready to explode with anger. "When are you going to learn that there are rules to follow at school and in this house! You're are grounded for another week and no televison or computer! You can use the time to think about how you're going to clean up your attitude!"

"That's so unfair!" Daichi shouted. "Ryoko's the one who should be getting into trouble, not me! He started this whole thing!"

"I don't care who started it," his mother snapped. "I want this fighting between you and Ryoko to stop immediately! Do you understand me? It's been going on for far to long! You had better learn to get along with him if you don't want to land up in even more trouble!"

_I can't believe this! I didn't even do anything and I'm the one who's getting into trouble!" _Dai turned to his father to protest, but his dad just shook his head.

"Your mother's right, Dai. These antics of yours have got to stop." His father leaned against the wall, his eyes filling with disappointment, and sighed loudly. "When you were born, I promised your mother that I wouldn't let you turn out like I had. Have I failed so miserably as a parent? Tai's going to love this."

"Who cares what he thinks," Dai grumbled, feeling guilty.

His father studied his face, but he didn't reply.

"Go to your room! I don't want to see you down here again until suppertime," his mother said angrily.

"Fine!" Dai snapped. He turned and stomped out of the room towards the stairs. His sister, Ami, happened to be coming down, just as he was headed up, and she smirked at him. "Ooooh, someone's in trouble!"

"Shut up, Ami!" He stalked into his room, fuming, and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

_Davis Motomiya_

Davis frowned at the sound of Dai's door slamming shut and took a seat at the kitchen table.

Noriko sighed and slipped into the chair across from him, shaking her head. "What are we going to do with him?" Her voice sounded weary, and her eyes looked tired.

He gave his wife a small smile and reached across the table to take her hand. "Well, we know one thing. Yelling at that top of our lungs doesn't make the slightest bit of difference!"

Noriko blinked at him and started to laugh. "Oh Davis, I don't like having to yell at him all the time, but I don't know what else to do. Nothing seems to work."

Davis shrugged. "I don't think it's anything to get upset about. He'll probably grow out of it just like I did."

Noriko raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes I wonder about that!"

He pretended to look offended and Noriko leaned across the table to kiss his cheek. She pulled back, with a fond smile on her face, and rested her chin in her hand. "The two of you are going to turn me grey early," she said softly.

"Even if we did, you would still be beautiful." In his opinion, Noriko had only become even more pretty with each passing year. Her dark brown hair fell to her shoulders and her deep chocolate coloured eyes sparkled with the kind of life that defied her age. He could still remember the moment when he had realized that he had fallen in love with her, despite the fact that it had been many years ago. It had been during his final year of highschool and a year after Kari had already declared her love for T.K. Kari's decision had caused a lot of heartache between himself and the Child of Hope. In fact, it had almost completely destroyed their friendship. For years Kari had blamed herself for the near disaster, until he, along with T.K., had managed to convince her that it wasn't her fault. During that time, Noriko had become a very good friend of theirs. She had ended up going to the same highschool as them and often joined them on their trips to the Digital World. Davis could not believe how much being a Digidestined had changed Noriko's life. She had become completely different from the sad lonely girl Arukenimon had tried to manipulate. After Kari's decision, Noriko had been there to confort him with good advice. She had shown him that it was not the end of the world. During that time, they had spent hours just talking to each other, and they had ended up becoming very close. A year later, during one of their trips to the Digital World, he had ended up kissing her behind one of the houses at Primary Village. He still wasn't sure exactly how it had happened, but in that moment, he had realized that somehow in the time that Kari was slowly fading from his mind, he had ended up falling in love with Noriko. He didn't regret it one bit. _Maybe that kiss hadn't been an accident after all, like I had originally thought. Maybe it was fate's way of telling me to wake up and open my eyes._ After a few awkward weeks, Noriko had finally confessed to falling in love with him ages ago, but she had been too afraid to say anything because she had thought that he was still in love with Kari. He had assured her that he wasn't and he had been telling the truth. By that time, Kari had become nothing but a distant fond memory. Once he and Noriko had gotten their feelings worked out, she had convinced him to fix his shattered relationship with T.K. After many tears and apologies, he had wished the blond nothing but happiness, and now their friendship was stronger then anyone would have ever thought possible. Everytime he looked at Noriko, it made him remember all of the reasons why he had married her in the first place.

"What are you thinking about?"

Davis glanced up at his wife and smiled at her. "I was just thinking about how much I love you," he said softly.

She squeezed his hand and leaned forward so that their foreheads were resting together. "If you're trying to get me to stop worrying about Dai, it's not going to work," she murmured, but her eyes lit up with happiness at his words.

That was another good reason why he could not imagine being with anyone else but Noriko, his kids. Dai and Ami meant more to him then life itself. He couldn't imagine them not being here and the thought alone was enough to horrify him. He loved them both so much, he didn't know what he would do if anything happened to them.

"I don't think there's any need to worry about Dai," he said reasonably. "We just need to be firm with him. A little discipline never hurt anyone. Yelling at him is only going to make him want to rebel even more." _Dai's problem is that he's to much like me. _A gentle smile crossed his lips at the thought and he sighed. _I don't have the heart to yell at him. I know what it's like to feel misunderstood as a kid and I hated it._

"I hope you're right," Noriko muttered.

"What's Dai done this time?" Ami said cheerfully, coming into the room.

Davis frowned at the mischievous twinkle in her chestnut coloured eyes and gave his daughter a look. "Don't encourage him."

She blinked innocently at him in return. "Would I do something like that?"

Davis just chuckled and shook his head while Ami helped herself to some juice.

"I'm not even going to bother answering that," Noriko muttered.

Laughing, Davis leaned across the table to give her a kiss, and Ami made a face at them. "Do you two have to get all mushy in front of me? I just ate you know!"

"Ami," Noriko scolded.

"Well, how would you like it if I kissed some boy in front of you?" She shot back.

Davis sat up straighter in his chair and grinned. "What boy? Do I have to get out the stick to keep all the young men away?"

"Dad!" Ami huffed and stalked out of the room. He was pretty sure he distinctly heard her muttering something about wanting to use that stick over _his _head. _Maybe Yolei's right after all. I think my kids are pulling the strings on me, not the other way around!_

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

Daichi stretched out on his back, on top of the bed, and stared glumly at the ceiling. _Talk about a miscarriage of justice! Why do I always end up getting into trouble when a fight breaks out? _

There was a soft knock on the door which startled him out of his miserable thoughts. He rolled onto his stomache and glared at the door. "Go away!" He shouted.

Naturally, whoever it was, didn't listen to a single word he had said. Instead, the door flew open and his father came into the room followed by Shadow trotting on his heels.

"Supper's almost ready," his dad said softly and sat down next to him on the edge of the bed.

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled into his pillow.

His father sighed. "Listen, Dai, Your mother and I are not out to get you. We just want what's best for you and getting into trouble doesn't quite make the cut."

Dai sat up and gave him a sullen look. "I don't mean to get into trouble you know. It just sort of happens. It's not like I'm trying to be bad..." He stared at the blanket, his lip trembling. "You don't think I'm bad, do you?"

His dad laughed and pulled him into a warm hug. "No, Dai, You're a good kid at heart," he murmured into his hair. "I know you mean well, but you have to learn to take responsibility for your actions."

Dai nodded, feeling much happier, and hugged him back. "Hey, Dad? Were you really that big of a troublemaker when you were my age?" He had heard all kinds of stories about how his father had always been getting into trouble as a young boy, but he had not really paid that much attention to them, until now.

"The worst!" His father laughed and shook his head, as if scolding himself for his own foolishness. "Your grandparents, my teachers, your Aunt Jun, and the other Digi-er...I mean, my friends, were always getting me into trouble."

Dai pulled back and gave his father a funny look. _That's strange. It sounded as if he'd been going to say something else. No way. I must be imagining things. _He smiled at his father and hugged him tight again. "See? You were a troublemaker and you turned out alright. You haven't failed as a parent yet! There's still hope for me!"

His father smiled at him and flicked the goggles which sat on his haed. "I know. I was just joking before."

Dai laughed and nodded. He did not care what anyone else said. He thought his dad was amazing. With reddish brown hair and deep brown eyes, full of mischief, it was easy to mistake his father for someone younger. Currently, his father ran a successful noodle cart business which he really seemed to enjoy. His mother, Noriko, was the owner of a small book store. Often Mickey and his father, T.K., could be found in there browsing through the shop. Matty, on the other hand, would rather be playing on a soccer field with him than be stuck in a bookstore.

"So where was detention today? Same place? They really should move you guys out of that dusty classroom at the back of the school," his father said with disapproval. "I always hated it in that room. Being stuck in detention after school is torture enough without having to spend the afternoon sneezing yourselves to death!"

Dai shook his head. "No. There was some sort of chemistry accident. Man, I feel sorry for the kids who are stuck in there for class everyday. We had detention in the computer room."

Dai and his friends went to the same elementary school that his father had gone to with Yolei, Cody, T.K., and Kari. The school went from grades four to eight. His sister Ami, Sam's sister, Miya, and his sixteen year old cousin, Nobunari Kido, all went to the same highschool that Tai and his group of friends had gone to. His father had gone there later with his friends as well. Rina and Nao went to another one of the local schools, whlie Takara's ten year old brother, Taysuke Kamiya, and his friends, Taniko Izumi, Ema Kido, and Kenzo Hida, also went to the same school as Matty,Mickey, Kara, Sam, Ryoko, and himself.

A sudden far away look filled his father's eyes, as if he was remembering some long forgotten memory. "The computer room? We had some good times in that room," his dad said quietly.

Dai blinked at him in surprise. His father had once told him that he use to hang out in the computer room with his friends all the time. _I've never been able to understand that. My dad was a jock when he was my age. He never showed interest in anything techno related. All he cared about was soccer, so why would he hang out in a computer room?_ That's when Dai remembered the strange message he had seen on the computer earlier that afternoon.

"Hey, Dad? There's this thing I want to ask you about," he said hesitantly.

His father turned to look at him, his eyes filled with curiosity. "What is it?"

"Um...well, you see...this afternoon..." Dai paused and glanced uncertainly at his dad. _What will he think when I tell him? Will he even believe a single word of it? It was all so bizarre. Dad will probably think I'm either lying or going crazy. _Neither prospect appealed to him.

"Dai? Hey, are you alright?" His dad put a hand on his shoulder, looking concerned. "What did you want to tell me?"

He managed a shaky laugh and shrugged. "It's nothing really. Don't worry about it." _Just because Dad hung out in the computer room as a kid doesn't mean he witnessed anything unusual. There's no way he would understand what I'd seen. _It was better to stay quiet. His parents already thought he went around causing enough trouble. He didn't want to add to his mother's low opinion of him.

"Are you sure?" His father eyed him skeptically, a slight frown on his face.

He put on a big smile and silently prayed the guilt didn't show on his face. "I'm sure. We should probably get downstairs before Mom starts yelling at me again!"

His father started to laugh and got to his feet. "I agree. Otherwise some of her wrath is going to be directed my way!"

"Come on, Shadow." Dai picked up the little black dog who happily licked his face. Shadow's tail was wagging madly in the air, and he shook his head. The dumb dog was trying to get on his good side again.

They started out of the room, but at the door, his father stopped and turned to face him. "Oh, Dai?" His dad smiled slightly with a twinkle in his brown eyes. "If you're going to be a troublemaker, the trick is not to get caught!"

With a wink, his father left the room leaving Dai to stare after him in surprise. _I'll have to keep that in mind!_

With a grin, Dai started down the stairs after him.


	7. The Watchers Of the Digiworld

A/N: Humm...maybe I should threaten people with Domu more often! Just kidding! I just want to say that you guys don't have to worry. Everyone will show up in the story somewhere. It's a big list of characters, so it would be hard to have everyone as a main character, but everyone will play a part!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Shame, I know!

Following The Footsteps Of Destiny

Chapter 7: The Watchers Of The Digiworld

_Gennai_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Gennai, we can't delay any longer. The barrier that separates our world from the human world is weakening! If we don't do something soon, the darkness will begin to spread!"

Benjamin, his counterpart, glared at him and Gennai sighed._ Benji's right. We don't have a choice anymore. It's a good thing I've already put the first steps into action._

He pulled back the hood of his long robe and gazed up at the sunny skies of the Digital World. It looked peaceful enough, but he knew very well that it wasn't. He could feel the darkness, creeping over the land, and it made him shiver. If they didn't hurry, all digmon and humans would suffer.

"Well?" Jose demanded. His Mexican counterpart shifted impatiently and the hem of the other's robe fluttered in the warm breeze. "I know we can't really do anything until the gates open again, but..."

Gennai stood with his counterparts on a rise, overlooking a large valley, which was located on the continent of Server. Off in the distance, unseen by the naked eye, was File Island; the island of prophecy. It also held the largest existing gate between Earth and the Digital World. It was a place of history long past and history yet to come.

Hogan shook him by the shoulder and Gennai jumped in surprise. "Are you even listening to us? This is important! Will you please focus on the problem at hand?" His Australian counterpart gave a sniff and levelled him with a disapproving look.

_The gates are open again. They will come..._

Gennai nodded and motioned the others into a circle around him. "Listen closely. I have already taken the steps needed in order to protect the Digital World." _I just hope it's enough._

"You have?" Iyla stared at him in surprise and exchanged a look with Jackie.

"Yes. We will not have to fight alone, my friends. I did not want to have to do this again, but is seems we have no choice." _They will understand and come to our aide. They have to! They're our only hope._

Jackie threw up his hands and shook his head. "I thought we finally had things straightened out after the whole Oikawa fiasco!"

"I'm afraid not," Benjamin said sadly. He put a hand on Jackie's shoulder and turned his gaze towards the valley with a sigh.

"When is it going to end?" Hogan muttered.

Gennai lowered his eyes to the grass and bowed his head. "I don't think it ever will end. Wherever there's light, you'll always find darkness. The important thing is to save that small flame that's fighting to stay lit." _They will come. I know they will. _"As long as we can keep the darkness at bay, then our work is done."

He turned to gaze back towards File Island and smiled.

A sudden female voice behind him laughed, and he jerked around in surprise. His eyes grew wide with shock.

"Gennai, look out!" Jose cried.

_It can't be! _He raised a hand to defend himself, but darkness clouded his vision and he knew no more.

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Matty groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked against the morning sunlight streaming through the window and found himself gazing into his twin brother's smiling face.

"Matty, the alarm went off. It's time to get up," Mickey said in his shy voice.

Matty sat up so quickly his forehead nearly collided with Mickey's nose. He stared at his brother in disbelief. "Already? But I just went to bed!"

Mickey laughed and gave him a warm smile. "I know how you feel, but we've got to hurry. We can't afford to keep cutting it so close like this."

"Alright," Matty grumbled. He wriggled out of the blankets, trying to free himself, and would have fallen out of bed on his face if Mickey hadn't caught him under the arms.

"Thanks, Mickey." He gave his twin a soft smile. _What a great brother. He's always there to lend a hand when I stumble._

Mickey put his warm arms around Matty in a shy affectionate hug. "You're such a klutz," he said fondly.

Matty rolled his eyes. "Well good morning to you, too!" He turned and squeezed Mickey tightly, smiling slightly.

Their mother strolled through the door of the room he shared with Mickey and smiled softly at them. "Hey, you two. I see you're up relatively on time today! Hurry up, or your breakfast is going to get cold."

"Alright, we're coming," Matty replied. Mickey scrambled off the bed, and Matty found himself being dragged along behind. They quickly dressed and headed into the kitchen where their father was already seated with Rina.

"Hey, little sis!" Matty grinned and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

Giggling, she poked him in the nose with a sticky finger.

"Yuck!" So much for a nice morning hello. Matty wiped the goo off of his face and wrinkled his nose.

His father let out a laugh and motioned them towards the table. "Morning, boys."

"Hey, Dad," Matty said cheerfully, taking the seat next to his father. "How's the new book coming?"

Their father was a full time novelist, and he was currently working on a new book to add to his list of best-sellers. He had a small office off the living room where he put all of his brilliant ideas into writing. In the evening, Matty would often do his homework in there with Mickey to keep their father company.

"Pretty good. I finished a couple more chapters last night, so it's coming along."

"Did you two finish your homework last night?" Their mother gave them a stern look and took her seat between Mickey and Rina.

Mickey nodded and helped himself to some orange juice.

Matty sighed. "I hope Dai did. He can't afford to get into any more trouble." _If he does, his parents will freak. Dai should be flattered by the amount of worrying I do for him!_

His dad raised a golden eyebrow and glanced at him. "What kind of trouble has Dai gotten himself into now?"

"He got stuck in detention again," Mickey mumbled through a mouthful of food. "He was already grounded yesterday, but I figured we might be able to convince Davis and Noriko to let him come get ice cream with us. Then Dai landed up in detention and that idea went right out the window!"

"Mickey, don't talk with your mouth full," their mother scolded.

Mickey blushed. "Sorry, Mom."

"Actually, it was kind of Ryoko's fault," Matty piped up. "He was provoking Dai, as usual, and Dai got mad. He hit Ryoko pretty hard and Mrs. Hanari saw him."

His father sighed. "That nephew of mine. Honestly, it's like your Uncle Matt and Uncle Tai all over again with those two!"

Matty exchanged an amused look with Mickey. They had heard all about Matt's and Tai's legendary friendship. The two of them had somehow gone from absolutely hating each other to having the most amazing friendship the world had ever seen.

"I don't understand why Ryoko and Dai can't get along," their mother said and shook her head. "Even when they were toddlers, they were always pinching each other and pulling each other's hair!"

Matty laughed. "Sometimes people just rub each other the wrong way!"

His dad was frowning. "Maybe, but..."

"What?" Mickey asked, his eyes curious.

"It's like I said. Your uncles use to be like that. They were always fighting, but somehow they managed to work things out and become best friends. They've been inseparable ever since."

"Well, I guess you can't get lucky twice!" Matty said cheerfully. _My uncles may have found a way to get along, but that doesn't mean Ryoko and Dai will._

"Yes, you can," Rina pouted. She waved her spoon in the air and frowned at it. Mickey shifted to the side just in time before Rina's cereal hit him in the face.

_It's a good thing she doesn't use chopsticks yet! _He sent Mickey a sympathetic look and grinned into his plate.

"Rina, food on the plate, and don't wave your spoon around." His mother smiled slightly and shook her head at her daughter's table manners.

"It still concerns me," their father said and frowned at their mother. "What bothers me the most is that it's getting worse, not better."

"What do Matt and Mimi have to say about it?" Their mother's amber eyes were curious and filled with worry.

Thier father sighed. "I don't think Matt and Mimi know that much about it. Ryoko's pretty good at hiding his feelings towards Dai from them. I think there's a lot he doesn't tell them. I don't know if you've noticed, but when his parents are around, Ryoko will act perfectly decent towards Dai. I bet they think Ryoko and Dai grew out of it along time ago. Even when Ryoko was young, Matt and Mimi didn't seem too concerned. I guess Matt figured Ryoko would grow out of it like he and Tai did. Davis and Noriko know. Dai never hesitates to show his feeling towards Ryoko around them. They're pretty upset about it."

"I know. Noriko's always badgering Dai to act his age and learn to get along with Ryoko." Their mother sighed. "Do you think we should say something to Matt and Mimi?"

"I think it's better if Ryoko lets them know in his own way. I don't want to get our nephew into trouble. Having Matt and Mimi angry with him isn't going to help matters any. Ryoko should be the one to tell them. That way they can work things out together as a family."

Their mother nodded. "You're right, but I still worry."

"Dai isn't innocent in all of this either. He urges Ryoko on just as much as Ryoko angers him."

_I can't argue with that! _"I know Dai sometimes encourages Ryoko, but he's still a good friend," Matty said loyally. "So is Ryoko."

His father turned to him and laughed. "It's strange to think you and Dai are such good friends. His father and I didn't get along very well at your age."

Matty made a face. "That's only because Davis liked Mom. I'm glad that didn't work out otherwise I wouldn't be here!"

"Me either," Mickey added, looking quite alarmed. He buried his face against Matty's shoulder, apparently horrified by the thought of not existing.

"Me either," Rina piped up, giggling. She didn't have a clue what they were talking about, but she seemed to want to join in nevertheless.

Their parents both laughed. "I have to say I quite agree with you, Matty," his father said and smiled at his mother. Matty and his siblings knew all about Davis' crush on their mother and were more than glad he fell in love with Noriko. His father and Davis had been getting along wonderfully ever since. Their story was another legendary one in the Takaishi household.

"Trust me, there was no chance of that happening and we're thankful everyday that you three are here." Their mother smiled and gently kissed the back of Mickey's head which was still buried against Matty's shoulder.

"Yeah, Mickey. Don't worry," Matty said cheerfully. "You're right here with me and everything worked out great."

Mickey pulled back and gave him a grateful smile. Matty hugged him tightly in return and gently patted his back.

Their father smiled at them and pulled them both into a warm hug. "Come on, you two. You'd better get to school."

He and Mickey both beamed at their father, kissed their mother on opposite cheeks, and headed towards the door. They waved to Rina who waved her spoon at them in return as a goodbye gesture.

A/N: I'm sorry it's so short. Don't worry, the next one will be longer. Do you all remember the episode where that entity thing took over Kari's body? When the white robed guys were monitering the positive and negative forces of the Digiworld, there were more of them than just Gennai. I figured it only made sense that they would be Benjamin and the others. Okay, don't forget to review and if you're reading and haven't reviewed yet...shame on you! I accept anonymous reviews, so there's absolutely no excuse! I'm updating my other fic first, but I'll be back! bye for now! If I spelled any of Gennai's counterparts names wrong let me know! What the heck do I know about Russia!


	8. Taysuke and Friends

Hi everyone! I'm sorry this chapter's short too, but the next one will be longer. That's because Chapter 9 is where the real fun starts to happen! Okay, so I've finally introduced all the children except Nobunari, but don't worry, you'll meet him, too. Just to let you know, when June 30 rolls around I'm going to be gone for two weeks so unfortunately you'll have to wait for an update. I hope to get in a least one, maybe two more chapters before then. Don't worry though, I'll be back! I think that's it for now so... well? What are you waiting for? Go read and review! Thanks!

Following The Footsteps Of Destiny

Chapter 8: Taysuke And Friends

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

_Just great. Where could it have gone? _"Mom? Have you seen my soccer ball?" Takara leaned over the railing at the top of the stairs and gazed towards the kitchen. _Maybe Taysuke has it._

"Right here, honey." A moment later, forty-one year old, Sora Kamiya, appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a soccer ball under her arm. Takara watched her climb the steps, and she took the ball from her mother's hand. She smiled and bounced it lightly on her knee. Her mother crossed her arms and glanced into the room with amusement. "Well it's no wonder you can't find anything in here. Look at the state of this room!"

Takara gave her mother a sheepish smile. Books, clothes, and soccer equipment lay scattered about in every direction. Usually she tried to keep her room relatively clean, but with having to oversee soccer tryouts this year, she had gotten a bit behind. "I'll clean it up on the weekend, I promise," she said quickly.

Her mother laughed and shook her carrot coloured head. "Alright, but I better be able to walk through here when you're done!"

"Okay." Takara hopped out of the room and raced down the stairs. She let out a yelp and collided with her father who was on his way up. He managed to catch hold of her before she sent them both tumbling head over heels to the floor.

"Kara, slow down. What's the hurry?" Her father grinned at her and twirled the soccer ball on his finger before handing it back to her. His chestnut brown hair was cut a lot shorter than it was in his younger days, and his deep brown eyes were twinkling with amusement. _At my expense!_

Takara gave her father, forty-one year old, Tai Kamiya, an impatient look. "Dad, I promised Ryoko I'd meet him by the park before school. If I don't hurry up, he's going to wonder what happened to me!"

A warm smile slipped across her father's face, and Takara laughed. Her dad had always had a soft spot for Ryoko, and it was a guaranteed way of avoiding a lecture about running on the stairs.

"You know, Ryoko reminds me so much of Matt." Her father sighed. "Alright, but make sure you two are in time for school." He gave her a hug and continued up the stairs. Her mother passed him on the way back down and kissed his cheek.

Takara sailed into the kitchen, her soccer ball in hand, and sat down next to her ten year old brother, Taysuke Kamiya.

"Hey, Kara," Taysuke said through a mouthful of food. He was gobbling down his breakfast with great gusto in a way that only boys could.

"Hey, Tay. Your soccer game is today, right?" She started into her own breakfast and began eating as fast as chewing would allow.

He nodded his carrot coloured head, which he had inherited from their mom, and smiled at her with warm brown eyes the same shade as their dad's. "Yeah. Are you coming to watch?"

"I wouldn't miss it for anything. You guys are up against a tough team, but I'm sure you'll win no problem. Even if you don't, I'll still buy you ice cream!"

Taysuke laughed and took her soccer ball. He bounced it on the floor and she smiled at him. Unlike Daichi, she got along with her sibling.

"No soccer in the house you two," their mother said sternly. She had just come into the room with their dad who held a fireman's hat under his arm. Their mother had taken over the flower shop from their grandmother and now ran it full time, while their father had become a firefighter. Their dad had always been brave, and Takara thought it was the perfect job for him.

"Alright, alright. I better go before Ryoko throws a fit," she grinned and stood up, taking the soccer ball in her hands again.

Taysuke's face brightened and he gave her a hopeful look. "You're going to meet Ryoko? Can I come with you?"

She smiled and nodded. Ryoko was her brother's hero, and Taysuke never missed an opportunity to hang out with him. It was strange to think that anyone would look up to Ryoko, but for some reason Taysuke idolized him. Her brother seemed to be in awe of the older boy which was evident whenever the two were around each other.

"Alright. You two be good," their mother said, her amber eyes sparkling.

"Have a good day!" Their father laughed and waved them out the door.

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Dai! Hey, over here," Matty called out, waving to get his friend's attention.

"Oh... hey, Matty. Hey, Mickey," Dai replied, sounding somewhat distracted. He barely even glanced at them as they skidded to a stop on the sidewalk in front of him.

Matty frowned. His friend was acting a lot stranger then usual today. "What's up?"

The trio headed down the sidewalk towards the school at a slow pace.

"It's nothing." Dai avoided his eyes and Matty's frown deepened. _Does he really expect me to believe him now?_

He put a hand on Dai's arm and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Is this about what happened with Ryoko yesterday?"

This time it was Dai's turn to frown, and his friend shook his head.

"Are you upset about being late yesterday? If you are, don't feel bad. I woke up late yesterday, too, though not as late as Mickey, and we were running behind schedule."

"It's not that." Dai appeared to hesitate and slowly looked up at them. "Hey, guys? There's something I need to tell you only you have to promise not to laugh or think I'm crazy."

Matty exchanged a look with Mickey and realized his twin was thinking the exact same thing that he was. _Has Dai gone totally nuts? He was fine yesterday. What could have happened to make him act so weird?_

"What is it?" Mickey asked slowly.

Dai was about to answer when a loud voice interrupted him.

"Look, it's a miracle! Daichi's on time today! The world must be coming to an end!" Ryoko stood with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He was standing at the edge of the park with Takara, Taysuke, and Taysuke's friends. The younger Kamiya's group was made up of three other people. They were eleven year old, Taniko Izumi, ten year old, Ema Kido, and eleven year old, Kenzo Hida.

"When I get my hands on you I'm going to strangle you, Ishida!" Dai shouted at the top of his lungs. He stalked towards Ryoko with his hands clenched into fists, and there was a dangerous expression on his face. He seemed to have forgotten all about what he had been planning to tell them.

Matty hurried forward with his twin. He was anxious to be there in case a fight broke out, which it probably would. He hated it when Dai got like this with Ryoko.

"What's the matter, Daichi? Did Davis and Noriko get you into trouble?" Ryoko snorted loudly. He did not seem the least bit concerned that Dai was heading right towards him, looking murderous.

A vein throbbed in Dai's temple, and Matty flinched. His friend looked ready to explode.

"This is all your fault, Ishida," Dai snarled. "You might be doing a little victory dance now, but sooner or later, it's all going to blow up in your face and I'll be the one laughing!"

Ryoko leaned against a tree and smiled sweetly at him. "You should learn to control your temper and your fists!"

Dai made a grab for the blond, but Matty caught his arm and dragged him back. "Dai, no," he whispered into his friend's ear. "You can't afford to get into any more trouble!"

"Matty, I don't think much of your taste in friends," Ryoko said smoothly. "He's beginning to rub off on you in a bad way. You were late yesterday, too."

"Ryoko, we were only late because we slept in too long, and we had to rush to get to school on time," Matty explained.

Ryoko dismissed the words with a wave of his hand. "Still." He turned to Dai. "I don't appreciate you being a bad influence on my cousins, Daichi."

"Me?" Dai let out a harsh laugh. "If anyone's going to be a bad influence on them it's you, Ishida!"

"That's not true!" Taysuke protested. He hovered behind Ryoko and frowned at Dai.

"You two are worse than Uncle Davis and T.K. were," Ema scowled. Her cobalt blue hair was done up in two short, spiky pigtails, and her black eyes were filled with disapproval. She was dressed in a white t-shirt, with a blue flower on the front, blue shorts, and matching sandals. She glared at Ryoko and Dai as if trying to stare them down. She managed to look impressive considering the fact that both boys were more than a head taller then she was.

"Who asked you?" Dai glared back at his cousin and fell into an angry silence.

Ema looked a lot like her father who was forty-two year old, Dr. Joe Kido. Despite that, she acted more like her mother who was forty-one year old, Jun Kido. Her brother, Nobunari, had a similar personality to Ema, but he looked like Jun with his chestnut brown hair and brown eyes.

"She has a point there," Taniko added, and Matty nodded in agreement. Taniko had shoulder length, silky brown hair and dark eyes. She was also a genius which was why she got along so well with Miya. It wasn't really that surprising. Her father, thirty-nine year old, Izzy Izumi, was also a genius and the head of a large software company. Physically, she carried the beauty of her mother, thirty-eight year old, Mina Izumi. Apparently Izzy had met his wife on the borders of China which Matty did not understand in the least. What the heck had Izzy been doing in China in the first place, and how had he managed to pick up a wife? It was especially odd considering the fact that when Izzy was younger, he had been more likely to marry his computer than find himself a spouse!

Kenzo just sighed and shook his head. "This is getting ridiculous," he muttered.

Kenzo Hida was the son of thirty-five year old, Cody Hida, and thirty-two year old, Rosa Hida. He had dark raven hair and dark eyes. He was also clueless when it came to joking around. Matty could swear that the younger boy would not recognize a joke if it fell out of the sky and hit him on the nose!

How Cody had managed to hook up with someone from Mexico was beyond him. It was no secret that Rosa had once had a huge crush on Ken. Their parents often laughed about it when reminiscing old times. It had never been made clear to him when her affections had turned to Cody.

"Guys, we don't have time for this," Takara said impatiently. She took Mickey's arm and began to drag him down the street. Ryoko sent Dai an icy look before following.

Dai was shaking with rage and turned to look at him. "How can you stand him!"

"He's my cousin. I have to put up with him!" Matty said dryly. He loved Ryoko very much, and they were actually quite close. But when Ryoko started to pick on Dai, then he got angry. He just could not understand Ryoko.

"Come on." They followed Takara, Ema, Kenzo, Taniko, Taysuke, and Ryoko into the school at a fast pace.

"I'll see you guys later," Taysuke said. He smiled at Ryoko, his face beaming.

Ryoko's cold gaze melted slightly, and he smiled back at the younger boy.

Ema and the others called out their goodbyes, and Matty headed into his classroom with the rest of his friends. They found Sam already seated and quickly crowded around him.

"What's up?" Sam asked. He glanced anxiously at Dai whose face was filled with fury.

"What do you think? Ishida, as usual," Dai said sarcastically.

"You've got no one to blame but yourself," Ryoko snorted and settled into his seat.

Dai's hand clenched into a fist, and Matty grabbed his wrist before his friend could punch Ryoko square in the face. "Careful, Dai. Mrs. Hanari just walked into the room," he whispered.

Dai glanced at the front of the room where Mrs. Hanari was eyeing him suspiciously and quickly sat down. He muttered something that sounded like 'stupid blond', and contented himself with giving Ryoko a dirty look.

Matty frowned at his goggle headed friend. After all, he was a blond, too. He hated it when people would make those kind of comments about him. _Dai usually doesn't say things like that. What has gotten into him, and what exactly was it he'd been trying to tell us earlier? He looks so serious._

He glanced at Mickey and saw his brother also staring at Dai with concern. _I'll have to remember to ask Dai later. There's no way I'm going to let him get away with not telling me!_


	9. Digital Gateway

Another chapter and this one will lead off into all the Digiworld fun! It looks like I won't be able to get in another one before I'm gone for two weeks, but I'll leave you with this one because I have to update my other fic.

To,Tanner: In regard to what you said about twins, I really don't see a problem. Matty and Mickey don't act any different then Koji and Kouichi. I'm not trying to stereotype twins if that is what you're worried about. I know not _all _twins act like Matty and Mickey. In fact, I knew a pair of twins who absolutely hated each other. They were kind of annoying now that I think about it. But I also knew a set of male twins who went to elementary and high school with me and they were really close. Two of the sweetest guys I ever met. As you'll see farther on in this fic, Matty is willing to hug Dai and tell Dai he cares about him just as much as he does to Mickey. They act no different then Sam and Nao who _aren't _twins. If you think Matty and Mickey are going to end up making out in a closet or something, forget it. It's not going to happen. I've never liked those kinds of fics and you will never see me write one. Nothing I write between Matty and Mickey is meant to be taken in a sexual context. It's a sad world if we can't hug our siblings and tell them we care about them. Anyway, thanks for the review and tell your brother/sister (?) I said hi!

To, Helena: Do you mind telling me which thens and thans I missed? I'm not quite sure. For the names, I had a huge list to choose from, and I picked the names that flowed with the last names and made the characters seem real to me. Now, I can't imagine Davis naming his son anything but Daichi!

To, Violent Tomboy: In answer to your question about whether or not they'll have the same digimon as their parents, the answer is no. I won't say more because I don't want to give anything away! What did you do to get your last account terminated!

To, miricles-3: Another chapter is here!

To, Dark Qiviut: Dai and Ryoko are going to get even more interesting!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

Following The Footsteps Of Destiny

Chapter 9: Digital Gateway

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

Mickey hurried down the hallway glancing anxiously around for his brother and Dai. _Where could they be? _Dai had been suspiciously absent from the lunch room earlier, and he had a feeling it was mainly due to the fact that Ryoko had been there. _I wish there was something I could do to help them get along._

"Mickey! Wait up!"

He halted and turned to see his twin racing towards him. Matty appeared completely oblivious to the chaos he was creating amoung the other students. His classmates leaped out of Matty's way with shouts and several glares.

His twin came to a stop in front of him, and Mickey smiled.

"Have you seen Dai?" They asked at the exact same time.

Mickey laughed and gently pulled his twin to one side of the crowd.

"Where do you think he might be?" Matty asked. His brother looked worried.

Mickey gave his twin a reassuring smile and put an arm around his brother. He loved the way Matty was always looking out for other people and trying to help them. His twin might get into trouble a lot, but that didn't matter to him in the least. Matty was still the sweetest and most caring person he knew.

"I'm not sure," he said softly. "Lets go find Takara and Sam. They might know where he is."

The two of them headed down the hallway and were about to head to Takara's locker when they spotted Dai.

Daichi was standing at his locker and frowning into it's interior. He didn't look at all pleased about the homework load that they had been given.

"Hey, Dai," Mickey called out. He and his twin stepped up beside their goggle headed friend and gazed curiously at him.

Dai sighed and shoved a couple of textbooks into his bag. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Actually, we were about to ask you the same thing," Matty said slowly.

"Huh?" Dai gave them a curious look and frowned. "What do you mean? If this is about Ryoko, forget it. I don't want to talk about him."

Mickey shook his head. "No. It's got nothing to do with Ryoko." He glanced around to make sure no one was listening and leaned closer to Dai. "This morning you said you needed to talk to us about something. What was it?"

For a moment Dai just stared at him in confusion, and then his face filled with understanding. "Oh that," he muttered. "It's nothing really."

Matty crossed his arms and gave Dai a dirty look. "If you're trying to get out of telling us it's not going to work. Come on, Dai. I know you're worried about something, so what is it?"

"Promise you won't laugh?"

Mickey stared at Dai's anxious face in astonishment. _What in the world? Dai hardly ever gets worried about anything!_

Matty came forward and put an arm around Dai. "Hey, you know you can tell us anything," his twin said softly. "We would never laugh at you."

Dai managed to smile, but it was a rather weak attempt. "Okay. Lets go find an empty classroom or something. I don't need the whole school overhearing."

They started down the hallway, but they were intercepted by Taysuke and Ema.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ema demanded, her dark eyes flashing. "The school entrance is the other way."

"You know, you're pretty mouthy for a ten year old," Dai shot back.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway!" Ema giggled. She threw her arms around Dai's waist and gave her cousin a squeeze.

Mickey raised his eyebrows as Ema turned and batted her eyelashes at him and Matty. He had a feeling that that one was going to be a big flirt when she got older.

Dai just rolled his eyes and tugged on one of her spiky blue pigtails. "I wonder how Noah manages to put up with you!" Noah was the nickname that everyone used for Ema's brother, Nobunari.

"Are you kidding?" Ema snorted."More like the other way around. Teenagers are so weird!"

"And what does that make you?" Dai joked.

Ema was about to reply, but Taysuke interrupted her. "Have you guys seen Kara and Ryoko?"

"No, but if there's any justice in this world, Ryoko's gone and fallen off a cliff somewhere!" Dai said cheerfully.

Taysuke frowned at the goggle headed boy and turned to him with a smile. "If you see them, let them know we're looking for them."

"Okay," Mickey replied. "See you guys later."

Ema grabbed Taysuke's hand, and they watched her drag the poor boy down the hallway with no regard for the other students around her. Mickey smiled and shook his head. Ema was definitely a one-of-a-kind person.

The minute the two younger kids were out of sight, Matty grabbed Dai's arm and dragged him into the nearest empty classroom he could find.

Mickey quietly closed the door behind himself and sat down on a desk next to his twin.

Dai sat across from them looking rather nervous. He seemed unable to stare them directly in the eyes, and he kept fidgeting.

"Alright, Dai. What's got you so bent out of shape?" Matty demanded.

Dai's shoulders slumped and he gave them a defeated look. "The strangest thing happened to me in detention yesterday," he said slowly.

Matty leaned forward in his seat. His eyes were sparkling with curiosity. "What happened?"

"It was after everyone else had already left," Dai replied in a soft voice. "I was about to leave, too, when one of the computers started acting really funny."

"What do you mean?" Mickey asked, feeling confused.

"Well, for one thing, the computers were all off. Somehow this one happened to turn itself on," Dai said, sounding nervous.

Matty's eyebrows shot up. He looked like he was trying not to smile. "Are you sure someone didn't just turn it on during your detention?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Dai snapped, his eyes flashing with anger. Their goggle headed friend lowered his gaze to his hands and frowned at them. "No one touched the computers during class. Like I said, this one was acting really funny. All these numbers started to scroll down the screen and it kept flashing. Then, this weird message came up. At least, it looked like a message. I couldn't read it because it was written in some funny language."

Mickey and his twin stared at Dai in silence. _This is weird. Dai couldn't possibly have seen all of these things. But if that's the case, then why do I feel so uneasy?_

"Um...Dai?" Matty said quietly. "Are you sure about this?"

Mickey exchanged a look with his twin, and Matty put an arm around him.

"You don't believe me," Dai said flatly. His eyes had grown hard, and they were filled with hurt.

Mickey reached out and gently placed a hand on his friend's arm. "It's not that we don't believe you, but you have to admit, it does sound a little bit unreal."

"You do have a tendency to get a little overly dramatic about things," Matty added.

Dai gave him a very offended look. "I do not get dramatic!" He muttered.

"Okay...you...er...tend to exaggerate sometimes," Matty said with amusement.

Dai jumped to his feet and stared defiantly at them. Mickey was so startled by his friends sudden movement that he nearly fell off the desk. Matty grabbed his arm to stop his momentum, and Mickey sent him a grateful look.

"Alright, fine," Dai said loudly and crossed his arms. "Since you don't believe me, I'm just going to have to prove it to you! Come on." He turned and started out of the room leaving the twins gaping at each other in surprise.

"Hey, Dai! Wait up!" Mickey scrambled off the desk, nearly tripping over his brother, and was out the door in a flash with Matty right behind him. They caught up to Dai halfway down the hall and clung to each other gasping for breath.

"Where are we going?" Matty wheezed.

"To the computer room." Dai's eyes were narrowed in determination, and he continued on without even looking at them.

Mickey let out a groan. Once Dai got that look on his face there was no stopping him. _He's really serious about this, but it just seems so impossible._

They turned a corner and nearly collided with Ryoko, Takara, and Sam.

Mickey managed to grab Ryoko before he accidentally knocked his cousin to the ground, and Matty did the same for Sam.

Takara was blushing furiously in Dai's grip, but she managed to compose herself and crossed her arms.

Mickey gave her a look and glanced at Ryoko. Ryoko was smiling slightly at him and straightened up. He had not seemed to notice Takara's weird behaviour. _Why is she acting so funny lately? If anyone would know it would be Ryoko, but he doesn't seem to have noticed a thing._

"Where have you three been?" Takara demanded. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Yes well, Taysuke's looking for you and Ryoko," Matty replied. He put an arm around Sam and smiled at the other boy. Sam smiled back and gave Takara a curious look.

Ryoko waved Matty's comment off and frowned at them. "Taysuke can wait. Right now I want to know what you three are doing. Where are you going anyway?"

"To the computer room," Matty said, completely ignoring Dai's warning glance.

Mickey shook his head and hid a smile. _And Matty has the nerve to tell me I should be more tactful!_

Ryoko's eyes widened in astonishment. "You're kidding, right? Daichi going to the computer room? I didn't think he even knew where it was!" His cousin fell in step beside Dai and smirked at the other boy.

"I don't recall asking you to come along!" Dai snapped and glared at him. Ryoko ignored Dai and continued walking next to his side.

"Um...why are we going to the computer room?" Sam asked. He seemed afraid to speak for fear of angering Dai even more.

Dai refused to answer. He appeared hesitant to say anything with Ryoko there.

"Dai," Mickey said softly. He took the other boy's arm, stopping Dai in his tracks, and turned the goggle headed boy to face him. "If they're going to come along, Ithink you should tell them what's going on. It doesn't look like they're going to take no for an answer."

Dai stared at him for a moment and finally nodded. "Alright," he said with a sigh.

Quickly Dai filled the others in on what he had seen. When he was done, Takara stared at him in shocked silence, Sam gazed at him with his mouth hanging open, and Ryoko burst into laughter.

"You have got to be kidding me, Dai," Ryoko said between laughs. "This must be the stupidest story you have ever come up with! I know you like to make stuff up to make yourself look good, but this is just getting ridiculous!"

Dai's face turned bright red with rage. "This his not a joke or a made up story!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. Luckily there was no one around to hear it. "It really happened and I'm going to make you take back your words if it's the last thing I do!"

He shoved Ryoko out of his way and continued on with his face full of anger.

Ryoko looked ready to shout something after him, but Mickey kept a firm hold on his cousin's arm. "Ryoko, you shouldn't be so hard on him," he murmured softly into the other boy's ear.

Ryoko turned to gaze at him, and he was surprised to see sadness in his cousin's deep blue eyes.

"You don't understand, Mickey," his cousin said quietly. "That's what I love about you. Somehow, you always manage to see the good in other people even when it's buried deep beneath the surface."

He stared at Ryoko in shock. "Ryoko," he said, feeling suddenly concerned. "Are you feeling alright?"

Ryoko continued to stare at him, and he jumped as his cousin slipped an arm around him.

_Is he talking about Dai or himself?_

"Don't worry about it," Ryoko whispered softly. His cousin's golden head came to rest against his. Ryoko had a tendency to say the weirdest things at the most unexpected times. Matty was staring at Ryoko as if the other boy had gone insane. Mickey took a quick peek at Dai, but Dai was staring straight ahead and didn't notice.

They came to a stop in front of the computer room, and Dai hesitantly glanced inside. The room was empty.

"Well? Aren't we going to go in?" Takara asked, prodding Dai in the back.

"This is such a waste of time," Ryoko muttered.

Dai glared at him and stalked into the room.

"It was that computer right there." Dai pointed to the one at the far end of the room, and he stared at it as if he thought it might suddenly explode.

Mickey studied the computer and frowned. It didn't look any different from any of the other ones. _Is this just another one of Dai's practical jokes?_

At the moment, the computer was off and it looked harmless.

Ryoko grabbed Dai by the shirt and glared at him. "If you're trying to play some stupid trick on us it's not going to work! I've had enough of your pranks! Mrs. Hanari should stick you in detention permanently!"

Dai shoved Ryoko against the chalkboard and made a fist. He swung it at Ryoko, but Takara's voice stopped him in mid punch.

"What do you think it could have been? This computer seems fine to me," she said.

Mickey turned to discover that Takara had wandered over to the computer, and she was frowning at it.

Dai stared at her in disbelief. "You mean, you believe me?"

Takara turned and smiled at him. "Of course I believe you," she said softly. "You never get this upset over something unless it's important." She took a seat in the chair and frowned at the screen again. "But what would have caused something like that to happen?"

"A glitch?" Matty suggested.

Dai shook his head and sat down on the edge of Takara's chair. "I don't think so. A glitch wouldn't have sent that message." He smiled at Takara and gave her a grateful look.

Ryoko raised and eyebrow and poked Dai in the shoulder to get his attention. "Now you think someone sent that message? Are there no limits to your crackpot stories?"

Dai grabbed Ryoko by the arm and the computer screen suddenly flickered to life.

Mickey was so startled that he leaped back and crashed into Sam who was standing behind him.

Ryoko staggered in shock and ended up falling into Dai's and Takara's laps.

"Ouch! Ryoko, You're heavy!" Takara yelped.

Ryoko didn't answer. He was too busy staring wide-eyed at the computer screen.

Dai peeked around Ryoko's shoulder and gasped. "Look! It's doing it again! This is exactly what happened last time!"

"What is it?" Ryoko whispered.

Mickey clung to his twin and stared at the screen with uneasiness. He had a strange feeling about this. He was about to tell Dai so when something shot out of the screen and headed straight towards him.

Whatever you think just came out of that computer, I can guarantee you're probably way off! Please review!


	10. Summoned

Dork Lotus wins the prize for most creative guess! I had a great time, but I'm glad to be back with another chapter. Did you miss me? Thanks to Digi-girl101, Helena, Catwarrior, rialisis, miricles-3, The Violent Tomboy, Dorklotus, and Dark Qiviut for reviewing! As for your guesses, I'll say yes to some, but I was looking for something a little more specific. Also, Izzy, Joe, Cody, and their wives will be appearing in the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

A special thanks to Digi-girl101. I love new reviewers! Oh. If I get any Digimon names, attacks, etc, wrong, don't hesitate to correct me. I'll be happy to fix mistakes. Check my spelling please! Hurry! Go read! I love this chapter!

Following The Footsteps Of Destiny

Chapter 10: Summoned

_Sam Ichijouji_

"Mickey, look out!" Sam grabbed his friend and dragged the other boy to the ground beside him. The thing had just brushed the top of Mickey's head before it had disappeared through the door.

"Mickey! Are you alright?" Matty gasped. He reached out and touched Mickey's shoulder as if afraid his brother had sustained some major injury.

Mickey managed a shaky smile. "I'm okay," he said quietly. Matty did not look very convinced and continued to gaze at his twin with concern.

Takara, Ryoko, and Dai were sprawled on the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. The chair must have toppled backwards when the thing had come out of the computer and caught them by surprise.

"What was that thing?" Ryoko gasped. He pulled Dai into a sitting position and scrambled off of Takara.

Takara groaned and rubbed her ribs which Ryoko had almost flattened.

_Good question. _Sam glanced towards the door and his eyes widened. _What if someone spots that thing, or worse yet, what if it attacks someone!_

"Ouch. I think the chair hit the back of my head," Dai moaned. He held out a hand to Ryoko who accepted it without comment. That was a surprise. Under normal circumstances, Dai never would have made such a gesture towards Ryoko, and Ryoko never would have taken the offer. _What's up with those two? _Dai pulled Takara up as well, and she smiled shyly at him. There was a faint blush on her cheeks, but neither Dai or Ryoko noticed.

"Guys!" He said loudly to get their attention. "We've got to stop that thing and quick! What if someone gets hurt?"

The others stared at him, and Dai's face took on a stubborn look. "Sam's right," his friend said with determination. "Come on. Lets go."

Dai grabbed his arm, and Sam found himself being dragged out of the computer room with the others on his heels. The hall was empty except for a spinning pink ball which was hovering at the end of the corridor. It appeared to be waiting for them.

"What is it doing?" Takara whispered. She clung to the back of Dai's shirt and gazed at the thing with apprehension.

Dai frowned. "I don't know," he said slowly. "But I am going to find out!"

"Dai, wait!" Sam cried.

Naturally, Dai did not listen to a single word he had said.

"After it!" Dai shouted instead.

The minute Dai spoke, the thing took off at lightning fast speed.

Dai charged after it, and he had no choice but to follow with the others.

"Wait! Can't we talk about this first?" Mickey tried to reason. Dai ignored the blond and continued at a fast pace.

_That figures. Dai never gives up once he gets some crazy idea into his head. I have a bad feeling about this. Something is very wrong, but how am I going to get Dai to listen? _ They raced down the stairs after the pink ball, and his lungs started to burn. There was no way they were going to catch it.

"We have to corner it somewhere!" Matty shouted. It was almost as if his friend had read his mind. "Otherwise it's going to get away!"

They turned another corner and found the thing spinning around a water fountain. Dai made a grab for it, but it slipped through his friend's fingers and spun back down the way they had come.

"Whatever it is, it's tricky," Ryoko said, gasping for breath.

"Don't just stand there! Lets catch it!" Dai shouted.

"Dai! Wait for us!" Takara squealed.

They started back the way they had come and watched the thing bang open a door before whipping inside. They were about to follow it in when Takara suddenly stopped short and turned bright red in the face.

"What's the matter, Takara?" Mickey asked curiously.

"That is a boy's bathroom," she said with dignity. "I can't go in there!"

Matty groaned loudly and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Takara. We don't have time for courtesy!" The blond grabbed her arm and dragged her inside the bathroom. Luckily there was no one inside, and Takara let out a sigh of relief.

"There it is!" Ryoko pointed, his eyes growing wide with uncertainty. The pink ball was hovering against the wall opposite them. Suddenly it stopped spinning, and they all gasped in utter shock. Sam felt his heart stop. The thing was not a thing after all. It was very much alive, and it was staring right at them.

_Impossible. I must be dreaming! _He pinched himself, but the small pink creature did not disappear. It continued to stare at them, and it look amused about something.

"Well, you're in better shape than the last group of couch potatoes I trained!" The thing had large eyes, small wings, and it resembled a fluffy ball of pink cotton candy. It settled itself on the edge of one of the sinks and regarded them with interest.

"It talked!" Takara shrieked and hid her face against Dai's shoulder. Dai put an arm around her and stared at the thing with his mouth hanging open. His face was pale, and he looked about ready to collapse.

Mickey was hugging Matty tightly, and his face was filled with horror. "It's a little talking monster," the blond whispered, sounding frightened.

The little creature gave Mickey a very indignant look. "Talking monster, indeed! Don't you humans have any respect?"

"Somebody pinch me," Ryoko moaned. He clung to Matty's other side and buried his face in his cousin's shoulder.

Matty pinched his arm, and Ryoko let out a yelp. Nothing changed though.

Sam resisted an urge to run and took a hesitant step forward. He felt a strong desire to scream, but he turned to the little creature instead. "If you're not a monster then...what exactly are you?" His heart was pounding, and his voice sounded faint to his own ears.

The creature stared at him as if he was stupid. "I've heard some pretty ridiculous questions in my day, but this has got to be the most ridiculous one yet!" It finally said.

Sam snapped his mouth shut and fell silent. He did not know what to say to that. _This can't be happening. Creepy little monsters don't suddenly come shooting out of compters as if it happens all the time! It's just crazy! So why is that thing staring at me as if I should already know the answer to my own question?_

"You really don't know?" The creature's face filled with surprise. "Interesting. I thought for sure they would have said something!"

"Um...what are you talking about?" Takara asked; Her voice was timid and she sounded frightened.

"Forget it," the creature said briskly. "We have more important things to worry about!" It ruffled it's wings, as if brushing off their concerns, and puffed himself up. "My name is Piximon," the creature said importantly.

Sam and the others just stared at the thing.

Piximon's wings drooped. "The name doesn't ring a bell?"

"Um...no," Dai choked out.

Piximon's face filled with disgust. "When I get my hands on that goggle headed fool, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!" Piximon muttered.

"Uh...Piximon?" Matty said uncertainly. "You didn't answer Sam's question. What...are you?"

Piximon ruffled his wings and gave Matty a stern look. "I am a Digital Monster or Digimon if you prefer."

Sam frowned in confusion. "A digital what now?"

"A Digimon!" Piximon said in exasperation. "I should whip you into shape for your foolishness!"

Sam jumped and quickly backed away from the so-called digimon. He felt calmer now that it looked as if Piximon wasn't going to attack them, but that did not mean he wanted to risk making the digimon angry.

"What exactly is a digimon?" Ryoko asked. The blond still seemed to be in shock.

Piximon's mouth fell open, and he gaped at them. "I was reconfigured for this!" The digimon shrugged. "Oh well. I suppose I'll just have to make due. The others weren't much better before I had a chance to make something out of them!"

Sam frowned. "Who do you keep talking about, and what did you say about a goggle headed fool? Were you talking about Dai?"

"Hey!" Dai shouted.

Piximon sniffed loudly. "It's none of your business who I'm talking about!" He pointed at Dai. "Although this young whipper-snapper could use a little disciplining himself! I only wish I had a chance to meet those other four. They could have used some professional guidence, too! As for what I am, the name explains itself. I'm a digimon named Piximon. I'm an ultimate level data type digimon. My special attacks are Force Field and Pixi Bomb."

"So you are a monster!" Dai grinned.

"Absolutely not!" Piximon snapped. He hopped angrily on the counter and glared at Dai. "Your ignorance is astonishing even to me!"

"You have special attacks? You're not going to attack us...are you?" Takara squeaked.

Piximon snorted. "That would defeat the purpose of me being here in the first place!"

"Then why are you here?" Sam asked. _Besides scaring us to death!_

Piximon eyed him and flapped his wings. "Actually, I'm here to see you six."

His mouth dropped open. "Us? What do you want with us?"

"It's not what I want. It's what the Digital World needs." Piximon gave them a look that was surprisingly sympathetic.

"The Digital World?" Matty frowned and wriggled out of Ryoko's grasp. "Okay. Now you're confusing me. What's the Digital World?"

Piximon gave him a disapproving look. "It's where digimon live."

Ryoko snorted. "Another world? Yeah right. This isn't some fantasy novel. I think it's time for a reality check!"

"Er...Ryoko? I think reality went out the window a long time ago," Mickey said weakly.

"Besides, how else can you explain Piximon?" Sam said quietly.

Ryoko glared at him and fell silent. The blond's eyes were dark and his face clouded.

Dai stepped forward and gave Piximon a hard look. "What do you want?"

Piximon studied the goggle headed boy for a moment and finally nodded. The little digimon seemed to have come to some sort of conclusion though Sam had no clue as to what it was that Piximon had been debating. "You will do nicely," the digimon said.

Dai opened his mouth to ask what the digimon meant, but Piximon suddenly smiled and motioned them to move closer towards him.

They hesitated and finally crowded around the sink with curiosity.

"I have been sent here to give you something," the digimon said, his tone serious.

_This has got to be some sort of a joke. That thing can't be a digimon, whatever that is. I wonder if Dai knows ventriloquism. Piximon could be a puppet on strings. _Sam frowned. "What is it, and who sent you?"

Piximon's face filled with deep sadness. "A friend," he said quietly. "A friend who wanted me to give you this."

Piximon flapped his wings together, and Sam let out a gasp. There was a flash of light and a strange glowing blue orb appeared in front of Piximon. It was almost as big as the little digimon was.

"What in the heck is that?" Dai blurted. He edged away from it as if it might explode.

"A Digicore," Piximon replied. "This belongs to a friend of a friend of mine. It is very powerful. In fact, it just might be the key to saving the Digital World."

"And why would you want to give it to us?" Dai asked slowly.

Sam closed his eyes. He had a feeling he already knew the answer to that, and his heart leaped into his throat.

"What do those goggles mean to you?" Piximon asked, his face deadly serious.

Dai stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" He touched the goggles on his head and gave Piximon an odd look.

"Who gave them to you?" Piximon asked.

"My dad," Dai said softly.

"Who's your father?" Piximon demanded.

Dai gave him a startled look. "Davis Motomiya, why?"

Piximon appeared to absorb that imformation and nodded. "Why did he give them to you?"

Sam turned to Dai and gave the other boy a thoughtful look. It was a good question. Dai had worn those goggles for as long as he could remember. His friend never went anywhere without them. But why had Davis given them to him in the first place?

Dai turned to look out the window, and he smiled softly. "When I was really little, my dad gave them to me as a present. He said that if there was ever a time in my life when my courage failed me, that they would give me the strength to find myself again. He said that they were to remind me of him, and to remind me of how much he believes in me."

"That's amazing," Ryoko said softly.

Dai stared at him in astonishment, and Ryoko blushed before turning away.

"Well," Piximon sniffed. "At least that one had some sense! Daichi Motomiya, if those goggles mean that much to you then you will understand why I am giving this to you."

Dai gaped at the digimon in shock. "How did you know my name?"

Piximon smiled slightly and gave Dai a look. "You would be surprised by how much I know about you and your friends. Enough talking. We've wasted too much time already. All of you hold out your hands and place them on the Digicore."

"What is a Digicore?" Mickey asked.

Piximon gave him an impatient look. "I'll explain everything later. Now what are you waiting for? Hold out your hands."

Sam hesitated. _What if it's a trick? What if that thing burns our fingers to ashes? _He opened his mouth to voice his opinion, but Dai promptly stuck out his hand and touched the Digicore. Sam groaned inwardly. When was Dai ever going to think before he acted? It was strange, but for some reason, Dai seemed to trust Piximon. When it became apparent that Dai's fingers were not going to fall off, Sam placed his hand on the Digicore, and the others copied him.

At first nothing happened. Then the Digicore's surface grew warm against his hand. It started to glow, and abruptly the thing exploded with light.

San threw an arm over his eyes, and Takara screamed. Streams of coloured light burst out of the Digicore and started to streak around the bathroom in a whirl of bright sparks.

"Look out! They're headed right for us!" Matty shouted in fear.

One of the beams shot straight towards Sam. He tried desperately to leap out of the way, but the thing caught him in the stomache and sent him tumbling towards the floor. He landed flat on his back and let out a groan. The coloured lights disappeared and the room was silent except for the occasional moan coming from one of his friends.

"Is everyone alright?" Dai called out.

Sam opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling. He felt like he'd been punched in the stomache. Slowly he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. He could already feel a bruise forming beneath his hair. _What happened? Is Piximon trying to kill us? Those lights could have caused real damage!_ He glanced down and let out a loud gasp. There was a strange digital device in his lap that definitely had not been there before. The thing was white and purple in colour, and it measured about the size of his hand. It had a screen, several buttons, and it was oval in shape. A purple rim surrounded the screen and ran down both sides of the gadget. The thing's screen was blinking furiously, and it was filled with purple mist.

"What is this thing!" Dai gasped in astonishment.

Sam turned at the sound of his friend's voice and froze. Dai held a gadget exactly like his only it had red in place of the colour purple. He glanced at the others and realized that they held digital gadgets as well. Takara's was green, Mickey's was orange, Matty's was yellow, and Ryoko's was blue. Every single one of them was staring at the things in shock.

"Those gadgets are called Digivices," Piximon said proudly. The Digicore suddenly disappeared from the room leaving only the Digivices behind.

"Digivices? You mean ...all those coloured lights turned into these things?" Matty asked. He squirmed out from under his brother and shot to his feet with excitement.

The others managed to stand up and glanced at Piximon with suspicion.

"What exactly are they?" Sam asked slowly. He turned the thing over in his hands and stared at it in amazement. He had never seen anything like it before.

"I told you. They are the keys to saving the Digital World," Piximon smiled. "You humans are the key."

"Where exactly is this Digital World?' Dai asked hesitantly.

Piximon leaped to the bathroom floor and smiled at them. "Come with me, and I will show you where it is."

"This can't be happening," Ryoko said weakly, his ocean blue eyes filling with disbelief. "Other worlds don't exist. This is crazy talk! There's no way I'm going to fall for this scam. I refuse to believe it!"

"Ryoko," Takara said softly. She put her arms around him and hugged him close. "I don't think you really have a choice anymore. Piximon is not a figment of our imaginations. He is as real as you or I. There is no reason not to believe him."

Ryoko buried his face in her hair and did not reply.

"Why are we the key to saving this Digital World?" Mickey asked with a frown.

"That," Piximon said softly," You will have to discover on your own. Lets just say that you are following the footsteps of destiny. You have certain ties that have given you a wonderful gift. It may help you save lives. Come on. The gate is waiting."

They exchanged confused glances and followed Piximon out of the room. Strangely enough, the hallway was still empty. Sam gave a start when he realized that Piximon had led them back to the computer room.

Piximon hopped onto the desk of the computer he came out of and turned to Dai. "Hold out your Digivice."

Dai hesitated and slowly held it up. The computer screen stopped flashing and a sudden message appeared on it. It was written in odd symbols, and Sam had no clue what it was suppose to say.

"It's back!" Dai gasped, his eyes growing wide. "That's the same message I was telling you guys about earlier!" He turned to glare at Ryoko. "See? It wasn't a joke!I really did see that message and here's the proof!"

Ryoko just stared at him and did not reply. He seemed numb with shock.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you, Dai," Matty said softly.

Mickey nodded in agreement and gave Dai a guilty look.

Dai smiled and put his arms around them. "It's okay. You're forgiven."

"Um...what exactly does it say?" Takara gave the screen a disappointed look. "There's no way we'll be able to read it."

"Of course there is," Piximon scolded. "That message is written in a rare form of computer code. It is the language of the Digital World. It is used mainly in things like written prophesies. Since you humans are the Digidestined, there should be no problem in trying to decode it."

"Digi-what?" Sam asked.

"Digidestined." Piximon's voice sounded as if he was talking to a two year old. "Go on, Dai. Use your Digivice."

Dai stared at the Digivice for a moment and frowned. "Er...how?" The Digivice in his hand beeped and a sudden stream of red light shot out of it. It hit the computer screen, and suddenly they were able to read the message. Somehow Dai's digivice had decoded it. The message read:

Digidestined,

Once again the fate of the Digital World is at stake. Only you have the power to drive away the evil that looms on our doorstep. Time is running out. You must hurry if you want to stand any chance of defeating the darkness that threatens our world. Have faith in the Digivice, and may your digimon guide you safely on your quest.

I will be waiting.

Gennai

Sam stared at the message. He was at a complete loss of what to say. The others didn't seem to be though.

"What does it mean by 'our digimon?'" Matty asked. "And what exactly are the Digivices for?"

"Who's Gennai?" Takara asked in confusion.

Piximon nudged them towards the computer and smiled. "Those answers you must discover on your own. All of your questions will be answered, and in time, you will understand what it is you are fated to do. Until then, enjoy the ride. You might want to close your eyes. The first time is always a bit rough."

Sam was about to ask what he meant by that when the computer screen filled with light. He felt himself being dragged inside, and his last thought was a prayer that he would somehow make it out of this alive.

Did anyone think of Piximon? Onto my other fic. Please review!


	11. Welcome to File Island

Hey everyone. What happened to all the reviews? I don't write for nothing you know! The hit count for this story is massive, so if your not reviewing, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 11: Welcome To File Island

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Takara slowly opened her eyes and let out a soft moan. Every bone in her body ached, and she felt like she had been hit by a truck. It took great effort, but she managed to sit up with only a slight wince. What she saw made her clamp her hands over her mouth to keep herself from gasping out loud. The computer room was gone. Instead she found herself lying in a grassy meadow with a winding path that led up to a large stone building. It looked like an abandoned fortress.

"Where am I?" She whispered. Nothing stirred. There did not seem to be a single life form anywhere around her. She turned to study the landscape a bit more and let out a squeak of horror. Dai and the others lay unconscious around her in a tangle of bodies. Not a single one of them even moved a muscle to ease her mind. _What if they're dead? _She quickly squashed that thought and crawled over to her twin cousins who were closest to her.

"Matty, Mickey, wake up!" She pleaded, shaking Matty's shoulder. Her cousin finally stirred and let out a groan.

"What happened?" Matty mumbled. His eyes fluttered open, and he slowly sat up.

Takara shook her head. "I have no idea. Are you alright?"

Matty shrugged and reached down to gently shake Mickey's shoulder. "Mickey, wake up," he said softly.

Mickey's eyes popped open, and he flung himself at Matty in fear. "Matty!" he moaned into his twin's shoulder. "I thought we were dead!"

Matty laughed and rested his cheek against his brother's golden hair. "Not yet we aren't."

Takara smiled at them and jumped as the other three began to stir. Dai was the first to awake, and he let out a grunt of pain. "Every bone in my body hurts! What did Piximon do to us?"

_That's what I'd like to know. _She made a face and shrugged.

Dai finally glanced at the scenery around them and jumped to his feet in shock. "What happened to the computer room? What is this place?"

Takara shoved down a spark of fear and bit her lip. "I don't know, Dai," she said softly. "But I don't think we're in Odaiba anymore."

"You think?" Matty snorted. "There's nothing like stating the obvious!"

She stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her arms. She knew she was being childish but, at the moment, she did not really care. It was helping to calm her nerves down.

Ryoko's and Sam's eyes flew open and the two of them sat up in fear.

"Where has that creepy little digimon taken us?" Ryoko demanded. He pulled Sam up and the two of them stared around at the foreign sunny landscape with apprehension.

"This must be that Digital World that Piximon kept talking about," Sam murmured. He looked a little frightened and kept close to Ryoko's side.

Takara glanced around and that's when she realized that Piximon was nowhere to be found. "Where did he go?" she blurted, sudden fear overwelming her.

Daichi's chestnut coloured eyes swept over the landscape, and he frowned. "That's weird. Where could he have gone? It's not like he's had a lot of time to get very far away from us. Do you think he might have flown away?"

"How could he just leave us here like this?" Ryoko shouted. "Now what are we suppose to do? How are we going to get home?" He looked like he was about to panic.

"Calm down, Ryoko," Sam said softly and gave the other boy a comforting hug. Despite his reassurances to Ryoko, he turned to Dai with fear in his deep blue eyes.

Dai stared back at him and looked to be at a complete loss of what to do.

Ryoko was not to be comforted. "This isn't suppose to be happening!" he shouted, his voice shaking. His sparkling blue eyes glanced widely around at the landscape as if he could not believe what he was seeing. "This place isn't even suppose to exist!"

"We know that, Ryoko, but it does," Mickey said softly, taking his twin's hand and pulling Matty to his feet. "Nothing we say or do is going to change that."

"Maybe, but...now what?" Her voice sounded small and frightened. She moved closer to Dai and glanced anxiously around convinced that something was going to attack them at any moment.

"I say we find Piximon and demand that he take us home this instant!" Ryoko snapped.

Dai ignored Ryoko and began to study the surrounding area. "You're right, Sam," he murmured. "This must be that Digital World that Piximon had been talking about. If Piximon was right about this then I think it's pretty safe to say that he was right about everything else."

Ryoko crossed his arms and glared at Dai. "I refuse to accept that!"

Matty rolled his eyes at Ryoko and frowned. "If that's the case, then why exactly are we here? What are we suppose to be doing? Piximon wasn't exactly much help. He kept talking in riddles about how we are suppose to save this place."

"Save it from what?" Ryoko whispered. He looked like he never wanted to find out.

No one answered, and Takara felt a stab of fear. She was pretty sure she did not want to find out either.

"I wish Piximon would have explained more about these Digivices, the Digital World, and every other weird thing he mentioned," Sam sighed. "How are we suppose to help a world we know nothing about?"

Ryoko grabbed Sam by the shoulders and gave the other boy a look of utter disbelief. "You're not actually thinking about doing what Piximon said, are you? We're kids! We're not heroes out of some story! We are suppose to be worrying about homework not saving the world! I don't care what world it is!"

"He's got a point there," Mickey mumbled.

"Do we really have a choice?" Takara said quietly. Everyone turned to stare at her, and she fixed them with a level gaze. "I don't know what's going on, but what if we can't get home unless we do what Piximon says? I don't know if you guys have noticed, but it looks like we're stuck here until we can figure out a way to get home. Maybe Piximon's advice seriously is the only way we can."

"You think we could be stuck here forever?" Mickey whispered in horror.

Takara shrugged. "I don't know, Mickey," she said softly. "But it's the only solution I could come up with that made sense."

"But, what if we can't get home?" Ryoko whispered, his crystal blue eyes sparkling with terror. He turned to her and gave her a frightened look."We're suppose to be at Taysuke's soccer game this afternoon! If we don't show up, our parents will freak!"

Takara felt her heart start to race. Ryoko was right. She had promised Tay that she would watch his game. Her parents knew she never missed anything to do with soccer. If she did not make an appearance, her dad would have every cop in the city looking for her.

"My mom and dad are going to be so worried," Ryoko murmured, anxiously biting his lip.

That was true enough. Ryoko was Matt's and Mimi's pride and joy. He was, after all, their only child.

"No kidding," Matty groaned and glanced at Mickey. "Our parents are going to have seizures!"

"My soccer practice!"

They all turned to look at Daichi who let out a laugh. "Remember? I'm suppose to be at soccer practice. I forgot. No wonder Ema was wondering why I wasn't headed outside. She must have thought it was pretty weird that I didn't have my uniform on."

"Yeah, I forgot about your practice, too," Matty said.

"Oh well. My dad will be pretty upset, but my mom will just use it as another excuse to ground me!"

Takara gave him a disapproving look. "Noriko's not that bad. She's just strick, that's all."

"Speaking of strick, my mom's going to kill me," Sam groaned, his sapphire eyes filling with sudden concern. "My dad's going to be really scared if I don't come home. He worries a lot, you know. I think it has something to do with my Uncle Sam. Dad will be devastated if he loses me, too..." Sam trailed off and flushed when he realized that everyone was staring at him. "Well it's true," he mumbled, avoiding their eyes.

Takara wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a warm squeeze. "Oh, Sam. You're too sweet," she said softly.

Sam's face turned pink, and he smiled shyly at her. She smiled back and the look on Dai's face made her stare at her goggle headed friend in surprise. Dai was giving Sam, of all people, a reproachful look. Usually he saved that sort of thing for Ryoko. _What's wrong with him?_

"Can we please get back to business here?" Dai said shortly, making her jump.

Ryoko nodded and gave Dai a rather curious look. He did not say anything though, and instead, he turned his blue gaze on the group. "Daichi's right. We have bigger problems than our parents right now."

Takara's mouth fell open. Ryoko _never _agreed with Dai. _Today is certainly a day full of surprises! _Even Dai looked surprised.

"Piximon kept mentioning other people as if he had met humans before," Ryoko continued in a quiet voice. "He definitely wasn't surprised by our appearances like we were of his. He spoke to us with familiarity. Do you get the feeling that Piximon has done this sort of thing before to another group of humans? You heard him. He acted as if he expected us to already know all about the Digital World, and him for that matter."

Matty frowned. "If that's the case, then why haven't we heard about the Digital World before now, especially if other humans have been here?"

"Good question," Takara muttered. "I wonder who they could be. They might be able to help us out. I'm sure they know way more about this place than we do."

Ryoko smirked. "I'm sure Piximon was talking about Daichi when he mentioned a goggle headed fool!"

"Will you shut up!" Dai shouted and turned his back on Ryoko.

"I wonder what these Digivices are for. I wish we knew," Mickey said quietly. He gave the gadget in his hand a puzzled look.

"Or that Digicore," Matty added. "That thing was way weird."

"I wonder who this Gennai guy is that wrote the email to us," Sam spoke up. "He certainly sounded as if he knew what was going on! Do you think he's the friend that Piximon was talking about?"

Dai shrugged. "It makes more sense than anything else I've heard so far. But if that's the case, then why didn't Gennai confront us directly? Why send Piximon?"

Takara exchanged a look with the others. No one had an answer to that question.

"Whoever this Gennai is, he seems pretty confident in our abilities," Matty muttered.

"So where is he?" Takara murmured.

"Huh?" Dai gave her a curious look and frowned. "Where's who?"

"Gennai," she replied. "His email said that he would be waiting for us. So, where is he? He made is sound like he would be here when we arrived."

They all glanced around as if expecting to see someone walking towards them. There was no one in sight.

"Do you think something might have happened to him?" Mickey whispered.

Takara shrugged. "Maybe he, like Piximon, thinks we should figure out some of this stuff on our own first."

"Don't they realize how dangerous that could be for us!" Ryoko shouted.

She did not reply. What could she say? Ryoko was right.

"I still don't understand," Ryoko said angrily. "Why were we chosen? There are so many different people in the world. What makes us so special?"

Mickey sighed softly and stared up at the sky. "Something about following the footsteps of destiny, whatever that means."

"Still." Ryoko made a face. "Why didn't Piximon stay to help us? We have no idea what's in store for us! Who says all digimon are like Piximon? We could end up dead before we even have a chance to save this world as he claims we're suppose to." Ryoko's sneer clearly stated what he thought of that idea. "I thought he said he was going to explain everything to us!"

"We've already answered all those questions," Dai said, sounding impatient. "I bet he only said he would explain as a way to get us to follow him. I can't believe we let him trick us like that!"

"I don't think that was his intention," Takara replied in a soothing tone.

"He definitely knew a lot about us. I wonder how?" Sam said.

Mickey frowned. "Didn't Piximon say something about prophesies?"

Ryoko groaned and rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache coming on. "Don't even get me started on that!"

Takara giggled and tugged on a lock of his golden hair. "I don't know, Ryoko. The word Digidestined sounded like something out of a prophecy to me! Isn't that what Piximon called us?"

"Sure did!" Matty grinned. "Whatever that means!"

"Enough fooling around," Dai said impatiently. "Lets get going."

Takara gave him a look and managed not to smile. "Um...go where? Unless you have a map of this Digiworld hidden in your pocket somewhere, I think we're stuck. We don't have a clue where to even begin."

Dai was about to answer when his Digivice gave off a sudden beep. Her friend jumped and glared at his Digivice. "Whoever made you has no respect for the faint- hearted!"

Ryoko snickered and Dai blushed.

"Not me of course," he muttered. "I was thinking more along the lines of someone like Mickey."

"I'm not faint-hearted," Mickey mumbled, looking flustered.

Matty whispered something to him and the twins burst into sudden laughter.

Dai glanced suspiciously at them and Ryoko sighed. "Twins," their blond cousin muttered. "As if one wasn't bad enough, we have to deal with two!"

Mickey and Matty sent identical glares in his direction, and Ryoko laughed.

Dai was too busy staring at his Digivice in shock to even notice that Ryoko had defended him. Takara did though and smiled softly.

"Guys, look!" Dai gasped, holding out his Digivice. They gathered around him and fell silent.

The screen on his Digivice was glowing a flaming red. It blinked rapidly and began to fill with blood red mist. Slowly the mist spiraled out of the Digivice and hovered in the air above thieir heads. The particles of red dust began to form together until they created a large glowing red arrow. It was pointing right at the abandoned fortress.


	12. Darker Forces

Another chapter! The next chapter's going to be longer so bear with me if it takes a little longer to update.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

Following The Footsteps Of Destiny

Chapter 12: Darker Forces

_Ema Kido_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ema glanced at the soccer field and frowned. _Where is Dai? He's suppose to be at soccer practice._

"Do you see Takara or Ryoko?"

She turned to Taysuke beside her, who had spoken, and made a face at him. "No. I thought for sure Kara and Ryoko would be here. They always watch Dai's practices, and I figured they'd come see him score a couple of goals before joining up with us, but even Dai isn't here!"

"Well, Dai was heading in the direction of the locker rooms," Taysuke said slowly. "Maybe he's still getting changed."

She glared so furiously at him that he shrugged and gave her a sheepish look. "That doesn't explain where Kara and Ryoko went. They promised they were going to come to your soccer game!" _Honestly. Fish have more sense than he does!_

Taysuke pulled on his orange t-shirt, which matched the colour of his hair, and frowned. "Maybe they're already at my house waiting for us. If we don't hurry up, I'm going to be late for my game. Mom and Dad are going to be there, and they're going to wonder what's happened to me if I don't show up."

Ema let out a sigh. _Are boys always this clueless? _How could Taysuke not see that something was wrong. Dai was _never _late for practice.

Taniko tapped her on the shoulder and Ema jumped. She had not realized that the other girl had come up behind her.

"Are we all ready to go?" Taniko asked, flashing a smile.

Taysuke latched onto the other girl's arm with relief and started down the hall. "We're ready," he said in a hurried voice.

Ema put her hands on her hips and glared after him. _How dare he act as if he's afraid of me! _"The nerve of him," she muttered.

"Who are you talking about?" Kenzo, who had come up behind her, gave her a curious look.

She stuck her nose in the air and fixed him with a dirty look. "Boys," she said in disgust. "I swear there isn't half a brain between you and Tay! The things we females have to put up with!" She turned on her heel and stalked away from him in anger. _And Taysuke says I'm his best friend! _"Yeah, I'll best friend him," she muttered.

Unfortunately her cousin Dai was a bigger concern right now than Taysuke. She cast one last worried glance at the soccer field before hurrying after Taysuke towards the Kamiya residence. She did not even bother to sniff at the startled look Kenzo sent her as she raced after Taysuke.

_Noriko Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Noriko entered her house to find that her husband had come home just ahead of her. Davis was pulling off his shoes, and he gave her a warm smile when he spotted her. "Hey," he said softly, leaning forward to kiss her cheek.

She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and glanced anxiously towards the kitchen. "Hi, honey. Where are Ami and Dai?"

Davis gave her a startled look and frowned in confusion. "Ami went to Miya's house, and I believe Dai is still at soccer practice, why?"

Noriko frowned. She could not exactly say why, but ever since breakfast, she had had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomache. Call it mother's intuition, but she had a strong sensation that something wasn't right. She had not said anything when Dai and Ami left for school, but the feeling had kept getting worse as the day wore on. "Are you sure?"

Davis stared at her. "Ami just spoke to me about five minutes ago before she left and you got home. As for Dai, you know he has soccer practice." He came forward and put his arms around her. "What's wrong?" He said softly into her hair.

She clung tightly to him for a moment and pressed her face against his chest. _They're fine. Nothings going to happen to them. Dai might act irresponsible sometimes, but he's quick to react if something goes wrong. I'm just worrying over nothing._

"Noriko?"

She glanced up and smiled at the worried expression on her husband's face. "I'm fine. I guess I was just worried. Dai was rather quiet this morning. It isn't like him and...I'm overreacting but...it made me uneasy."

Davis raised an eyebrow. "Considering the way he was punished yesterday, is it any wonder he wasn't too enthusiastic about speaking to us?"

Noriko sighed. She hated acting like the bad guy, but someone had to keep Dai from getting into too much trouble. Davis was always reluctant to discipline him and somehow it always fell to her. She gave her husband a glare, but it faded almost instantly into a smile. That was one of the things that had drawn her to him in the first place. He had a strong sense of right and wrong, compassion for others, and an enthusiasm for life. There were so many things she loved about him that it would take her a lifetime just to name them all. "You don't make my life easy," she said softly and reached up to run a hand through his hair.

Davis grinned at her, and she let out a squeal of surprise as he suddenly picked her up in his arms. "Maybe not," he said with a mischievous look in his eyes. "But I do make it exciting!"

She giggled and slapped him lightly on the chest feeling every bit as young as a teenager again. "Davis," she scolded, giving him a stern look. "What if Dai and Ami were here to see this? It wouldn't be very proper!"

Davis gave her a sly smile and carried her over to the couch. "Yeah, but they're not, which means you can't escape from me!"

He set her on the couch and gently kissed the side of her neck.

She shivered at his touch and wrapped her arms around him, her cheek coming to rest against the top of his head. Even after so many years, he still made her pulse race.

"Dai and Ami are fine," he murmured softly against her throat.

She nodded and ran her fingers down his back between his shoulder blades.

Despite her words, she still felt a nasty prickling sensation at the back of her mind telling her that danger awaited. She closed her eyes and felt comforted by the sound of Davis's strong heartbeat against her stomache.

"Maybe I'm just getting old," she murmured softly. She kissed his hair and sighed as he snuggled against her.

Davis let out a snort and slipped an arm around her. " Thirty-six is not old, Noriko," he said, his cheek resting against her heart. He smiled at her his brown eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Young enough to still have kids," she said, eyeing him and smiling.

Davis sat up and raised an eyebrow. "Did you want another kid? I'd be happy to help you out with that!"

"Davis!" She glanced at the door and gave him a disapproving look. "What if Dai heard you talking like that?"

Davis just rolled his eyes and pressed against her again. "I think we'd need to have another boy," he muttered. "You and Ami are already more than a match for me and Dai. We need to even the odds!"

She let out a laugh and squeezed him tightly. "You're the man! It's your job to decide!"

"Make me do the work," he grumbled. Then he grinned. "So that's why Ami and Dai turned out so great! Aren't I amazing?"

"You wish," she sniffed. "Besides, I had a hand in that too!"

He burst into laughter and hugged her tightly which made her giggle. "Dai and Ami are wonderful, aren't they?" She said softly.

"They're perfect," Davis murmured and leaned forward to kiss her.

She kissed him back and sighed at the taste of his lips against hers.

There was a sudden crash at the door and they both jerked up with a start. Davis, who'd been sprawled on top of her, nearly fell off the couch, and she grabbed his arm before he could end up on the floor.

She twisted around to see Shadow standing in the doorway. The puppy had his head turned to one side and, he was regarding them with curiosity. Somehow Shadow had managed to knock over a lamp that stood next to the couch. She exchanged a look with Davis and they both burst into laughter.

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"You have done very well today."

The low menacing voice echoed off the cavern walls sending uneasy shivers down the spine of the figure kneeling before him.

"Thank you, master," she responded. "Everything is done according to your instructions."

"What about the others?"

"They are still searching for Gennai," she replied, carefully keeping her eyes on the floor. "The Digidestined will be harmless without their help."

She turned and gave the third occupant of the room a look of contempt. The young man sat against the cold stone wall with his wrists and ankles chained. His head was lowered to his knees, and he appeared almost to be asleep. "There is much that Gennai has not told them about his plans. I don't think they even know that the Digidestined have arrived. Those kids will be easy prey." The man suddenly look up and their was a flash of anger in his eyes. She ignored him and focused on her master instead.

Her master let out a dangerous laugh. "Yes, they will be."

She glanced towards the wall at what looked like a misty screen floating in the air a couple of feet off the ground. At the moment, it showed the six Digidestined heading towards an old fortress. She smiled. "And to think it's their own parents who are placing them in the palm of our hands."

Inserted into the wall around the screen were eight crests. Each one glowed softly casting a faint light in the dark room.

The ninth crest was inserted into a stone pedestal that stood in front on the screen. It's orange glow made the pedestal look as if it was on fire. This was the crest that kept the others united. This crest, the Crest of Courage, was the mark of a leader.

She glared at it and turned to face her master again.

"With these crests, I have great power," he whispered. "But it is not enough. That is why you must gain possession of the D-Coders. Once I have their power, I will be unstoppable."

"Yes, master," she murmured.

The door opened behind her and four digimon walked into the room, their features hidden in the darkness.

"You all have you orders," their master whispered. "Do not fail me. If you do, there will be punishment."

"Of course, your wickedness," she replied and knelt in a curtsy.

Turning, she crossed her arms and glared at the others. "Well, what are you waiting for? You heard him, get moving!"

"There's no need to be hostile, Vampiramon," a male voice replied, sounding amused.

Vampiramon (Vam-peer-a-mon) tossed back her long red hair and smirked at him. "You want to see hostile? Wait till I deal with the Digidestined. You haven't seen anything yet!"

With a swish of her skirts, she stalked from the room with the others following in her wake.


	13. Daichi's Digimon Partner

The chapters look like there going to be longer so bare with me it it takes a little longer to update. Sorry it took so long! Tell me what you think of my digimon and review!

foreverbluegreen:I thought you would!

The Violent Tomboy:He's so bad!

Random Person: Yeah that's Noriko. As for Ryoko, not exactly, but you'll see what I mean.

Dark Qiviut: Imagine if Davis and Noriko had triplets?

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Following The Footsteps Of Destiny

Chapter 13: Daichi's Digimon Partner

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"What's it doing?" Matty gasped in shock. He glanced around at the others who were staring curiously at the arrow hovering above them.

"It's pointing to that fortress," Takara said, sounding uneasy.

Dai scratched his head and frowned. "I think it's saying that we're suppose to follow it."

"Yeah, but to what, and why," Mickey said nervously.

Dai took a deep breath and glanced towards the fortress. "Well, it's better than standing around here and doing nothing. Anyone else have any better ideas because I doubt Piximon's suddenly going to show up and clue us in about what's going on here!"

Matty made a face at Dai and sighed. His friend was right. They did not exactly have a lot of choices.

"Come on," Dai said quietly.

Matty was about to follow his friends when he noticed something odd sitting on the ground behind him. It looked like a small portable television, but the screen was black, as if it was currently turned off. He had been so busy gaping at everything else that he had not even noticed it. _What is that thing?_

"Hey, guys!" he called out. "Check this out!" When no one answered, he looked up and discovered that the others were already halfway to the fortress, and they had not heard a single word that he had said. "Wait up!" he cried, racing after them and completely forgetting about the small T.V.

By the time he caught up to his friends, they had already stopped and were staring up at the looming structure of the fortress before them. Matty gazed up at it's dark stone walls and shivered. It looked empty and deserted. _It looks like a place where ghosts would wander._

"You guys could have waited for me," he grumbled in an effort to break the uneasy silence.

Mickey merely smiled at him and pulled him into the group which stood huddled together several metres from the large doors. They stood open.

"You really think we should go in there?" Takara asked, eyeing the crumbling structure with apprehension. "It doesn't exactly look safe, and who knows what could be waiting inside there for us!"

"Maybe it's empty," Sam said hopefully. "It looks empty."

Dai turned to face them and fixed them all with a stubborn look. "Don't you guys remember what Gennai said in his email? He said that we have to have faith in the Digivice. These little gadgets are the only things we have to help us, and I don't know about you guys, but I'll take any help I can get!"

Matty nodded and frowned at his own Digivice. _Dai's right. This thing is the only hope we have of figuring out what's going on._

"Are you ready?" Dai asked.

There was a brief hesitation and finally everyone nodded.

Slowly they made their way inside and found themselves in a large courtyard. A stone path led to the inner walls of the fortress which also had it's doors standing open.

"It's so quiet," Takara whispered, clutching Dai by the shirt and staring at their surroundings with wide eyes.

"Now what?" Mickey asked quietly.

Matty gave his twin a look. Mickey and the others seemed almost afraid to speak for fear that it might trigger some unsuspecting attack. Mickey blushed and shrugged, looking a little embarrassed, and Matty patted his brother's arm in reassurance.

Dai raised his Digivice and studied the floating arrow. "It looks like it's pointing to the inner fortress. This Digivice seems to be acting like some sort of signal detector."

"Yeah, but what exactly is it picking up?" Ryoko asked, leaning over Dai's shoulder to gaze at the Digivice. His cousin looked skeptical and Matty sighed. _Does Ryoko always have to question everything? _

"That's what we're here to find out," Dai replied, turning his back on Ryoko and gazing towards the inner fortress.

Ryoko glared at Dai and stepped back to whisper something angrily to Takara.

Takara just shook her head and gave Ryoko a stern look which Ryoko promptly ignored.

"Lets head inside," Dai muttered, frowning at his Digivice.

Matty followed silently behind Ryoko and stepped through the door. He and the others found themselves standing in a large room with stone walls and a high vaulted ceiling. Every wall had intricate patterns carved into the stone. Most of them were strange unrecognizable symbols, and many of them had faded over time.

"It looks kind of like writing," Takara said softly, running her hand over the stone's rough surface and tracing the symbols with her finger. "I wonder what it says."

"Me too," Sam replied, staring up at the ceiling with an expression of awe on his face.

Matty wandered away from the group towards the centre of the room and stopped short when he spotted a large stone pedestal standing on it's own in direct line with the door. It was the only object in the room and it stood in the heart of the fortress beneath the symbols carved upon the ceiling which resembled those on the walls.

"Guys! Come take a look at this!" Matty gasped in awe, motioning his friends to his side.

"What is it, Matty?" Mickey asked, responding to the frantic waving of his hand.

His twin stepped up beside him and gave a start at the sight of the stone pedestal standing alone and forgotten in the midst of the fortress's crumbling walls.

"Cool," Dai said, placing his hand on the pedestal's cold stone surface. "I wonder what it's for."

"It's a piece of stone," Ryoko snorted. "It's not meant for anything!"

Matty gave his cousin a sharp jab in the ribs, but Dai just ignored Ryoko. Instead, his goggle headed friend ran light fingers over the image carved into the pedestal's flat stone surface. It looked like a shield.

"That's strange," Dai murmured, frowning at the image. "The stone feels really warm. Odd. This pedestal probably hasn't seen sunlight in years. The stone should feel cool, especially inside these thick walls."

It was almost as if Dai's words had triggered an invisible light switch, because the image of the shield started to glow a bright red casting a soft light in the room and emphasizing Dai's shocked expression.

_What's happening? _Matty took a step back and there was movement behind him. He turned just in time to see the sharp edge of a sword swing down to press against Dai's throat. His friend quickly dropped his hand from the pedestal, and the light faded away leaving the stone cold and lifeless once more.

"Dai!" Takara shrieked, stumbling backwards and clapping a hand to her mouth.

"Who dares to disturb this sacred place?"

Matty whipped around in horror to find a large figure standing behind them and holding the sword that was inches away from decapitating Dai.

He froze in fear, unable to move, and stared wide-eyed at the figure who had come out of nowhere to murder them where they stood.

"Answer me!" the figure shouted.

Behind him, Mickey let out a moan filled with terror, and he placed a reassuring hand on his brother's arm.

"Daichi, don't move," Ryoko whispered, huddling anxiously next to Dai's side and looking more scared than Matty had ever seen him before.

Ignoring Ryoko, Dai slowly turned his head to gaze at the figure behind him, and Matty stared at Dai in surprise. There was fear in his friend's eyes, but at the same time Dai appeared calm and composed. _How does he do it? If someone held a sword to my neck, I'd be bawling like a baby and begging for mercy!_

"We didn't know that we weren't suppose to be here," Dai said calmly, fixing his potential murderer with a level gaze.

"Shut up before you get us all killed!" Ryoko hissed into Dai's ear, tugging on the other boy's shirt.

Dai showed no sign that he had even heard Ryoko. "We're sorry for disturbing you, and I promise we'll leave right away."

The figure paused and turned his head to one side as if studying Dai's face for any sign of dishonesty. Finally he spoke. "What is your name?" His voice was quiet, but it had a firm tone.

"Daichi," Dai replied with a small smile. "Daichi Motomiya."

Silence fell, and after several tense seconds, the sword was lowered. "My apologies, young Digidestined," the figure said softly and stepped into the light.

Matty let out a shocked gasp which was echoed by Mickey who stood close beside him.

"What are you?" Sam gasped, leaning against the pedestal for support.

"A digimon, of course," the figure replied with a smile. He bowed slightly and sheathed his sword in one fluid movement that left Matty feeling rather impressed.

"My name is Leomon," the digimon said in a strong voice. "I am a champion level vaccine type digimon. My special attacks are Beast Sword and Fist of the Beast King. I've been waiting for you, Daichi Motomiya."

"You have?" Dai asked, his eyes growing wide with shock. "Why?"

"To assist you," Leomon said with a smile. "Or rather, to fulfill my duty to Gennai."

Matty gaped at the digimon in shock. Leomon had the physical structure of a human, but his head was that of a lion's. He was also much bigger than Piximon. _Are all digimon this different from one another?_

Ryoko sagged against the pedestal and covered his face with both hands. "A talking lion wants to help us," the blond moaned. "Any minute now I'm going to wake up in a nice padded cell."

Matty choked back a laugh and gently patted his cousin's back.

Dai stepped up to Leomon and studied the digimon with interest. "You know this Gennai?"

Leomon nodded in confirmation. "He is a friend of mine who asked me to stand gaurd over this fortress until the day you arrived. I have done so, and now there is hope for the Digital World once more."

"And why would Gennai want you to gaurd this place?" Ryoko asked, glancing at the crumbling walls and wrinkling his nose.

Leomon stepped forward and gently placed his right hand upon the pedestal. "This place tells us much about the Digital World's history," he said quietly, indicating the symbols on the walls with his left hand. "Some of the writings speak about events that occured shortly after the creation of the Digital World while others speak about events that are...more recent."

Matty frowned and that's when he realized that one section of the wall stood out more prominently than the rest. Directly behind the pedestal the symbols were clearer, as if they had been etched there much more recently than many of the others.

"What does it all say?" Takara asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"There will come a time when the past must be revisited, but now is not that time," Leomon replied. The far away expression in the digimon's eyes faded, and he gave them a serious look. "Right now we must focus on the present and the dangers that await us all in the future."

"Danger? In what form?" Mickey whispered, sounding afraid. "Piximon did not give any details. We did get a letter from Gennai saying that he would meet with us, but we haven't seen him. Do you know where he might be?"

Leomon gave the ceiling a dark look and frowned. "I do not know where Gennai is," he murmured. "The last time I heard from him was days ago. It worries me. He is normally very reliable when it comes to keeping in touch. It just isn't like him to remain unresponsive for so long."

"Do you think something might have happened to him?" Sam asked, sounding concerned.

"I can only hope that that is not the case," Leomon replied.

"Does this Gennai guy really want to help us, or is he just pulling our leg?" Ryoko demanded.

Leomon smiled and placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. "Do not fear, my young friend. Gennai is not your enemy. He, like Piximon and myself, are here to guide you. We are your friends."

"You're nothing like Piximon. Are all digimon this different from one another?" Sam asked, looking a little dazed.

Leomon nodded. "Many digimon represent stories, legends, even living creatures from your world. We are, after all, a digital shadow world of the world that you humans live in. Like humans, we digimon share many unique qualities, making each one of us different from one another."

"You didn't answer our questions," Ryoko interrupted. "What kind of danger are we facing, and why did Gennai ask you to watch over this place?"

Leomon stared silently at Ryoko for a minute and turned to stare at the ceiling again. "I do not know exactly what threatens the Digital World, but the darkness is spreading. I can feel it in the very air around us. It has been getting stronger ever since the crests were stolen. It must have been the work of a dark digimon. Whoever this digimon is, he is very powerful to have made it past the barriers that Gennai had put in place to protect the crests. He will be difficult to defeat."

"What exactly are these crests?" Mickey asked, sounding very interested.

"Lets just say that they act as protection against the darkness here in our world."

Ryoko crossed his arms and gave Leomon a dirty look. "So basically you're saying that we're the ones who are going to have to figure out what's going on around here!"

"You will not be alone," Leomon replied, his voice gentle. "Gennai, Piximon, myself, and many others will be watching over you and assisting you in the fight against darkness. There is also your digimon partners which brings me to your second question, Ryoko Ishida."

Ryoko gave him a cold look, his blue eyes sparkling like ice chips, and did not respond.

"Gennai asked me to protect this place because it contains a digimon who I'm sure is very anxious to meet you. He has been waiting for quite some time now."

"Why does he want to meet us?" Dai asked, frowning in confusion.

Leomon pointed to the arrow hovering over Dai's Digivice. It was directed right at the pedestal.

Matty had almost completely forgotten about it.

"Why don't you find out for yourself," Leomon said, nudging Dai towards the pedestal.

"But...what do I do?" Dai eyed the pedestal with frustration and placed his hand on it again. Immediately the symbol of the shield lit up and so did Dai's Digivice. A bright red beam shot out of the digital gadget and slammed into the shield. Soon the room was ablaze with a deep red glow.

"What's going on?" Dai gasped, staggering away from the pedestal and shielding his eyes from the bright glare.

Matty stood frozen in amazement at the sight before him. Something started to materialize on top of the pedestal.

The light finally faded away and Matty found himself staring at a small creature which was crouched on top of the pedestal. It had pointed ears, a fork tail, and it resembled a lizard that walked on two feet. The thing's body was a flaming red, and it had emerald green eyes. Slowly the little digimon (or what Matty assumed was a digimon) turned to stare directly at Dai. It straightened up, lazily flipping it's tail, and gave Dai a warm smile. "Dai," the creature said softly. "I can't believe you are finally here. It feels like I've been waiting forever to meet you."

"What? How did you know my name?" Dai whispered, staring at the digimon in amazement.

Matty stared at the little digimon, at a loss for words. He had never thought in a million years that anything this strange could ever happen to him, and yet here he was right in the middle of it all.

The digimon took a step closer to Dai, and Dai jumped taking a small step back. The two were at eye level as a result of the pedestal, and Dai seemed unable to take his eyes off the small red form standing before him. "Because," the digimon said quietly, staring right into Dai's deep brown eyes. "You are my partner."

"I don't believe it!" Mickey gasped, and Matty turned to stare at his twin in surprise. Mickey was staring at the digimon with wide eyes. "Gennai was telling the truth! Don't you guys remember what his email said? He said something about us having digimon!"

"May your digimon guide you safely on your quest," Takara quoted softly.

There was a commotion behind him, and Matty turned to see Sam catch Ryoko under the arms before the other boy could sink to the floor.

"I knew I should have told my mom I was too sick to go to school today," Ryoko said weakly.

Matty gave his cousin a concerned look. Ryoko's face was very pale and he was looking a little green around the edges. _Considering how he looks, if he had swung that lie on Aunt Mimi now, she would have believed him in a heartbeat! She probably wouldn't have let him out of bed for at least two days!_

"It's okay, Ryoko," Mickey murmured, helping their cousin take a seat on the floor and putting his arms around the other boy.

Ryoko sagged against Mickey and did not reply.

The digimon gave Ryoko a curious look before turning back to Dai. "I knew you would come," he said softly.

"You're my...my partner?" Dai whispered. "No way. How could you possibly know something like that without having even met me before!"

"You have the red Digivice," the digimon replied, pointing to the gadget in Dai's hand. Only the person who owns that digivice could release me."

"You're kidding!" Dai gasped in astonishment and held out the Digivice. "This thing?"

The digimon nodded and gave Dai a smile. "That's right. By the way, Dai, my name is Embermon. I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon. My special attack is Ember Blaze."

"Um...nice to meet you," Dai said faintly, looking a little dazed.

Matty did not know what to think. _I don't understand. Why do we need partners? _

His goggle headed friend took a hesitant step forward and gently stroked Embermon's head between his ears. "You're amazing," Dai said softly.

Embermon gazed at Dai for a moment and suddenly leaped into his partner's arms. He rested his head against Dai's shoulder and said softly," So are you."

Dai held tightly to Embermon, and his face broke into a wide smile. "This is so cool! My own digimon partner." Then Dai frowned. "Er...why do I need a partner anyway?"

"I'm here to protect you," Embermon replied, his face growing serious.

"Yeah, from what?" Ryoko whispered, his face turning white. The blond's face was starting to look like that of a ghost's.

"From whatever stands in the way of us saving the Digital World," Embermon said, his emerald eyes sparkling with determination.

"I get it now!" Takara spoke up, a smile on her face. "The signal Dai's digivice picked up was Embermon! It's almost as if the Digivice knew that they belonged together."

"It's like the Digivice can sense their connection," Mickey said softly.

Dai smiled triumphantly and gave them all a look. "See? I told you we should trust the Digivice."

"So what? Does the Digivice connect you to Daichi?" Ryoko asked, his voice trembling.

"Not exactly," Embermon replied. "It's more like a symbol that represents our connection as partners. It's a physical representation of our special bond."

"Oh well, that clears everything up!" Ryoko said sarcastically.

"I am sorry if I frightened you all before," Leomon said, stepping forward and putting a hand on Dai's shoulder. "But do you now see why I was so suspicious of you? I had to make sure that you were really the Digidestined and not some trick or diversion planted by dark digimon. Gennai asked me to watch over Embermon and keep him safe until you arrived. Embermon is a strong digimon, especially for a rookie, but that strength is nothing compared to the strength he has when he is with you, Dai."

Dai glanced at Embermon with his mouth hanging open, and Embermon smiled back at him.

"When humans and digimon work together, they create a powerful force against the darkness. Naturally many dark digimon would not want you to join up with Embermon to give you a chance of defeating them. I was instructed to make sure that no dark digimon tried to capture Embermon or harm him before he had a chance to join with the Digidestined where his power is at it's greatest level. Without you, Dai, there was a chance that Embermon could be hurt. Now that you are here, he is safe, and you are safe with him as well."

"That's right," Embermon replied, placing his small hand against Dai's cheek. "We'll always look out for each other."

"Yeah," Dai said softly. He turned to Leomon and frowned. "There's something I don't understand. How come you were so quick to believe that I was Dai just because I said I was?"

"Because, you passed the test," Leomon said simply.

"You mean because the pedestal reacted to Dai when he touched it?" Sam asked. "I'm guessing it wouldn't have started to glow for anyone else."

"No, it wouldn't have," Leomon agreed. "But that isn't the only reason."

"What other reason could there possibly be?" Ryoko snorted. He seemed to have recovered a bit and was back to his usual self.

"There is more to being a Digidestined than having a Digivice and digimon partner," Leomon replied, staring hard at Ryoko who flushed.

"There was something else that told me Dai was who he said he was. It's not something you can see, but it's there just the same. As a result, he passed the test." Leomon suddenly smiled and gazed into each one of their faces with a penetrating look. "It also doesn't hurt that you remind me so much of a group of friends I once knew a long time ago. You even look like them, though under the circumstances that is quite understandable. You will have made them proud today."

Matty was about to ask what he meant when the wall to the right of the door exploded.


	14. Parental Instincts

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. This story is just for fun.

A/N: My fic One World Away From Darkness only has six chapters left so I will be spending most of my time on that one till it's done. So it might be a while till I update this one.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 14: Parental Instincts

_Tai Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Tai stepped into the front hall at the sound of the door opening and was nearly trampled by Ema, Kenzo, Taniko, and his son.

"Tay, where have you been? If we don't hurry up, you're going to be late for your soccer game!"

"Sorry, Dad," Taysuke replied, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. "Are Takara and Ryoko here?"

Tai frowned. "No, aren't they with you?"

Taysuke blinked at him, and there was a flash of uneasiness in his son's eyes.

"Is something wrong?" He studied Taysuke's face and felt a sudden small stab of irrational fear. _Takara said that she and Ryoko would drop their stuff off here first before coming with us to the game. Where could they be?_

"Sora?" he called out, leaning around the door so he had a clear view of the upstairs hallway. "Honey? Did Takara and Ryoko come back here after school?"

A moment later Sora came rushing down the stairs holding Taysuke's soccer bag in her right hand. "Huh? No. Didn't they show up with Taysuke?" She glanced around the entryway as if she expected to see her daughter suddenly pop out of thin air.

"No," he said slowly, turning his gaze back to his son.

Taysuke flushed and looked at the floor.

"Well that's strange." Sora frowned and gave him a slightly worried look. "Takara's usually really good about letting us know where she is. This just isn't like her."

"You're right," he replied, that stab of fear growing ever so slightly. "Most of the time she'll phone us if she knows that she's going to be late."

"Takara and Ryoko probably just got held up at Dai's soccer practice," Ema suddenly piped up, tugging on one of her spiky pigtails. "I'm sure they'll be at the soccer field to watch Tay's game."

"I'm guessing they decided to skip coming back to the house to make up time," Taniko added, flipping her shiny brown hair out of her eyes and smiling.

Taysuke did not appear to have heard a word of what Taniko had said. His son was currently gaping at Ema in utter astonishment.

Tai glanced between the two of them and raised an eyebrow. _I wonder what Taysuke's hiding from me._

"Ema's probably right," Sora said, handing Taysuke his soccer bag. "We're already late. We had better get going or Tay's going to miss the start of his game."

Tai nodded and sent his son's three friends a stern look. "Do your parents know where you are?"

"Of course," Kenzo replied, his dark eyes serious. In that sense, he was very much like Cody, always responsible.

"Yes," Ema said, rolling her eyes.

"They'd better. I don't want Jun throwing a fit like she did the last time."

"Honestly, Tai. Jun's not that bad," Sora replied, looking exasperated.

"Are you kidding?" he whispered, low enough so that the kids would not be able to overhear. "I'd rather face Apocalymon again than have her on my case!"

That comment earned him a swift elbow in the ribs from his wife.

"Come on," Sora said hastily, hustling the kids out the door.

"My mom throws a fit about everything," Ema announced, bouncing along beside him.

"Why does that not surprise me," he said dryly. "Mind you, I'm very astonished that your father's sanity is still in one piece considering that you, of all people, are his offspring!"

Ema raised her eyebrows and smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Tai did not even bother to try and figure that one out. If experience had taught him anything, it was that women were all the same no matter how old they were. They always sought to confuse the male half of the species with clever sayings. As a result, men remained forever clueless of the inner workings of the female mind. _Never try to argue with a ten year old, especially a female ten year old!_

Instead he focused his attention on his son who walked a little ways ahead of him. Taysuke was conversing quietly with Taniko, in a heated conversation. Their whispers were completely unintelligible to him and that made him worry even more. _Does he know something about Takara's whereabouts?_

Taysuke spotted him watching and blushing guiltily, his son quickly looked away.

_I think that would qualify as yes._

_Taysuke Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"I told you, Tay," Taniko said impatiently. "I haven't seen either Kara or Ryoko since this morning."

He glanced back at his parents again and felt a surge of panic. "Dad knows something's wrong and he doesn't believe me. I can tell just by the look on his face. What am I going to do if Takara and Ryoko don't show up? Do you think they will be at the soccer field?" He tugged on the sleeve of Taniko's purple shirt, to get her attention, and she let out a loud sigh.

"I don't know, but if they aren't, Tai and Sora are going to be really worried."

"Be quiet!" Taysuke whispered, glancing anxiously at his mother. She was now looking at him just as closely as his father was.

Taniko sniffed and straightened her white skirt with dignity. "Kara and Ryoko are going to be in so much trouble," she muttered.

"Uh oh, and things just got worse," Kenzo muttered, nodding his head towards the soccer field which had just come into view.

Taysuke's heart sank when he caught sight of a golden head of hair and another of flaming pink. The stunning couple easily stood out in the crowd and made everyone else fade away. It was no wonder their son turned heads whenever he walked into a room. It was Ryoko's parents, Matt and Mimi. Tay had almost completely forgotten that they, too, had planned to come to his soccer game. Thankfully his Uncle T.K. and Aunt Kari weren't going to be there because they had gone to visit Kari's parents leaving Ken and Yolei to babysit Rina. That would have complicated things even more.

"Hey," his dad said, kissing Mimi's cheek and giving Matt a warm hug. "We're glad you could make it."

"We're glad we could come," Matt replied with a smile, hugging his father in return.

Ryoko's dad turned to him and reached out to ruffle his hair. "Hi, Tay," Matt said, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Hey, Uncle Matt," he replied, hugging him around the waist. "Are you and Aunt Mimi going to stay for supper?"

"Definitely," Mimi said, leaning down to give him a kiss. "We have to celebrate, don't we?"

"What if my team loses?"

Mimi dismissed his words with a toss of her head and gave him a squeeze. "It doesn't matter, sweetheart. You'll still be amazing."

"Thanks," he said softly.

Matt glanced around the soccer field and frowned. "Where's Ryoko?"

"And Takara, too, for that matter," Mimi added, looking confused.

"That's what we were about to ask you," Sora said quietly. Now his mother looked really worried and so did his father.

Matt and Mimi exchanged a look and the creases in Matt's forehead deepened. "I thought everyone was going to meet at your house. Didn't they show up?"

His father shook his head. "No. We thought they might have come here straight away instead."

Matt stared at his father for a moment and glanced slowly around the soccer field again. "They're not here," Ryoko's dad said quietly.

"Maybe they're still at Dai's soccer practice," Ema piped up.

Taysuke winced. _Does she ever keep her big mouth shut?_

"They could be," Mimi agreed, but she still looked worried.

"What about the twins?" Matt asked.

"They already said that they were going to Dai's practice days ago," he replied. "I don't mind. They promised they'd be at my next game."

"That still doesn't explain Kara and Ryoko," his mother said quietly.

Taysuke remained silent and jumped at the sudden touch of his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Tay, you'd better hurry up and get changed for your game. We'll meet you at the bleachers when it's over."

"Okay," he replied.

"Good luck, sweetie," his mother said, kissing his cheek.

He nodded, hugged his father, and quickly headed for the change rooms. He could feel his friend's eyes on his back and prayed that Ryoko and Kara would show up soon.

_Tai Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ema, Taniko, and Kenzo quickly grabbed some seats on the bleachers, but Tai held back with his wife and friends.

"Taysuke's hiding something, isn't he?" Matt promptly asked, staring hard at him.

Tai sighed. "You saw it too? I don't know what it could be. If Tay knew Kara and Ryoko were in trouble, he would say something."

"Tai. I don't like this," Mimi said, tugging nervously on a strand of pink hair. "Something doesn't feel right. If Ryoko's in trouble-" She broke off, a flash of fear in her eyes, and Sora pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's okay, Mimi," Sora whispered. "I'm sure they're fine."

Matt gazed at Mimi for a moment and turned to look at him. His best friend's ocean blue eyes were pinched with worry, and his expression was strained.

"Mimi's right. Something about this feels wrong," Matt said quietly. "If Kara and Ryoko don't show up before the game is over, we're going to go look for them."

"But, Matt-"

"I'm not going to let anything happen to my son!" Matt snapped, interrupting him in mid sentence. The look on his best friend's face was enough to make him snap his mouth shut, and he wisely kept silent.

"And I'm not going to let anything happen to Kara either," the blond added in a softer tone before turning and stalking off to the bleachers.

Mimi nodded in agreement and hurried after her husband.

From the expression on Matt's face, Tai had no doubt that his friend would take on all the digimon in the Digital World if it meant keeping Ryoko safe. _I don't blame him. I would do the same for Kara, Tay, and any one of my friend's children. It's a good thing Kara and the others don't have to deal with the kind of things we had to deal with at their age._

_"_Come on, Tai. Lets go sit down," Sora said quietly.

Tai nodded and slowly followed after her with a heavy heart. _Matt's right. If our kids don't show up soon, we'd better go looking for them. Who knows what kind of trouble they could have gotten themselves into by now?_


	15. Ice Queen

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Some POV's coming up will include Ryoko, Matt, and Mimi. The Ishida's take the spotlight! I'm not done my other story yet, two more chapters still, but I'm working on it. Also, all of the digimon names I've made up I haven't heard anywhere else, and I don't pay attention to the card game that much. So bear with me.

So, who wants some action?

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 15: Ice Queen

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Stay back!" Leomon commanded, leaping in front of them and pulling out his sword.

Dai held Embermon tightly to his chest and squinted through the sudden dust that the broken wall had stirred up. The force of the explosion had caused a huge cloud of debris to hang in the air, and there were stone chips everywhere.

"What's going on?" Takara cried from somewhere behind him.

He reached back his hand and felt Takara's hand grasp it in return. Her fingers were trembling, and he squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"It looks like we're about to find out," Embermon said, leaping out of Dai's arms and positioning himself next to Leomon. The look on the rookie's face was the look of someone getting ready for battle.

The dust cleared, and Dai stared at the wreckage in amazement.

A figure stepped out of the rubble and surveyed them with a malicious smile. "I would have used the door only it's so much more fun destroying things, don't you think?"

She winked at them and fluttered her wings in a rather suggestive way.

"What do you want?" Embermon snapped, crossing his arms and glaring at her. "Last time I checked, digimon like you weren't allowed in here."

"My, my," she replied, flipping back her long, pale blue hair. "Aren't we in a rather unfriendly mood today, and just what do you mean by 'a digimon like me?'"

"No decent digimon would destroy a place such as this one," Leomon said quietly.

Dai stared in shock. The digimon standing before them looked human in appearance only she had long pale blue hair, icy blue eyes, pure white skin, and six transparent wings sticking out of her back. She was dressed in a rather skimpy outfit of silver and several shades of blue. She also wore silver gauntlets, sliver knee-length boots, and several silver bands around her upper arms.

"Who are you?" Ryoko snapped, gazing suspiciously at her.

In that moment, Dai's respect for Ryoko went from a two, on a scale of one to ten, (one being the lowest) to a seven.

She turned to Ryoko and gave the blond a rather interested look. "You know," she said with apparent ease. " Your obvious suspicion could be very hurtful to me, that is, if I actually had a heart." She let out a musical laugh and smiled at them. "I am Crystalmon. I'm an ultimate level virus type digimon, which is bad news for you, and my special attacks are Ice Beam, Crystal Shards, and Frozen Starburst. I'm beautiful and unstoppable! Talk about a dynamite combination!"

"Beautiful?"

Dai jumped as Takara started to giggle into his shoulder. "Lady, you look like you were caught in a winter storm and someone forgot to go looking for you!"

"Silence!" Crystalmon shrieked, staring at Takara with a murderous look in her cold blue eyes. "No one insults me and lives to regret it!"

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Embermon smirked.

Crystalmon chose to ignore him and instead turned to Leomon.

"So you are one of the fools working for Gennai," she said sharply, her tone vicious with icy intent.

Leomon's eyes narrowed, and he held his sword at the ready. " What do you know about Gennai?" he asked slowly.

Crystalmon crossed her arms and flicked her wings with impatience. "More than you," she said with an evil smile.

Dai felt his heart sink. _She knows where Gennai is. What are we going to do? He's the only one who can help us if we even have a hope of making it out of this place alive. He knows why we're here. I know it. He can help us understand what exactly we're suppose to do. If Crystalmon has done something to hurt him, then our chances of saving this world are going to go up in smoke..._

"What have you done with him?" Leomon snapped, leaping forward and planting himself in front of the icy digimon.

She tossed her long hair over her shoulder and gave Leomon a twisted smile. "That's for me to know. Unfortunately for you, I'm not in the habit of sharing information with the enemy. Besides, I have more important things to do than discuss Gennai."

"Oh, like what?" Matty asked, his voice filled with sarcasm.

"Matty!" Mickey tugged on his brother's sleeve and gave Crystalmon a frightened look.

"So the Digidestined have arrived," said Crystalmon quietly. "Excellent. Our plans can finally be set in motion. Now, I hope you will excuse me for being rude, but I don't have time for conversation. This isn't a casual visit. You see, I've been sent here to take something from you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do!"

"What could you possibly want from us?" Sam asked, frowning in confusion.

"You'll find out soon enough!"

With a shriek of laughter, Crystalmon leaped forward heading straight towards them.

"Stay back!" Embermon shouted. "Leomon and I will handle this!" The two digimon leaped into action and Crystalmon was there to meet them.

With a snap of her fingers, a long crystal staff appeared in her hands just as Leomon swung his sword at her.

Their weapons met with a loud clang that echoed off the walls.

"I will not allow you to hurt the Digidestined," Leomon said, thrusting his sword at her.

She deflected the blow with her staff and flew up into the air out of reach. "You're strong, Leomon, but not strong enough for me!" she giggled.

"I don't see what's so funny," Embermon snorted, leaping onto the pedestal and putting his hands together. "Lets see how well you stand up against fire, Frosty! Ember Blaze!"

A swirling blast of fiery embers shot out of the rookie's hands and headed straight for Crystalmon. She let out a squeal of surprise and dived to the side, but the blast singed one of her wings, and it started smoking.

"Oh! Ouch! You're so going to pay for that!" she shrieked, batting at her wing and frantically trying to put out the flames. She glared at Embermon, her eyes burning. "If you think you can beat me, rookie, think again! Frozen Starburst!"

The frosty digimon spun in mid-air and a huge glittering star appeared above her head. Using the tip of her finger, she directed it straight at Embermon. The thing flew at the rookie with surprising speed and a trail of frozen ice chips. The thing slammed into Embermon knocking him off the pedestal straight into the stone wall just behind the Digidestined.

"Embermon!" Dai cried in fear.

He made a move to go to his partner, but Ryoko grabbed him by the arm and dragged him behind the pedestal where the others were all huddled together.

"Let go, Ishida!" he snapped, trying to yank his arm away.

"No way," Ryoko stubbornly replied. "If you go out there, you'll be right in the line of battle. If you think for one second that I'm going to let you take the easy way out by getting yourself killed, think again! If I have to be stuck in this world then so do you!"

"But, Embermon..." he said slowly.

Ryoko studied his face and smiled. "Embermon will be fine," the blond said quietly. "He might be small, but I get the feeling that he's pretty tough."

"Ryoko's right, Dai," Sam said softly, putting a hand on his arm.

_I hope so, but how can they be so sure? _He finally nodded and turned his attention back to the battle where Leomon and Crystalmon were glaring fiercely at each other.

"You won't get away with this!" Leomon snapped. "Fist of the Beast King!"

Crystalmon spun in the air to avoid it and shot out of the sky like an arrow. She tackled Leomon to the ground and yanked the sword out of his hand.

"Ooooh. This will go nice with my collection of weapons," she said, admiring the blade's sharp edge.

"No sword of mine will be used for evil," Leomon shouted, shoving her off and kicking her in the ribs.

She fell to the floor with a startled gasp and fluttered her eyelashes at Leomon. "Now, is that any way to treat a lady?"

"You are no lady," Leomon snorted.

"You tell her!" Takara cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

Crystalmon let out a shriek of rage, hit Leomon with a huge blast of ice, and leaped over the pedestal landing right next to Dai. She grabbed Takara by the hair, forcing Dai to drop the female Digidestined's hand, and clamped her own hand around Takara's throat.

"I think I'll kill you first and then take what I want," the icy digimon hissed.

Dai's heart filled with dread.

"Let her go!" he shouted at the exact same time as Ryoko.

He and his blond friend latched onto Crystalmon trying to drag her away from Takara who was screaming in terror.

Irritated by the interruption, Crystalmon turned on them, her eyes blazing with fury.

Sam and the twins quickly pulled Takara out of harm's way, and Dai could not help letting out a sigh of relief.

"How dare you stand in the way of my plans!" Crystalmon shouted. She looked ready to strike them down with one blast, but then she suddenly eyed Ryoko and smiled.

"You know, you're pretty cute for a human," she giggled, reaching out and touching a lock of his golden hair. "Once I've successfully completed my orders, I'm sure they'll let me keep you as a reward."

"Ryoko!" Mickey gasped.

Ryoko froze and stared at Crystalmon, speechless with horror. "Don't touch me," the blond whispered, backing up against the pedestal.

Dai could almost smell Ryoko's fear. He grabbed his friend's arm, pulled Ryoko out of Crystalmon's reach, and glared at her with disgust. "You heard him. Now get lost!"

"Not a chance!" Crystalmon snarled. "I never give up until I get what I want, and I always get what I want!"

"Get away!" Ryoko shouted, backing into Dai who staggered and managed to pull the blond behind him.

"Dai! Ryoko!" Suddenly Embermon was standing protectively in front of them, and the rookie glared at Crystalmon. "You leave them alone! Your fight is with me! Ember Blaze!"

The fiery blast slammed into Crystalmon's stomache and sent her tumbling back over the pedestal with a scream of agony.

Embermon leaped after her and joined Leomon who was just getting to his feet. Once more the battle continued.

"Ryoko! Are you alright?" Mickey cried, hugging his cousin tightly.

"I feel dirty," Ryoko moaned into Mickey's shoulder.

"Well, you have to admit. It was kind of funny," Matty grinned, pushing his twin out of the way and grabbing Ryoko's hand.

"Oh, Ryoko," he said soulfully, staring into his cousin's eyes and mimicking Crystalmon. "You know, you're pretty cute for a human!"

Dai tried not to smile as Matty burst into an hysterical fit of laughter.

"Oh, shut up," Ryoko mumbled, shoving Matty away and blushing furiously.

"Matty!" Mickey scolded, hitting his twin on the arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"For being insensitive."

"I wasn't being insensitive!"

"Yes you were."

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you were!"

"No I-"

"Will you two quit it!" Dai shouted over the noise. He turned to Takara and gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live," she replied, managing a shaky smile.

"You sure?" Ryoko asked, looking worried.

She nodded and gave both of their hands a squeeze. "Yeah, thanks, guys."

"No problem." Dai smiled at her and did his best to ignore the sudden fluttering in his stomache.

"What about you?" Takara asked, turning to Ryoko. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Ryoko managed a weak smile. "Yeah, I guess so."

"See what happens to people who look like you?" Dai smirked.

"What's wrong with how I look?" Ryoko said defensively.

"Nothing," Dai laughed. "That's the problem!"

Ryoko was still trying to figure that one out, his forehead wrinkled in confusion, when a loud bang caught their attention.

Leomon had been blasted into the ceiling by Crystalmon and had come crashing back down.

"Oh, no!" Sam gasped. "Crystalmon's gaining the upper hand again!"

"No one can stand against our power, not even the Digidestined!" Crystalmon screamed, pointing her finger at Leomon. "Ice Beam!"

A blinding icy blue ray of light exploded into Leomon's chest.

"No!" Takara shrieked.

"Embermon! Do something!" Dai shouted.

"Right. Ember Blaze!" The fiery blast hit Crystalmon in the back and sent her tumbling in the air.

She managed to recover and turned on Embermon who stood below her on the ground.

"Crystal Shards!" she countered. The gauntlet on her right wrist turned out to be a gun filled with ammo.

Embermon went racing for safety as long, thick icicles embedded themselves in the floor behind him.

"This isn't even a fair fight!" Matty shouted. "Crystalmon has a huge advantage just because she can fly!"

"Sorry, honey," Crystalmon giggled, winking at Matty. "No one ever said that life was fair!"

"Now who's laughing," Ryoko muttered as Matty blushed.

Leomon raised his fist and glared at Crystalmon. "You will be the first to learn that hard lesson! Fist of the Beast King!"

"Ember Blaze!" Embermon shouted, joining Leomon and attacking at the same time.

She did a backflip in the air to avoid their attacks and giggled with glee. "I've enjoyed this little scuffle, but now it's time for me to finish you off. Say good night, boys! Frozen Starburst!

"Look out!" Dai cried.

Too late. Leomon and Embermon disappeared in an avalanche of ice chips, leaving them unconscious.

"We could sure use some more digimon partners right about now," Sam said weakly.

Mickey turned to look at Matty, his face white, and they reached out to each other for support. "We're so dead," Mickey whispered into his brother's shoulder.

Dai slowly turned to look at Crystalmon and felt Takara take his hand again. He swallowed a lump of fear in his throat and somehow managed not to look away from the evil digimon.

Crystalmon turned her head to one side and gave them a very cold smile. "Now you die," she said softly.


	16. From Rookie to Champion

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm finally back! Just so you know, the next digimon partners that will be coming up will belong to Mickey and Matty. I'm done my other story so hopefully that means more regular updates for this one! Keep the reviews coming!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 16: From Rookie To Champion

_Ryoko Ishida_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Ice Beam!"

"Look out!" Ryoko shouted, grabbing Sam by the back of his shirt and dragging him to the floor.

The blast hit the pedestal encasing it in a block of ice.

Ryoko shivered from the sudden chill running down his spine and turned his bright blue gaze on the others. "We have to get out of here, now!" he whispered.

"Right, lets go," Dai whispered back.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Crystalmon shrieked with laughter. "Frozen Starburst!"

"Move!" Ryoko shouted.

They raced out from behind the pedestal seconds before Crystalmon's attack exploded into the ground where they had been standing.

Ryoko sagged against the wall with the others, gasping for breath, and sent Embermon's unconscious form an anxious look. _How are we all going to get out of here without someone getting hurt?_

_"_Now what?" Matty cried, huddling next to him and clutching Mickey's arm.

Ryoko was about to answer when Crystalmon suddenly landed in front of them and crossed her arms. "Look's like you're out of options," she said with a nasty smile. "When Vampiramon sent me on this mission, she never said it was going to be so much fun!"

"Who's Vampiramon?" Ryoko asked with a frown.

Crystalmon let out a giggle. "Oh, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. Until then, you're going to have to deal with me. Now, hand over the D-Coders!"

"What are you talking about?" Takara asked in confusion, tightening her hold on Dai's hand. "What's a D-Coder?"

"Don't be stupid!" Crystalmon snapped. "You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Actually, we have no idea," Ryoko shot back. "Care to explain?"

Crystalmon let out a snarl of rage, and Ryoko gasped as she suddenly grabbed him. He found himself caught in her grip with her arm around his neck in a choke hold.

"Ryoko!" Takara shrieked, her eyes growing wide with fright.

"Let him go!" Dai shouted.

"Listen up!" Crystalmon hissed. "Either you hand over the D-Coders or your handsome little friend here is going to end up being a cute little corpse! Now what's it going to be?"

"No!" Ryoko gasped, his heart pounding with fear. Her hands and body were cold, and he shivered at her icy touch.

"Uncle Matt and Aunt Mimi are going to kill us!" Matty moaned.

"If Crystalmon doesn't do the honours first," Mickey whispered, his voice trembling.

Ryoko's soul filled with terror, and he knew there was panic written all over his face. If he did not get help soon, then he would never see his parents again and get a chance to tell them how much he loved them. He'd never be able to tell his friends how much he cared about them. _Especially when it comes to Dai, who doesn't even know. What could I have done to make him hate me so much?_

"Leave me alone!" he shouted, struggling in her grip.

"We told you!" Sam cried. "We have no idea what you're talking about. Whatever it is you want, we don't have, so go away!"

"Not until I get what I want!" she snapped.

Ryoko let out a squeak of surprise as she suddenly pulled up his shirt.

"Now where is it?" she muttered, eyeing his chest and poking him in the stomache as if she thought that might make whatever she was looking for appear out of thin air.

"Quit it!" he shouted, blushing furiously and trying to wriggle away from her. _Dai's never going to let me live this one down!_

"Will you stop squirming!" she snapped, sounding exasperated.

When he did not listen, she shoved her hand against his face and pointed the gun on her arm at the side of his head. "Since you aren't very good at taking orders, I think I'll have to kill you and then search your dead body for the D-Coder. As I always say, shoot first and ask questions later," she smirked.

"No way!" Dai shouted, yanking his arms away from Takara and Sam who were trying to hold him back. "If anyone gets to have the privilege of killing Ishida, it's going to be me! Hand him over right now!"

"Of course," she said sweetly. "Once I'm finished, you can have him, only by that time you'll have to send him to the morgue. Don't worry though, I'll even write up a few beautiful lines that you can have engraved on his tombstone."

The hurt he had felt at Dai's words quickly changed to cold dread. "You can't," he whispered and closed his eyes in horror as the gun pressed harder against his temple. In that moment, all of the faces of his friends and family flashed before his eyes. _This wasn't suppose to happen. How does someone go from having a normal day of school to fighting for their life? Why me? Why was I sent here only to end up dying? It's just not fair..._

He barely even noticed when several tears slid down his cheeks.

"Ryoko!" Embermon gasped, and he turned to see the small rookie slowly getting to his feet.

Crystalmon saw it, too, and Ryoko let out a gasp of pain as she jerked his head up so that he was forced to stare directly into her cold blue eyes. The touch of her icy skin ran through his veins making his whole body go numb. He could not have escaped even if he had wanted to.

"Don't worry. You won't feel a thing!" Crystalmon giggled. "I'm sure you'll find death to be quite an adventure. See you on the other side, sweetheart! Crystal-"

"No, don't!" Ryoko screamed in terror and realized that someone had echoed those exact same words.

He only had a split second to glimpse the look of utter fear in Dai's eyes, something that the goggle headed leader had never shown for his sake in all the years of their friendship, before Dai disappeared in a blaze of bright red light.

"What's going on?" Crystalmon shrieked.

"Don't worry, Dai," Embermon shouted, his body surrounded by a red glow. "I'll never let anyone hurt our friends! Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

"Dragon Fire Spin!"

There was a loud shriek of pain, and Ryoko suddenly realized that he was free from Crystalmon's grip.

He staggered and almost fell to the floor, but a large red wing circled him, and he was able to stay on his feet.

He looked up, and his jaw hit the floor. Embermon was no longer Embermon. Instead of the little rookie, Ryoko found himself gazing into the bright green eyes of a huge red dragon digimon which was covered in gold armor.

"Embermon! What happened to you?" Dai gasped, coming forward and staring at the dragon digimon in shock. The goggle headed leader's eyes looked ready to pop out of his head. Dai seemed a little reluctant to come any closer and kept glancing down at his own body in disbelief.

Ryoko was so shocked, he almost swallowed his tongue. _Where's Embermon, and who is this digimon?_

"He digivolved," Leomon replied as he slowly got to his feet. "Embermon was his rookie form. This is his champion form."

"That's right," the large dragon digimon said with a laugh. "I'm Dragermon. I'm a champion level vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Dragon Fire Spin and Ring of Fire."

"Cool," Matty said in awe.

"Amazing," Mickey whispered.

"You mean digimon have different stages of growth?" Sam asked, frowning in confusion. "I don't understand. Didn't Crystalmon say that she was an ultimate level digimon? How many levels are there, and how did Embermon manage to reach the next stage so quickly?"

Dragermon glanced over to where Crystalmon had fallen to the floor. "Not now. We'll explain everything later once Crystalmon is out of the way."

"How dare you!" Crystalmon shrieked, stumbling to her feet. "You weren't suppose to digivolve! That wasn't part of the plan! You will die for this!"

"What plan?" Leomon asked, giving her a suspicious look.

"My orders were to steal the D-Coders and stop the Digidestined from digivolving. That little rookie may have reached the champion level, but I am still stronger!"

"So you say," Dragermon snorted. "Personally I'm getting a little tired of listening to your babbling. Maybe I ought to shut you up by melting you into a pile of data!"

"I'd like to see you try it," Crystalmon snarled, flying into the air again. Unfortunately for her, she no longer had the advantage.

Dragermon leaped into the air after her with Leomon covering the ground.

Ryoko sank to his knees, shivering badly, and wrapped his arms around himself. His teeth were chattering, and he could still feel the ice running through his veins.

"Oh, Ryoko. You scared me," Takara moaned, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "Don't ever do that again!"

"Like he had a choice!" Sam said, shaking his head in amusement.

"I'm cold," Ryoko mumbled.

"Well, no wonder!" Matty laughed, and Ryoko felt his cousin's arms go around him.

He found himself being flattened between Matty and Takara. It made him feel like a burger patty, but at least he was warm.

"Not so confident now!" Leomon shouted, getting Ryoko's attention. "Fist of the Beast King!"

Crystalmon flew out of the way of Leomon's attack, but Dragermon was there to meet her.

He flew straight into the icy digimon, and the force of his large body sent her slamming into the wall with a squeal of pain.

"Good one," Leomon said with an approving nod.

"Dragon Fire Spin!" Dragermon shouted.

A huge fiery tornado exploded from the champion's large jaws and swirled straight into Crystalmon. She fell to the floor with a scream and a thump, her whole body smoking.

"Looks like you've grown a little rusty," Leomon said with a snort. "Lets see how well you stand up against a sword!"

He leaped at Crystalmon, and she rolled out of the way. The sword hit the floor just barely missing her.

"Ice Beam!" she countered, shooting the blast right at Leomon's stomache. It hit the lion digimon in the gut, and he fell backwards with a grunt.

"If you think I'm going to let you get away with trying to hurt someone my partner cares about, think again! Dragon Fire Spin!"

Ryoko jerked around and stared at Dai, his eyes growing wide with shock.

Dai's face turned red, and his friend turned away with a frown on his face.

_No way. Dragermon's just saying that for show. He's probably just trying to make me feel better. Dai has always hated me, and he refuses to give me a reason why. I guess I'll never know..._

Instead of feeling better, he just felt worse.

"Your trick won't work twice!" Crystalmon snapped, leaping into the air again. "Crystal Shards!"

Dragermon easily avoided the sharp icicles, despite his size, and shot another fiery blast at her.

"I don't believe it," Ryoko murmured, momentarily forgetting his sorrow. "Dragermon's actually holding his own out there! Leomon was right. Embermon is a powerful digimon!"

"Of course he is," Dai said proudly and sent his digimon a fond look.

"Does this mean we're not going to die now?" Mickey asked hopefully.

"I will never allow you to defeat me!" Crystalmon shrieked. "Frozen Starburst!"

Dragermon dived under the blast and knocked Crystalmon out of the sky again.

Leomon caught her and shoved his hand into her stomache. "Fist of the Beast King!"

"No!" she screamed. "You can't! I must get the D-Coders!"

"The only thing you need is a reality check!" Dragermon shouted. "Dragon Fire Spin!"

Crystalmon landed flat on her face with her wings singed and her clothing torn. She did not seem so sure of herself anymore.

"But I'm too beautiful to die!" she wailed.

"Yeah right," Takara smirked.

"And I thought Ishida had a big ego!" Dai snorted.

"Not as big as yours!" he snapped back, feeling hurt.

Dai glared at him, brown eyes flashing, but the goggle headed leader did not reply.

"It's back to data for you!" Leomon shouted. "Fist of the Beast King!"

She screamed again as the blast hit her in the midsection just as she was trying to get up. She fell over onto her back and glared hatefully up at Dragermon, her eyes burning.

"You may kill me," she hissed. "But there will be others to take my place. Vampiramon will not allow you to defeat our master. Mark my words. He will get the D-Coders, and the Digidestined will be destroyed. Vampiramon will see to that!"

"Maybe, but until then we'll be the ones to decide who gets destroyed around here!" Dragermon said quietly. "I'd say it was nice meeting you, only it wasn't. Have a nice trip back to Primary Village, Frosty! Ring of Fire!"

Dragermon weaved through the air in a circle pattern leaving a trail of fire behind him. With a flap of his wings, he sent the spinning fiery ring straight at Crystalmon. It circled around her, pinning her arms to her sides, and exploded into a huge blaze that shot towards the ceiling and blocked the icy digimon from view.

There was a scream of pure agony, and Crystalmon erupted into data before disappearing from sight.

_Vampiramon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World._

Vampiramon stood in the grass with her companions gazing at the fortress from a distance. She listened to the sound of Crystalmon's fading scream and hissed in anger.

_That vain fool! I never should have sent her. Now the Digidestined have managed one digivolution, and it's all her fault! Oh well, she was useless anyway. It's no loss. Next time I'll just have to send someone who isn't too wrapped up with staring at the mirror instead of focusing on the task at hand._

"Looks like you've screwed up big time, Vampiramon," the digimon beside her cackled.

"Quiet, Jestermon!" she snapped. "I doubt you could have done any better!"

"No, but I could have!" the digimon on her left giggled.

Vampiramon sent her a dirty look. "Don't make me laugh, BlackWidowmon. You're as bad as he is." She jerked her thumb at Jestermon and smirked.

"Now, now, ladies. There's no need to fight," the digimon behind her said with amusement. "I'm sure it was an honest mistake. Next time make sure you choose your followers a little more wisely, Vampiramon."

She whipped around, her skirts flying, and poked him in the chest. "I didn't ask for your opinion, so keep your comments to yourself!" she snapped.

"If you insist," the digimon replied with a smile and fluttered his black wings.

The five digimon stood gazing at the fortress, and Vampiramon smiled. _They may have won this round, but next time they won't be so lucky. Soon those D-Coders will be ours and the Digital World will tumble into darkness._

"Er...I don't think our master's going to be very happy about Embermon digivolving," the last digimon said.

Vampiramon winced. That was all too true.

"Well someone has to tell him, and it isn't going to be me!" Jestermon sang, doing a little dance.

"Oh, I'll tell him!" Vampiramon snapped, glaring at Spritemon as if it was all her fault.

"What did I do?" Spritemon complained, pouting and crossing her arms.

"My, my. Aren't we brave," the male digimon behind her said with a small smile.

Vampiramon glared at him and planted her hands on her hips. "Listen up!" she snarled. "This had better not happen again! We must not allow another digivolution to take place because every time one of their partners digivolves, the Digidestined grow stronger. Understood? Now all of you report back to Cyber, or else!"

"With the way she talks, you'd think that we were the ones who let Embermon digivolve," BlackWidowmon muttered to Jestermon.

Vampiramon ignored their words and glared viciously at each of them. "You heard me! Get back to the Western Hemisphere, pronto! Lamia Transformation!"

Using her attack, Vampiramon turned herself into a large bat and disappeared into the air without waiting to see if the others had followed her orders.


	17. Leomon's Guide to Digivolution

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Earlier I mentioned that Taysuke and Ryoko had Matt's and Tai's names for middle names. Now, Japanese people don't actually have middle names. This was not an error on my part. I knew that, but I had to do it for the sake of Matt and Tai. I'm sure you'll all understand. Hey, this story is based off the english version so it's perfectly okay to go by english custom with baby names. Just thought I'd clear that up incase anyone realized that. Oh, two chapters from now you get to meet Nobunari!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 17: Leomon's Guide To Digivolution

_Ryoko Ishida_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Crystalmon's gone!" Ryoko gasped in astonishment.

"We really defeated her," Sam said softly, looking skeptical of his own words.

Ryoko had trouble believing them, too. Crystalmon had seemed so powerful, and it looked as if they were on the verge of being destroyed. Despite the fact that the odds had been against them, somehow Dragermon and Leomon had managed to stop her.

"You killed her," Mickey whispered, his lip trembling.

Ryoko sighed. He squirmed out of Matty's and Takara's arms and went to his other twin cousin's side.

"Mickey, I don't think they really had a choice," Ryoko said softly, wrapping a comforting arm around his cousin's shoulder. Mickey had always been very sensitive to that kind of thing. It did not matter to his cousin that Crystalmon was evil. The fact that they had hurt someone was enough to upset the other boy.

"Don't be sad, Mickey," Matty whispered, slipping both arms around his twin's neck. "It makes me sad."

Mickey hid his face against Matty's chest and did not reply.

"Oh, Mickey," Takara murmured, leaning over to kiss her cousin's cheek.

Leomon came forward and knelt in front of Mickey with a smile on his face. "If there's one thing you need to know about digimon, Makiya Takaishi, it's that digimon never really die. All digimon are reconfigured, and then they are reborn at Primary Village in the form of an egg which eventually hatches. Do not be sad about Crystalmon. In fact, if you really think about it, we did her a favor. She now has a chance to come back as a better digimon and free herself from the darkness. All digimon are born innocent whether they are a virus digimon of not. Digimon become evil because they choose to become evil, just like humans. As I said before, there are many similarities between your world and ours."

"Really? Digimon come back at this village you mentioned?" Mickey whispered, a smile coming back to his face.

"That's right," Leomon said, patting Mickey's shoulder. "In fact, Primary Village is located right here on File Island. It's run by a digimon named Elecmon. Maybe you'll get to meet him someday. Actually, it just so happens that Elecmon is my rookie form, though I am not the same one who runs Primary Village."

Mickey nodded and gave the lion digimon a grateful smile. "Thanks, Leomon."

"Sometimes when battling evil, we have to make hard choices to do what is right," Leomon said softly. "Remember that as well, my young friend."

"I will," Mickey said quietly.

Ryoko could not help feeling a little bit relieved by Leomon's words, as well. After all, he had never been responsible for hurting so much as a fly before, and he could tell by the looks on his friend's faces that they felt the same way.

"Are you okay now?" Matty asked, rubbing his twin's back and looking a little anxious.

Mickey looked up and gave his brother a fond smile. "Matty," the blond murmured. "I'm the older twin. I'm suppose to worry about you!"

"Only by three minutes," Matty grumbled. "Which means that I have every right to worry about you, too!"

Mickey laughed and hugged his younger twin tightly.

"Now that we've got that straightened out, what about Dragermon?" Sam asked, eyeing the large digimon.

Ryoko turned to see Dai edging hesitantly closer to Dragermon, as if frightened by the digimon's size.

"What...I mean, are you still Embermon?" Dai asked, staring wide-eyed at the dragon digimon.

"Of course," Dragermon laughed, lowering his head so that he could look Dai directly in the eyes.

Dai jumped and took a step back, his face growing a little pale.

"So you're not some new digimon who's going to try and hurt us or anything?" Takara whispered in fear.

"No way!" Dragermon replied, looking shocked. "Why would I have turned on Crystalmon if my intentions were to hurt you guys?"

"Good point," Sam said thoughtfully.

"Well that's a relief," Ryoko muttered.

"I think it's time to answer your questions now, Sam."

Leomon turned to face them all and smiled. "Like humans, digimon have several growth stages, only they're slightly different. Digimon have seven different stages. They are the egg, baby, in-training, rookie, champion, ultimate, and mega. As a digimon reaches the next level, they become stronger and more powerful. So, when Embermon, a rookie digimon, digivolved to his champion level, that's what happened. Now, Crystalmon was an ultimate level digimon which is one stage higher than Dragermon. Even though technically she is considered to be more powerful, she still wasn't able to defeat us because she was fighting two champions. Together Dragermon and I were stronger than her ultimate form. This isn't always the case though. The level of power differs not only in each stage, but in each digimon, as well. It's one of the things that makes us unique from one another. Each stage requires a certain amount of energy to maintain. The higher the level is, the more energy it needs. If a digimon uses up all the energy they need to keep that form in battle, they will de-digivolve back to a lower stage, or more precisely, they will revert back to a stage that they do have enough energy to keep. If a digimon uses up all of his energy, then he will turn back into an egg. That's what happened to Crystalmon. So you see, we don't die. Our data just breaks down and has to start over. Usually those eggs will reappear at Primary Village to be looked after by Elecmon until they are ready to hatch again."

"So when Dragermon's energy gets used up, he'll turn back into Embermon?" Dai asked.

"Exactly," Leomon replied.

"But, I don't understand something," Sam said slowly. "How was Embermon able to digivolve in the first place?"

"The Digivice," Leomon said simply.

"You mean this thing made Embermon digivolve?" Dai asked, holding out his red Digivice.

"Not exactly," Leomon laughed. "The Digivice is only a tool to help in the digivolving process. The real power comes from your hearts, and the Digivice acts as a gateway to transfer that power to your digimon. You see, digivolving is a very difficult process. In fact, most digimon in the Digital World never achieve it past the rookie or champion stage, and a lot of data becomes lost. To digivolve, a digimon must be powerful and have a strong need for it. Unfortunately it can be used for good or evil which is why many dark digimon are at the ultimate or mega level. They usually have an evil master and the Powers of Darkness to help them. We good digimon have the aid of the Powers of Light and you humans. Somehow the strength of the human heart can help digimon digivolve, and that is why we call humans to this world when we need help defeating the darkness. We find them worthy digimon partners, whom they can help to digvolve, and who will fight for what is right. Even digimon who don't have partners have been able to digivolve in the presence of a human. I myself was one of those digimon."

Leomon stared at the ceiling, lost in memory. "A group of Digidestined and their Digivices helped me to digivolve to SaberLeomon which is my mega form. So you see, even being in the presence of the Powers of Light, especially from the pure heart of a human, can help digimon digivolve. Evil digimon, like I said before, use the Powers of Darkness. The point is, your Digivices store the power from your hearts and transforms it into the power a digimon uses to digivolve. It's the easiest way to digivolve, and that's why we pair up honourable digimon with reliable human partners. These digimon have the most likely chance of digivolving with a compatible human. Digimon like me are merely the lucky ones who pick up the excess data. It isn't chance that Embermon ended up with Dai. Although one of you other Digidestined may have been able to help Embermon digivolve, he has the most likely chance of doing so with Dai because they share many of the same qualities. That's why they're partners."

"It's kind of like having a digital twin, only they don't look anything like us!" Matty laughed and exchanged one of his signature twin looks with Mickey.

"So Embermon was able to digivolve so quickly because something happened to affect Daichi so deeply that the power from his heart was transferred to the Digivice," Ryoko said slowly.

Dragermon lowered his large head and gently nuzzled Ryoko's side. "You were in trouble," the dragon digimon said softly. "That's what helped me to digivolve. You're Dai's friend, and he cares about you. He was frightened that you would end up dying, and so was I. That affected us both so deeply that the strength of his feelings allowed me to digivolve."

"Digivolving also tends to happen when a digimon's human partner is in trouble. The human's wish to save themself and the strength of their bond with their digimon often results in digivolution," Leomon added.

Ryoko barely heard Leomon. His eyes were glued to Dai, and he was trembling so badly that he could barely stand up. _He would do that for me? Impossible! Dai was probably only worried about having to face my parents and explaining to them why I ended up dead._

His throat closed up, and he had to fight back a sudden rush of emotions. _But, if Leomon is right..._

Dai's face turned bright red, and it was obvious that the goggle headed leader was trying to avoid having to look at him.

"That's dumb," Dai muttered, now avoiding Leomon's eyes. "You don't know what you're talking about. I never felt any of those things."

Leomon merely smiled at Dai and did not reply.

_I knew I was right_. Ryoko's heart sank, but he felt slightly better when Dragermon nuzzled his shoulder and gave him a warm smile.

"Are we all going to get digimon then?" Takara asked.

"Yes, you will," Leomon replied.

"How do you know so much about the human world, Leomon?" Sam asked curiously.

"I had some help with that!" Leomon laughed.

"It's true," Mickey said softly. "There have been other humans in this world who have had digimon partners. They obviously had to fight evil digimon and save this world, just like us. Who were they? They might be able to give us some advice, and that would definitely help out a lot."

"They must have had their reasons for not telling you," Leomon said softly. "Since they are my friends, I must respect their wishes. I'm sure you will all learn the truth eventually. Besides, you have your digimon and digimon like myself and Piximon to help you."

"Not fair," Dai grumbled.

"It's too bad Crystalmon's gone," Matty said. "She might have been able to give us some useful information."

"I doubt it," Leomon replied. "There was no way that she was going to tell us anything she didn't want us to hear. Besides, she wasn't important anyway. It sounds like Crystalmon was only a servant. It's this Vampiramon that she spoke of who is the one we have to worry about. From the sounds of things, Vampiramon is the bigger threat and the brains behind this little mission."

"Do you know her?" Mickey asked.

Leomon shook his head. "No, but I intend to find out who she is."

"Do you know what a D-Coder is?" Sam asked, his blue gaze thoughtful. "Why are they so important?"

"Again I do not know," Leomon sighed. "I only hope we can find out before it's too late. In the meantime you must be careful. This Vampiramon is obviously after you so watch your backs."

Ryoko shivered with fear. "We will," he whispered.

"Do you see why Crystalmon wanted to stop you from digivolving?" Leomon asked. "The higher the level you reach, the more powerful you become, and that gives you a greater chance of defeating the darkness."

"Wait!" Takara squeaked. "Didn't Crystalmon say that Vampiramon wouldn't let us defeat her master? That means there's a digimon out there who's even more powerful than Vampiramon!"

"And that guy wants us defeated because we're standing in the way of some sick plan he has for taking over the Digital World," Dai said grimly.

"As I said before. Watch your backs," Leomon said softly.

"What about Gennai?' Ryoko asked.

"I think it's obvious that Vampiramon's master has captured Gennai in order to stop him from helping you."

"Then what are we going to do?" Takara asked, looking worried.

"Listen closely. Now that I no longer have to protect Embermon, I'm going to go searching for Gennai, or at least to seek information on his whereabouts. Some digimon must have seen something. As for you, Digidestined, you must begin the search for the rest of your digimon partners. There are two more located somewhere here on File Island. I'm not sure of the exact location, but I'm sure your Digivices will help you find them. This is very important. You are going to need all of your partners to stop Vampiramon and her allies. You will also need them to be able to protect yourselves. I am sure Gennai will have other digimon watching over them."

"Right, we're on it!" Dai said. "Hey, what does Gennai look like anyway?'

"Like a human," Leomon replied. "Only he isn't, not really."

They all looked at him in confusion, and he laughed. "You'll see what I mean when you meet him. But, before you go running off on another adventure, I think you'd better head home first. I'm sure your parents are worried about you."

"But how do we get home?" Ryoko whispered. "What about the Digiworld?"

"The Digiworld will hold it's own until you return. As for getting home, it's easy. Come, I will show you."

They all went outside, and Leomon led them to the original spot where they had appeared in the Digiworld in the first place. That's when Ryoko spotted a small television sitting in the grass.

"That's how you get home," Leomon said, pointing at the television.

"No way!" Matty gasped. "I noticed this thing earlier, and I was going to tell you guys about it when you left me standing here. I completely forgot about it! If only I had known!"

"We're saved!" Takara cheered.

"It's a good thing you didn't, otherwise we never would have found Embermon," Dai said softly, wrapping his arms around his digimon's large head and resting his cheek on the dragon's nose. "Not to mention we wouldn't be in the process of saving this world. Thanks for everything, Dragermon. You're an amazing digimon."

"And you are an amazing human!" Dragermon laughed.

There was a flash of red light, and Dai jumped back with a startled gasp. Dragermon began to shrink. The light faded away, and Embermon stood where Dragermon had been only seconds before.

"I guess I ran out of energy," Embermon said, looking apologetic. Everyone laughed.

"Okay, this is a gateway that connects your world to ours. When you want to leave the Digital World, all you have to do is find one of these televisions, hold out your Digivice, and say Digiport open. It will transport you back to the human world. If you're already in the human world, and you want to come to the Digiworld, then you can access any computer to travel here. Again, just hold out your digivice and say Digiport open," Leomon explained.

"Got it," Matty said, looking excited at the prospect of gong home.

"You're right, Daichi," Ryoko said softly. "This is something we have to do."

Dai nodded without looking at him. "It's something I want to do," the goggle headed leader replied.

"Me, too," he whispered, and realized that he meant it. The others all smiled in agreement.

They were about to leave when Leomon put out a hand to stop Dai. "Aren't you going to take Embermon with you?"

Dai's eyes widened in shock. "You mean I can?" he gasped.

"Of course. Just don't let your parents see him. I have a feeling that the stuffed animal trick won't work on them!" Leomon laughed.

"I've always wanted to see the human world." Embermon grinned.

Dai picked up the little rookie and hugged him tightly. "This is so awesome! Wait till you see it, Embermon. There's so much I want to show you!"

"I can't believe we're going home!" Sam said happily. "It seems like we've been gone for ages."

"Thanks for everything, Leomon!" Mickey said.

"Good luck, Digidestined. Be careful!" Leomon called out.

"Come on, guys. Lets go home!" Ryoko laughed and held up his Digivice. "Digiport open!"

They heard Leomon muttering something about finding Benjamin and the others before they were swept through the gate.


	18. On the Other Side of the Gate

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Done another chapter today!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 18: On The Other Side Of The Gate

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ryoko and the others landed up on the computer room floor in a pile of bodies, and he let out a groan.

"Ouch!" Dai moaned, sitting up and climbing off of Mickey. "I hope we don't have to go through this every time we come back!"

"Dai! Look at Embermon!" Takara squealed in surprise and pointed at Dai's head.

Embermon had turned into a large red head with pointed ears, a forked tail, and big emerald green eyes.

"Dude, what's happened to you now?" Dai asked, poking the little digimon in the cheek.

"I guess I don't have enough energy in the human world to maintain the rookie stage for long periods of time. This is my in-training form. My name is now DemiEmbermon."

"That's cool. At least you'll be a lot easier to hide now!" Dai laughed.

The goggle headed leader turned to the rest of them and gave them a serious look. "You guys heard what Leomon said. We have to find the rest of your digimon partners. I say we meet back here in this computer room tomorrow and head to the Digiworld again. Is that okay with the rest of you guys?"

"That's fine with me," Takara said.

"Us, too," the twins added.

"And me," Sam grinned.

Ryoko merely nodded and gave the others a smile.

"Awesome. Well I better go find my soccer coach and make up a story about why I wasn't able to show up," Dai said with a laugh. "Then I better get home. My Uncle Joe and Aunt Jun are coming over for supper which means I have to put up with Ema all night!"

The goggle headed leader made a face and quickly started for the door. "See you all tomorrow."

"Bye!" DemiEmbermon called out, waving his tail at them.

"Make sure you keep DemiEmbermon hidden!" Ryoko shouted after his friend.

"I will," Dai replied.

"We better go, too," Mickey said, elbowing Matty in the side. "Our parents will be home soon."

"And I'd better go before my mom freaks out!" Sam added.

The three of them left, and Ryoko turned to Takara with a gasp. "Kara! I completely forgot about Taysuke's soccer game again! Our parents!"

"Oh no!" Takara shrieked. "They're probably worried about us! We better get to the soccer field and quick!"

Ryoko headed for the door and together the two of them raced out of the school.

_Matt Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Matt was doing his best to concentrate on the game where Taysuke had just scored another goal, but his blue gaze kept drifting towards the street. _Where could they be? Ryoko's not the type of kid who just disappears without bothering to tell us where he is. He always phones us if he knows that he's going to be late or gone for a long period of time._

He felt Mimi take his hand and turned to give his wife a worried look. She squeezed his fingers and bit her lip, her amber eyes sparkling with fear. Mimi was making a huge effort to keep her attention focused on the game, but she, too, kept glancing towards the street.

Taniko, who sat on his other side, gave him an encouraging smile, but it did not really help much.

Matt sighed and covered his face with both hands. He did not know what he would do if he ever lost his son. He could still remember the moment when the doctor had first let him hold Ryoko, on the day that his son had first come into the world. His little boy had been so perfect with big blue eyes and tiny little fingers and toes. Ryoko had seemed so small and defenceless in his arms. The amount of love that he had felt for that tiny little baby had been almost overwhelming. That day, he had made a promise to himself that he would keep Ryoko safe as much as he could in a world that was often filled with sorrow and sadness. He had promised himself that he would not let Ryoko grow up with a lonely childhood like the one that he had had to endure. With every hug and every smile, it proved to him all over again just how wonderful fatherhood really was. If anything happened to his only child, he knew he would never be the same person again.

He glanced up at Tai, and Tai gave him a strained smile from his seat between Kenzo and Sora. It was obvious that his best friend was worried about Takara.

_So am I._ After all, he and Mimi were Takara's and Taysuke's legal guardians. If anything were to happen to Tai and Sora, the Kamiya children were his' and Mimi's responsibility. He had been shocked when Tai and Sora had told him, but it made sense since T.K. and Kari already had three children of their own to look after. Matt had been honoured. He loved Takara and Taysuke as if they were his own, and it was the least he could do for Tai after everything that Tai had done for him. There were not many people that he would trust to look after his own son which was why he and Mimi had named Tai and Sora as Ryoko's legal guardians. He knew they loved Ryoko and would give his son a good home if anything were to happen to him and Mimi.

"Look!" Ema suddenly shouted. "It's Kara and Ryoko!"

Matt jerked his head up and let out a gasp of relief at the sight of his son racing towards him.

Mimi scrambled off the bench, and Matt quickly followed her.

Takara and Ryoko came to a stop in front of them, and Matt was almost flattened from behind when Sora and Tai ran into him.

"Ryoko! Where have you been?" Mimi cried, throwing her arms around their son and kissing his cheeks. "I was so worried."

"I'm fine, Mom," Ryoko said softly, his sparkling blue eyes filling with emotion. Their son hugged Mimi tightly and hid his face against her shoulder.

"Takara, you know you're suppose to phone us if you're going to be late!" Sora scolded, hugging her daughter tightly.

"I know, Mom," Takara said meekly. "I'm sorry."

"Well, you're safe so I suppose that's what matters," Tai sighed, kissing Takara's forehead and giving her a warm hug.

Matt hung back, not trusting himself to speak yet.

Ryoko kissed Mimi's cheek before pulling back and smiling at her.

Then his son turned to him, and the smile faded from Ryoko's face. His son's blue eyes shifted nervously to Takara before turning back to him.

"Dad, um..." Ryoko broke off, stared at him for a moment, and promptly threw his arms around him. "I'm really sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to make you and Mom worry," Ryoko mumbled into his chest.

Matt wrapped his arms around Ryoko's shoulders and rested his cheek against the top of his son's golden head. "Where have you been?" he asked quietly.

Ryoko blushed and glanced quickly at Takara. "We got held up at Dai's soccer practice with the twins, and we...um...lost track of time."

"Yeah," Takara said, nodding in agreement.

Matt exchanged a look with Mimi, and he could tell that his wife did not believe that explanation either. _Since when has Ryoko started lying to me?_

His son must have sensed what he was thinking because Ryoko suddenly looked guilty and hugged him tighter.

"I love you, Dad," Ryoko mumbled.

Matt smiled and kissed his son's golden hair. "I love you, too," he murmured.

One day Ryoko would be ready to tell him, and Matt knew that he would be there to listen.

Ryoko turned and held out a hand to Mimi who smiled and came forward. She took her son's hand and then wrapped her arms around both of them.

"I love you, Mom," Ryoko said, smiling at her.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Mimi said softly.

Matt leaned over Ryoko to kiss Mimi's lips and smiled at her.

She kissed him back, and they hugged Ryoko tightly between them.

_I wonder what brought this on all of a sudden. Ryoko's acting a little odd compared to usual._

Takara stood with her parents' arms around her and exchanged an amused look with Ryoko.

"The same goes for you," Matt added, giving Takara a stern look and leaning over to kiss her cheek. "You kids are going to drive us crazy!"

"I have to agree with that!" Tai grinned, putting an arm around Ryoko and ruffling his golden hair.

Sora and Mimi both laughed before cuddling each other's kid with hugs and kisses.

"Kara! Ryoko!"

Matt turned to see Taysuke running towards them with Ema, Kenzo, and Taniko.

"Where have you been!" Taysuke gasped, coming to a stop in front of them.

"We got held up at Dai's soccer practice," Ryoko mumbled, pulling away from Tai and staring at his feet.

Taysuke gave Ryoko a suspicious look. It was obvious that the younger Kamiya did not believe Ryoko either.

"Ryoko, why do you always call Dai by his full name whenever he's around, but you use his nickname when he isn't?" Taysuke grinned, suddenly changing the subject.

Ryoko's cheeks turned a bright red. "I don't know what you're talking about," Ryoko mumbled.

Matt stared at his son and frowned. _What was that all about?_

"So, how did you do?" Takara asked.

"We won!" Taysuke said happily, and then his face fell. "You guys didn't even get to see it."

"We're really sorry," Takara said softly, giving her younger brother a hug.

"We'll be at your next game, I promise," Ryoko said, hugging Taysuke who hugged him back.

Matt looked up and smiled at his best friend, and Tai smiled back at him.

"That's okay," Taysuke said, beaming at Ryoko. "As long as you guys are safe."

"Why wouldn't we be?" Takara said innocently, and for some reason she and Ryoko started to laugh.

"Alright, lets get moving," Ema interrupted. "I have to get to Dai's house before my mom thinks I've gone missing!"

Matt rolled his eyes and smiled with amusement. Tai was right. It was nothing short of a miracle that Joe was still sane with Jun for a wife and Ema for a daughter!

Matt wrapped an arm around his son, who smiled up at him, and they all left the soccer field.

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Sam walked through the front door of his house and entered the kitchen where his mother stood at the sink. She fixed him with a disapproving look and crossed her arms. "Honestly, Sam. I knew you wanted to watch Dai's soccer practice, but it shouldn't have taken this long! You're almost late for supper!"

Sam winced. "Sorry, Mom. We got held up. Where's Miya? I don't see her here."

"She went to fetch your father from the convenience store with Ami and Noah. She should be back at any moment."

His mother had just finished speaking when Miya burst into the kitchen in a fit of giggles.

"Where are Ami and Noah?" their mother asked, frowning at her daughter's behaviour.

"They've gone back to Ami's house," Miya managed to say between giggles. "Noah's family is having dinner there tonight. Oh, if any of you see Noah again, don't mention anything about flowers!"

"I'm not even going to ask," Sam muttered as Miya collapsed into a chair, laughing harder than ever and holding her sides.

Sam glanced at his littler brother who was seated at the table and grinned. "Well, at least you're normal, Nao!"

Nao beamed at him and gave Miya a curious look.

A moment later their father came striding into the room and frowned at Miya. "Really, Miya. You should be more sensitive to Noah's feelings," their father said.

"What did you do this time?" their mother demanded.

"He'll get over it!" Miya giggled.

"Daddy, I don't think Miya's being very nice," Nao said seriously.

Their dad laughed and leaned down to give his younger son a squeeze. "No, she isn't."

Miya just rolled her eyes and continued to giggle.

"Time to eat," their mother announced, setting the food out on the table. "Kari and T.K. already came by and picked up Rina so we won't need an extra plate."

Sam took a seat next to Nao at the table and gave his father a smile. "Is Miya embarrassing Noah again?"

"You could say that!" his dad laughed. "The poor boy picked the wrong person to place his affections upon!"

"Hey!" Miya shouted. "This is your daughter we're talking about here!"

"Exactly," their father said dryly and everyone laughed, even Miya.

Sam hesitated and reaching out he gave his father a hug.

"Hey, what was that for?" his dad asked, smiling at him with affection and stroking his hair.

"Nothing," he said softly, ignoring the curious stares from the rest of his family. _Don't worry, Dad. You're not going to lose me like you did my uncle!_


	19. Never Too Far From a Miracle

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: In the next chapter the kids will be heading back to Digiworld! The end of this chapter brought me to tears. I swear it's the cutest thing I've ever written. Even the readers who aren't fans of Mimato will be looking for some tissues.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 19: Never Too Far From A Miracle

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Dai entered his house, with DemiEmbermon carefully hidden in his backpack, and was nearly knocked down by Shadow.

"Will you get off!" he shouted, trying to wriggle his leg free from the puppy's grip. He reached down and picked Shadow up, and the dog proceeded to slobber all over him.

"Dumb dog," he said with affection, cuddling Shadow to his chest.

"Can I come out now?" DemiEmbermon whispered from his bag.

"Not yet," Dai whispered back. "I'll let you know when it's safe."

"Dai!"

He let out a startled yelp and was nearly knocked over again, this time by his mother.

"You're okay!" his mother gasped, as if she expected otherwise.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked in confusion, and his mother hugged him so tightly that he found himself unable to breath. He felt a sudden rush of panic. _There's no way she could possibly know!_

"No reason," she said with a shaky laugh. "How was soccer practice?"

"Fine," he mumbled, feeling guilty. He had managed to convince his coach that there had been an emergency, and that was why he had not been able to show up. Since his coach was one of the few teachers at school who actually liked him, he knew that his absence would never get back to his parents. Coach Takaro was usually very understanding, but that did stop him from feeling guilty.

His father came into the room, and Dai gave him an uneasy look. "Is Mom alright? I mean seriously, Dad. She didn't hit her head or something, did she?"

After all, his mother was usually yelling at him, not hugging him!

His father laughed and came over to ruffle his hair. "She's fine. See, Noriko? I told you he was alright."

"Why would you think that I wasn't?" he asked nervously.

His father shrugged. "Your mother just had a bad feeling, that's all. It looks like there was no harm done though."

"Right," he said weakly, fully convinced that his mother could read his mind. He had always suspected...

He set Shadow on the ground and turned to see his aunt, uncle, and older cousin enter the room.

"Hey, Dai. How was your practice?" his Aunt Jun said, giving him a hug.

"Alright," he replied with a grin.

"I hope you're staying out of trouble which is more than I can say for Ema," his Uncle Joe sighed.

Dai laughed, hugged his uncle, and turned to his sixteen year old cousin, Nobunari Kido.

"Hey, Noah," he grinned.

"Hey, Dai. How's my favorite cousin?" Noah asked, his deep brown eyes sparkling.

"Don't let Ami hear you say that!" Dai laughed.

"Too late!" Ami shouted from the kitchen.

Noah rolled his eyes, and Dai found himself being dragged up the stairs by his older cousin.

"Dinner's going to be ready soon, so don't get too comfortable," Jun called up the stairs. Noah's mother had let her hair grow out long, and the fiery determination in her eyes had not cooled off, despite the years. She was the complete opposite of her husband, Joe, who had short blue hair and black eyes which made him look so serious. The fact that Jun was a hair stylist and Joe a docter also had something to do with it.

"I need to talk to you," Noah said, dragging him into his bedroom with Shadow trailing along behind.

Dai was about to answer when he spotted Ema sitting in the center of his bed and let out a startled shout.

"Ema! What are you trying to do, scare me half to death?" he gasped, clutching at his heart. He quickly set his backpack on his desk as far away from Ema and Noah as possible.

Ema crossed her arms and fixed him with a knowing stare. "You weren't at soccer practice," she said bluntly.

"Get out, Ema. Dai and I have to talk," Noah said, sounding impatient.

Ema ignored him and continued to stare at Dai who was starting to feel very uneasy. "How do you know?"

"I don't have any proof, but I know it's the truth," she replied. "Where have you been all this time?"

"At soccer practice, and even if I wasn't, it would still be none of your business," he shot back.

"You weren't at soccer practice," she insisted.

"Prove it," he snorted, fixing her with a glare.

Ema climbed off the bed and gave him a small smile. "I know you're up to something, Dai, and I will find out what it is. If you don't want your parents to find out then you had better start coming up with a good excuse for what's going on."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Dai shouted, growing angry.

"No, I'm only looking out for you," Ema replied.

"Out, Ema!" Noah ordered. When she would not budge, he picked his sister up off the floor and marched her over to the door.

"Hey, let go!" she shouted, hitting Noah with her fists.

Noah promptly threw her out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

"That's one less annoyance to deal with!" his older cousin said cheerfully.

"I can't believe I'm being blackmailed by a ten year old!" Dai moaned, flopping onto his bed. "If Ishida knew about this..."

"Forget her," Noah said, flopping onto the bed beside him. "We have more important things to talk about."

"Like what?" Dai asked in confusion, reaching out to scratch Shadow's ears.

"Miya!" Noah moaned, rolling onto his back and staring mournfully at the ceiling. "She knows I like her, so why does she keep pushing me away?"

"Noah, you're three years older than me. You're suppose to know more about this than I am!" Dai said in exasperation. Noah had revealed to him his affection for Miya ages ago, and now he was always getting stuck with having to listen to Noah moan about her.

"True," Noah said thoughtfully. "But still, what is up with her?"

Dai shrugged. "Who knows. Girls are crazy...well...except for Takara," he said with a small smile.

"Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way," Noah said, rolling onto his stomache and running his hands through his chestnut brown hair. "I gave her some flowers today at the convenience store, and do you know what she did with them? She handed them over to some old lady and said that they were a gift from me."

Dai fell back against the pillow in a fit of laughter, and Noah glared at him. "Yeah, Ami thought it was real funny, too," his cousin muttered. "That old lady thought I was really sweet, and she tried to give me a kiss."

Noah shuddered and buried his face in his hands. "I think I'm going to have nightmares for weeks! The worst part is that Miya's dad saw the whole thing!"

Dai managed to get control of himself and patted his cousin's shoulder in sympathy. "I'm sorry, Noah. If it makes you feel any better, I think Miya does like you, and she's just trying to have some fun with you. Girls do that sort of thing."

"Really?" Noah asked, his whole face lighting up. "So what should I do about it?"

"Give Miya a little taste of her own medicine," Dai smirked. "I think you should pretend to like some other girl and place all of your affections on her, preferably one who's willing to play along with your game. After all, you don't want to hurt some poor girl who doesn't deserve it. When Miya sees that some other girl is horning in on her territory, she's going to change her tune real quick!"

"I bet Shina would do it! She's a friend of mine from school. Thanks, Dai! Hey, for being only thirteen, you sure know a lot about women!"

Dai shrugged. "When you have a sister like Ami, you have to learn and real quick. It's a must if you want to survive living with her. I'm sure you'll find out once Ema gets older!"

Noah laughed and gave him a hug. "See what I mean? This is exactly why I'm glad that you're my cousin!"

Dai smiled, feeling rather flattered. Despite the fact that there was an age gap between them, he and Noah were very close. He was one of the people that Noah always told his secrets to, and Dai always returned the favor.

"Hey, Dai? Were you really at soccer practice today?" Noah asked, sitting up next to him and tickling Shadow's ears.

"No," Dai snorted. "But whatever you do, don't tell my parents."

"Don't worry, I won't," Noah grinned. "And I won't be telling my dear sister either! So where were you then?"

Dai bit his lip and gave his cousin a serious look. "I'm sorry, Noah, but I can't tell you. In fact, you probably wouldn't believe me if I did."

"Don't be too sure about that," Noah said quietly. "Will you tell me eventually when you can?"

"Definitely," Dai replied, giving him a smile.

"Dai! Noah! Supper's ready!" his Uncle Joe called up the stairs.

"You go on. I'll just be a minute," Dai said.

"Okay, see you downstairs," Noah replied, heading for the door.

As soon as he was out of the room, Dai let DemiEmbermon out of his backpack. "I'll bring you something to eat when we're finished, okay?"

"Okay," DemiEmbermon said happily. "Who were all those humans?"

"Those humans are my psychotic family!" Dai laughed. "Don't worry. They're basically harmless. If anyone comes in the room, make sure you hide. Shadow will keep you company. Watch out, though. He drools."

"Oh," DemiEmbermon said, staring at Shadow with wide eyes.

They were both on the bed, and Shadow had just caught sight of DemiEmbermon.

The puppy trotted over to the little digimon and starting licking him which made DemiEmbermon burst into giggles.

Dai laughed and left the room with a smile on his face.

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Mickey entered the house with Matty right behind him, and they found their parents in the kitchen with Rina.

"You're late!" Rina giggled, swinging her legs and hitting her spoon on the table.

"Yurina Takaishi! What have I told you about making a mess?" their mother said sternly.

Rina pouted at her and promptly dropped the spoon she was holding on the floor.

"Hey, how was Dai's soccer practice?" their dad asked.

Mickey exchanged a look with his twin and gave his father a weak smile. "It was okay."

He bit his lip and quickly looked away. He felt terrible for lying. _I've never lied like that to them before. What will they think of me if they ever find out?_

Matty must have sensed how he was feeling because his twin slipped an arm around him, and it made him feel a little bit better.

"You two had better start eating or your food's going to get cold," their mother said.

"Okay. We're just going to drop our stuff off in our room," Matty said, and Mickey found himself being dragged away from the table.

When they were alone in their room, Matty gave him a hug and a sympathetic smile. "I know how much it bugs you to have to lie like that, but we don't really have a choice."

"I know," he said quietly into his twin's shoulder. "Thanks for being so understanding."

"Of course," Matty laughed. "You're my twin. You know what, Mickey? I'm so gald that you're nothing like me. Otherwise things would really start to get boring around here! Besides, I don't think I would have been able to stand living with a carbon copy of myself for thirteen years!"

Matty shuddered and made a face.

Mickey burst into laughter and rested his cheek against Matty's. "Well, I think you're pretty amazing," he said softly.

"You'd better!" Matty laughed.

"Besides, I still look like you," he said with amusement.

"Yeah, but that just makes me feel special," Matty said softly. Can you believe we're two completely different people who came from the same egg? Weird, isn't it?"

"Not really," Mickey said quietly. "That's why we're able to understand each other even though our personalities are complete opposites. It's because at one time we were one person who split into two unique people. You see, Matty? You'll always be a special part of me because at one time you were a part of me. That's why I can sense how you feel and why I know you better than I know myself."

"Mickey?" Matty mumbled into his shoulder. "You're the best brother ever."

"I feel the same way about you," he said softly into his twin's ear and hugged Matty close.

"The best part is that you get along!" their father laughed, suddenly coming into the room with their mother and smiling at them.

"In the final stages of pregnancy, most twins tend to end up kicking each other because the womb becomes very crowded. You two were quite content to share the space. Thank heavens for that!" their mother laughed. "It made my life easier!"

Mickey looked into his twin's eyes, which were the exact same shape and colour as his own, and smiled.

Matty reached out to trace the lines of his face and smiled back at him. "Yeah, it's definitely cool," his twin said softly.

Smiling with happiness, he and Matty left the room with their parents and headed back to the kitchen.

_Mimi Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

That night Mimi entered her son's room and leaned against the wall with a smile.

Ryoko lay fast asleep under the covers, and Matt sat next to him against the headboard, stroking their son's golden hair. He was staring thoughtfully out of the window, his sparkling blue gaze lost in some far away place.

"Hey, Matt," she said softly, gazing at the two most important men in her life.

Matt turned to look at her and motioned her towards the bed.

She sat down on their son's other side and leaned over him to kiss Matt gently on the lips.

"Matt," she said quietly, brushing back Ryoko's silky gold hair. "Do you wish we had more children?"

Matt remained silent for a moment and sighed. "I would have loved to have had more children," he murmured, resting his head against hers and giving her a warm smile. "But everytime I look at Ryoko, it makes me grateful everyday for the one that I do have. There's no point dwelling on what might have been."

"You're right," she said quietly. It had been very difficult for her to get pregnant. She and Matt had tried for several years before they had managed to conceive Ryoko. It had been a rough pregnancy, but it had been worth it. Ryoko was her sweet baby boy, and he meant everything to her. Since Ryoko's birth, she and Matt had tried many times to have another child. It had never happened. When she had married Matt at the age of twenty-three, she had longed to be a mother, and she knew how badly Matt had wanted to be a father. Four years later, their dream had finally come true. Since then, she and Matt had been desperately hoping for another child, but it was not meant to be. She and her husband had finally come to terms with the fact that they would probably never have another baby, but it still hurt. Everytime she thought of it, it left a deep sadness in her heart. All she had ever wanted was to give Ryoko a little baby brother or sister. _I wonder if Kari, Jun, Yolei, Noriko, and Sora know how lucky they really are..._

"Matt," she said suddenly, leaning over Ryoko and giving him a fierce hug. "I'm only forty," she whispered into his shoulder. "I'm not going to give up yet."

Matt's arms went around her waist, and he hugged her tightly.

"There's still time," she said, her voice trembling.

Matt's beautiful blue eyes sparkled with emotion, and he stroked her hair.

"I won't give up either, Mimi, but I don't want you to be disappointed if nothing ever comes of it," he said quietly.

"Matt, do you believe in miracles?" she asked softly.

"I didn't when I was younger, but then I met you guys, and I started to believe," he said with a smile. "Then, when Ryoko was born, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that miracles really do happen."

Mimi kissed his cheek, and held him close. "Then lets cross our fingers and hope for one more," she said softly.

Ryoko suddenly sighed in his sleep between them and rolled onto his side.

She let out a small laugh and shook her head. "Do you remember all of the things we had to go through before we realized how much we loved each other?"

"You mean because I was dating Sora, and Tai was in love with her while you were falling in love with me?"

"Then when you add Jun into the picture..."

"Aren't you glad that everything finally worked out?" Matt laughed.

"Yes," she replied. "Beacause in the end I finally got what I had wanted all along. You."

Matt kissed her softly on the lips and smiled. "Come on, lets get out of here before we wake Ryoko up. He looks like he could use a good night's sleep."

"Where do you think he really was today?" she asked, feeling anxious. If anything happened to her son, her baby boy, she was sure it would probably kill her.

Matt stood up, pulled the blanket over Ryoko's shoulders, and leaned down to kiss their son's cheek which was flushed with sleep. "I don't know," he said quietly. "But I know Ryoko will tell us when the time feels right for him."

"I hope so."

She kissed Ryoko's forehead and gave her son's sleeping form a warm hug. "Good night, my little miracle," she whispered. "Sleep well."

She turned to Matt who smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with love and affection.

Hand in hand they left the room closing the door softly behind them.


	20. Twin Arrows

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

A/N: Just so you know, in the future I may not have as much time to update because this is actually my older brother's computer, and if he gets on the day shift, I won't have as many opportunities to write. But I will do my best to update and hopefully that won't be for a couple of months yet. (for all of your sakes) Also, I hope I spelled Azulogmon right. I've seen it spelled to ways, Azulogmon and Azulongmon. Sorry if it's wrong!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 20: Twin Arrows

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Matty sat next to his twin on a desk with Takara and Sam, glancing impatiently towards the door. _Where are Dai and Ryoko? They should have been here by now._

"They'd better not be late," Sam muttered, running his hands through his raven hair and glancing anxiously at the computer.

The four of them were seated in the computer room, and Matty was starting to get very annoyed. He and his friends were waiting for Dai and Ryoko to show up so they could all go to the Digital World, just like they had planned yesterday. _So where could they be?_

"I hope Dai brings some food with him," DemiEmbermon said cheerfully, hopping onto Takara's shoulder. "I'm hungry."

Dai had decided to stash DemiEmbermon in the computer room during school hours because the goggle-headed leader had been afraid Davis or Noriko might stumble upon the little digimon in his absence. That would have qualified as a disaster, so the computer room had been the next best option.

At that moment, the door burst open and the two boys in question entered the room, arguing loudly.

"I swear, Daichi, you've got to be the biggest idiot on the planet!" Ryoko shouted, his blue eyes blazing with anger. "Are you completely nuts?"

"Will you get off my back, Ishida? I don't know why you're so bent out of shape about it."

"Do you realize what Mrs. Hanari would have done if she had caught you?" Ryoko snapped. "She would have given you at least a week's worth of detentions, and then we wouldn't have been able to go to the Digiworld! Do you want to save it, or not?"

"Of course I do!" Dai shouted, his face twisting in anger. "You're just exaggerating! It's not like she would have known who had done it!"

"No, but she could have made a pretty good guess! Face it, Daichi, Mrs. Hanari doesn't need a very good excuse to give you detention!"

"What's going on?" Mickey asked, looking concerned.

"I caught Daichi trying to stick a mouse in Mrs. Hanari's desk!" Ryoko announced.

"When?" Matty asked, frowning in confusion.

"Just now," Ryoko snorted. "I caught him on my way here just after I'd left my locker and happened to pass by our classroom. That's why we're late."

"Dai," Takara sighed, shaking her head.

"She deserves it," Dai muttered. "You know she does."

"Where did you get the mouse from?" Matty asked, trying not to smile. He had to agree with Dai on that point. Mrs. Hanari did deserve it.

"Daichi got it from one of the classrooms," Ryoko replied. "Don't worry. I brought the poor mouse back to his home."

"Look, I'm here and that's what counts," Dai spoke up, sending Ryoko a dirty look. "Have you all given your parents an excuse about why you're going to be late tonight?"

"Yes," they all replied.

"Alright then, let's go. Are you ready, DemiEmbermon?"

"Ready when you are!" DemiEmbermon replied, hopping into Dai's hands. "I missed you, Dai! Did you bring me some food?"

"Is that all I'm good for?" Dai asked, pretending to look hurt.

Matty laughed and hopped off the desk with a smile on his face. "Come on, guys! We've got a world to save!"

Dai grinned at him and held out his Digivice. "You got it! Digiport open!"

Once more they were swept through the gate.

_Benjamin_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Benjamin was seated with the others at a small, round table in a room that was filled with computer monitors. He was just about to speak when the doors burst open and Leomon came striding into the room.

"Leomon!" he gasped, getting to his feet and almost tripping over his robe. "If you're here then that means that...that..."

"Yes," Leomon replied calmly. "The Digidestined have arrived."

"Well then what are we doing sitting around here?" Jackie asked, banging his fist on the table to get everyone's attention. "We need to go to them! We have to help them understand what's going on and what it is they have to do!"

"They know," Leomon said softly. "Daichi Motomiya has received his partner digimon, and Embermon has already digivolved. I've sent them on to meet up with Halomon and Celestimon. I assume you have another digimon watching over them as well?"

"Yes," Hogan said slowly and frowned. "Do you think that is wise, Leomon? What if they get into trouble?"

"We have our own problem to deal with," Leomon said, his voice hard. "Gennai."

"So you've heard," Jose sighed. "We were speaking with him when he was taken captive by an evil digimon. We tried to stop her, but she was very powerful. Since then we have been searching everywhere for him. So far we've turned up nothing. It's like he's disappeared without a trace."

"What did this digimon look like?"

Benjamin described her to him, and Leomon nodded in confirmation.

"Although I haven't seen her, that must have been Vampiramon. She and her master are the ones who have captured Gennai."

"How do you know?" Ilya asked, his eyes wide.

"I know because they are after the Digidestined. Vampiramon sent one of her servants to destroy the humans and take something from them. She called these things D-Coders. Do you know what they are?"

"No," Benjamin sighed. "All we know is, after the defeat of MaloMyotismon, the Digital World became a peaceful place. Gennai, though, was not satisfied. He knew eventually the darkness would return and that we needed to be ready when it did. Thirteen years ago, with help from the Entity, who speaks with the voice of the Digital World and came into existence at the dawn of the Digital World, Gennai and the rest of us were able to find new humans who would one day become Digidestined. Those humans were Daichi and his friends. Gennai had their partner digimon stored away until the day they would be needed, with worthy digimon to look after them."

"The Entity?" Leomon asked in confusion.

"It spoke through the body of Kari Kamiya twenty-nine years ago," Jackie said softly. "It chose Azulongmon and the others to be the Four Guardians of the Digital World. It also chose myself and my counterparts to be The Watchers of the Digiworld."

"I see," Leomon said softly.

"I bet Gennai knows what these D-Coders are," Hogan spoke up. "I wish he wasn't so secretive. He must have contacted the Digidestined and sent them the Digivices."

"That's probably what he meant when he said he had already taken the steps needed to protect the Digiworld. I can't believe we didn't realize the Digidestined were already here!" Jackie cried. "If anything happens to them, it'll be our fault!"

"We should be helping them," Ilya insisted, "especially if Vampiramon is after them."

"The best way to help them is to find Gennai," Leomon replied. "He knows more about what's going on than we do. Any information he has could help the Digidestined defeat Vampiramon. Come on. Let's go search for Gennai. In the meantime, Embermon and the other digimon will look after the Digidestined."

"We're right behind you," Benjamin said, following him out the door with the others.

_I wonder what else Gennai hasn't told us?_

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Matty and his friends found themselves standing next to a small river which had bushes lining both sides of the bank.

"Alright, we're here," Sam said, straightening his black shirt and green zip-up top. "Now...um...where exactly do we start looking for the rest of our partners?"

Embermon gave Dai an expectant look. "Well, what do you think?"

"I guess we just start walking until somebody's Digivice picks up a signal," Dai replied. "That's how I found you, Embermon. Well...sort of anyway. I really don't know what else we can do."

"Pathetic," Ryoko muttered.

"I'd like to see you come up with something better!" Dai shouted, advancing on Ryoko with an angry look in his eyes.

Matty grabbed Dai's wrist and dragged him away from Ryoko with force.

"Don't even start," he muttered into his goggle-headed friend's ear.

They started off in silence, and Matty found himself walking at the back of the group with Dai.

It was only a matter of minutes before his friend exploded. "I can't stand him!" Dai said angrily, glaring at Ryoko's back. "He's such a stuck up snob!"

Matty sighed and shook his head. He had heard it all before, and it was really starting to get old. "I don't know why you can't just get along with Ryoko. What could he have possibly done to make you hate him so much?"

"What hasn't he done!" Dai shouted, clenching his hands into fists. "Ishida's been a jerk to me ever since the day he was born!"

"How would you know?" Matty snorted. "You can't remember the day he was born!"

"No, but don't think I've forgotten about that time he stole my teddy bear when we were three!"

Matty rolled his eyes and tried not to strangle Dai with frustration. He could not even remember a time when Ryoko and Dai had gotten along. It made him feel a little sad. The two of them had spent their whole lives together and should have been as close as brothers, but they weren't. Instead they hated one another with a passion and did everything they could to make each other's lives miserable.

"Why does he always have to act so cold?" Dai demanded, interrupting his thoughts.

"I don't know, Dai. Why don't you ask Mickey? He's always gotten along with Ryoko better than I have," Matty replied and sent his twin an affectionate look. That was another great thing about Mickey. His brother always got along with everyone.

Mickey must have sensed what he was thinking because his twin turned and smiled shyly at him.

He smiled back and turned his attention to Dai again. "Mickey understands Ryoko a lot better than me, and so does Takara. You should probably ask her, too. I'm no help when it comes to Ryoko. He just makes me frustrated."

"Tell me about it," Dai grumbled. "I can relate!"

"I like Ryoko," Embermon suddenly said and smiled at Dai. "He's a very interesting human."

"Traitor!" Dai grumbled, and Matty had to laugh.

Embermon just rolled his emerald green eyes and hit Dai in the leg with his tail.

Ryoko, who was walking next to Sam, suddenly looked back at them, and Matty watched his cousin's deep blue eyes fill with sorrow. It was only there for a split second, and then it was gone so fast that Matty was left wondering if he had really seen it or if it had just been his imagination.

Dai did not appear to have noticed a thing. The goggle-headed leader was too busy glaring at the river and probably thinking up ways to get back at Ryoko for ruining his attempt to win the war against Mrs. Hanari.

_I must be seeing things. Ryoko would never let himself get upset over Dai._

He was just about to ask Dai what he had in store for Mrs. Hanari when Mickey came to a sudden stop and let out a loud gasp.

"What is it, Mickey?" he asked, hurrying to his twin's side. His heart filled with sudden fear, and he put a hand on Mickey's arm. "Is something wrong? Are you hurt?"

Mickey turned to look at him, and he realized his twin's amber brown eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Look, Matty!" Mickey gasped and held out his Digivice.

Matty froze in surprise. Mickey's Digivice had started to glow. Orange mist spiraled out of it and formed into a large arrow.

"Your digimon must be nearby," he said and gave his older twin a warm smile.

"Yours, too, Matty!" Takara suddenly squealed and pointed at his Digivice.

Matty quickly unhooked it from his jeans and let out a startled shout. His Digivice had started to glow a bright yellow. Golden mist spilled out of it and turned into a large arrow, which was pointing in the same direction as Mickey's orange arrow.

"Can you believe it, Matty? We're finally going to get our digimon!" Mickey said happily and flung both arms around him.

Matty got a face full of his twin's golden hair and nearly sneezed. "Yeah, but what exactly are these things pointing at?"

Mickey's excitement was rubbing off on him, and he glanced around at the landscape in search of whatever it was the arrows were pointing to.

_I get to have my very own digimon! This is so cool! I wonder what it feels like to have a partner. I should have asked Dai. Whoever my partner is, I hope he likes me..._

"Look! Over there!" Sam gasped.

Mickey's warm arms gently let go of him, and they both turned to see what Sam was pointing at. It was a large city in the distance.

_Jestermon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Jestermon narrowed his bright red eyes and glared at the Digidestined, who stood across the river from him. They were pointing at the city in the distance, and he smiled from his hiding spot within the bushes. Their master had not been happy to learn that Embermon had digivolved.

"It's Vampiramon's fault," he muttered. "I think it's about time I showed her how to really get the job done!"

He turned to the digimon beside him and grinned. "Are you ready?"

"Ready," the digimon replied.

Jestermon nodded and smirked.

_Don't worry, master. I won't let another one of their digimon digivolve, and I will get those D-Coders. Vampiramon had her chance. This time it's my turn to shine!_


	21. The Heirs of Angemon

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

A/N: Oh no, I forgot Andromon's attacks! Pathetic. And I call myself a Digimon fan! Sorry about that! Oh yeah, and this title gives a little hint. Did you all think I was going to forget about Veemon and the others? Don't worry, they'll have a role, too! (eventually!) Feel free to correct my spelling and grammar.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 21: The Heirs Of Angemon

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Mickey stared at the city in awe. Somewhere inside of there were his and Matty's digimon partners.

"It's going to take us all day to get there!" Ryoko complained.

"Not with Embermon, it won't." Dai grinned and turned to smile at his partner. "Do you mind giving us all a ride?"

"Not at all," Embermon replied. "Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

"Everyone hop on," Dragermon said, lowering one of his wings so that they could climb up.

"See? I told you my plan would work eventually," Dai said, sending Ryoko a triumphant look.

Ryoko turned up his nose and made a point of sitting as far away from Dai as possible.

Mickey sat next to his twin and gazed anxiously at the city as Dragermon flew up into the sky. _I wonder what kind of digimon my partner is. What if... he doesn't want to be paired up with me?_

"Are you nervous?" Matty asked, turning to look at him.

Mickey managed a weak smile. Matty always could read him like an open book. "Yeah," he said quietly.

"It's okay. I am, too," Matty replied, wrapping an arm around him. "Don't worry, though. I'm sure everything will work out."

"Fly low, Dragermon!" Dai called out, patting his digimon's long neck. "I don't want anyone to see us coming in case there are any evil digimon working for Vampiramon in there."

"Wow! That's the first bright idea you've had all day!" Ryoko said sarcastically, from his seat next to Sam.

Dai, who sat next to Takara, glared at him before turning his attention back to the city.

"Matty," Mickey whispered, leaning close to his twin so that the others would not overhear. "What if my digimon doesn't think that I'm good enough to be his partner? What if he doesn't like me very much?"

"Mickey, how can anyone not like you?" Matty replied, a smile slipping across his face.

Mickey blushed and sighed. Matty was always saying nice things about him, but that did not mean that everyone else felt the same way.

"Actually, I was thinking the same thing," Matty admitted, his amber brown eyes growing uneasy. "Only I have more reasons to worry than you do."

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself," he said softly and gave Matty a gentle smile. "Just because you mess up once in a while doesn't mean that you're a bad person. Look at Dai. He gets into trouble all the time, and it doesn't bother him. Does that mean he's not a good person? Of course not. Dai's one of the most amazing people I know. If you didn't make mistakes once in a while then you wouldn't be you, and we all love you exactly the way you are."

"I tried to tell myself the same thing," Matty said quietly, looking away from him. "Only it sounds more convincing coming from you."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Matty," he said quietly.

The look on Matty's face made him laugh. "Yes, even me," he added.

Matty shrugged, looking a little embarrassed, and sighed. "I know that. It's just...you've always been an amazing brother to me so I guess everything else just slips my mind."

Mickey's face turned pink, and he quickly ducked his head. "Thanks," he whispered.

"You're so shy!" Matty laughed, giving him a warm hug. "I'm your brother. You're not suppose to be shy around me!"

"I can't help it," Mickey mumbled, his cheeks turning a darker shade of red. He loved it when people treated him so nicely, but it always made him feel really shy. He never let it stop him from returning the favor though.

"Um...Matty? Does it bother you that you're the one always getting into trouble instead of me?" he asked hesitantly.

Matty's comforting arms went around him, and he bit his lip.

"No way," his twin said firmly. "You can't change who you are, and I have nothing but total respect for you. You're like my role model. Everytime I see you, it helps me to do my best to become a better person. Without you, I'd probably be worse than Dai! You always keep me in line. Besides, one troublemaker in the Takaishi house is enough, I think!"

"I don't know," Mickey laughed. "I think Rina might give Mom and Dad more trouble than you do when she gets older!"

"I know. Isn't she great?" Matty said proudly.

Mickey laughed and shook his head. "Don't give her any ideas!"

"Yeah. You're definitely the older twin!" Matty said with affection and hugged him tightly.

"Dragermon, set us down in those trees over there," Dai suddenly said. "We'll have to walk the rest of the way. Otherwise we'll be spotted."

They all climbed off Dragermon, who turned back into his rookie form, and huddled at the edge of the trees to gaze at the city which was encased in a large transparent dome. The entrance was currently being watched by two digimon who looked like robots.

"Those are digimon, right?" Dai whispered.

"Yeah," Embermon replied, standing protectively in front of them with his eyes narrowed.

"But, which digimon are they exactly?" Sam asked.

The raven haired Digidestined's Digivice gave off a sudden beep, and they all jumped in surprise.

"Look!" Sam gasped in amazement.

They all crowded around him and stared at his purple Digivice. There was a picture of the digimon standing at the entrance to the city on it's screen, and it had a whole bunch of information with it.

"It says here that those digimon are Guardromon. They're champion level virus type digimon, and their special attacks are Warning Laser and Guardian Rush."

"Does that mean that they're evil digimon?" Takara whispered.

"Not necessarily," Sam replied. "Don't you remember what Leomon said? Being a virus type digimon doesn't really mean much. You have to look at the bigger picture."

"So what exactly are we going to do? Walk up to those digimon and say, hey, we're looking for a couple of our partner digimon. Do you mind letting us in?" Ryoko said sarcastically.

"We might not have a choice," Sam said seriously. "The only way into the city is to get past those Guardromon."

"I knew you were going to say that!" Ryoko muttered.

"In that case, some of you should stay behind until we know for sure if it's safe to go in," Dai said, taking control of the situation. "I'm obviously going to have to go because so far I'm the only one with a digimon who will be able to protect us if things go wrong, and the twins should come as well. After all, it's their digimon that are in there."

"Do I have to?" Mickey whispered, feeling frightened.

"Excuse me? You're not leaving me behind!" Ryoko snapped. "I'm not going to let you get my cousins killed!"

"They're my friends, in case you've forgotten!" Dai shouted back. "I'm not going to let anything happen to them!"

"Yeah right. You-"

Matty put his hands on Ryoko's shoulders, stopping the blond in the middle of his sentence.

"Listen, Ryoko," Matty said. "I appreciate the fact that you care and all, but seriously, shut up. We'll let you guys know when it's safe to follow, okay? There's no use risking more people than we have to."

"Don't get yourselves killed," Ryoko mumbled, turning away from him.

"We won't," Matty replied.

"At least we hope not," Mickey muttered, saying exactly what he knew Matty was thinking at that moment.

"Come on," Dai said quietly. "And, Embermon? Be ready to digivolve if we need you."

"Alright, guys, let me do the talking," Embermon said as they started towards the city."They're probably more likely to listen to me since I'm a digimon."

Both Guardromon looked up as they approached, and Mickey tensed.

The two digimon watched them suspiciously, but fortunately they did not attack.

"Hello, there," Embermon called out, stopping a few feet away from them.

"No one is allowed into this city without permission," one of the Guardromon replied. "State your names and your business. Then we will decide if you may cross."

Embermon nodded. "Fair enough. My name is Embermon, and this is my human partner, Daichi Motomiya. He's a Digidestined, and so are these two. They are Masato Takaishi and Makiya Takaishi."

The Guardromon did not reply, but their expressions changed into identical looks of curiosity.

"Hold out your Digivices," Embermon muttered out of the side of his mouth.

Mickey quickly held his up, and the other two did the same.

His heart was pounding with terror. _What if they don't believe us?_

"You two, come here," the other Guardromon said, pointing at himself and Matty.

He let out a gasp and clutched Matty's arm in fear.

"Go on," Embermon said, giving them a push.

They slowly moved forward and clung to each other for strength. He could feel Matty trembling and patted his twin's back with reassurance. Truthfully, though, he was as scared as Matty.

One of two Guardromon stepped in front of them and studied them for a long moment. Mickey shrank back and stared up at the digimon with wide eyes.

Finally the Guardromon turned to each other and nodded.

"State your business," one of them repeated.

"We were sent by Leomon to find the digimon partners belonging to Mickey and Matty," Embermon replied.

"Then you may enter, Digidestined," the first Guardromon said with a bow and motioned them towards the entrance to the city.

Mickey let out a long sigh of relief, and so did Matty.

"Thanks," Dai laughed. "Is it alright if our other friends come with us? Their names are Takara Kamiya, Ryoko Ishida, and Sam Ichijouji. They're Digidestined, too."

The Guardromon both nodded, and Dai motioned for the others to join them. "It's okay, guys! They're on our side!"

A moment later, Ryoko and the others came running up to them.

"Daichi, I'm going to kill you!" Ryoko shouted, his face pink with anger.

"When are you ever going to learn to trust me, Ishida?" Dai smirked.

"Never," Ryoko said bitterly.

"Hey," Dai said, looking a little hurt.

_That's interesting. If Dai hates Ryoko so much then why would Ryoko's comment cause that sort of a reaction?_

Unfortunately he did not have much time to think about it because they had more important things to do.

"You will find your digimon partners at the centre of the city," one of the Guardromon said, turning to himself and Matty. "Andromon will be there waiting for you."

"Who?" Takara asked in confusion.

"You'll see," the second Guardromon replied. "Just head straight down this road. It will lead right to the digimon you seek."

"Okay. Thanks, guys," Sam replied.

"And I thought I was scared when Crystalmon attacked us!" Matty moaned. "It's way worse not knowing what you're up against. Any longer, and I think I would have needed to use the bushes!"

"Hello? Have you forgotten that there's a lady present? Boys," Takara sniffed, giving Matty a disapproving look.

"Oh, is that what you call yourself?" Matty joked, earning himself a slap from his female cousin and a glare from Dai.

"Matty, you shouldn't be so crude," Mickey sighed, shaking his head in amusement.

"Hey, when you got to go, you got to go," Matty shrugged.

"Will you quit talking about having to go? Otherwise I'm going to have to go!" Dai complained.

"They could have picked another girl, but no. I got stuck with five boys. Five!" Takara muttered. "Didn't this world ever hear of balance?"

Mickey was about to reply when they reached the centre of the city, and the words died in his throat.

In the middle of the square sat two pedestals exactly like the one that Embermon had come out of. Both of them stood beneath a huge marble statue of an angel.

"It's beautiful," Takara whispered, her face filling with awe. Ryoko, Dai, and Sam looked stunned.

Mickey was speechless. The angel statue had his wings spread out, and he was kneeling with his hands folded in prayer. It was so lifelike that it appeared almost to be real.

"Mickey," Matty whispered.

His younger twin's head came to rest on his shoulder, and Mickey hid his face in Matty's golden hair.

Apparently Matty was so overcome with emotion, that he could not put his feelings into words.

Mickey felt the exact same way. _What could it mean, and why is it here of all places? It seems so out of place in this city._

A digimon suddenly stepped out from behind the base of the angel statue, and Mickey jumped in surprise.

"Greetings, Digidestined," the digimon said with a smile. "I was wondering when you would show up. Gennai's had me guarding this city for quite a long time now. I was beginning to think that you might not come. Not that that would have been a bad thing. I was starting to enjoy a world free of darkness. I suppose it was not meant to be, and since the darkness has returned, I am glad that you are here."

"Hello. You must be Andromon," Sam said, stepping forward with a smile.

Andromon nodded his grey metal head. "That's right. I am Andromon. I am an ultimate level vaccine type digimon. My special attacks are Lightning Blade and Gatling Attack. I see you have already found one of your digimon."

"I'm Dai's partner, Embermon. Leomon was looking out for me," the rookie said with a grin.

"Of course, Leomon. He is an honourable digimon and a good friend of mine," Andromon replied with a smile.

Mickey jumped as Andromon turned to look at himself and Matty.

"Now it is your turn to receive your digimon, Mickey. And you as well, Matty. Are you both ready?"

Mickey looked at his twin, and Matty gave him a shaky smile.

"Come on, Matty," he said softly, taking his brother's hand and gently tugging him towards the pedestals.

Heart pounding, Mickey placed his hand on the left pedestal, and Matty placed his on the right pedestal. Nothing happened.

Mickey looked at his brother in confusion, and Matty shrugged.

"Try switching," Ryoko suggested.

_It's worth a shot. _

Mickey changed places with his twin and found himself gazing at the image of a rising sun which was carved into the right pedestal. Matty was now standing in front of the left pedestal which had the image of a shooting star on it. The star was shooting towards the right in a wide arch. That was when Mickey realized that the orange arrow from his Digivice was indeed pointing to the right pedestal, not the left. Matty's yellow arrow was pointing to the left.

He placed his hand on the pedestal and the symbol immediately began to glow a bright orange. So did the stream of light coming from his Digivice which slammed into the image of the rising sun.

The golden light from Matty's Digivice hit the image of the shooting star. Orange and yellow mist rose into the sky from the pedestals, and Mickey could make out two small shapes. He closed his eyes at the harsh glare, and when he opened them again, the light had faded away. A gasp of astonishment escaped his lips which was echoed by Matty and the others. The two digimon standing on the pedestals were similar in appearance, but each one had slight differences. Both were of standard rookie size and looked vaguely human in appearance. They both had pure white skin and walked on two legs. Their arms, legs, feet, hands, and faces looked human, but each one had two small white, fluffy wings sticking out of their backs, and two white, feathery ears sticking out of their heads. The one in front of Mickey had large sky blue eyes, and the rookie also had bands of orange armor circling his wrists and ankles. One of the bands on the rookie's arm looked like a small gun. The little digimon was also wearing what looked like a small orange skirt around his waist which fell to just above the knee. It reminded Mickey of what ancient Egyptian men used to wear. Matty's digimon was dressed exactly the same, only that little rookie's armor was yellow, and the eyes were bright green instead of blue.

"Hello, Mickey," his digimon said softly, and gave him a warm smile. "I've been waiting so long to meet you. My name is Halomon. I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon. My special attacks are Halo Rings and Halo Noose. You have the orange Digivice which means that you and I belong together."

The other rookie smiled at Halomon before turning to Matty.

"You have the yellow Digivice, Matty. That means that you belong with me. It felt like you were never going to come, and I was getting worried. My name is Celestimon. (Se-les-tee-mon) I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon. My special attacks are Spirit Mist and Celestial Sun Ray."

Mickey turned to look at Matty who pulled him into a hug.

"Oh, Matty," he whispered into his brother's shoulder. "Our very own digimon partners!"


	22. Where Light and Darkness Meet

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

A/N: Sorry it's short, but it's kind of a bridge into what happens next. The next one will be longer again!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 22: Where Light And Darkness Meet

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Matty stared at his digimon in awe and Celestimon beamed back at him.

_I can't believe I really have a digimon! This is so amazing!_

Mickey let go of him, and Matty watched his twin gently stroke one of Halomon's fluffy ears.

Halomon laughed at his partner's soft touch and flung his small arms around Mickey's neck in a hug.

Matty smiled and turned his attention to his own digimon. "I hope you like having me for a partner," he said softly, reaching out to run his fingers over one of Celestimon's small wings.

Celestimon fluttered up into his arms, and the little digimon's tiny cheek came to rest against his shoulder.

"Matty, I like you already. You have no idea how much," Celestimon replied, his green eyes filling with affection.

Matty felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He hugged Celestimon tightly and buried his face in his digimon's soft feathery ears. "Same here," he whispered, his heart filling with happiness.

Mickey, too, no longer seemed afraid that Halomon would not like him, and Matty grinned. Halomon was cuddled against his twin's chest, and the two were smiling fondly at one another.

"They're so adorable!" Takara giggled, reaching out to tickle Halomon's ears.

Matty let out a groan, and his twin blushed a bright red. Despite his and Mickey's reactions, Halomon and Celestimon did not seem to mind Takara's words. They both beamed at the female Digidestined and exchanged a small smile.

"You guys are so lucky. I can't wait until I meet my digimon," Ryoko said softly.

"You will soon enough," Matty replied, grinning at his cousin.

"Hi, guys! Welcome to the team!" Embermon said, joining Halomon and Celestimon who had settled themselves on the ground. "We didn't get a chance to meet before Gennai had us stored away. I'm Embermon!"

"Hello," Celestimon said with a smile.

"We are all going to make a great team!" Halomon added, shaking Embermon's hand and happily fluttering his wings.

Matty introduced the rest of his friends who all took turns inspecting the new rookies.

"You guys are definitely the cutest digimon I've seen so far!" Takara squealed, kneeling next to Halomon and stroking one of the little rookie's small wings.

"Will you quit saying things like that!" Matty complained, feeling his face heat up. "It's embarrassing!"

Takara rolled her eyes at him and promptly burst into giggles as Halomon started to play with her hair.

"Humans are fascinating," Mickey's partner said, staring at Takara with interest and letting his small fingers slide through her chestnut ponytail. "You're so different from us."

"Yeah, but you and I will still be a great team and the best partners ever," Mickey said softly, giving Halomon a warm hug. Halomon gave Mickey a fond smile in return and happily wiggled his ears.

Matty knelt next to Celestimon and rested his cheek against the top of his partner's head. "So will you and I," he murmured.

"It's just like Leomon said. Our digimon are a reflection of ourselves," Sam murmured, gazing thoughtfully at the two new digimon.

"I guess that's why Halomon and Celestimon look like twins even though they're not the same digimon," Takara added. "It's because Mickey and Matty are twins."

Celestimon and Halomon exchanged a mysterious smile before throwing their arms around each other in a hug.

Matty turned to look at his twin, and found Mickey smiling softly at him. He and his brother glanced at their digimon before turning to gaze at one another again.

Matty laughed.

"Just like us," he said softly.

"Yeah," Mickey whispered, hugging him tightly.

"Alright, what do we do next now that we've found Mickey's and Matty's digimon partners?" Dai asked.

"You better start searching for the three remaining digimon that belong to Ryoko, Sam, and Takara," Andromon replied. "These digimon aren't going to be as easy to find as the other three were. In fact, they are not even located here on File Island."

"Then where are they?" Sam asked, looking confused.

"I believe one is on Server, and the other two are on Text."

"What are Server and Text?" Dai asked, scratching his head.

"The Digital World is made up of four hemispheres," Andromon replied, standing over them as they sat down at his feet in a semicircle. "There are four main land masses here in the Digital World with one located in each hemisphere. The Northern Hemisphere holds the continent of Net, the Southern Hemisphere has the continent of Text, the Western Hemisphere has the continent of Cyber, and the Eastern Hemisphere has the continent of Server. Each hemisphere is looked after and protected by it's own guardian digimon. We call them The Four Guardians. They keep their section of the Digital World safe from the Powers of Darkness. Gennai works with them to help maintain peace."

"So which continent are we on?" Takara asked.

"None of them," Andromon replied.

Matty's mouth dropped open. "But you just said-"

The area that you are standing on at this very moment is File Island. It is located in the Eastern Hemisphere and holds the largest existing gate to the human world. Azulongmon is The Guardian who looks after this hemisphere. File Island is known as the island of prophecy. It is where light and darkness meet, but they cannot be allowed to cross."

They all remained silent, unsure of what to say in response to this revelation.

Finally Ryoko spoke. "Now that you mention it, I do remember Leomon saying something about File Island. So we have to go to Server and the Southern Hemisphere to find the rest of our partners?"

"That's right," Andromon replied in a low voice.

"So how do we get there?" Matty asked.

Andromon was about to answer when sudden loud cries of terror filled the city.

Matty turned to see a Guardromon and several other digimon racing past them. They looked like they were trying to escape from the city.

"What's going on?" Takara cried.

"We're being attacked!" the Guardromon shouted in fear. "Run!"

"I hope you're all fans of nightmares because you've just stepped into one!" a voice sang out behind them.

Matty jerked around in fear and found himself gazing at two of the ugliest digimon that he had ever seen.

"Careful, Matty!" Celestimon gasped, stepping in front of him.

The digimon wearing a jester's hat did a little dance and fixed him with a nasty smile. "And the fool triumphs over his enemies. It's too bad that Vampiramon's not here to watch!"

Matty's heart sank. _There are more of them?_

The digimon grinned at them, his red eyes filling with excitement. "It's time to have some fun!"


	23. Fools Rush In

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 23: Fools Rush In

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Mickey let out a gasp of horror and stumbled back into Sam. _We had a hard enough time fighting Crystalmon. How are we suppose to defeat two digimon without getting ourselves killed?_

"How did you get into the city?" Andromon demanded, planting himself at the head of their group.

"Well, we had to destroy a bunch of Guardromon and create a few explosions. You might want to clean up the mess later. It was quite inconvenient, now that you mention it, but we still managed to make it in time for a grand entrance," the digimon in the jester's hat replied and gave them an elaborate bow. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jestermon. I am a mega level virus type digimon, and my special attacks are Shadow Spheres and Fire Jest. This is a friend of mine that I decided to bring along for the ride!"

Jestermon waved a hand in the other digimon's direction and smirked at them. "This is Zombiemon. He's an ultimate level virus type digimon, and his special attacks are Brain Sucker, Toxic Flesh Cannon, and Trauma Sword."

"You're a mega level digimon?" Takara choked out, gazing wide-eyed at Jestermon. "This is not good."

Mickey could only nod in agreement and hugged Halomon's small body tightly to his chest. _There's no way that Dragermon can take on both of them and win, even with Andromon's help._

Jestermon's skin was pale green, and his eyes were a bright red. His flesh was also wrinkled, as if he had been sitting in water for too long, and he had bells hanging off of his jester's hat which tinkled everytime he moved. There were a few bells on his outfit, as well, and his body was built like a human's.

Zombiemon looked like a rotting corpse. His face was partially hidden by a mask, and he had long dark stringy hair. His eyes were a bright yellow, and there was a sword strapped to his waist. He wore a dirty cloak with holes in it and a pair of pants that had definitely seen better days.

Both digimon looked ready to destroy them on the spot if they so much as blinked.

"Let me guess, you want the D-Coders," Dai snorted, stepping up beside Andromon and crossing his arms. "Well I've got news for you, clown boy! Even if we knew what they were, we still wouldn't give them to you! Why don't you take that message back to your buddy, Vampiramon!"

"Will you stop insulting evil digimon!" Ryoko shouted, hitting Dai after each word for emphasis.

"Is that a challenge?" Jestermon grinned, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"You bet it is!" Dai shouted back, holding out his Digivice and glaring at Jestermon. "Come on, Embermon. I don't know about you, but Zombiemon's stench is really starting to get to me! I think it's time that you and I took out the trash!"

"I couldn't agree more! Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

"Are you crazy?" Ryoko shouted in disbelief, grabbing Dai by the shirt and shaking him. "There's no way that Dragermon can fight two of them and win!"

Dai pushed Ryoko away and gave the blond an impatient look. "We don't exactly have a choice, Ishida! Somehow I don't think that these two goons are just going to let us walk away!"

Mickey barely heard them. His eyes were glued to Jestermon who was staring at Dai's Digivice with a hungry look in his eyes.

_I wonder if...No way. It couldn't be...or could it?_

_"_Dragermon will not be alone," Andromon spoke up. "I am here to fight by his side."

"So am I," Halomon added, his small face filling with determination.

Mickey's cheek had been resting against his partner's fluffy ears, but he jerked his head up at those words and looked down at his partner in fear.

"Halomon, you can't," he whispered in horror. "You're only a rookie. If you fight them, you're only going to get hurt."

"I have to, otherwise I won't be able to protect you," Halomon said softly. The rookie's small warm fingers came to rest against Mickey's cheek, and he bit his lip.

"The same goes for me, Matty," Celestimon murmured, his small arms wrapping around his partner's neck.

"Be careful," Matty whispered, allowing Celestimon to flutter out of his arms.

Mickey hugged Halomon tightly before letting his partner go and turned to wrap a comforting arm around his twin. He could not remember ever seeing Matty look so scared before.

"Are you finished yet? I don't have all day, you know!" Jestermon cackled. "Time to steal myself some D-Coders! Get them, Zombiemon!"

"You will pay for hurting innocent digimon!" Andromon shouted. "Lightning Blade!"

Zombiemon dodged the attack and came racing towards them while Jestermon leaped onto the top of a high building to watch.

Mickey shivered. The jester digimon kept watching himself and his friends as if waiting for an opportunity to slip past their digimon and attack them directly. The mega digimon still could not seem to keep his eyes off of their Digivices.

"Come on, guys! Lets send this corpse back to Primary Village!" Dragermon shouted, flying into battle with Halomon and Celestimon.

"With the way you all stood around talking, I could have destroyed you about ten times over by now!" Jestermon smirked. "Only that wouldn't have been very much fun. Alas, the fool has a weak spot. I am quite a strong supporter of fair play. Now lets see how well you stand up against the forces of darkness!"

"Trauma Sword!" Zombiemon shouted, leaping at the two rookies and swinging his sword at them.

Halomon and Celestimon fluttered off in different directions, avoiding the attack.

They were joined by Dragermon in the air, and all three turned to look down at Zombiemon who was standing on the ground below them.

"Lets see how you stand up against the powers of the Digidestined!" Halomon shouted, pointing the gun on his arm at Zombiemon. "Halo Rings!"

Several small glowing orange rings shot out of the gun and exploded into Zombiemon's chest.

The zombie digimon staggered, but he quickly recovered and sent Halomon a nasty smile. "If that's all you've got then this battle's going to be a piece of cake! Brain Sucker!"

Halomon let out a gasp of surprise as Zombiemon's arm stretched out into the sky towards him at an impossible length. The zombie digimon's hand closed around Halomon's head, and Mickey let out a cry of fear as his partner digimon was dragged back to the ground.

"Halomon!" he shouted in terror.

Zombiemon's attack was slowly draining Halomon's energy away.

"Help him, Celestimon!" Matty cried.

"Let my friend go!" Celestimon shouted, grabbing onto one of the other rookie's wings and trying to tug him free.

"Gatling attack!" Andromon called out from the ground, shooting his missiles at Zombiemon's back.

"Dragon Fire Spin!" Dragermon added, swooping closer to the ground and letting a swirling stream of fire shoot from his mouth.

Both attacks hit Zombiemon forcing him to let go of Halomon.

Celestimon caught Halomon in his arms and turned his own gun on Zombiemon. "Celestial Sun Ray!"

A blinding beam of bright yellow light shot out of Celestimon's weapon and slammed into Zombiemon's stomache.

The virus digimon disappeared in a blaze of golden light that forced Mickey to have to cover his eyes.

When he was finally able to look again, he spotted Zombiemon lying flat on his back and groaning.

"You're awesome!" Matty cheered, beaming at Celestimon who smiled back at him.

"Thank you," Mickey whispered.

"Anytime," Celestimon replied, giving him a fond look.

Halomon stroked one of Celestimon's small wings and smiled at the other rookie. "Thanks. I owe you one."

"Don't worry, I won't forget!" Celestimon laughed.

"That's a powerful rookie," Andromon murmured, nodding at Celestimon with approval.

"Well, I have to say that I'm quite impressed," Jestermon said. He had seated himself on the rooftop with his legs crossed, and he was idly juggling a set of three ink black balls.

Occasionally the mega would glance at Mickey and his friends, but Andromon had apparently decided to focus mostly on protecting them while their digimon attacked Zombiemon. This left Jestermon with no opportunity to strike without interference.

"Maybe Vampiramon knew what she was talking about, after all," Jestermon continued, letting his balls disappear and clapping his hands in applause. "Bravo. You may be very powerful, but I must warn you that it still won't be enough to defeat us. Don't stop battling, though, just because you're destined to lose. I'm finding this fight to be very entertaining!"

"Why isn't he helping Zombiemon?" Dai whispered.

Mickey and his friends were standing next to a large building under the protection of an overhang.

Dai, who stood on Mickey's left, was staring suspiciously at Jestermon.

"Maybe Zombiemon is so powerful that he doesn't need help defeating us!" Takara moaned, hiding her face in Dai's shoulder.

"No, he's definitely up to something," Ryoko muttered, placing a hand on Takara's arm and glaring at Jestermon.

Matty turned to face them all and frowned. "Jestermon's obviously the one in charge. He's just letting Zombiemon do all of his dirty work. Crystalmon was the same way. These evil digimon's egos are so big that they think they can defeat us without any help. Jestermon has probably convinced himself that Zombiemon can get rid of us easily, and all he has to do is sit back and watch."

"That mistake is going to cost them any chance they have of getting a victory over us," Dai replied, his deep brown eyes sparkling with determination. "It looks like we Digidestined have one advantage over the Powers of Darkness. It's a little thing called teamwork which the bad guys will never understand!"

"Did you really think that that was going to stop me?" Zombiemon snorted, getting to his feet.

"No, but this will!" Halomon shouted. "Halo Noose!"

A long glowing orange rope shot out of Halomon's gun and wrapped itself around Zombiemon's neck.

The virus digimon let out a snarl and tried to pull it off, but Halomon held on tightly.

"Alright, guys! Hit him with everything that you've got!"

"Now you're talking! Dragon Fire Spin!" Dragermon shouted, diving low and spewing fire all over Zombiemon's body.

"Celestial Sun Ray!" Celestimon called out, aiming his attack at Zombiemon's chest.

Zombiemon managed to avoid it this time and yanked hard on Halomon's rope. It snapped in half, and Zombiemon started running away in the other direction, out of the line of fire.

"You're not going to get away that easily!" Celestimon shouted, lifting his face towards the sky and folding his hands together. "Spirit Mist!"

Mickey gasped as Celestimon's body started to glow. There was a flash of golden light and thick white mist started to swirl out of Celestimon's body heading straight for Zombiemon.

Zombiemon disappeared in the fog and let out a cry of outrage. "I can't see! What is this stuff?"

"Hurry, guys! Attack!" Celestimon shouted, shooting out of the sky with Halomon right behind him.

"Halo Rings!"

"Dragon Fire Spin!"

"Gatling Attack!"

Zombiemon had stopped running because he could not see where he was going as a result of the fog. All of the attacks hit him and created a huge explosion.

"We did it!" Dai cheered.

"Don't celebrate too soon," Ryoko gasped, pointing a finger at Zombiemon. "Look!"

Zombiemon was still standing. He glared up at their digimon and smiled.

"Oh my. It looks like your digimon are in big trouble," Jestermon giggled. "Now would be a good time to surrender."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"You might want to plug your noses," Zombiemon smirked, pulling back his cloak and revealing a hidden weapon attached to his chest. "Toxic Flesh Cannon!"

Takara screamed and Mickey clapped a hand over his mouth in horror.

A huge blast of what looked like rotting flesh shot out of the weapon and exploded into all of their digimon.

Dragermon, Halomon, and Celestimon all fell from the sky and landed motionless on the ground.

Mickey gagged and held his breath.

"What is that horrible smell?" Takara gasped, her face turning green.

Sam doubled over and started to empty his stomache.

"Zombiemon's blast!" Dai gasped, pinching his nostrils together. "It was chunks of decomposing flesh!"

"Gross!" Matty moaned, putting a hand over his mouth.

"Dragermon! You and the others have to get up!" Andromon shouted, moving towards their unconscious digimon.

Jestermon, who had been waiting for an opportunity to present itself, finally chose that moment to attack.

The mega digimon had waited just long enough for Andromon to become distracted before making his move.

"Shadow Spheres!" Jestermon shouted, leaping off the top of the building.

Mickey turned just in time to see several dark balls speeding towards him before he blacked out.


	24. Heavenly Hero

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry if you think my chapters are too short, but it's a lot easier for me to update that way just because I'm so busy. Don't worry, just because they're not long doesn't mean it's going to cut down on the story's length. It'll just mean more chapters! The next few are probably going to be in either Matty's or Mickey's POV. Refer back to my author notes in chapter nine about the twins. That's all I'm going to say on that subject. Oh, an interesting note. I have actually created a female form of Celestimon. (before I wrote the story) named Celestamon. Her champion form is also a female version of Celestimon's champion form.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 24: Heavenly Hero

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Mickey slowly opened his eyes, and he let out a cry of fear when he spotted Jestermon kneeling next to him.

He scrambled into a sitting position and was about to get to his feet when he realized that he was on the roof of one of the buildings. After Jestermon's attack had knocked him out, the mega digimon must have brought him up there.

"I've decided to take a different approach than Vampiramon when it comes to stealing the D-Coders," Jestermon smirked. "Instead of trying to get them all at once, I've decided to steal them one at a time. It might take a little longer, but this way there's less of a chance that I'll fail."

Jestermon moved closer to him, and he shrank back, his heart pounding with terror.

"First, I'll steal your D-Coder, and then unfortunately I'll probably have to kill you," Jestermon said, patting his shoulder. The digimon shook his head with regret, and Mickey let out a whimper of fear. "There's less of a chance that you'll get in the way once I get you out of the picture. I can't have you interfering when I go to steal the rest of the D-Coders."

"What ever happened to being a supporter of fair play?" he cried, trying to squirm out of the mega digimon's grip.

"I am," Jestermon cackled. "You have forgotten one of the most important rules of battle. Never take your eyes off of the enemy even for a second. If you don't focus on all your opponents then you will lose the fight. Now, are you ready to hand over your D-Coder?"

"Mickey!"

Mickey turned at the sound of his brother's frightened scream and spotted his friends standing on the ground below him.They were waving their hands in the air, and they were jumping up and down in panic.

Andromon was doing his best to keep Zombiemon from attacking Dai and the others while the rest of the digimon still remained unconscious on the ground.

"If you get yourself killed, I'll never forgive you!" Matty shouted and promptly burst into tears.

"Matty," he whispered, hugging himself and giving his twin a sad smile.

Ryoko hugged Matty tightly, and Mickey watched his cousin glare up at Jestermon. Ryoko's sapphire eyes were sparkling with anger and fear. "Leave Mickey alone! He never did anything to you!"

"Let our cousin go, right now!" Takara shrieked.

Mickey let out a gasp as Jestermon suddenly shoved him. He was standing at the edge of the roof and the unexpected push nearly sent him over the edge. He managed to catch himself and ended up falling flat on his face.

Jestermon's foot came down between his shoulder blades, pinning him to the rooftop, and he let out a cry of pain.

"Mickey! Be careful!" Sam shouted, his dark blue eyes wide with horror.

Matty's eyes looked ready to pop out of his head with pure terror.

Mickey let out a soft sound of dismay as Matty's tear stained face suddenly turned away from him. His brother hid his face against Ryoko's shoulder, and Mickey could tell that Matty was unable to watch what was happening.

His heart filled with sudden sadness.

_I'm so sorry, Matty. I never meant to make you upset..._

He closed his eyes and hot tears began to slide slowly down his cheeks. He had never felt so defeated in his life.

_My mom and dad are going to be so sad, and what about Rina and the rest of my friends? Poor Matty. What will happen to him if I'm gone? He might not ever be happy again._

"Alright, you win," Dai suddenly shouted, getting Mickey's attention. "We'll hand over the D-Coders on one condition."

"Go on. I'm listening," Jestermon replied.

Mickey was able to lift his head just enough so that he could see Dai standing between Ryoko and Takara with a calm expression on his face. "You have to hand Mickey over to us in exchange, otherwise it's no deal."

Mickey bit his lip. Would Jestermon fall for that? After all, Dai and the others did not even know what the D-Coders were.

"Hurry, Digidestined!" Andromon shouted, kicking Zombiemon's legs out from under him. "I can't hold him back much longer!"

Ryoko and Dai exchanged worried looks. Surprisingly enough, the two of them were not arguing like they usually did. Mickey smiled. Apparently they had managed to come to an unspoken agreement that his life was more important than any D-Coder. He felt suddenly warm inside and touched by their concern.

"No thanks," Jestermon said cheerfully. "I have everything that I need right here. I do appreciate the offer though. I may be a fool, but I'm not as stupid as Vampiramon!"

Mickey cried out as Jestermon grabbed a fist full of his hair and pinned his cheek to the hard surface of the rooftop. The mega digimon yanked his Digivice free from his jeans and let out a cackle of triumph.

"Give that back!" he shouted, trying to kick Jestermon in the stomache.

The evil digimon leaped away from him, out of kicking range, and started to laugh.

"You are of no use to me anymore, now that I have this," Jestermon smirked. "Time for you to die! Oh look at that. Your brother is all upset. I wonder how he'll feel when he is forced to watch you fall to your death."

"Leave him alone!" Matty sobbed into Ryoko's shoulder.

"Matty," he murmured, trying to lift his head so that he could see his twin better.

He let out a cry of terror as Jestermon suddenly grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him to his feet.

"Mickey!"

He jerked his head up and almost sobbed with relief. Halomon, Celestimon, and Dragermon had regained consciousness, and they were all gazing up at him in horror.

"Help him!" Matty screamed.

"Trauma Sword!"

Mickey let out a sound of distress as Andromon was knocked to the ground by Zombiemon.

"Celestimon! Halomon! You guys get Mickey. I'll deal with Zombiemon," Dragermon said, leaping into the sky and heading straight for the zombie digimon. "Dragon Fire Spin!"

"I'm not falling for that one again!" Zombiemon snarled, diving out of the way and jumping to his feet again. "And I'm not going to let you save that pathetic human either! Toxic Flesh Cannon!"

Zombiemon turned and shot his attack straight at Halomon who was just about to flutter into the air. The little rookie let out a gasp before falling to the ground unconscious again.

"Halomon!" Mickey cried, his heart filling with terror for his digimon.

He did not have much time to worry, though, because Jestermon grabbed him by the back of his shirt and dangled him over the edge of the building.

"No, don't do it!" Takara screamed, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror.

Mickey's heart was pounding so fast that he was beginning to feel light-headed. He could see the ground below him, and he had to close his eyes against the sudden wave of dizziness that washed over him. He was beyond fear. The only thought running through his head was how Matty's and his friend's screams were going to be the last thing that he ever heard...

"Please," Matty whispered, collapsing on the ground and taking Ryoko with him. "Don't hurt my brother. I swear I'll give you anything that you want if you promise to leave him alone."

Jestermon gave Matty a nasty smile, and Mickey opened his eyes long enough to see the mega digimon turn to look in his direction. He swallowed hard.

"Have a nice trip!" Jestermon smirked, and the digimon let go of him.

"No!" Matty screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Mickey!" Celestimon cried at the same time.

Mickey cried out in terror as he fell, but just before he closed his eyes he saw his twin disappear in a blaze of golden light.

"I won't let you die, Mickey!" Celestimon shouted. "Celestimon digivolve to, Angelicmon!"

Screaming with fear, he just barely heard the words, but all of a sudden his momentum stopped. He felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him, and he realized that he was no longer falling.

Slowly he opened his eyes, and his mouth fell open in shock.

Instead of falling, he found himself staring up at the face of an angel.


	25. Where Angels Don't Fear to Tread

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Remember, if you start to lose track of the characters, I do have an FTFOD guide on my profile now. Be sure to check it out! I'll update it as I get further into the story with new stuff to add.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 25: Where Angels Don't Fear To Tread

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Are you alright, Mickey?" the angel asked.

"I am now," he replied with a smile.

The angel landed gracefully on the ground, and Mickey stared up at his rescuer in awe.

"You're an angel," he whispered. "Is this Heaven? Did I die?"

He felt a sudden stab of panic. _What if I did hit the ground after all?_

"No," the angel said with a laugh and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You are not dead yet, my friend. You won't be for many years to come. Halomon, myself, and the rest of your friends will make sure of that!"

Mickey smiled up at the angel and nodded. "Thank you," he said softly.

"Mickey!"

He turned around to see his friends racing towards him and screaming out his name. He barely had a chance to take a breath before they trampled him.

"Mickey! Do you know how scared I was? You could have died! Mom and Dad would have killed me if I had let anything happen to you! Why do you always have to make me worry so much? Oh, I hate you for this!" Matty moaned, hitting him in the chest and then hugging him tightly.

"You mean you were only worried about what Mom and Dad would do to you when you got back home?" he asked, pretending to look hurt.

"Shut up!" Matty laughed, giving him a shaky smile.

"Are you okay?" Dai asked, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking concerned.

"Yeah. Now I am," he said softly.

"We were so worried," Takara whispered, squeezing him tightly.

Both Ryoko and Sam put an arm around him and nodded.

They all turned to look at the angel who smiled at them.

"Celestimon, you digivolved," Matty whispered in awe.

"Of course I did," the angel digimon replied, resting his hand on top of his partner's golden head. "Your brother was in trouble, and I know how much you wanted to save him. I wanted to help him, too. That's why I digivolved. My name is now Angelicmon. I am a champion level vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Celestial Star, Litany Spear, and Zenith Point."

Mickey gaped at Angelicmon in shock. The angel digimon had long blond hair and bright green eyes. His skin was pure white, and his outfit was made up of different shades of yellow, white, and gold. He wore knee-length boots, gold gauntlets, and an Egyptian style skirt like Celestimon. His chest was partially covered by criss-crossing bands of armor, and he had two white feathery ears sticking out of the top of his head. He also wore golden bands around his upper arms, and his wings were made up of white and gold feathers.

"You're the best," Matty whispered, hugging Angelicmon tightly. "I can't believe that you're an angel. It just seems so weird. I never expected any digimon to take on this type of form."

"Digimon can be anything. That's what makes digivolution so interesting," Angelicmon replied, stroking Matty's hair and smiling down at him. "You humans make it even more interesting. After all, I am a reflection of you, Matty."

Matty's mouth fell open in astonishment, and Mickey smiled at his twin.

"But, I'm not like you at all..." Matty whispered, his voice trembling.

"Don't be too sure about that," Angelicmon replied, looking amused.

"See, Matty?" Mickey said, smiling softly at his twin. "I was right about you after all!"

"Be quiet before I throw my Digivice at you or something!" Matty muttered, blushing furiously.

Mickey suddenly froze, and his heart filled with sudden dread. _Speaking of Digivices, Jestermon still has mine!_

"Angelicmon!" he gasped, grabbing the angel digimon's arm.

"I know," Angelicmon murmured, turning to glare up at Jestermon.

Jestermon was staring down at them looking both angry and pleased at the same time.

"Allowing Celestimon to digivolve was a mistake," the jester digimon said calmly. "I know my master will be angry, but I'm sure he won't be for long once he sees what I have managed to get my hands on! Your little human friend survived, this time, but next time he won't be so lucky and neither will the rest of you!"

"Yeah, well your luck had just run out!" Matty snapped, his eyes blazing with fury.

Mickey stared at his brother in surprise as Matty turned to face Angelicmon.

"Andromon and Dragermon can deal with Zombiemon," Matty said to his partner. "You can deal with Jestermon!"

"My pleasure," Angelicmon replied, leaping into the air. "Celestial Star!"

A huge golden star shot out of Angelicmon's hands and headed straight for Jestermon. It sparkled in the sun, and it was followed by a brilliant beam of light that travelled after it in a wide arch.

Jestermon dodged out of the way with a yelp of surprise.

The blast missed, but by that time Angelicmon had reached the rooftop, and the angel kicked the virus digimon in the ribs.

"There's no way that I'm letting you take it back!" Jestermon snapped, stumbling backwards.

Angelicmon snapped his fingers and a long golden spear appeared in his hand. "We'll see about that," the angel said softly. "Litany Spear!"

Angelicmon plunged his spear straight into Jestermon's stomache.

Unfortunately the weapon only grazed Jestermon's side. Somehow the mega had managed to sidestep it, but the area where the spear had made contact began to burn. Smoke and golden sparks started to rise off of Jestermon's skin, and the virus digimon let out a cry of pain.

"Angelicmon!" Mickey shouted, clenching his hands into fists. _Who knows what might happen if Jestermon gets away with stealing my Digivice! I have to get it back or we could all be in big trouble!_

"You fool!" Jestermon shrieked, grabbing onto his side and falling to his knees. "I will destroy you for this!"

"Fool? You're one to talk!" Angelicmon snorted.

Mickey let out a gasp as his Digivice fell out of Jestermon's hand and hit the rooftop with a loud clatter. "Hurry, Angelicmon! Now's your chance!"

Jestermon let out a snarl of rage and reached for the Digivice, but Angelicmon was quicker.

"Celestial Star!" the angel digimon shouted.

Jestermon was blasted off of his feet, and he fell over the side of the roof.

The virus digimon hit the ground with a loud bang, and Mickey looked up just in time to see Angelicmon grab his Digivice.

"Now that's what I call justice!" Dai cheered.

Angelicmon landed on the ground in front of them, and Mickey quickly hurried over to the angel digimon with his friends right behind him.

"Here you go, Mickey," Angelicmon said softly, holding the Digivice out to him.

Mickey took it and gave Angelicmon a smile. "You're amazing, you know that?" he said softly.

Angelicmon merely smiled back at him and ruffled his hair.

"Look out!" Dragermon suddenly shouted, and Mickey turned just in time to see Zombiemon's sword connect with Andromon's stomache.

"You had better go help them out," Matty said, tugging on one of Angelicmon's wings to get his attention.

"But-"

"Don't worry, we'll stay clear of Jestermon," Matty interrupted, and gave his partner a reassuring smile.

Angelicmon did not look convinced, but the angel finally nodded and flew up into the air again.

"Mickey," a small voice suddenly whispered, catching their attention.

Mickey turned and spotted Halomon slowly getting to his feet.

"Halomon! Are you alright?" he cried, hurrying towards his partner.

Halomon caught sight of him and let out a gasp of relief.

"Mickey!" his partner whispered tearfully, flying into his arms. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you."

"Don't worry about it," he murmured, hugging Halomon tightly and hiding his face in his digimon's fluffy ears. "I know you would have if it hadn't been for Zombiemon. You did everything that you could."

"I'm glad that you're safe," Halomon murmured into his chest.

Mickey smiled fondly at his digimon and gently stroked the little rookie's wings. He had been very afraid that Halomon might have been hurt badly by Zombiemon, but his digimon appeared to be okay and that was enough to make him sigh with relief.

"I am, thanks to Celestimon," he murmured. "And I'm glad that you're safe, too."

Halomon turned to look at Angelicmon, who had just hit Zombiemon over the head with his spear, and the little rookie's eyes widened in astonishment.

"You'd better go help them out," Mickey laughed, giving his partner a squeeze. The look on Halomon's face made him smile in amusement.

Halomon nodded wordlessly and flew off to join the battle, but Mickey could not help noticing that his partner seemed unable to look away from Angelicmon.

"It's now four against one, Zombiemon!" Dragermon shouted, glaring down at the evil digimon. "I think that you had better give up now while you still have the chance!"

"Never!" Zombiemon snapped. "I'm not leaving until all of you are destroyed!"

"Well, you can't say that we didn't warn you!" Halomon shot back, landing on top of Dragermon's head. "Halo Rings!"

Zombiemon ducked under the blast and was met by Andromon on the ground.

"Lightning Blade!"

The attack sliced through Zombiemon's cloak, and the virus digimon lost his balance.

Dragermon dived down and caught Zombiemon in one of his huge claws.

"Now's your chance, Angelicmon!" Dai's partner shouted, lifting Zombiemon into the air.

"Celestial Star!"

The golden star hit Zombiemon right in the face and sent him tumbling back towards the ground.

"Gatling attack!" Andromon shouted, shooting his missiles up at Zombiemon and sending the virus digimon back into the air.

"Guys, this is a battle, not a tennis match!" Halomon laughed, leaping off of Dragermon's head and ramming himself into Zombiemon's chest.

"Don't just stand there, do something, you idiot!" Jestermon screamed.

Mickey turned to see the mega digimon getting to his feet.

"Hurry up, guys!" Dai shouted to their digimon, keeping one eye on the battle and one eye on Jestermon.

"It is time to send you back to the shadows!" Angelicmon shouted. "Litany Spear!"

The angel digimon threw his spear at Zombiemon with enough force to make it whistle through the air.

The virus digimon tried to leap out of the way, but the spear caught him by the cloak and pinned him to the ground.

"I'll help hold him! Halo Noose!" Halomon shouted, the glowing rope once again catching Zombiemon around the neck.

"It is time that this battle came to an end," Andromon said softly, advancing on Zombiemon. "Gatling Attack!"

The attack hit Zombiemon in the back of the head, and the virus digimon fell over onto his stomache.

"Your human partners will pay for this!" Zombiemon screamed, trying to wriggle free of Halomon's and Angelicmon's attacks.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Dragermon snapped. "Ring of Fire!"

Zombiemon's body was suddenly surrounded by fire and there was a huge explosion.

Angelicmon gazed down at the virus digimon from where he hovered in the air, and the angel digimon slowly shook his head.

"May you someday find you way back to the light, Zombiemon," Angelicmon said softly.

The angel digimon raised one arm into the air and pointed his finger towards the sky.

"Until then, you must answer for the crimes that you have committed against innocent digimon. Zenith Point!"

A golden ray of light shot out of Angelicmon's finger and flew straight into the sky above him.

That one glowing beam suddenly exploded into seven blinding rays which lit up the ground below. Each one arched out of the sky and slammed into Zombiemon with enough force to knock the virus digimon flat onto his back.

Zombiemon screamed and disappeared in an explosion of golden light.

When the blaze finally died away, Zombiemon was nowhere to be seen.


	26. The Mystery of the Digivices

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Ryoko's partner will be next!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 26: The Mystery Of The Digivices

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Wait to go, Angelicmon!" Dai shouted, smiling up at the angel digimon.

"Did you see that last attack? It was so beautiful," Takara sighed, hugging herself and gazing up at the sky.

"Have you guys forgotten about Jestermon already?" Matty snapped, getting their attention. "Zombiemon might be gone now, but that evil mega is still hanging around!"

"Matty's right," Angelicmon said seriously, soaring out of the sky and landing gracefully next to him. "We have to be careful."

"No need," Halomon replied, sounding disappointed. "Jestermon's gone. Look."

Matty glanced at the spot where he had last seen Jestermon, and he realized that Halomon was right. "Coward," he muttered. The mega digimon must have realized that there was no way that Zombiemon was going to win the fight. Since they had been distracted by the battle, Jestermon had had the perfect opportunity to slip away without being noticed.

Matty glared at the building in front of him and sighed. He had been looking forward to turning Jestermon into a pile of data after what that digimon had tried to do to his twin.

"Matty, are you okay?" Sam asked softly, putting a hand on his arm.

"No, I'm not okay!" he shouted. "How could we have let Jestermon get away like that?"

Everybody stared at him, and Matty turned away from them.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Dai asked from somewhere behind him. "One Ishida in the group is enough, thank you very much!"

"Yeah, well one of you is too much!" Ryoko shot back, stomping hard on Dai's foot.

Dai let out a yelp and pushed Ryoko to the ground.

Ryoko managed to grab onto Dai's shirt, and the blond took the goggle headed leader down with him.

"You're such a jerk!" Dai shouted, trying to punch Ryoko in the face.

"Yeah, and what does that make you?" Ryoko snapped back, grabbing Dai's wrist to stop the blow from hitting him and shoving the other boy backwards.

Matty had turned just in time to see the fight, and he felt his anger boil over. "What in the Digiworld is wrong with you two?" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "You guys used to share a crib together! When you were little, and your parents went to visit each other, your moms would put you down for a nap in the same playpen or crib. You didn't seem to have a problem with each other then! When are you two finally going to learn how to grow up?"

Ryoko stared silently at him, and Dai's mouth fell open.

"What's wrong, Matty?" Ryoko finally asked.

"Nothing," he mumbled.

"Matty, you're not usually in the habit of yelling at people," Sam said softly, his deep blue eyes filled with concern.

"I guess I'm just scared," he whispered, turning away from them again and staring up at the angel statue. "First Ryoko almost got killed and now Mickey. I don't want to lose anyone. I guess I never realized how dangerous this world could be, until now. When I saw Mickey hanging over the edge of that building, it really opened my eyes. This isn't a game. Someone could really get hurt. The fact that I'm fully aware of it now changes everything..."

"You're right," Dai said quietly, coming up beside him. "I know it's scary, but we all made a commitment to save this world, and we can't go back on our word now. The digimon that live here are counting on us."

"But what if someone really does get hurt?" he whispered, avoiding his friend's eyes.

"We'll all protect each other," Takara said softly, giving him a warm hug. "That's what friends and family are for."

Ryoko and Dai looked at each other and quickly looked away again.

"You also have us," Angelicmon added, taking him by the shoulders and smiling into his eyes. "Our job is to protect you humans, the Digidestined. You're our friends, and we will not let anything happen to you."

"I know," he whispered, wrapping his arms around his partner's waist and hugging the angel digimon tightly. "Thank you for saving Mickey. I can't even tell you how much that means to me."

"You don't have to thank me, Matty," Angelicmon murmured. "I wanted to save your brother. If you, your twin, or any of your friends are in trouble, I will be there to make sure that you all stay safe."

"Me, too," Halomon said quietly.

Dragermon turned back to his rookie form and smiled at everyone. "You guys know that I'll never let you down."

"Matty?"

Matty slowly looked up at his twin, and quickly looked away again. "What?" he mumbled.

Mickey put a hand on his arm and smiled at him. "Our parents have always told us to do our best to look out for each other and for Rina, as well. Family and friends are important. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, our sister, or any of our friends either."

"And I'll do the same," he whispered, gazing into his twin's eyes which were filled with determination.

"I know," Mickey whispered back.

"I can't even tell you how frightened I was to see you so close to losing your life," he said quietly, his eyes filling with sudden tears.

_Life just wouldn't be the same without Mickey. I would be losing my brother and my best friend. Without Mickey in my life, I'd always feel as if there was something missing..._

"You don't have to tell me," Mickey said softly. "I would have felt the same way if it had been you."

"Mickey..." Matty bit his lip and avoided his twin's eyes again.

"It's okay," Mickey whispered. "I know."

"Thanks," he whispered back, giving his brother a brief hug.

"Cheer up, Matty," Halomon said, leaping into his arms and cuddling against his chest. "Angelicmon saved Mickey. You should be happy."

"Right. Sorry about that!" he laughed, tickling Halomon's ears and smiling fondly at his twin's digimon.

Halomon beamed back at him, and Matty was surprised at how much better he felt.

"Halomon has a point," Angelicmon said, giving one of the little rookie's ears a gentle tug.

Halomon twisted around to gaze at Angelicmon with awe and excitement. "I can't wait to digivolve," the smaller digimon said softly. "I hope I get to be just like you."

"You'll digivolve soon enough," Angelicmon laughed. "When you do, I know you'll have a great champion form."

"Thanks!" Halomon said happily.

"I wonder if I'll ever get used to having you for a partner," Matty murmured, glancing shyly at Angelicmon and reaching out to stroke one of his partner's wings.

Angelicmon held him close and gently placed a hand on the back of his head. "You will," the angel whispered.

"Hey, Matty? I'm really sorry that Jestermon got away. Angelicmon's last attack distracted me. I only looked away for maybe a minute, but I guess that was enough," Dai said quietly, holding out a hand to Ryoko and pulling the blond to his feet.

Matty had to smile. That was one of the best things about his goggle headed friend. Dai was always taking responsibility for things even when he did not have to.

"It's not your fault, Dai," he said, putting a hand on his friend's arm. "The rest of us could have done a better job of watching Jestermon, too."

"Oh, Dai," Takara said softly, reaching out to give the goggle headed leader a rather shy hug. "You always feel like you have to protect everyone."

Dai turned bright red and shrugged.

"I wouldn't say everyone," Ryoko mumbled, his blue eyes growing cloudy.

"Hey, I would protect you, too!" Dai shouted, looking offended. "In fact, I already have! Embermon digivolved because of you, didn't he?"

Ryoko's sapphire gaze sparkled with sudden emotion, and the blond's face turned a milky white.

Dai finally seemed to realize what he had said because the goggle headed leader clapped a hand over his mouth in horror.

Ryoko did not reply, but Matty saw a small smile slip across his cousin's face before disappearing again.

"Look, guys. I think that we should be focusing on what we're going to do next," Sam said, waving a hand in the air to get their attention.

"I agree," Andromon said seriously. "First this Vampiramon Jestermon mentioned, and now Jestermon himself. There must be a group of them working for this master that Jestermon spoke of. It's becoming more and more important that you find the rest of your digimon partners."

"So that means we have to go to Server and Text," Sam replied, frowning slightly. "You didn't get a chance to answer my question earlier. How exactly do we get to these places?"

"The same way you arrived here on File Island. The gates will take you anywhere you want to go. You just have to trust them."

"Hey, Andromon? Do you know what a D-Coder is?" Dai asked.

Andromon shook his head. "I'm afraid that you will have to discover that on your own."

"Either that or we have to find Gennai real quick!" Embermon muttered.

"Did you know that Gennai was captured by Vampiramon and the others?" Sam asked Andromon. "Leomon has gone to look for him."

"Now I do," Andromon sighed.

"There's no need for Gennai. I think I already know what they are," Mickey said quietly, startling everyone.

Matty turned to stare at his twin in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure that the D-Coders are actually our Digivices," Mickey replied, his face turning serious.

Matty's mouth fell open in shock. "You're kidding!"

Mickey slowly shook his head. "While we were battling Zombiemon, Jestermon couldn't keep his eyes off of our Digivices. Then, when he captured me, he stole my Digivice, and he basically announced that he had gotten what he came for. He kept going on about how happy his master was going to be. I'm sure of it, guys. Our Digivices are the D-Coders."

"D-Coder Digivices," Sam said thoughtfully, scratching his head. "I wonder why they are so important. They must do something special. Why else would a bunch of evil digimon want them so badly?"

"Good point," Ryoko replied, nodding in agreement. "Vampiramon and her buddies aren't trying to steal our D-Coders to stop us from digivolving. They must know that if we're really in trouble we can digivolve without them, although it would be much more difficult. There must be something else..."

"Well, we are just going to have to find out what that something is before the bad guys do manage to steal the D-Coders from us," Dai said.

"The name must be important, too," Takara muttered. "D-Coders. I'll have to think about that one for a while."

"In the meantime, I guess we should get going before our parents start to worry," Mickey said.

Matty nodded in agreement and turned to smile at his digimon who had turned back into Celestimon.

"Of course, your parents," Andromon said softly. "A human girl once saved me here in this city many years ago. It holds many memories for me. She freed me from the Digimon Emperor's control, and for that I will always be grateful to her."

"Who or what is the Digimon Emperor?" Sam asked curiously.

Andromon smiled sadly and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "One day you will find out, Sam Ichijouji. When you do, I hope that you will be able to understand why he did what he did. It is a sad story, and I hope that you will not take it too much to heart. It does not change who you are, my friend. In fact, if it hadn't happened, you would not even be here. Remember that when you are forced to hear things that you do not want to hear. Sometimes life can be very cruel, but I know that you'll have the strength to overcome any obstacles that stand in your way."

Sam stared silently at Andromon, looking confused. The raven haired Digidestined did not appear to know what Andromon was talking about, but he seemed uneasy as if he had just received a warning of some kind.

Matty felt the same way. Andromon's tone had definitely been a warning about bad things that were still to come.

"Let me guess, you're not going to tell us about that human girl who saved you," Mickey said with a smile.

Andromon shook his head, and Matty groaned.

"That's what I thought!" Mickey laughed. "Come on, guys. We had better head for the gate."

"Find your digimon partners as soon as possible," Andromon reminded them. "They are strong, and they will be able to protect you from digimon like Jestermon. That is why I focused mainly on protecting you humans. Your digimon stood a better chance of defeating Zombiemon than I did. Unfortunately I did not do a very good job of keeping you all safe."

"Don't blame yourself for what happened," Mickey said softly. "You did what you could. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome and good luck, Digidestined," Andromon replied. "As for me, I'm going to go join up with Leomon."

"Thanks. Hey, Embermon? Do you think you have enough energy to digivolve again?" Dai asked.

"I think so. Here it goes! Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

They all got onto Dragermon's back and flew off towards the gate.


	27. Everything is Not Enough

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

A/N: Taysuke, his friends, and their parents will have bigger roles once the Digidestined find all of their partners.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 27: Everything Is Not Enough

_Jestermon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Jestermon met up with his fellow mega digimon in a small grove and frowned at them.

"Well, well," Vampiramon smirked, seating herself on a large rock. "Look who's the failure now!"

Jestermon glared angrily at her and felt his blood boil. _I was so close to getting my hands on a D-Coder Digivice! How dare she mock me! It's more than Crystalmon ever managed!_

"At least I got further than you did!" he snapped back.

Vampiramon's jade green eyes narrowed into an angry frown. "That idiot Crystalmon was the one who made Embermon digivolve. It had nothing to do with me. You, on the other hand, let Celestimon digivolve all on your own! You can't blame that little mistake on Zombiemon!"

"Embermon was still your fault!" he snarled. "You were the one who sent Crystalmon after the Digidestined in the first place!"

"It doesn't matter. When the boss finds out about Angelicmon, he's going to forget all about me!"

"Really?" he smirked. "What did the boss have to say to you when you told him about Embermon?"

Vampiramon winced. "That's none of your business," she muttered, tossing back her long red hair.

"The boss is going to be so mad at you, Jestermon!" Spritemon giggled, fluttering her small wings and hopping up and down.

"That's for sure," BlackWidowmon snorted. "I'm glad I'm not you, Jestermon!"

He sat down on the grass next to the female spider digimon and made a face at her. BlackWidowmon had long raven hair, and she was currently examining the eight legs sticking out of her back.

"So what's next?" Spritemon asked, fluttering up into one of the trees and sitting down on one of it's branches. "Obviously Vampiramon and Jestermon can't handle the job our master has given to us!"

"At least we're doing something!" Vampiramon shouted, baring her fangs at Spritemon. "While we've been doing all the dirty work, the rest of you have been sitting around doing nothing!"

"Fine!" BlackWidowmon snapped back, getting to her feet. "I'll get the D-Coders, and I'm going to show you all how to do it right!"

"You wish," Jestermon smirked. _BlackWidowmon is useless when it comes to battling. Even Vampiramon can do a better job than she can!_

"Be our guest," the other male digimon said with a bow. "Just don't let another digivolution take place."

"What do you think I am, stupid?" BlackWidowmon shot back.

"Don't answer that!" Spritemon muttered.

The male digimon shrugged and turned to gaze up at the clouds.

"You may think that you're far superior compared to us, DarkAngelicmon, but sooner or later you're going to crash and burn, too!" Vampiramon snapped at the male digimon.

"If that is what you believe," DarkAngelicmon replied, a small smile playing across his face.

Jestermon turned to his fellow male digimon, who was leaning against a tree, and grinned. "Hey, angel boy. Now that Celestimon has digivolved, it looks like you've got yourself a new friend!"

"Please, I hardly qualify as an angel," DarkAngelicmon replied, looking amused.

"Enough chatting," Vampiramon snapped, leaping to her feet in a whirl of dark skirts. "It's time for Jestermon to explain to the boss why he failed so miserably!"

Jestermon flinched and gave her a dark look. "Hey, angel boy. I think that you and I need to find ourselves some new allies," he muttered, elbowing the fallen angel in the ribs. "These ladies are giving me a headache."

DarkAngelicmon smiled, his green eyes sparkling with laughter. "Yes, but they are very entertaining, are they not?"

"If you say so," he snorted. "I wouldn't know. The fool has a different idea of what is entertaining."

"I'm sure you do," DarkAngelicmon replied, leaping into the air and hovering above them. "Oh, and if I were you, I'd watch out for Halomon, too. That little rookie's champion form is an angel as well."

_Just my luck. _

Jestermon let out a sound of disgust as DarkAngelicmon soared away leaving a storm of falling black feathers behind him.

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Sam and his friends fell out of the gate onto the computer room floor, and he let out a groan.

"Ouch! Daichi, will you get off? You're crushing me!" Ryoko shouted.

"Sorry," Dai smirked, but the goggle headed leader took rather longer than necessary to climb off of the blond.

"Look!" Matty gasped. "Celestimon and Halomon have reverted back to their in-training forms, just like Embermon!"

Sam turned to see Mickey and Matty crouching over their small partners.

"Who are you now?" Matty asked his digimon.

"My name is Goldmon," the digimon who used to be Celestimon replied. Goldmon was a large head with fluffy ears. His eyes were bright green, and his skin was a brilliant gold.

"What about you?" Mickey asked, turning to his own partner.

"I'm Palelymon," the little digimon who used to be Halomon said happily. Palelymon was a white head with fluffy ears and sky blue eyes.

"This is great!" DemiEmbermon cheered, hopping up and down on Dai's shoulder. "Now I have some friends to play with! I didn't like being in this room by myself all day. It was starting to get really boring."

"It was one day!" Dai grumbled.

"You won't be bored anymore!" Goldmon laughed, leaping into Matty's arms. "Human world, here I come!"

Mickey and Matty exchanged a look, and they both sighed.

"How are we going to keep Rina from finding out about them?" Mickey asked.

"We won't!" Matty groaned.

Sam laughed and put an arm around Mickey. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry. If we don't get home soon, we're all going to miss dinner."

"Hurry, Dai! What are you waiting for? Lets go!" DemiEmbermon gasped, nudging the goggle headed leader's cheek.

Dai rolled his eyes and grinned.

"Are you kidding? There's no way I want to be late. Skipping out on my dad's cooking is nothing short of a crime!" Ryoko laughed.

"I second that!" Matty cheered. "I love Uncle Matt's cooking! Hey, Ryoko? Can Mickey and I come over and have dinner at your house?"

"Sure," Ryoko said with a smile.

"What's wrong with your own dad's cooking?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or your mom's for that matter."

"Nothing," Matty shrugged. "My parents are good cooks, but nobody stands a chance against Uncle Matt!"

"We'll see you guys later then," Takara said, motioning for Dai to follow her. "Are you coming, Sam?"

"No. I'm going to stop off at the convenience store first before going home. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Alright. Bye, Sam," Dai replied, following Takara out the door.

"Come on, Matty. We'd better let Mom and Dad know where we are," Mickey said, pulling Matty and Ryoko out of the room.

Sam was the last to leave and the door closed softly behind him. No matter how hard he tried, he could not stop thinking about what Andromon had said to him. _What exactly was Andromon trying to tell me, and why do I have a feeling that I don't want to know?_

He glanced at the shadows that lurked in the corners of the hallway and shivered. Quickly he started off down the corridor and headed for the school entrance.

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Takara headed slowly down the street with Daichi and let out a small sigh.

It was a beautiful romantic evening, and she had finally gotten a chance to be alone with her secret crush. Unfortunately Dai was probably too busy thinking about soccer and murdering Ryoko to even notice that she was there.

She glanced at him out of the corners of her eyes, and she could not help smiling.

Dai was walking with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and a small frown on his face.

The sun was starting to set, and it's golden glow made the red highlights in Dai's short spiky hair stand out twice as much as they normally did. His dark red long sleeved shirt and the natural auburn streaks in his hair made his eyes shine a deep burgundy colour. With his dark tan, from many hours on the soccer field, and a few small freckles on his nose, there was no way that anyone could deny the fact that he was definitely attractive.

_No guy can stand a chance against Ryoko when it comes to being handsome, and Sam certainly isn't lacking in the looks department either, but Dai's the only guy who has ever made me feel as if my heart's going to explode out of my chest from beating so fast._

She had liked a few other guys before Dai, but for some reason it seemed different with the goggle headed leader. She knew that she was still young, but someday she hoped that they could move beyond friendship. _That is, if Dai would ever wake up and realize that I'm actually a girl and not just one of the guys!_

The best part about it was the fact that her parents already approved of Dai. They would never question her choice because they loved Dai as if he were a part of the family already. She knew that they would not mind if Dai was to become something more than a friend.

There were so many things about him that she loved. He was smart, funny, resourceful, adventurous, easygoing, friendly, and a very talented soccer player. How could any girl not fall head over heels in love with him?

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" she asked softly, putting a hand on his arm to get his attention.

Dai turned to look at her and shrugged. "It's not important," he said quietly.

Dai was the same height as Ryoko, and both boys were only an inch taller than her so she was able to look the goggle headed leader directly in the eyes. That was not always going to be the case, though. In a few more years, both Ryoko and Dai would end up being several inches taller. Sam was the same height as her, and her twin cousins were an inch taller than Ryoko and Dai. Mickey was actually a quarter of an inch taller than Matty, but it was not enough of a difference to be really noticeable.

"You're thinking about Ryoko, aren't you?"

"How am I suppose to fix things if I don't even know what's wrong?" Dai murmured.

"I'm not sure," she said sadly. "Only you and Ryoko can answer that question."

"Yeah right, you know what Ryoko's like. He doesn't give away anything."

"It's too bad," she said softly, staring hard at Dai's face. "I always thought that you and Ryoko would make great best friends."

Dai's face turned pale, and the goggle headed leader avoided her eyes. "That's stupid. Why would I want to be best friends with a guy who looks ten times better than I do? Do you know how hard it would be to get girls to notice me with him always hanging around?"

"Ryoko looks better than ninety-five percent of the population on earth!" she laughed. "I wouldn't let that stop you from being friends with him."

_Don't worry, Dai. I'm one girl who has definitely noticed you with or without Ryoko hanging around!_

Despite her laughter, she could not help feeling a sudden pain in her heart at the mention of other girls. _I wonder if Dai has a crush on a girl that I don't know about? Maybe someone from school?_

"It isn't stopping me from being friends with him. I don't care what he looks like," Dai mumbled. "Actually that has nothing to do with it. It's just...nevermind."

"Dai? Can I ask you something?"

She put a hand on his arm to stop him, and they turned to face each other.

"Sure," he replied, giving her a warm smile.

"How come you don't have a best friend?" she asked quietly, gazing into his eyes.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Dai asked, giving her a curious look.

"You have tons of friends, Dai," she said softly. "But there's something missing. I bet you could have ten best friends if you really wanted them."

Dai raised an eyebrow. "What's your point?"

"If that many people want to be best friends with you, then why haven't you picked someone to fill the position?"

"Come on, Kara. A guy can't choose just anyone to be his best friend," Dai mumbled. "It has to be someone special."

"You're right," she said with a small smile.

"Besides, I don't need one. I've got you and the other Digidestined. You guys are my best friends and my second family. What more could I ask for without sounding selfish?" Dai added with a laugh. His tone was light, but Takara had not failed to notice that the smile never reached his eyes.

_You can't fool me, Dai. Embermon digivolved because of Ryoko for a reason. You don't hate Ryoko as much as you say you do. In fact, I don't think that you hate him at all! Quite the opposite actually. You need a best friend, Dai, and not just any best friend. The only person in the world who's ever going to meet your standards is a certain blond haired Digidestined named Ryoko Ishida!_

Dai was obviously waiting for the right person to be his best friend. There was only one problem. Dai kept pushing that one person away instead of bringing him closer.

Dai and Ryoko were meant to be best friends. There was just something about them...

_Now if only I knew the reason why Ryoko hates Dai so much. It's obvious that Dai doesn't really hate Ryoko so why is he so mean all of the time? _

She just did not understand. _Why is Dai so afraid to tell Ryoko how he really feels? _

There was no use telling Ryoko herself. The blond would never believe her.

_Ryoko will never take me seriously unless he hears the words straight from Dai's mouth. I doubt that's ever going to happen._

She did not really want to tell Ryoko anyway. That was something Dai had to do for himself. There was no way of knowing how Ryoko would react to such shocking news, and she did not think that she wanted to find out.

A sudden thought occurred to her, and she let out a loud gasp. _Wait a minute! If Dai doesn't really hate Ryoko, then does that mean that Ryoko doesn't really hate Dai?_

"What's wrong, Kara?" Dai asked, putting a hand on her arm.

She could feel the warmth of his fingers soaking into her skin, and she shivered.

"Nothing," she said quietly, her heart pounding with sudden excitement. "Nothing at all."

Dai stared at her for a moment and smiled slightly. "You're really weird sometimes, you know that?"

"Yeah, well so are you!" she replied with a laugh.

"Um...Kara? You won't repeat any of this to Ryoko, will you?" Dai asked, looking a little uncertain.

"Of course not," she murmured, giving him a warm hug. Dai had used Ryoko's first name, and she did not think that that had been an accident.

"Thanks," he mumbled into her shoulder.

The smooth skin of his cheek came to rest against the side of her face, and she could feel the strong rhythm of his heart beating almost in sync with her own. His hands were warm against her back, and she let out a soft sigh.

_I could definitely get used to this._

"Hurry up, Dai. Dinner won't wait forever," DemiEmbermon complained.

The little digimon was hidden away in Dai's backpack, and he was not very happy about it.

The sound of DemiEmbermon's voice was enough to break the spell, and she quickly pulled away from Dai.

"Lets go," she mumbled, blushing furiously.

"Alright, alright," Dai groaned, completely oblivious to everything that had happened.

Her heart filled with disappointment, and she frowned. _He acts like he doesn't feel a thing._

She glanced at him out of the corners of her eyes again and sighed. _Well, I do know one thing. Just you wait, Ryoko. I will find out how you really feel about Dai if it's the last thing I do!_


	28. Close Call

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Hey everyone! The kids will be back in the Digiworld the chapter after the next one.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 28: Close Call

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Make sure you guys keep Goldmon and Palelymon hidden," Ryoko whispered, glancing anxiously at the front door of his house.

Matty rolled his eyes and gave his cousin an exasperated look. "Relax. Uncle Matt and Aunt Mimi won't suspect a thing."

"We'll be really quiet, we promise," Palelymon whispered from Mickey's backpack.

"You'd better be," Ryoko muttered before opening the door. "Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

"Hello, sweetheart," Mimi said, walking into the room and giving Ryoko a smile. "Did you have a good day?"

"Yeah, it was definitely less chaotic than yesterday!" Ryoko laughed.

"Maybe for you," Mickey muttered, and Matty had to fight down an urge to smile.

"Well, I'm glad you let me know that you were going to be late this time," Mimi said softly, placing a hand on her son's shoulder.

Ryoko blushed bright red and avoided her eyes.

Matty made a face. _Could he be any more obvious? He's more likely to give us away than Goldmon and Palelymon put together!_

"Hi, Aunt Mimi," Mickey said, giving her a hug.

Mimi hugged Mickey back and kissed his cheek. "Hello, Mickey, and how are you, Matty?"

Matty shrugged. "I just came for the food," he said with a grin.

His aunt rolled her eyes and pulled him into a warm hug.

"Where's Dad?" Ryoko asked, glancing around the front foyer.

"He went out to get a few groceries. We were running low," Mimi explained. "He should be back any minute now."

At that moment, the front door opened, and Matt came into the house with several bags in one hand and his car keys in his other hand.

"Hi, Uncle Matt!" Matty said with a grin.

His uncle looked up in surprise and smiled at him. "Hi, Matty. Hello, Mickey. I didn't know that you two were coming over today."

"Ryoko phoned me to let me know. It's a good thing you bought some more food, otherwise I don't think that we would have had enough to feed three hungry boys!" Mimi said with a laugh.

"Matty would have ended up eating most of it!" Mickey said with a smile.

"Hey! You eat just as much as I do!" he shot back.

Their uncle let out a laugh and leaned over to kiss their aunt's cheek.

"I think Dai eats more than the two of you combined!" Ryoko snorted, taking the bags from his dad and heading towards the kitchen.

Matty exchanged a look with his twin and grinned. _I wonder if Dai knows that Ryoko always calls him by his nickname when he's not around. I bet he doesn't. There's no use telling him, though. He'd never believe a word of it._

"How are your parents doing?" their uncle asked, pulling them both into a warm hug.

"They're doing okay," Matty replied, giving his uncle a smile and turning to grin at his twin.

Mickey smiled back at him, and they both hugged their uncle tightly.

"What about you, Matty? Have you finally stopped getting into trouble?" their uncle asked, looking amused.

"Hey! It's been ages since I've gotten into trouble!" he replied, pretending to be offended.

"Actually, it was last week when Mrs. Hanari accused you of helping Dai throw water balloons all over the classroom!" Mickey laughed.

"Let her accuse me. She can't prove anything!" he shot back. The fact that he had helped Dai out with that little stunt was beside the point!

"I don't even want to know what your parents had to say about that!" their uncle sighed.

"They never found out!" he replied with a small smile.

Ryoko came back into the room and motioned them towards the stairs. "Are you guys coming? It'll be a while before supper's ready."

Ryoko had been rather quiet on the way home, and he seemed upset about something.

Matty looked at his twin, but Mickey just shrugged. Their uncle must have noticed Ryoko's behaviour, too, because he gave his son a look of concern.

"I'm fine," Ryoko said quietly, before his dad could even say anything. "Come on, guys."

Matty glanced once more at his aunt's and uncle's surprised faces before following Ryoko and his brother up the stairs.

"What was that all about?" Mickey asked, sitting down on the edge of of Ryoko's bed.

Ryoko sighed and sat down on the floor. "My mom and dad are really worried about me. I can tell."

"You think that they might suspect something?" Mickey asked.

"I know they suspect something," Ryoko muttered.

"Well it's no wonder they're suspicious. What is up with you, Ryoko? I thought you were going to give us all away the second you walked in the door!" Matty said, sitting down next to his twin and giving his cousin a dirty look.

"Can I come out now?" Goldmon whispered from inside of his backpack.

Matty sighed. "Alright, but you and Palelymon had better keep your voices down."

He let Goldmon out of his backpack, and the little digimon was quickly joined by Palelymon. His partner and Palelymon settled themselves on Ryoko's pillow and glanced curiously around the room.

Ryoko made a face at him and frowned. "I wasn't that bad."

"You're still thinking about what happened with Dai earlier," Mickey said softly.

Ryoko shrugged and avoided their eyes.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Matty asked, watching his cousin closely.

"Hate is a strong word," Ryoko said quietly, pulling on the end of one of his socks and staring at the carpet.

Matty rolled his eyes and sent his cousin an impatient look. "Okay, fine. Why do you dislike him so much? Dai's a great guy. I always have tons of fun playing soccer with him, and he always knows how to cheer me up when I'm in a bad mood. What more could you ask for?"

"I love spending time with Dai, too," Mickey said softly. "I might not be a big fan of soccer, but I still have tons of fun hanging out with him. He even comes with me to Noriko's book store sometimes."

Ryoko gave Mickey a look, and Mickey laughed. "No. His mom has never once forced him to come with me!"

"Funny. I can't imagine Dai being in a bookstore!" Ryoko laughed. "Even if his mother is the owner!"

"That's one of the best things about Dai," Mickey said, smiling softly. "He enjoys spending time with his friends even if it doesn't involve something that he really loves to do. I might not like playing soccer, but I do enjoy watching Dai play. That's why we have such a great friendship. We take part in each other's interests."

"Mickey, why don't you like playing soccer?" Matty asked, giving his twin an exasperated look. "You're hopeless sometimes, you know that?" He had tried tons of times to get Mickey on the soccer field. So far he had not yet succeeded.

"Matty, you know I'm terrible at sports!" Mickey replied, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, you are!" Matty grinned, giving his twin a shove. "Still. That's no reason not to join in. I bet you would have tons of fun if you only gave it a try."

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass," his twin muttered, sitting back down on the bed and giving him a disapproving look.

"Well, I tried!" he said with a laugh and patted his brother's shoulder. He had accidentally shoved Mickey off of the bed, and his twin was not to happy about that.

"Matty, how come you didn't join the soccer team?" Ryoko asked, his blue eyes filling with curiosity. "You're a really a good player."

"I have mom to thank for that," he replied. "I love soccer, but I'm not really that competitive about it. I like playing more for fun."

"I tried to get him to join," Mickey said with a smile. "He wouldn't listen to me."

Matty turned to his cousin and shrugged. "Dai tried to get me to join, too. He didn't have any more luck than Mickey. Maybe one day I'll join, but I definitely prefer playing without the pressure of having to win."

"Didn't your dad use to play basketball?" Ryoko asked.

"That's right," he replied. "Our dad was the captain of his high school team when he was younger. He loves the sport, but I've never really been a fan of it. Mickey definitely isn't."

"I guess we don't always inherit everything from our parents!" Ryoko laughed. "I'm a perfect example of that. My parents are amazing singers, but I'm only average. I can carry a tune, but I'll never be the lead singer of a band like my dad was."

"Ryoko, you attract enough female fans without being in a band!" Matty laughed. "In fact, a few days ago, I heard Dai's sister talking about you to Miya. She said that you were really handsome."

Ryoko blushed bright red and stared at the floor. "I don't know why everybody keeps saying things like that," their cousin mumbled. "I'm not that good-looking."

Matty stared at his twin in disbelief, and they both burst out laughing.

"That's another reason why so many girls like you!" Mickey said, nudging Ryoko's knee with his foot. "You're so modest!"

Ryoko's golden hair was cut pretty short, but it was still long enough to cover his ears, and he was constantly brushing it out of his eyes. That was not the only reason girls liked him. His cream coloured skin and deep blue eyes also had something to do with it.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Matty groaned, kicking his cousin in the leg.

"Get what?" Ryoko asked. The blond's cheeks were still pink from Mickey's last comment, and there was a frown on his handsome face.

Matty rolled his eyes and smiled. "Forget it." _I could sit here all day trying to explain what I'm talking about, and he still wouldn't get it!_

"Guys, we're getting off topic here," Mickey said softly. "We're suppose to be talking about Dai."

"What if I don't want to talk about him?" Ryoko muttered, fiddling with the sleeve of his blue shirt.

"You know what your problem is, Ryoko? You're too much like Mickey, and Dai's too much like me," he said softly, giving his cousin a warm smile. "You're complete opposites. It's no wonder you guys can't agree on anything."

"Matty's right," his twin said quietly. "You and Dai are as different as night and day. I know it's hard, but you can't let something like that stand in the way of your friendship. If Matty and I can get along, then there's no reason why you and Dai can't."

Ryoko sighed. "How do you guys manage to get along with each other so well? Don't you ever fight once in a while?"

"Of course we do! We're brothers, after all," Matty said with a laugh. "I'm the one who usually starts them, but we always manage to work things out. They usually don't last very long because I always end up feeling guilty. Lucky for me that Mickey's so forgiving."

"You know I can't stay mad at you," Mickey said softly.

"Same here," he replied, giving his twin a fond smile.

Ryoko glanced between the two of them and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Mickey asked, giving their cousin a concerned look.

"You guys are so lucky," Ryoko said softly. "I wish I had a brother."

There was a sudden knock on the door, and they all jumped.

"Our digimon!" Mickey gasped.

"Ryoko? Can I come in?" their uncle asked softly from the other side of the door.

"Just a minute!" Ryoko called back, his eyes filling with sudden panic.

"What's going on?" Palelymon asked, gazing curiously at the door.

"Be quiet, Palelymon!" Mickey whispered.

"Ryoko?" Matt said, beginning to sound a little concerned.

"Hide them!" Ryoko hissed, gesturing frantically at Goldmon and Palelymon.

Matty dived across the bed, nearly elbowing his twin in the face, and tackled the two digimon.

"Hey, careful!" Palelymon cried.

"Matty-"

Matty clapped a hand over Goldmon's mouth and shoved both digimon under the bed just as Ryoko opened the door.

"What's going on in here?" his uncle asked, coming into the room.

"Nothing," Ryoko said quietly.

Matt glanced at Ryoko and frowned. "Are you sure? I thought I heard a voice."

"There are three of us in here," Mickey said with a shaky smile.

"You know what I mean," their uncle replied, looking amused. "It didn't belong to any of you. It sounded kind of strange."

"Oh, that was just Matty trying to mimic Mrs. Hanari," Ryoko said quickly.

"Yeah," he added, trying to smile and failing miserably.

His uncle gazed at him for a moment and finally nodded. "I came up here to tell you that supper's ready."

"Okay, we'll be down in a minute," Ryoko replied, glancing anxiously at the bed.

Matt stared hard at Ryoko and frowned again. "Alright, but don't take too long or it's going to get cold."

"We won't," Ryoko said softly.

"Oh, and it isn't very nice to make fun of your teachers either!" Matt said with a laugh. "Even if they do deserve it!"

His uncle finally left the room, and Matty let out a sigh of relief.

"That was way too close!" Ryoko gasped, flopping back down onto the floor.

"No kidding!" Matty groaned.

"I don't think that Uncle Matt believed us," Mickey said quietly.

"Of course he didn't," Ryoko murmured. "I know that for a fact."

"Can we come out now?" Palelymon asked, peeking out from under the bed.

"Alright, but keep quiet!" Matty replied. "Otherwise you can forget about having some supper!"

The two digimon quickly fell silent and curled up on Ryoko's pillow again.

"I'm sure my dad suspects something," Ryoko said quietly. "We're going to have to be really careful from now on. The more digimon we have in the real world, the more chances we have of getting caught."

"You're right, Ryoko," Mickey replied. "Come on. Lets go before your dad gets even more suspicious."

Matty followed his twin and cousin out of the room, but not before making sure that the digimon stayed out of sight.


	29. Ema's Bright Idea

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Ryoko's partner is coming up soon!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 29: Ema's Bright Idea

_Taysuke 'Tay' Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Taysuke waited patiently on Taniko's doorstep and frowned. _Ema had better have a good excuse for making me get up early today!_

The door suddenly opened, and he found himself gazing at Taniko's father.

"Hi, Tay," Izzy said with a smile. "Kenzo and Ema are already here. You had better get in the living room before Ema throws a fit. I heard her muttering something about you being late."

_Why does that not surprise me?_

"Alright," he said with a sigh, brushing past Izzy and heading towards the living room.

"Where were you?" Ema shouted, the minute he walked into the room.

"I was at home sleeping!" he shot back, giving her a dirty look. "What did you want to talk to us about?"

Ema glanced at the door and turned to look at Taniko who was sitting beside her on the couch. "Your parents are still here so we had better keep our voices down."

Taniko raised an eyebrow. "Okay, now you've got my attention. What's this about?"

"My cousin," Ema muttered, glancing at the door again.

Taysuke stared at her with interest and sat down next to Kenzo on the floor. "Which one? Dai or Ami?"

"Dai, of course," Ema replied, rolling her eyes. "Actually, it's about your sister and the rest of Dai's friends, too."

Now he was really interested. _I wonder if this has something to do with Takara's and Ryoko's absence from my soccer game a couple of days ago._

"What about them?" he asked curiously. "Takara was still sleeping when I left the house about fifteen minutes ago."

"I bet your parents were surprised to see you up so early!" Taniko laughed. "You're not exactly a morning person, Tay!"

"Hey! Ema wasted ten minutes shouting at me over the phone this morning! Not to mention her call was the thing that woke me up in the first place! I've got plenty of reasons to be in a lousy mood, and I plan to take advantage of each and every one of them!"

Taniko gave him a look, and he grinned.

"My dad was so shocked to see me up so early that he almost fell down the stairs! It was actually pretty funny, now that I think about it."

"I was not shouting at you over the phone!" Ema shouted.

"Ema, you asked us to meet here for a reason," Kenzo interrupted, his dark eyes serious. "We don't have all day, you know."

"Fine," Ema grumbled. "Have you guys noticed that Dai and his friends have been acting a little strange lately?"

Taysuke nodded. "Kara and Ryoko never miss my soccer games. What do you think is going on?"

"I'm not sure, but I do intend to find out," Ema replied, narrowing her dark eyes. "I'm pretty sure that Dai skipped his soccer practice a couple of days ago. The only problem is that I can't prove it."

Kenzo frowned and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. "If what you're saying is true, then that would mean that Kara, Ryoko, Sam, and the twins weren't really watching Dai's practice."

"So basically Ryoko and Kara lied to Aunt Mimi, Uncle Matt, and my parents," Taysuke said flatly. _Where could they have been all that time? I thought they wanted to see my game!_

He stared at the floor, feeling hurt and confused. _It's bad enough that they lied to the adults, but why would they lie to me? I thought that Kara trusted me. She could have told me where she was. I would have kept her secret as long as it didn't put her in any danger. Doesn't she like watching my games anymore?_

"Why do you think that Dai skipped practice?" Kenzo asked, giving Ema a curious look.

"I was at Dai's house a couple of nights ago, the same day that he skipped practice, and he was acting really weird. I could tell that he was hiding something. I know that he could have been heading towards the locker rooms when we saw him that afternoon in the hallway, but it all just seems so suspicious."

"I wonder what they're up to?" Taniko muttered.

"There's only one way to know for sure," Ema said cheerfully. "From now on we are going to have to keep a close eye on them."

Taysuke nodded in agreement. _I had a feeling that Ryoko was hiding something earlier. Now I'm sure of it. He was acting really strange at my soccer game, and I want to know why._

"Don't worry, Ema. We'll find out what's going on," Taniko said, looking amused.

"Poor Dai," Kenzo muttered, and Taysuke laughed.

_Yeah, poor Dai. He's not going to know what hit him!_

"Would you guys all like some breakfast before you go?" Mina asked, coming into the room and giving them a warm smile.

Taysuke smiled back at Taniko's mother and nodded. "That would be great. Thanks!"

_I never even had a chance to eat at my own house, thanks to Ema. I'm definitely going to have to find a way to get her back for this!_

"Awesome! I'm so hungry! I haven't had a chance to eat anything yet," Ema said cheerfully.

_It's your own fault you haven't! _

He glared at her and let out a sigh.

"Well? What are you all waiting for?" Mina asked, her dark brown eyes sparkling with laughter. "Come on into the kitchen."

Taysuke followed Mina and his friends into the next room, and he sat down beside Izzy.

"How come you guys are up so early today? What's the special occasion?" Izzy asked, lowering the newspaper he was reading and giving them all a smile.

Ema smiled slightly and shrugged. "When I find out what Dai's up to, I'll let you know. I have a feeling that everyone's going to find out whether I say anything or not!"

Izzy glanced at Mina and frowned in confusion. "What's this about Dai?"

"Don't ask me! I don't have a clue what she's talking about!" Mina laughed, straightening her dress and sitting down next to her husband.

Taysuke gaped at Ema in shock.

"I thought that you didn't want your parents to know about Dai!" he whispered in her ear.

"They don't know," Ema whispered back, smiling slightly.

"But-"

"I was just having some fun. Honestly, Tay. Sometimes you worry too much, you know that?"

"What are you two whispering about?" Izzy asked. His hair was cut short, and he was currently dressed in slacks, a dress shirt, and a matching tie.

"I'm not sure. I'll have to get back to you on that one!" he replied, giving Ema a look and shaking his head. _Ryoko and Kara had better have a good explanation for skipping out on my game!_

Sooner or later, Ema was going to find out what Dai and the others were hiding. When she did find out, he intended to be right there with her to hear the answer.

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Dai! Get your dumb dog out of my room, right now!" Ami shouted.

Dai rolled over in his bed and slowly opened his eyes. "Will you shut up? I'm trying to sleep!" he groaned, hitting the wall that seperated their rooms with his fist.

A moment later, Ami entered the room and shook her hairbrush at him.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to let Shadow into my room? He's getting hair all over the floor!"

"Don't call my dog dumb!" he shouted back at her. He quickly shoved DemiEmbermon under the blankets, but luckily Ami did not seem to have noticed the little digimon.

"You call Shadow dumb all the time!" she shot back, giving him a dirty look.

"So? That doesn't mean that you can call him names! He's my dog which means I can call him whatever I want!"

Ami yanked the brush through her shoulder-length dark hair and glared at him. "I had better not catch Shadow in my room again or you're going to be in big trouble, understand?"

Dai glared back at her and crossed his arms. "Whatever, now give him back! You're scaring him with all of your yelling!"

Ami was holding Shadow under one arm, and the puppy looked a little sheepish. "Fine, but make sure he sleeps in your room from now on!"

Dai frowned. "He was in here last night."

"Well he must have snuck into my room when I was sleeping," Ami replied, placing Shadow in his arms. "I found him under the bed this morning."

Shadow cuddled against his chest, and he frowned at Ami who seemed to be waiting for something.

"What?" he asked, sounding grumpy. He hated it when people woke him up.

"Well? Aren't you going to discipline him?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "It's no wonder that that dog never listens to anyone!"

"Right. Bad dog!" he said, shaking his finger at Shadow. "You know very well that you're not suppose to be in Ami's room! There'll be no more extra treats for you until you learn to behave yourself!"

Shadow responded by licking his face.

Apparently his disciplining satisfied Ami because she smiled in satisfaction and left the room.

"Good dog," he murmured to Shadow, the second Ami had disappeared. "Next time sleep on her bed!"

"What's going on?" DemiEmbermon mumbled from underneath the blankets. The little digimon had just woken up, and he peeked out from under the covers.

"Don't worry. That was just Ami being her usual lame self!" Dai replied, giving his partner a warm smile.

DemiEmbermon smiled back at him and hopped into his arms next to Shadow.

"Dai? Are you up yet?" his father called from downstairs.

He let out a yelp and quickly shoved DemiEmbermon back under the blankets.

A moment later his father came into the room and smiled at him. "Good, you're awake. Your mother wants you to take Shadow for his morning walk."

"Can't somebody else take him for once?" he complained. _Why do I always have to do everything around here?_

"He's your dog, Dai. When we gave Shadow to you for your birthday, you promised that you would take responsibility for him. It's too late to back out now!" his father replied, looking amused.

Dai made a face at his dad and sighed. Shadow had been a tiny puppy when he had first gotten the dog for his birthday. Over the last couple of months, Shadow had grown larger, but his dog still lacked any real household training. He had not been able to bring himself to discipline the little puppy, and now he was paying for it big time.

"Remind me why I ever wanted a dog in the first place?" he muttered, giving Shadow a dark look.

His dad laughed and leaned over to scratch Shadow's ears. "Come on, Dai. You better get up. Your mom's already a little grumpy this morning."

"Why?" he asked, frowning in confusion. "I just woke up. I haven't had time to get into any trouble yet!"

His father laughed and sat down next to him on the bed. "She heard you arguing with Ami a couple of minutes ago. What were you two fighting about this time?"

"She was being mean to Shadow!" he replied.

"Well, what do you expect! That dog is nothing but trouble!" Ami replied, coming back into the room.

Their father raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. "I thought that you were meeting Miya and Noah at the convenience store in a few minutes."

"I would be there already if it wasn't for Dai!" she said, looking irritated.

"Sure, blame everything on me!" he shouted back. _Lousy sister!_

"Come on, Dai. You better hurry up or you're going to be late," his dad said. "That will really make your mother's day!"

His dad was about to pull back the blanket, but he quickly grabbed it and pulled it back up. A small gasp had escaped his mouth, and his father stared at him in surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"Um...nothing," he replied, hugging the blanket tightly to his chest.

"Then why aren't you getting out of bed?" his dad asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well? What do you expect? How am I suppose to get dressed with everybody standing around in here gawking at me!" he replied.

"Dai, have you forgotten that your mother made me help change your diapers? Trust me, it's nothing I haven't seen before!" his father said, rolling his eyes and looking amused.

"I don't mean you, I'm talking about her," he replied, glaring at Ami.

She made a face at him and came over to kiss their dad's cheek. "I better go. I'll see you later, Dad," she said.

"Alright, have a good day," their father replied, giving her a hug.

"And you'd better not make fun of my dog again!" Dai added.

Ami glared at him and flounced out of the room in her jeans and white sweater.

"I'll see you downstairs," his dad said, giving him a warm hug.

"Don't worry, I'll be quick," he said with a laugh, watching his father leave the room.

As soon as his dad was gone, he pulled back the blankets and glared at DemiEmbermon. "You're going to get me into so much trouble, you know that?"

DemiEmbermon smiled at him. "You should learn to be more careful! Hey, Dai? Can we have breakfast now?"

"Daichi Motomiya! Get down here this instant!" his mother shouted up the stairs.

He let out a sigh and smiled at DemiEmbermon. "Yeah. I don't think we have a choice! That was definitely our cue to get moving!"

"Right! I can't wait to get back to the Digiworld again!" DemiEmbermon said cheerfully.

"I feel the same way. That reminds me. I better tell my parents that I'm playing soccer with the others after school today. Now lets go get some food!"

"Yes!" DemiEmbermon cheered.

Dai laughed and finally climbed out of bed to get dressed.


	30. Like Fire and Ice

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'll give you a hint for Ryoko's digimon. His partner has ice attacks! I'll be updating My Best Friend's Girlfriend next so this story won't have another update till next week. Just to let you know. Also, thanks to all of the reviewers who may not be fond of the couples I chose, but are still enjoying my story. Now that's what I call a real Digimon fan!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 30: Like Fire And Ice

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Taysuke, is there a reason why you're sticking to me like glue?" Takara asked, giving her younger brother a look.

School had ended about five minutes ago, and Taysuke had not left her side since catching up with her in the hallway.

Now that she thought about it, Taysuke and his friends had been keeping a rather close eye on herself and the others in the lunchroom earlier, as well.

_I wonder what they're up to. I know they occasionally sit with us at lunch, but today they stayed for the whole lunch hour, and they were watching us like hawks._

"No," Taysuke replied, watching her closely. "I just thought that we could walk home together. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," she replied, glancing around the hallway in search of Dai or one of the others. "Only I'm not going home.I'm going to go play soccer with Dai and the rest of my friends."

"Can I come, too?" Taysuke promptly asked.

She came to a stop in the hallway and tried not to let out a loud groan. Normally she did not have a problem with Taysuke wanting to hang out with her, but they were planning on going to the Digital World that afternoon so Taysuke's presence was out of the question.

"Listen, Tay. I'd love for you to come along, but we kind of made plans for just the six of us. How about next time?"

Taysuke stared at her and finally nodded. "Okay. Promise you won't forget?"

"I promise."

She turned to leave and spotted Dai coming towards her with Ema right on his heels.

"Will you leave me alone?" Dai shouted, glaring at his younger cousin and looking very annoyed.

"What's going on?" Takara asked, glancing at Ema and giving Dai a curious look.

"Hi, Takara!" Ema said cheerfully, her dark eyes sparkling with determination. "Dai hasn't been acting like a very good cousin lately. He never wants to spend any time with me."

"I told you! I'm busy today!" Dai said, sounding exasperated.

"You could let me come play soccer with you," Ema said innocently.

Takara frowned and glanced at her brother who was rolling his eyes at Ema.

_Ema and Tay are definitely up to something. I wonder what they want from us._

"No way! I've got better things to do with my time than listen to you whine and complain. You don't even like soccer all that much! Why would you want to spend a whole afternoon playing a sport you're not particularly fond of?" Dai demanded.

"Is it a crime to want to spend some time with my cousin?" Ema asked.

"That's it! I'm out of here! Come on, Kara. Lets go!" Dai said, grabbing her hand and racing for the nearest set of stairs.

"I'm really sorry, Tay! I'll see you later!" she called out.

"You can't get away from us that easily!" Ema shouted.

Takara let out a sigh as Ema and Taysuke started to chase after them.

"Now what, Dai? They're never going to leave us alone!" she said, hurrying to keep up with him.

Dai glanced over her shoulder and groaned. "We're going to have to outrun them. If your brother and the others find out about the Digital World, then we're going to be in big trouble. Come on. We have longer legs than they do. We should have no problem getting away from them!"

"Wait up!" Taysuke called out, almost tripping over Ema on the stairs.

"This way," Dai muttered, turning quickly to the right and racing down the hallway into another smaller corridor.

He pulled her into the nearest classroom on the left hand side of the hall and slammed the door shut with a sigh of relief.

A moment later they heard Ema and Taysuke run past.

"That was definitely too close for comfort!" Takara gasped, leaning against the door and trying to catch her breath.

"Do you get the feeling that Ema and her friends are following us?" Dai asked, leaning against the door next to her. "They've been hanging around us all day."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too. They're definitely suspicious of us."

"Why? They can't possibly know about the Digital World yet, can they?" Dai asked, looking a little worried.

She shook her head. "No, but they definitely think we're up to something. Taysuke was acting really suspicious of me and Ryoko when we showed up late for his soccer game a couple of days ago. I could tell he didn't believe our excuse about your practice."

"Great. As if we didn't have enough to worry about with our parents being suspicious of us. Now we have to worry about Ema and the others, too?"

"It looks that way, doesn't it?"

"I guess we shouldn't really be surprised. It was bound to happen. Come on, lets get to the computer room before Ishida flips out on me!" Dai said with a laugh.

Takara realized that she was still holding his hand and blushed. "Okay. We had better watch out for Taysuke and Ema, though. They might still be hanging around waiting for us," she replied, feeling suddenly shy.

They started for the computer room in silence, and she gazed at Dai in shock. He still had not let go of her hand. It was only when they reached the computer room door that he finally let go.

Luckily Tay and Ema were nowhere to be seen.

"Where were you two?" Ryoko demanded, the second they entered the room.

Takara felt her face turn pink and quickly looked away from her blond friend.

"Dai, you're here!" DemiEmbermon cheered, leaping into his partner's arms.

"Well?" Ryoko asked impatiently.

The blond was sitting next to Sam on a desk, and he did not look too happy at the moment.

"Sorry. We would have been here sooner if it hadn't been for Ema and Taysuke," Dai replied, stroking DemiEmbermon's head.

Matty looked up from his seat at the computer and frowned. "Were they trying to follow you guys here?"

Takara stared at her cousin in surprise and exchanged a look with Dai. "How did you know?"

"Kenzo and Taniko tried to follow the rest of us here," the older twin replied, before Matty had a chance to answer.

Mickey was sitting on the floor feeding Goldmon and Palelymon. His eyes were filled with concern, and he looked worried.

"They're suspicious because of our absence from Taysuke's soccer game," Ryoko said, turning to look at her.

She nodded in agreement. "That's what I figured. We're going to have to be more careful around them from now on. I have a feeling that they're going to be watching our every move."

"We'd all better make sure that they don't see us coming into this computer room," Sam said quietly. "If they catch sight of our digimon, we're toast."

"No kidding. Ema would go straight to my parents!" Dai grumbled.

"We'll worry about that later. Lets get going. We've wasted enough time already," Ryoko said, glaring at Dai as if it was his fault.

"Where exactly are we going?" Matty asked. He got up from his seat at the computer and leaned down to stroke Goldmon's ears.

They all turned to look at Dai, and the goggle headed leader jumped in surprise. "Oh...um...well, I was thinking that we should probably go to Server first. That little digimon is all by himself, and I would hate for the bad guys to get to him before we do. At least the other two digimon are closer together in case there's any trouble and one of their guards needs help."

"I agree," Mickey said softly, getting to his feet.

They all gathered around the computer and stared at it for a moment.

"Okay...um...now what?" Matty asked, holding Goldmon tightly in his arms.

"Now we just have to trust that the gate will take us to where we want to go," Sam replied. "That's what Leomon said, remember?"

"Yeah, right," Dai said, holding out his D-Coder. He looked a little surprised that everyone had agreed to go along with his idea so quickly. For once, even Ryoko had not argued with him. "Okay...um...you, gate, take us to Server."

Nothing happened.

"Pathetic," Ryoko muttered, rolling his eyes and nudging Dai out of the way of the computer. "Do I always have to do everything around here?"

"I don't recall asking for your help, Ishida, now move it or-"

"Alright," Ryoko said, holding out his D-Coder and ignoring Dai. "Send us to Server! Digiport open!"

The map on the screen changed, and there was a sudden flash of bright light.

Takara glanced at Dai and sighed. _I hope we can manage to keep everyone out of trouble this time!_

The red light on the gate turned green, and they disappeared into the computer.

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ryoko opened his eyes and found himself lying flat on his face next to Dai. He slowly lifted his head and stared at the landscape in amazement. They were surrounded by rocks, and the sun was shining brightly above them. He and the others had fallen on the hard rocky ground which explained why his body hurt so much.

"Of course! Digiport open! I knew I was forgetting something!" Dai groaned, rolling over onto his back and smacking himself in the forehead.

"Well, you tried!" Embermon said cheerfully, patting Dai's foot.

Ryoko smiled at Dai and reached out to pull the goggle headed leader to his feet.

"See? You're not so great after all!" Dai muttered, giving him a dirty look.

"I never said I was," he replied, letting go of his friend's arm and shaking his head in amusement.

He expected Dai to make a rude comment, but instead the goggle headed leader just laughed.

"Shut up," Dai replied, smiling slightly and elbowing him in the side.

He turned to find Takara watching them with a smile on her face and frowned.

"What's up with her?" he murmured, leaning close to Dai so that they would not be overheard.

Dai turned to look at Takara, and his face paled slightly.

"Daichi?" he asked, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder and feeling concerned. _Why does he look so worried?_

"Nothing's up," Dai replied.

The goggle headed leader's voice was rather sharp, and Ryoko stared at him in surprise. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay! What kind of a stupid question is that?" Dai snapped.

Ryoko pulled away from him, feeling hurt, but Dai caught his arm and pulled him close again.

"Um...thanks for asking, though," the goggle headed leader mumbled, blushing furiously and looking a little guilty.

Ryoko lowered his eyes to the ground and smiled. _I will change your mind about me, Dai, even if it takes forever._

He had always wondered what it would feel like to have a best friend. He knew that he was sometimes hard to get along with, and he hoped someday that someone would finally be able to understand him.

_I can't change who I am, and I have a bad feeling that that's going to ruin my chances of ever finding a best friend. _

Takara was like a sister to him, and the rest of the Digidestined were like a part of his family. His twin cousins were amazing, and he knew that they loved him, but there was still one part of the puzzle missing. There was only one problem. Everytime he thought about having a best friend, his thoughts always came back to Dai.

_Yeah right. Dai's the last person who would ever want to be best friends with me. We're way too different. He'll never accept me for who I am. I must be going crazy or something. Why would I ever want him for a best friend? He's loud, annoying, obnoxious, and he always wants to have his own way. I just can't stand people like him!_

So then why did thinking about Dai always hurt so much?

"We're stuck at the bottom of a canyon!" Matty shouted, interrupting his thoughts. "Who's bright idea was it to put a gate down here?"

Ryoko laughed as Matty gave the small television a dark look.

"We must be down here for a reason," Sam said, frowning at the landscape. The raven haired Digidestined had been rather quiet since coming back from the Digital World yesterday, and Ryoko was worried about him.

_I hope he's not thinking too much about what Andromon had said. I'm sure it can't be anything that bad. Andromon would have told us if it was something that would put anyone of us in danger._

"Do you think this is really the continent of Server?" Mickey asked, glancing anxiously at the rocks.

"Of course it is!" Halomon said happily, hopping across the large boulders with Celestimon and trying not to fall off. "You heard Leomon. The gates always take you exactly where you want to go!"

"That's right!" Celestimon added. The little rookie accidentally stumbled into Halomon, and the two digimon fell off of the rocks with a loud crash.

Both digimon burst into giggles, and Matty raised his eyebrows.

"Completely insane!" the younger twin muttered, shaking his head in amusement.

"Oh yeah? Well if this is Server, then where is this digimon we're suppose to be looking for?" Dai demanded.

Ryoko jumped as his Digivice gave off a sudden loud beep. He held it up in his hand, and it gave off a flash of blue light. Bright blue mist started to seep out of his D-Coder and slowly formed into a large arrow which hovered in the air.

_It's my digimon partner! I'm finally going to get a chance to meet him!_

Ryoko smiled softly, his heart filling with happiness, and he pointed to the entrance of a cave that he had not even noticed earlier.

"Any more questions?" he asked, giving Dai a small smile.

Dai quickly shook his head, and they started for the cave's entrance.


	31. Arctic Digimon

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Everyone say hello to Ryoko's digimon partner! I will explain how I came up with the name of Ryoko's partner at the beginning of the next chapter. Also, two chapters from now, there will be a new POV! Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 31: Arctic Digimon

_BlackWidowmon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

BlackWidowmon stood at the top of the cliff and gazed down into the canyon where the Digidestined had been standing less than a couple of minutes ago.

_Jestermon and the others may have been laughing at me earlier, but that's going to change once I get my hands on the D-Coders._

"Listen up," she said, turning to glare at the digimon beside her. "I want you to stop those pesky humans before they can manage to get their hands on another one of their digimon partners. Do I make myself clear?"

The digimon gave her a sullen look and nodded.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get going!" she snapped.

The digimon leaped down into the canyon, and she quickly followed after him into the cave.

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ryoko entered the cave with his friends, and he found himself gazing down at what looked like a dark tunnel. It was cold and damp in the narrow corridor, and the only light they had to show them the way forward was the faint blue glow coming from his D-Coder.

He frowned and glanced at the blue arrow that hovered above his Digivice. "I guess we go straight ahead. It's not like we have any other choice."

"Right. Everyone follow me," Embermon said, taking the lead.

Ryoko followed after the little digimon and smiled as his friends made a point of keeping close to him. None of them seemed anxious to be left alone in the dark.

"Ryoko?" Takara said softly in his ear.

He glanced curiously at her, and she smiled at him.

"Are you excited about finally getting a chance to meet your partner?" she asked.

He nodded silently and turned to gaze at the D-Coder in his hand. He was not afraid of the possibility that his digimon might not like him. Embermon, Celestimon, and Halomon had proven to him that digimon were not judgemental in the same way that humans were. The only thing he was worried about was the chance that Vampiramon and her gang of evil digimon would get to his partner before he did.

He let out a sigh and smiled softly. Ever since Dai had found Embermon, he had been excited at the prospect of meeting his own digimon partner.

_I bet it feels really amazing to have a partner. Dai and my cousins always look so happy when they're around their digimon._

Everytime he saw Dai and the twins with their partners, it made him want to have his own digimon to hold and care about.

_I know my digimon will love me back, and that must be the best feeling in the world._

"Ryoko?" Takara whispered, interrupting his thoughts. "I saw the way you and Dai were acting towards each other earlier. What's going on?"

He felt his face turn red and glanced quickly at Dai. The goggle headed leader was walking beside Mickey, and they were whispering softly to each other. It looked like a pretty serious conversation.

Halomon had flown over to Celestimon, who was walking with Sam and Matty. The little rookie whispered something in Celestimon's ear, and they both turned to look at Dai, who had joined Embermon at the front with Mickey.

He quickly looked away from the two digimon and froze when he realized that Dai was now staring at him. The goggle headed leader had glanced over Mickey's shoulder to look back at him, and he held his breath.

The expression on Dai's face was completely unreadable, and Ryoko had no clue what the other boy was thinking. Luckily Dai did not appear to have heard Takara's words, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Come on, Ryoko," Takara whispered. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Later," he mumbled, feeling embarrassed. "Right now we have to focus on finding my partner."

Takara sighed and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Later always means never with you," she murmured into his shoulder.

"You know me too well!" he replied, smiling slightly and tugging gently on her chestnut ponytail.

Dai suddenly turned and gave him a very hurt look.

He stared at the goggle headed leader in surprise, but he did not even have a chance to think about what his friend's strange behaviour meant.

Matty's sudden words echoed through the tunnel, and he jumped.

"Look! The tunnel splits into two up ahead!" the younger twin called out.

They came to a stop, and Ryoko found himself standing next to Dai.

"Which way?" Dai asked, turning to look at him.

He avoided the goggle headed leader's eyes and quickly looked at his D-Coder. _I wonder what he's thinking._

The floating blue arrow slowly turned towards the right-hand tunnel, and he nodded. "That way."

They were about to continue on when he heard a sudden soft whistling sound.

"Look out!" Dai suddenly gasped, grabbing him roughly by the arm.

He stumbled into his friend, and they staggered into the wall.

Something clattered to the ground, and Ryoko turned to see a small knife lying at his feet. The blade had struck the wall inches away from his left ear, and it glowed a faint blue as a result of the light coming from his D-Coder. If Dai had not grabbed him, the knife would have hit him right between the eyes.

"That's twice I've saved your life now," Dai whispered, his voice shaking. "You owe me big time!"

Ryoko stared down at the small weapon in horror and did not reply. He felt Dai's arm go around him, and he turned his face into the other boy's shoulder. He wanted to say something, but he could not seem to find any words to explain how he was feeling. Dai seemed to understand, though, because the goggle headed leader patted his back and gave him a warm smile.

"Who's there?" Celestimon shouted, and Ryoko quickly pushed Dai away, feeling stupid.

Two shapes melted out of the darkness, and he let out a sound of dismay. _Why couldn't they have waited to show up until after I'd found my partner! _Now his digimon was in trouble, and he had no idea what to do next.

"How many of you are there?" Dai groaned, glaring at the two digimon. "First Vampiramon, then Jestermon, and now you!"

"Who says I'm working with them?" the female digimon said innocently.

"Who else would you be working with?" Dai snorted. "You guys are so obvious. It's pretty easy to put two and two together. So how's your master doing? I bet he's really mad at you guys!"

"I'll admit that you Digidestined have managed to do a pretty good job when it comes to ruining our plans, but that's all about to change! I am BlackWidowmon. I am a mega level virus type digimon, and my special attacks are Venom Darts and Web Shackles."

BlackWidowmon had long raven hair, and the top half of her face was covered by a dark mask. They could still see her eyes though, which were a dark red, and they were currently filled with excitement. The small amount of skin they could see was white, and she had small sharp fangs. She had a human body, except for the eight large spider legs sticking out of her back, and she was dressed in a one-piece black leather outfit. The only colour she wore on her clothes was the red hourglass stitched into the bodice of her leather suit.

"Who's your little friend?" Matty asked, frowning at the digimon beside her.

"This is Gnomemon. He's an ultimate level virus type digimon, and his special attacks are Twin Knives and Earthquake Chaos. He was this close to taking out one of your human friends."

Ryoko shivered and stared at Gnomemon in horror. The virus digimon had bright yellow eyes and yellow skin. He was small and stood hunched over with a nasty grin on his face.

Ryoko did not like how things were going at all. _If these two get to my digimon before I do, they're going to completely destroy him!_

BlackWidowmon must have sensed what he was thinking because she smiled at him and crossed her arms. "Unlike Jestermon and Vampiramon, I plan on stopping you before you can get your hands on another one of your digimon partners! That way you little runts won't mess up our plans with another digivolution! Get them, Gnomemon!"

"No way!" Matty shouted. "You better digivolve right now, Celestimon!"

"Right! Celestimon digivolve to, Angelicmon!"

"Celestial Star!" Angelicmon shouted, shooting the golden blast at Gnomemon and sending the virus digimon flying back down the tunnel.

"Embermon, this cave is too small for you to digivolve in, but you had better help out Angelicmon anyway, okay?" Dai said, kneeling next to his digimon and stroking Embermon's ears.

"I'm on it," Embermon replied, racing down the tunnel to join Angelicmon.

"What about my partner?" Ryoko whispered, his voice trembling.

Dai turned to look at him, and he jumped as the goggle headed leader's hands came to rest on his shoulders.

"Listen to me," Dai said softly, staring directly into his eyes. "I want you, Mickey, Takara, and Sam to keep going. If you meet up with any trouble along the way, Halomon will be able to protect you. He's a tough little rookie, and I know he'll be able to handle the job. Matty and I will stay here and distract these two idiots. That way you'll have a chance to find your partner before BlackWidowmon and Gnomemon do."

"We can't just leave you here!" he gasped, staring at Dai in disbelief. "What if you guys get into trouble?"

"Ryoko's right," Takara said softly, stepping up next to Dai. "We should all stick together."

"There isn't much that the rest of you can do to help us without digimon partners," Dai said quietly.

"He has a point," Matty said softly.

"Please?" Dai asked, turning to look at him again. "We have a better chance of defeating BlackWidowmon and Gnomemon with your digimon partner here to help us."

He gazed at Dai's determined face for a moment and finally nodded. "Be careful," he whispered, his voice shaking with fear. As much as he did not want to admit it, Dai was right.

"Aren't I always?" Dai asked, smiling slightly.

He managed to smile back at his friend and quickly turned to the others. "Come on, guys. Let's go find my partner."

"Matty, don't you dare do anything dangerous!" Mickey cried, looking very upset.

"I'll be okay," Matty whispered, giving his brother a gentle push to get moving.

"Come on, Mickey," Sam said softly, putting an arm around the older twin and leading him towards the right-hand tunnel.

"Alright, Dai. Let's show these evil digimon what we're made of!" Matty said, turning to smile at the goggle headed leader.

"There's no way you're going to sneak away that easily! Venom Darts!" BlackWidowmon shouted.

"Ember Blaze!" Embermon countered.

The rookie digimon's attack burned BlackWidowmon's darts to ashes, and Ryoko took that opportunity to slip away. "Follow me, guys!"

"Oh, Dai, I'm going to kill you for this!" Takara whispered tearfully, before following after him.

He raced down the corridor with Sam, Kara, and Mickey close behind.

Halomon fluttered in the air beside him, and he kept his eyes on the blue arrow that hovered above his D-Coder. He was trying his best to ignore the sounds of battle behind him, but he was failing miserably. It was taking all of his self-control not to turn around and run back.

The tunnel split again up ahead, and Ryoko stopped.

"Now which way?" Halomon asked, peeking over his shoulder to look at his D-Coder and glancing up at the blue arrow.

"Left," Ryoko said softly, as the arrow pointed in the direction that he had indicated.

"How will Dai and Matty know which tunnel we've taken?" Takara asked, her face filling with horror.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I left Matty behind!" Mickey moaned, hiding his face against Sam's shoulder. "He's in danger! What kind of an older twin am I? And what about Dai? His parents are going to freak!"

"Everything will be okay," Halomon said softly, flying into Mickey's arms and cuddling against him.

Mickey hid his face in Halomon's ears and did not reply.

"You heard what Dai said," Ryoko murmured, giving his cousin a sympathetic smile. "We have to keep going. Don't worry, Mickey. Dai's the most determined person I know. He'll find us again. I don't know how, but I know he will. That's just the kind of person he is."

Sam smiled softly at him, and he turned towards the left-hand tunnel. "Let's keep moving."

They raced down the left corridor which opened up into a large room that had a high ceiling and damp stone walls. At the other end of the room stood a small stone pedestal, and Ryoko's heart leaped into his throat.

_My partner!_

There was a digimon leaning against the pedestal who looked to be asleep, but Ryoko ignored him. All he could think about was his partner.

He raced towards the pedestal, with the others right behind him, and he quickly placed his hand on it's cold stone surface. The image carved into it's surface looked like an eye.

Immediately the pedestal and his D-Coder began to glow with an icy blue light.

"How pretty!" Takara gasped from beside him.

Slowly the mist faded away, and Ryoko found himself gazing at a small rookie level digimon. The digimon was of standard rookie size and stood on two legs. His partner had deep blue eyes, pale blue fir, and resembled what looked like an arctic fox. The rookie had small pointed ears, a bushy tail, and a small nose.

Before Ryoko even had a chance to say anything, the digimon leaped over his head and raced towards the door.

"They're in trouble," his partner murmured, frowning slightly. "We have to help them."

Ryoko gaped at the digimon who was still sleeping against the pedestal and turned to gape at his partner. The little rookie digimon finally seemed to notice him and turned to stare at him with intense blue eyes.

"Hello, Ryoko," the digimon said quietly. "I am Alopemon, (A-low-pee-mon) your digimon partner."


	32. Tangled Up

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay. As I said before, Alopemon is an arctic fox digimon. The scientific name for the arctic fox is, _Alopex lagopus, _a.k.a. Alopemon! (I even did research for this fic. I'm so proud of myself!) In the next chapter there'll be a new POV from one of the kids! Please read and review! Next I'll be updating MBFG. (It's next chapter is giving me a hard time so this one came first!)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 32: Tangled Up

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ryoko slowly stepped forward and knelt next to his partner, staring at Alopemon in amazement.

"You're finally here," he whispered, reaching out and hesitantly stroking the little rookie's pale blue fur.

Alopemon stepped closer to him and placed a hand against his chest. "Ryoko, our friends need some help. We should go to them."

"Of course," he whispered, pressing his cheek against Alopemon's soft furry head.

"What about this lazy bum?" Takara asked, frowning at the large digimon who was sleeping against the pedestal. She gave Alopemon's guard a sharp poke in the ribs and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hey, you! Wake up!"

The digimon's eyes suddenly flew open, and he gave Takara a dark look. "Will you quit shouting in my ear like that? Don't you have any respect for digimon who are trying to get some rest?"

Takara glared at him, and the digimon suddenly stood up straight, staring at her in surprise. "Hey! You're a human!"

"Took you long enough to notice!" Takara said sarcastically. "What do you think you're doing sleeping on the job? You're suppose to be protecting Alopemon!"

"You won't tell Gennai, will you?" the digimon asked, looking a little nervous.

"I'm tempted to!" Takara muttered. "Lucky for you that Gennai has been captured, otherwise you'd be in big trouble!"

"Gennai has been captured?" the digimon asked, looking shocked.

"We'll explain everything later," Ryoko interrupted, giving the digimon a curious look. "Right now we have other things to worry about. Who are you?"

The digimon stood up straight and gave him a proud look. "I'm Ogremon. I'm a champion level virus type digimon, and my special attacks are Pummel Whack and Bone Cudgel."

"You're a virus digimon?" Takara glanced suspiciously at him, and Ryoko smiled as Sam rolled his eyes.

"So Gennai put you in charge of Alopemon?" he asked.

"Yeah, well it's not like I had anything better to do," Ogremon replied, shrugging his large shoulders. "You must be Ryoko."

Alopemon eyed Ogremon with amusement and shook his head.

"Yeah, you're definitely Ryoko," Ogremon said, nodding to himself. "I can tell. You've already passed the test without even having to say anything!"

Ryoko frowned in confusion, but Mickey interrupted them.

"Guys," the older twin said anxiously. "We have to help Matty and Dai."

"Come on, Alopemon," Halomon said urgently, tugging on the other digimon's arm.

"What's going on?" Ogremon asked, scratching his forehead.

"If you hadn't decided to take a nap, you would know!" Takara shot back.

There was a sudden loud noise at the door, and they all turned to see Dai and Matty race into the room.

"Matty! You guys found us!" Mickey gasped, grabbing his brother and dragging him away from the door.

"Yeah. At first we didn't know which tunnel to take, but then we heard Takara shouting at someone. It was easy enough to follow the sound, and it led us right here!" Matty replied.

Takara blushed and glared at Ogremon who smirked at her.

"Well, it's a good thing she was shouting, otherwise you guys might never have found us," Mickey said with relief. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Matty laughed, turning to look at Takara. "Hey, Kara? What were you shouting about, anyway?"

"Long story," she muttered.

Ryoko turned to look at Dai who was staring at Alopemon.

"You've found your partner," Dai said softly.

He nodded and smiled at the other boy. "This is Alopemon. Now that I've found him, there's no way that BlackWidowmon can try to keep us apart anymore!"

"Good," Dai murmured and promptly collapsed onto the stone floor.

"Daichi!" he gasped, kneeling next to his friend and placing a hand on the goggle headed leader's shoulder. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Matty made a face and knelt next to Dai on the floor. "One of BlackWidowmon's attacks hit Dai and sent him crashing into the wall. He said he was fine, but obviously he lied to me."

"Did not," Dai mumbled before falling unconscious.

Ryoko managed to catch his friend, as the goggle headed leader slumped against him, and he stared at the others with wide frightened eyes. "Now what are we going to do? There's no way that we can get away from here quickly with Dai in this condition!"

Sam pulled up Dai's shirt and winced. "Ryoko, look."

He glanced over Dai's shoulder and let out a gasp. There were several large bruises on the goggle headed leader's back, and they were starting to turn purple.

"That looks really bad," Takara whispered, her hazel eyes filling with terror.

Alopemon placed a gentle hand against Dai's back and turned to glare at the door. "They're coming."

Angelicmon suddenly flew into the room, with Embermon in his arms, and landed next to Matty with a frown on his face. "We held them off as long as we could. Unfortunately they'll probably be here any second now."

"It's okay," Matty replied, stroking one of his partner's wings. "You did your best."

"Dai!" Embermon gasped, catching sight of his partner. The little rookie leaped out of Angelicmon's arms and raced over to the goggle headed leader's side. "I'm sorry I didn't stop her from hurting you."

Embermon's voice was barely above a whisper, and the little rookie hid his face against Dai's shoulder.

"Don't be dumb," Ryoko murmured, giving Embermon a gentle hug. "I'm sure you did everything you could to help Dai."

"Get back here so that I can finish you off!" BlackWidowmon shouted, bursting into the room with Gnomemon. She caught sight of Alopemon, and her face filled with fury. "Now look what you've done!" she snapped, glaring at Angelicmon and Embermon. "That little rookie wasn't suppose to join up with you fools!"

"I guess you showed up just a little too late!" Alopemon replied, stepping forward and narrowing his eyes at her. "I am Alopemon. I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Frozen Specter and Arctic Slash. If you want to hurt my friends, then you're going to have to go through me first!"

"That's exactly what I plan to do!" BlackWidowmon snapped. "You're standing in the way of my plans. I'm afraid I can't allow that! Venom Darts!"

Several poisonous needles shot out of the hourglass on BlackWidowmon's outfit and headed straight for Alopemon.

The little rookie ducked underneath her attack and leaped into the air. "Arctic Slash!"

Alopemon's tail started to glow a bright blue, and he slashed BlackWidowmon across the face with it.

She let out a gasp of pain and stumbled into Gnomemon.

"Well? Aren't you going to help?" BlackWidowmon shouted, shoving Gnomemon forward into the battle.

"Are these jokers trying to steal your partner?" Ogremon asked.

Ryoko nodded. "They're also trying to steal our Digivices."

"Well, then what are we doing standing around here chatting? I don't know about the rest of you, but I intend to be part of the action!" Ogremon snorted. "Bone Cudgel!"

Ogremon's weapon connected with the side of Gnomemon's head and sent the evil digimon flying into the pedestal.

"Well it's about time he made himself useful!" Takara muttered.

Ryoko grabbed Dai under the arms and quickly pulled the goggle headed leader towards the wall. His friend's head had fallen against his shoulder, and he felt a sudden stab of fear. _What if Dai's hurt really bad?_

The goggle headed leader's face was pale and every breath sounded just a little more shallow than the one before.

"Come on, Dai. Wake up," he whispered, tightening his arms around his friend.

The goggle headed leader did not reply.

"There's no way Embermon can digivolve now," Mickey whispered, gently rubbing Dai's shoulder and turning to watch the battle. "That means we're back to one champion!"

Ryoko nodded in agreement and gave the older twin a frightened look. The room was large enough for Embermon to digivolve in, but without Dai the rookie's chances of reaching the champion level were slim to none.

"It's still two if you count Ogremon," Sam pointed out.

"You're going to pay for hurting my partner!" Embermon snapped, glaring at BlackWidowmon. "Ember Blaze!"

The mega digimon leaped out of the way and attached herself to the wall. The eight spider legs sticking out of her back allowed her to climb the wall with ease. "Looks like I'm too fast for you!"

"If you think a couple of champions and a bunch of rookies are going to defeat us, think again!" Gnomemon growled. "Twin Knives!"

The gnome digimon sent one knife hurtling towards Angelicmon and the other one towards Ogremon.

Both digimon dived to the side and the knives hit the wall with a loud clang.

"Nobody attacks the Digidestined on my watch!" Ogremon shouted. "If Leomon heard about this..."

"You know Leomon?" Angelicmon asked, hitting Gnomemon in the stomache with his spear.

"We've met," Ogremon muttered, punching Gnomemon in the face with his large fist.

"Hey, guys! Let me have a turn!" Halomon called out, fluttering into the air. "Halo Rings!"

The tiny glowing halos hit Gnomemon right in the eyes, and the evil digimon let out a scream of pain.

"Nice one!" Angelicmon said with a laugh, as Halomon landed on his shoulder.

"Alright, I'll admit you guys are good," Ogremon grumbled.

"Will you hurry up and stop them!" BlackWidowmon shouted at Gnomemon.

She scuttled across the ceiling and glared down at Alopemon.

"Running away, are you? That's something bad guys tend to do a lot!" Alopemon smirked. "Frozen Specter!"

Ryoko let out a gasp as he watched Alopemon's shadow come to life.

The transparent image of Alopemon glowed a bright blue and leaped towards the ceiling. It slammed into BlackWidowmon, and she let out a scream as her whole body started to disappear in a block of ice that had attached itself to the ceiling.

"You think we should let her down?" Embermon asked, resting his arm on Alopemon's shoulder and staring at the ceiling with a smile on his face.

"Be my guest!" Alopemon replied, looking amused.

"Ember Blaze!"

Embermon's fiery attack exploded into the ceiling causing the ice to melt. BlackWidowmon fell to the floor with a loud crash and groaned. "Gnomemon, you idiot! Do something!"

"Right," Gnomemon shouted, leaping to his feet. "Earthquake Chaos!"

"What's happening?" Takara cried, as the floor began to shake.

Ryoko held tight to Dai and let out a cry of fear. "Our partners!"

The ground had started to break apart, and all of their partners had ended up falling to the floor.

BlackWidowmon jumped to her feet and used the opportunity to attack.

"Web Shackles!" she shouted with glee.

"Look out!" Sam yelled at their digimon.

Thin, sticky strands of thread shot out of the ends of BlackWidowmon's eight legs, and they began to wrap themselves around Alopemon, Embermon, Ogremon, Halomon, and Angelicmon.

"She's covering them in spider webs!" Matty cried, huddling behind his brother and peeking over Mickey's shoulder.

Soon their digimon were completely bound by webs, with no chance of escaping.

_We're in serious trouble!_

"Ryoko!" Alopemon cried, struggling to get free.

BlackWidowmon started to giggle, and Ryoko felt his stomache clench with fear.

"Those D-Coders are as good as ours!" Gnomemon cackled, stepping up beside BlackWidowmon's side and grinning maliciously at them.

Ryoko held Dai protectively to his chest and swallowed hard as BlackWidowmon began to advance on them.


	33. All in the Name of Friendship

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

A/N: A new POV!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 33: All In The Name Of Friendship

_Nobunari 'Noah' Kido_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Noah leaned against the wall next to his locker and frowned. Miya and his cousin Ami were suppose to be meeting up with him, but so far they had not bothered to make an appearance. He barely even noticed because he was too busy worrying about his younger cousin.

_I wonder what's going on with Dai. He said he would tell me eventually, but I'm not so sure that he will._

He could not help feeling a little bit concerned. After all, Dai was like a little brother to him, and they were very close. Since his cousin was three years younger than him, he felt like it was his responsibility to make sure that Dai stayed safe.

_I wish he would tell me what's wrong. What if he's in trouble? How am I suppose to help him when he won't even tell me what's going on? He could be in danger!_

"Noah! Over here!"

He looked up and smiled as Miya came towards him. A lot of things had changed in the past twenty-five years, but the best thing that had happened was the fact that they no longer had to wear school uniforms. _That's a relief. I can't even stand the thought of being stuck in a sea of green!_

"Hey, Miya," he said, watching her closely.

She studied him for a moment and flipped her long raven hair over her shoulder. "I didn't see you at lunch today. Where were you?"

"Oh, Shina needed some help with her physics project," he replied, trying not to smile.

At that moment Shina happened to walk past them, and he waved his hand to get the other girl's attention. "Hey, Shina!"

"Hey, Noah!" Shina replied, winking at him and blowing him a kiss.

Miya's face turned red, and she grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's go find Ami."

She started to drag him down the hallway, and he grinned. _Dai definitely knows what he's talking about. I'll have to remember to thank him later!_

He gave Miya a hopeful look, and they almost ran into Ami.

"Hey, guys. I was just coming to meet you. Are we ready to go?" Ami asked.

"Yes," Miya said quickly, glancing around the hallway in search of Shina. It was obvious that she was hoping not to catch a glimpse of the other girl's flaming red hair.

So far Dai's plan was working perfectly.

They stepped out into the sunshine and slowly made their way towards the park.

"So, where's Dai today?" he asked, turning to glance at his female cousin.

Ami shrugged. "I don't know, probably off somewhere with his friends."

Noah came to a stop and stared at her in surprise. "Hey, wait! Didn't you mention something about him being grounded earlier?"

Ami frowned, and her face took on a thoughtful look.

"He was grounded, but not anymore. Dai has been able to do whatever he wants, ever since he got back home from his soccer practice a couple of nights ago. Don't you remember? You were at my house when it all happened. For some reason Mom was really worried about him. I think she has forgotten all about the fact that he's suppose to be grounded!"

"That's strange," Noah murmured, feeling a little confused. _Aunt Noriko has never once let Dai get off that easily! I wonder why she's so worried about him. Does she think that Dai might be in trouble and that's why she's being a little nicer to him? It looks like I'm not the only one who suspects something. I know Ema's definitely suspicious of Dai!_

"What's wrong, Noah?" Miya asked, putting a hand on his arm and giving him a concerned look.

He was about to answer when Ema and her friends came running up to them.

"Have you seen Dai?" his sister asked, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

He raised his eyebrows and smiled in amusement. "Why? Are you spying on him or something? Face it, Ema. You're never going to get him to admit to skipping practice so why don't you give it up already?"

"What's this about Dai?" Ami asked, glancing between the two of them.

"Your brother skipped his soccer practice, I'm sure of it!" Ema replied. "He wasn't on the soccer field when we walked by there, and the others were nowhere to be seen!"

"He could have been heading for the locker room," Taniko reminded her. "Maybe the others decided to go with him and wait outside the door."

"Yeah right!" Ema snorted. "If you expect me to believe that, forget it!"

"Why would Dai skip soccer practice?" Ami asked, looking confused. "He loves soccer!"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Ema shouted.

"Are you saying that my brother lied to my mom and dad?" Miya interrupted, looking surprised. "I thought that was more my style!"

"No kidding!" Taniko muttered.

"Ema, will you leave Dai alone?" Noah said, rolling his eyes. "It's none of your business what he's up to, anyway!"

"Yeah, well I'm making it my business!" she said stubbornly. "Aren't you worried about him?"

"Of course I'm worried about him," he replied, frowning slightly. "But I'm sure he'll tell me what's going on eventually."

"You don't think Dai's in trouble, do you?" Ami asked, looking a little worried. "If he really did skip practice, then something must be wrong."

He put a comforting arm around his cousin and sighed. "I don't know, Ami."

"Well he'd better not be! Nobody messes with my little brother and gets away with it!" she snapped. "Well...except me, of course!"

"Are you sure you guys don't know where Dai is?" Kenzo asked, glancing around the park.

"We saw him in the hallway at school, but somehow he managed to get away from us," Taysuke added.

Miya shook her head. "No. Sorry, but we haven't seen him."

"Well that's just great!" Ema muttered.

"Come on. Why don't we go to the convenience store and see if Yolei will give us something to eat," Noah said, tugging on one of his sister's pigtails.

"Don't count on it!" Miya giggled.

Ema made a face at him and sighed. "Fine, but I'm not giving up on Dai!"

"Ema, you'd better not tell my parents any of this!" Ami warned, giving the younger girl a dirty look.

"I wasn't going to!" Ema shot back.

"Good, because I don't want Dai to think that I told them!"

"Why would Dai think you told them?" Ema snorted. "Obviously he would suspect me considering the fact that you aren't even suppose to know!"

Noah shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and frowned. _What's going on with you, Dai?_

"We had better get going," Taysuke said softly. "Maybe we'll meet up with them at the store. I'm really worried about Takara."

"You're not the only one," Ami sighed, placing a hand on Taysuke's shoulder. "Thanks for ruining my day, Ema!"

Ema stuck her tongue out at her older cousin and rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, Noah. I'm sure Dai's okay," Miya whispered softly in his ear.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, as they started down the street, and sighed. "I hope you're right."

Miya leaned her head against his shoulder, and he jumped in surprise.

"Dai's a tough kid," she said softly. "He'll be alright."

He smiled slightly and rested his cheek against her raven hair. _That's true. He also gives the best advice of anyone I know!_

Ami turned around to smile at him and gave him the thumbs-up.

"Maybe Ryoko chopped Dai up into little pieces, and he's hiding the body parts in his basement!" Taniko giggled.

"Don't make fun of Ryoko!" Taysuke shouted, looking upset.

"Tay's right. Ryoko's not that bad," Noah said, shaking his head in amusement. _Dai might not like Ryoko, but I do. He's a pretty cool kid. I don't know why my cousin hates him so much._

"The only thing Ryoko's guilty of is being too handsome for his own good!" Ami giggled.

"It sounds like someone has a crush on Ryoko!" Miya said, giving her best friend a sly look.

"Shut up!" Ami mumbled, her face turning pink. "Why would I have a crush on him? He's a year younger than me!"

"My dad's a year younger than my mom," Miya smirked.

"Hey, Ami. If you married Ryoko, he'd end up being Dai's brother-in-law!" Ema giggled.

"I'm sure Dai would be overjoyed at the news!" Noah said dryly.

"In that case maybe I should marry Ryoko!" Ami giggled. "It would be worth it just to see the look on Dai's face!"

The others laughed, but Noah remained silent as they continued down the street.

_Wherever you are, Dai, I hope you're okay._

Unfortunately he had a bad feeling that his cousin was in big trouble.

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Now, which one of you wants to die first?" BlackWidowmon asked.

Gnomemon grinned and twirled one of his knives in the air. "I think their leader should be the first one to go. He has been causing us the most trouble!"

"An excellent idea!" BlackWidowmon replied. "I'd like to see them defeat us without their precious leader!"

"No way!" Ryoko shouted. "I'm not going to let either one of you hurt him!"

"Leave my partner alone!" Embermon shouted, struggling to free himself from BlackWidowmon's webs.

"Go ahead! Just try and stop me!" BlackWidowmon smirked. "Once I finish him off, his D-Coder will be all mine!"

"Oh yeah?" he snapped, reaching out and grabbing Dai's Digivice. "There's only one problem with your little plan. If you want to get your hands on my friend's D-Coder, then you're going to have to catch me first!"

He leaped to his feet and ducked under BlackWidowmon's arm before she even had a chance to blink.

"Ryoko! What are you doing?" Takara shrieked in horror.

"Take care of Dai!" he shouted back, racing for the door.

"Don't just stand there, follow him!" BlackWidowmon snarled, shoving Gnomemon forward.

"Ryoko, get back here!" Alopemon snapped, his eyes filling with sudden fear.

"Crazy human!" Ogremon muttered.

Ryoko barely heard them. He was too busy trying to distract BlackWidowmon and Gnomemon.

_I have to get them away from Dai, otherwise they're going to kill him!_

He was not about to let that happen. What they really wanted was the D-Coder, and Dai was useless to them without it. _Now that I'm carrying two D-Coders, I've suddenly become much more valuable to them. If that isn't enough to get them to follow me, then nothing is!_

He just hoped that his plan worked.

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ryoko disappeared through the door, and Sam felt a stab of fear. _He's going to get himself killed! We have to go after him!_

"Ryoko!" Mickey cried, scrambling to his feet.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Matty snapped, grabbing his brother's arm to stop him from running off.

"Our cousin! He's in trouble! We have to help him!" Mickey shouted, struggling to pull his arm out of Matty's grip.

"You're not going anywhere!" BlackWidowmon snapped. Gnomemon had gone after Ryoko, but unfortunately BlackWidowmon was still hanging around.

Sam knelt next to Takara and put a hand on her shoulder. "Kara, give me your D-Coder," he murmured.

"Why?" she whispered back, looking frightened.

"Someone needs to stay here with Dai. The rest of us will go after Ryoko. Without your D-Coder, BlackWidowmon will have no use for you, either. Hopefully she'll take the hint and follow us. That will give you a chance to help our digimon free themselves."

"But-"

"It's the only way to help Ryoko," he said softly. "Hopefully our digimon will be able to reach us in time."

Takara's eyes filled with tears, but she finally nodded. "Okay. Be careful," she whispered, gazing down at Dai's pale face.

Dai's head was resting in her lap, and he did not look ready to wake up anytime soon.

"Hey, BlackWidowmon!" he shouted, taking Takara's D-Coder and holding it up. "I've got two of these things on me, and I know you're dying to get your hands on them! Well? Are you going to try to take them from me or are you just going to stand there all day!"

He held up his own D-Coder, to prove that he was carrying two, and she let out a snarl of rage. "Give those to me, right now!"

He turned to look at the twins, and they both nodded.

Thankfully they had both caught on to what he was trying to do, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"If you want them, come and get them!" he shouted, racing for the door with the twins right behind him.

_This plan had better work! Otherwise we're all going to end up dead!_


	34. Lost in the Dark

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I can't believe I've reached over 200! Thanks for all of the reviews. You guys are awesome! Oh, and someone's going to digivolve soon. Who's it going to be?

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 34: Lost In The Dark

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ryoko Ishida sprinted through the darkness, heading towards the right-hand tunnel that he and friends had passed earlier. The sound of his harsh breathing echoed off of the walls, and he could hear someone coming down the corridor after him.

He glanced over his shoulder and let out a gasp. There was no one within sight of him, at the moment, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before they caught up to him.

_I really hope this plan works. It's the only way to stop them from going after Dai. That is, if they don't decide to head back and kill him anyway, just for fun!_

His heart filled with sudden fear at the thought, and he jumped when he realized that he was no longer running down a narrow corridor. Instead he found himself in a small chamber and stumbled to a halt. Several large pillars rose to the ceiling, and they looked like they were made out of stone. The rest of the room was filled with large boulders, and he let out a sigh of relief. It was a perfect place to play a little game of hide-and-seek.

_All I have to do is distract BlackWidowmon and Gnomemon long enough to give the others a chance to free our digimon. It's our only chance of making it out of this place alive._

He glanced once more over his shoulder and quickly crouched behind a few of the larger boulders, next to the wall. The room was very dark so there was a good chance that BlackWidowmon and Gnomemon would pass right by him without even seeing him. There was another door on the other side of the chamber, and it was important if his plan was going to work. Hopefully BlackWidowmon and Gnomemon would continue on through the other door when they did not immediately spot him in the room. That way he could slip back the way he had come and reach the others in time for them all to make an escape.

_I just hope that they have enough time to free Alopemon and the other digimon._

That was another reason why he had offered himself up as bait. Hopefully his friends had gotten the hint. They not only had to protect Dai, they had to save their digimon, as well.

"Come back here, human!" Gnomemon shouted, and Ryoko jumped at the sudden voice.

He quickly flattened himself against the wall, and he held his breath. A moment later, someone entered the room, and it was all he could do not to bolt for the other door.

"I know you're in here somewhere," Gnomemon muttered, moving slowly into the room. "Now quit wasting my time! I have better things to do than follow you around!"

_Where's BlackWidowmon?_

He held Dai's D-Coder tightly to his chest and put a hand over his mouth, to stop himself from letting out a gasp of dismay. He had been so sure that BlackWidowmon would follow him, along with Gnomemon, because he had Dai's Digivice in his possession. For some reason BlackWidowmon was very eager to destroy the leader of the Digidestined and steal the red D-Coder.

_She probably thinks that the rest of us will fall like flies once Dai is out of the picture._

He was not exactly sure when he and the others had started thinking of Dai as their leader, but for some reason it seemed to fit. He was convinced that that was what Piximon had been hinting at. Besides, the bad guys obviously thought that Dai was the leader of the Digidestined, and that had to mean something.

_I guess I was wrong about BlackWidowmon, which means...she's still back there with my friends! I'm so stupid! How could I have just abandoned them like that? If anything happens to Dai, it'll be all my fault!_

Now his friends were in trouble, and he was stuck all alone in a dark room with an evil digimon who was trying to kill him.

_I've really got to stop getting myself into these types of situations! How am I suppose to make it back in time to help the others?_

The only answer he received was a harsh laugh as Gnomemon headed in his direction.

_Takara Kamiya_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Takara, hurry! You've got to help us get free!" Halomon cried, glancing anxiously towards the door.

Takara gently laid Dai's head against the floor and gave the goggle headed leader a quick hug. "I'll be back," she whispered softly in his ear.

She got to her feet, glancing once more at Dai, and quickly hurried over to Halomon and the other digimon.

"Why don't you guys just use your attacks to get free?" she asked, tugging on the webs that circled Angelicmon.

"We can't," the angel digimon replied. "It's too risky. We could end up doing real damage to ourselves. What use would we be to Matty and the others if that happened?"

"Good point. I hadn't thought of that."

She yanked hard on the sticky webs that surrounded him and let out a sigh of frustration. "There's only one problem. How am I suppose to free you guys? These webs are really tough. There's no way I'll be able to break them on my own!"

"You have to think of something," Angelicmon replied. "Ryoko and the others are running out of time!"

She glanced anxiously towards the door and bit her lip. BlackWidowmon had left the room about a minute ago, to chase after Sam and the twins, and there was a good chance that the spider digimon had already caught up to them. If she did not do something soon, her friends were going to end up dead.

"Well? We don't have all day, you know!" Ogremon grumbled.

She glanced around the room and frowned.

_There must be something in here that I can use to break BlackWidowmon's webs._

Her eyes came to rest on a small rock that was lying near the pedestal. It had a sharp edge on one side, and there was a good chance that she could use it to saw through the webs that surrounded the digimon.

"I have an idea," she announced, leaping to her feet and heading towards the pedestal. She quickly grabbed the rock and hurried back over to the digimon who were watching her curiously.

"Now sit still," she said, taking hold of the webs that surrounded Alopemon. "I'm going to try to cut through these webs. I hope this plan works because I'm out of ideas!"

Hundreds of rocks littered the floor, but none of them looked any more useful than the one that she held in her hand. It was going to have to be enough.

She started to cut through the webs that circled Alopemon, and when she was halfway done, the little rookie was able to break out on his own.

"Now let's hurry and free the others," Alopemon said quietly, ignoring her loud sigh of relief.

It took them several minutes to cut the other digimon loose, but finally Halomon, Embermon, Ogremon, and Angelicmon were able to stand on their feet again.

"Be careful," she whispered, gazing at the five digimon with fear in her eyes.

Angelicmon placed a hand against her cheek and gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry, Kara. We will make sure that Matty and the others remain safe."

Embermon suddenly stepped forward and gazed at her with dark stormy eyes. "Take care of Dai for me," the little rookie said quietly. "I want to stay, but I can't. I have to help the others."

"I know," she said softly, giving Embermon a quick hug. "Don't feel guilty. That's exactly what Dai would have wanted you to do."

Embermon nodded, and Alopemon motioned for the other digimon to follow him. "Come on, let's go find our partners. There's no way I'm going to let anything happen to Ryoko, and I'm not going to let anything happen to the rest of our human friends, either!"

The digimon raced off through the door, and Takara found herself alone in the room with Dai. She headed back over to the goggle headed leader's side, and she gently placed a hand against his heart. _I hope it's not too late to save Ryoko and the others._

"Don't worry," she whispered softly, giving her friend a quick kiss on the cheek. "Alopemon and the other digimon will save them."

Dai did not respond, and she gave his hand a squeeze. Despite her words, she still had a horrible feeling that she was going to end up losing all of her friends, including Dai.

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"This way!" Sam called out, racing down the tunnel with the twins right behind him.

It was extremely dark in the cave, and he had no idea where he was going. At the moment, though, he did not really care. All he wanted to do was get away from BlackWidowmon. They could worry about where they were later.

"Those D-Coders are mine!" BlackWidowmon shrieked, from somewhere behind them.

"Sam, this is crazy! There's no way we'll be able to outrun her!" Matty cried, stumbling over a small rock.

Sam managed to catch the younger twin's arm and pulled the other boy to his feet.

"Come on," he said, taking hold of Matty's wrist. He dragged the younger twin into a side tunnel that disappeared into the darkness.

Mickey followed after them, looking anxious, and they quickly hid behind a group of large boulders.

A moment later, BlackWidowmon ran past them and disappeared around the corner.

Sam sat down on the ground between Mickey and Matty, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Where are we?" Mickey asked, hugging himself and staring down the dark tunnel.

Matty leaned his head back against the wall and let out a loud groan. "I think we're lost!"

"Ryoko," Mickey whispered, his voice trembling.

Sam put his arms around the older twin in a comforting hug and stared over Mickey's blond head at the tunnel that BlackWidowmon had recently passed through.

"I think we're near the entrance to the cave," he whispered, giving Mickey a reassuring smile.

Both twins were huddled against his sides, and he could feel them shaking with fear.

"How can you be so sure?" Matty asked.

"Keep your voice down!" Mickey hissed, giving his twin a dirty look.

"Sorry," Matty mumbled, his face turning red with embarrassment.

"This is one of the tunnels that we passed by earlier," Sam said quietly. "Don't you guys remember? The first time we came to an intersection, we chose the right-hand tunnel. This is the left-hand tunnel."

"Do you know what that means?" Mickey whispered, his face filling with horror. "BlackWidowmon's going to end up back at the entrance to the cave. She knows that we would never abandon our friends, and that means she's going to come back here looking for us!"

"We have to get out of here, now!" Matty gasped, scrambling to his feet.

Mickey leaped up and grabbed Matty to stop him from rushing off.

"Will you wait a second?" the older twin said, looking exasperated. "We can't just go rushing off without any idea of where we're going. We have to find Ryoko."

"What if Gnomemon has already caught him?" Matty whispered, his eyes sparkling with fear. "What if he's dead?"

"He's not dead!" Mickey snapped, turning away and covering his face with his hands.

Matty lifted his chin and poked Mickey in the back, to get his brother's attention. "Maybe not, but he will be if we don't find him soon! How are we suppose to do that? He could be anywhere!"

Mickey's face was very pale, and the older twin did not answer.

"There has to be a way," Sam murmured.

His D-Coder gave off a sudden loud beep, and they all jumped.

"What's going on?" Mickey asked, moving over to stand next to him.

He glanced down at his D-Coder and frowned in confusion. There were six small coloured dots flashing on it's screen, and it was glowing a faint purple.

"Look! Mine's doing it, too!" Matty gasped, holding up his D-Coder.

"So is mine," Mickey murmured.

Matty exchanged a look with Mickey and frowned. "What do you think it means?"

Sam glanced a Takara's D-Coder in confusion, and then he smiled. "I think I get it! Look! These dots are all the same colours as our D-Coders! See? The green, yellow, orange, and purple dots are all together. Since I have Takara's D-Coder, the green dot's almost on top of the purple one!"

"Then that blue dot must be Ryoko!" Matty said happily.

Mickey nodded and smiled. "Since Ryoko's carrying Dai's D-Coder with him, the red dot is almost on top of the blue!"

"Exactly!" Sam replied. "Somehow our D-Coders have managed to pick up each other's signals. They must all be connected in some way!"

"So as long as we have our Digivices, we'll always be able to find each other again," Mickey said softly.

"I just hope we find Ryoko and not his dead body!" Matty muttered.

"Will you stop?" Mickey shouted, glaring at his twin.

Matty made a face at Mickey, and Sam rolled his eyes. _They had to choose now to get into a fight, didn't they! _He was convinced that they always chose the worst moments to shout at each other on purpose!

"Let me know when you're finished fighting, and then we'll go find Ryoko," he said, trying not to smile.

"Oh, be quiet!" Mickey mumbled, stalking off down the tunnel back the way they had come.

"Mickey might be pretty quiet most of the time, but it's a whole different story when he's angry!" Sam laughed.

Matty let out a snort and rolled his eyes. "That's for sure!"

Keeping one eye on his D-Coder, Sam quickly headed down the hallway after Mickey, with Matty right behind him.

"This way!" Mickey shouted, racing towards the right-hand tunnel that they had passed earlier when looking for Alopemon.

_Hang on, Ryoko! We're coming!_

He just hoped that Ryoko still had his Digivice on him.

_What if Gnomemon has it? _

Whether Ryoko was dead or not, there was still a good chance that the virus digimon had managed to steal the blue D-Coder. If that was the case, then Gnomemon had his hands on Dai's D-Coder, as well.

Their coloured dots were moving slowly closer to the blue one on the screen. He just hoped that they were headed for the right person.


	35. Without a Leader

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 35: Without A Leader

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way," Gnomemon muttered, heading towards the centre of the room.

Ryoko slowly got to his feet and started to make his way towards the door that Gnomemon had used earlier to enter the room. He was doing his best to move as quietly as possible, but it was hard because he had to keep his head lowered. If he straightened up too much, there was a chance that Gnomemon would spot him over top of the boulders.

_It's a risk I'm going to have to take. Dai and the others need me!_

"That dumb kid couldn't have gotten too far ahead of me," Gnomemon grumbled, glancing first to the left and then to the right. "So where is he?"

The virus digimon was now standing on the opposite side of the room, and Ryoko took that opportunity to make his escape.

He hurried towards the door, keeping as close to the wall as possible, and his foot suddenly hit a small rock that was lying on the floor. It clattered against the wall, and he let out a gasp as the sound echoed through the room.

Gnomemon immediately turned in his direction, and he let out a gasp as the virus digimon's eyes met his.

"There you are," Gnomemon said, giving him an evil smile. "You can't trick me that easily!"

Ryoko's heart sank, and he stared at Gnomemon with fear in his eyes.

_I was so close! If only Gnomemon had gone through the other door! So much for my brilliant plan!_

"You're going to pay for trying to make me look like a fool!" Gnomemon growled, leaping over a rock and heading straight towards him.

His back hit the wall, and he let out a whimper of fear. He was in big trouble, and there was not a single soul around to help him.

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Mickey raced towards the right-hand tunnel, heading straight for the blue dot that was suppose to represent Ryoko.

_What if Matty's right? What if he is dead?_

The intersection that they had passed earlier finally came into view, and he let out a gasp as several shapes suddenly burst out of the left-hand tunnel and ran right into them. One of those shapes hit him in the chest and the other one stumbled into his legs. He fell to the floor with a grunt of pain and looked up to see Halomon sitting on his stomache. Alopemon was lying across his legs, and he let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Mickey, you're okay!" Halomon cried, hugging him tightly around the neck.

He hugged his partner back and gave the little rookie a fond smile. "I'm fine, but I was really worried about you."

Halomon's small cheek came to rest against his own, and the digimon smiled softly. "Same here. I'm glad you're okay."

"I feel the same way about you," he murmured.

"Sorry, Matty," Angelicmon said, giving his partner an apologetic look. The angel digimon had fallen on top of Matty, nearly crushing the younger twin.

Matty scrambled to his feet and hugged Angelicmon tightly around the waist. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to get free and find us in time!"

"It looks like Kara was able to help you guys out," Sam said happily.

"That's right," Embermon replied. "She's still back there with Dai. They're safe at the moment."

"It's Ryoko we're worried about," Angelicmon said softly, stroking Matty's hair.

"Where is he?" Alopemon demanded, glancing anxiously around the tunnel.

"He's somewhere in there," Mickey replied, pointing towards the right-hand tunnel. "Our D-Coders have picked up his signal."

He quickly showed Alopemon his Digivice, and the little rookie let out a sigh of relief.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ogremon shouted, charging down the right-hand tunnel.

Mickey quickly followed after Ogremon with the others and bit his lip.

_Please be okay, Ryoko._

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ryoko tried to race for the door, but Gnomemon grabbed his arm and shoved him back against the wall.

He let out a gasp of pain, trying his best to wriggle free, but Gnomemon's grip was too strong.

_I'm really sorry, Alopemon. I shouldn't have run away like that. Now I'm never going to have a chance to get to know you._

"Give me that!" Gnomemon snapped, snatching Dai's D-Coder out of his hand.

The virus digimon shoved him to the floor, and within moments Gnomemon had a hand on his D-Coder, as well.

The evil digimon yanked it free from his pants and smirked at him. "Now that I've gotten what I came for, I have no use for you anymore," Gnomemon said. "Your time is up, human. Once I destroy you, there'll be one less Digidestined running around and getting in the way of our plans! BlackWidowmon's definitely going to be happy about that!"

"I don't think so!" he snapped, kicking Gnomemon in the leg and trying to scramble to his feet. "I'm not going to let you kill me off that easily, at least not without a fight! Have you forgotten that I'm a Digidestined? You guys have enough trouble trying to stop us from finding our partners without getting yourselves killed! What makes you think that you can destroy me when you can't even manage to keep me away from my digimon?"

"Die, human!" Gnomemon screamed, pulling out one of his knives.

The knife headed straight for Ryoko's heart, and he let out a cry of fear.

"Arctic Slash!"

Gnomemon suddenly stumbled backwards, and Ryoko turned to see his friends standing in the doorway.

Alopemon had knocked Gnomemon off of his feet, and the little rookie was now standing on one of the boulders, looking very determined. "No one hurts my partner and gets away with it!"

Gnomemon's knife clattered to the floor, but Ryoko ignored it. He was too busy staring at his friends in surprise. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We couldn't just stand by and let Gnomemon kill you," Mickey said softly, gazing at him with obvious relief.

He felt suddenly warm inside and smiled at his cousin. "Where's BlackWidowmon?"

"She should be here any minute now," Matty snorted. "Either that or she's not as smart as we thought she was!"

"What about Dai?" he asked, his heart filling with sudden fear. "Is he okay? What about Kara? Where is she?"

"Kara stayed behind to look after Dai," Sam said softly. "Don't worry, they're both fine. She even managed to free our digimon."

"That's a relief," he mumbled. "Otherwise I'd be dead right about now!"

"That can still be arranged!" Gnomemon growled, leaping to his feet again.

Ryoko glared at the virus digimon, and then he let out a gasp. "Alopemon! You and the others have to stop him! He has my D-Coder, and he has Dai's Digivice, as well!"

"You heard the kid!" Ogremon shouted. "Let's show this evil digimon that we mean business!"

"You got it! Celestial Star!" Angelicmon shouted, fluttering into the air and directing his blast at Gnomemon.

The virus digimon leaped behind a rock, and the golden star fizzled out when it hit the boulder.

"Your attacks aren't going to work very well in this room!" Gnomemon cackled. "Twin Knives!"

The virus digimon had managed to grab his other knife, when he had jumped behind the boulder, and he sent both of them flying at Angelicmon.

The angel digimon dived behind one of the pillars, and the knives clattered to the floor.

"Our turn now!" Halomon shouted, hovering in the air above Gnomemon. "Halo Rings!"

"Ember Blaze!" Embermon shouted, moving behind Gnomemon and hitting the digimon in the back with his attack.

Gnomemon fell over one of the rocks, and Ogremon hit the virus digimon in the stomache with one of his attacks.

"Arctic Slash!" Alopemon shouted, leaping off of the rock that he had been standing on and hitting Gnomemon in the face.

"Ryoko!" Mickey cried. "You'd better move out of the way before you get hurt!"

The older twin was about to run towards him when BlackWidowmon suddenly burst through the door. She let out a cry of triumph and pointed her finger at Gnomemon. "Gnomemon! Finish them off once and for all!"

"Consider it done! Earthquake Chaos!" Gnomemon shouted, hitting the ground with his fist.

"Look out! Everyone cover your heads!" Sam shouted.

Ryoko staggered into a rock as the ground began to shake, and he realized in horror that the ceiling was starting to break apart. Rocks were raining down on them, and he quickly covered his head.

"I don't know how you digimon managed to free yourselves, but I do know one thing. You're going to pay for trying to save your human partners! " BlackWidowmon shouted. "Venom Darts!"

"Alopemon, look out!" Ryoko cried.

Alopemon quickly turned around to face BlackWidowmon, but the little rookie was not fast enough. BlackWidowmon's attack hit Alopemon in the chest, and he slammed into one of the pillars. The pillar started to shake, and Ryoko let out a cry of terror. _It's going to fall right on top of my partner!_

"Halomon! You and the others have to help Alopemon, right now!" Mickey gasped.

It was almost as if the other boy had read his thoughts.

Halomon and the others raced towards Alopemon, but the ground was still shaking, and it was making it hard for them to move without falling over.

Embermon reached Alopemon first and grabbed the other digimon under the arms.

Unfortunately BlackWidowmon chose that moment to intervene. "Oh no you don't! Venom Darts!"

The blast hit the pillar sending stone chips flying everywhere.

Embermon and the others tried to move out of the way, but they were too late. The pillar fell directly on top of Alopemon, Embermon, and Ogremon. Angelicmon and Halomon just barely managed to fly out of the way in time.

"Alopemon!" Ryoko shouted, racing towards his partner. At that moment, he did not really care what happened to him. All he cared about was saving his digimon.

"Ryoko, come back!" Mickey screamed.

He had almost reached Alopemon and the other digimon when Gnomemon suddenly grabbed him by the back of his shirt. He tried to wriggle free, but the virus digimon pushed him up against a large rock and clamped a hand around his neck.

"Let go!" he shouted, hitting Gnomemon with his fist.

"Ryoko!" Angelicmon shouted, turning in the air and heading towards him.

"I'm not going to let you interfere this time!" BlackWidowmon shrieked. "Venom Darts!"

Several of her small darts sank into Angelicmon's wings and sent him crashing to the ground. The ceiling was still crumbling around them and several large rocks fell on top of the angel digimon.

"Angelicmon!" Matty shouted, looking very scared.

"There's no one to help you anymore!" Gnomemon smirked, squeezing him tightly around the neck. "Time to die!"

Ryoko found himself unable to breath, and his eyes widened in horror as one of Gnomemon's knives headed straight for his stomache.

"Ryoko, no!" Mickey screamed in terror.

There was a sudden flash of orange light, and Ryoko managed to turn his head just enough to see Mickey's body disappear in an orange glow.

"I'll save you, Ryoko!" Halomon shouted.

The little rookie's whole body began to glow so brightly that even Gnomemon looked up.

"I won't let you hurt my friend!" Halomon cried. "Halomon digivolve to, Gabrielmon!" (Ga-bree-el-mon)

"Holy Sceptre!"

Ryoko managed to let out a yelp as a huge orange blast shot over his head and hit Gnomemon in the face.

He fell to his knees, gasping for breath, and someone landed on the ground next to him. He slowly looked up and found himself staring at an angel digimon.

"Don't worry, Ryoko," the angel said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're safe now."


	36. Live to Fight Another Day

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Unfortunately I won't be updating anymore stories until next week, but I'll be back! Oh, and whether Sam or Takara finds their partner next depends on the reviewers! In other words, please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 36: Live To Fight Another Day

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Halomon?" he whispered, staring at the angel digimon in shock.

Mickey's partner smiled at him and nodded. "That's right. I digivolved. My name is Gabrielmon. I'm a champion level vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Holy Sceptre and Heavenly Vortex."

Gabrielmon looked a lot like Angelicmon. He had long blond hair, and his skin was pure white. Two feathery ears stuck out of the top of his head, and he had bright blue eyes. His wings were made up of white and gold feathers, and he had a very serious expression on his face. He wore knee-length boots, elbow length gauntlets, an Egyptian style skirt, and criss-crossing bands of armor over his chest. Gold bands circled his upper arms, and his outfit was several shades of white, gold, and orange.

Ryoko stared at Gabrielmon in amazement and sudden tears filled his eyes. "You digivolved for me," he murmured.

Gabrielmon held out a hand to him and turned to smile at Mickey. "Your cousin really cares about you, and so do I. Besides, I had to digivolve for you. Alopemon would never have forgiven me if I had let something happen to you!"

Ryoko laughed and accepted Gabrielmon's hand. The angel digimon quickly picked him up, and Gabrielmon flew him over to where Mickey and the rest of his friends were standing.

"Ryoko!" Mickey gasped, racing towards them.

Ryoko gave Gabrielmon a quick hug, and the angel placed a gentle hand on the back of his head.

They smiled at each other, and he turned just in time to see the tearful expression on Mickey's face.

The older twin ran into him and nearly knocked him off of his feet. He managed to keep his balance and got a face full of golden hair.

"I thought you were going to die!" Mickey wailed, hugging him tightly around the neck.

He wrapped his arms around his cousin in a warm embrace and sighed. "Why am I always the one in danger?"

Mickey let out a shaky laugh, and Ryoko rested his cheek against his cousin's shoulder.

"Look on the bright side," Mickey whispered softly in his ear. "You'll never have to doubt the fact that there are a lot of people out there who love you."

"Thanks," he mumbled, his cheeks turning pink. He hid his face against his cousin's golden hair and smiled softly.

"That includes Dai," Mickey added.

It was almost as if the older twin had read his thoughts.

_You might think he cares about me, but I'm not so sure._

He wished that he could be as positive about Dai's feelings as Mickey was.

"Don't forget me," Sam said softly. "I care about you, too."

Ryoko blushed at his friend's words, and he stumbled as Matty suddenly ran into him from behind.

"So do I," the younger twin mumbled.

Matty's cheek came to rest against the back of his head, and he felt the younger twin's arms go around him in a tight hug.

"Careful, Matty," Mickey said, looking amused.

"What? I felt left out!" Matty replied, pretending to look hurt.

Ryoko laughed and gently held Matty close, taking comfort from the warmth of his cousin's body.

_Now if only they were right about Dai..._

"Gnomemon, you fool! Now look what you've done!" BlackWidowmon shrieked, interrupting his thoughts.

Apparently she had only just become aware of what had happened, since Angelicmon had taken up all of her attention earlier.

Mickey reached out and gently touched Gabrielmon's arm. "I think you'd better go help the others. We're going to need them to defeat BlackWidowmon and Gnomemon."

"Of course," Gabrielmon said softly.

Ryoko glanced anxiously at his partner who was still trapped under the pedestal.

_What if he's hurt really bad?_

"Do I always have to do everything myself?" BlackWidowmon snapped. "Venom Darts!"

Gabrielmon leaped into the air, avoiding BlackWidowmon's attack, and flew over to Angelicmon. The angel quickly pulled Angelicmon out from under the rocks and helped him to his feet.

"Are you okay?"

Angelicmon stared at Gabrielmon in surprise and smiled slightly. "I am now," Matty's partner said softly, placing a hand on Gabrielmon's arm.

Gabrielmon nodded and turned to frown at BlackWidowmon. "We'd better free Alopemon and the others."

Angelicmon bowed his head and gave the other angel a solemn look. "Lead the way, my friend."

"Gnomemon, stop them!" BlackWidowmon shouted, leaping onto one of the pillars and climbing towards the ceiling.

"Twin Knives!"

The angels flew into the air and quickly darted around Gnomemon's knives. They managed to avoid another one of BlackWidowmon's attacks and landed on the ground next to their fellow digimon.

"Hurry," Embermon groaned, his eyes fluttering open.

With help from Angelicmon, Gabrielmon was able to lift the fallen pillar off of Alopemon, Ogremon, and Embermon.

The three digimon slowly got to their feet, and Alopemon let out a gasp.

"Ryoko!" the little rookie cried.

"I'm fine," he replied, giving his digimon a warm smile. "Halomon digivolved and saved me. Right now you have to concentrate on Gnomemon. He still has my D-Coder, and he has Dai's, too!"

"Don't forget about BlackWidowmon!" Sam added.

Alopemon stared at him for a moment and finally nodded. "Come on, guys! Let's stop them!"

"Right! Litany Spear!" Angelicmon shouted, throwing his weapon towards the ceiling.

BlackWidowmon scuttled out of the way and glared at him. "Web Shackles!"

"Be careful!" Gabrielmon called out, pulling Angelicmon out of the way.

"That D-Coder belongs to my partner, and I'm not going to let you get away with stealing it from him!" Alopemon shouted. "Arctic Slash!"

The little rookie's tail hit Gnomemon in the chest and sent the virus digimon stumbling into one of the pillars.

"Bone Cudgel!" Ogremon shouted, hitting Gnomemon in the side.

"Eathquake Cha-"

"We're not going to fall for that again!" Embermon shouted. "Ember Blaze!"

Burning embers shot out of the little rookie's hands and hit Gnomemon in the stomache. The virus digimon hit the floor with a groan, and the D-Coders he had attached to his clothing clattered to the ground.

"No!" BlackWidowmon shrieked, leaping off of the ceiling and heading towards the D-Coders.

"Don't even think about it! Celestial Star!" Angelicmon shouted.

"Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon called out, holding up his weapon.

The top of Gabrielmon's sceptre looked like a small glowing crystal ball, and there was a bright orange halo hovering around it. It reminded Ryoko of the planet Saturn.

BlackWidowmon let out a cry of pain as the huge orange blast from Gabrielmon's sceptre slammed into her, followed by Angelicmon's golden star.

Angelicmon quickly grabbed the D-Coders and flew into the air again. "Alright! Let's get rid of them once and for all!"

"Now you're talking!" Alopemon replied. "Frozen Specter!"

The rookie's shadow raced towards Gnomemon, and it froze the virus digimon in his tracks.

"Bone Cudgel!" Ogremon shouted, hitting Gnomemon with his weapon as if the virus digimon was a baseball.

Gnomemon flew into the wall, and Embermon held out his hands. "Ember Blaze!"

The blast hit Gnomemon, causing the ice to melt, and the virus digimon fell to the floor.

"Give those D-Coders back!" he managed to snarl. "Twin Knives!"

Ogremon, Embermon, and Alopemon leaped out of the way, and the angel digimon flew over to join them.

"Maybe next time you'll learn not to join up with evil digimon like BlackWidowmon!" Angelicmon said quietly. "Celestial Star!"

The blast hit Gnomemon with a flash of golden light, and the virus digimon let out a cry that echoed through the room.

"I believe the score is now three to zero!" Gabrielmon said, holding his sceptre high into the air. "Better luck next time, Gnomemon! Let's hope that you've changed your ways by then. At least you'll have a chance now that I'm about to give you a one way ticket to Primary Village! Heavenly Vortex!"

"No, don't!" Gnomemon screamed.

Gabrielmon's sceptre began to glow, and he traced a circle in the air with it. A huge glowing portal appeared in the sky, and Gnomemon was lifted off of his feet. The virus digimon was sucked into the portal, and there was a blinding flash of orange light. A few seconds later, the portal disappeared. The only thing left to show where it had been were a few small sparks of data that drifted slowly towards the ceiling and disappeared. Gnomemon was gone.

"How dare you destroy my servant!" BlackWidowmon screamed, leaping to her feet. "I'll kill you all for this!"

Gabrielmon rolled his deep blue eyes and smiled in amusement. "You talk too much. It's starting to get on my nerves! Holy Sceptre!"

The angel pointed his weapon at the ceiling, and there was a huge explosion. Large rocks came crashing down on top of BlackWidowmon, pinning her to the ground.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Ogremon shouted, motioning for everyone to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Ryoko cried, racing after the virus digimon.

"We're going to go round up the rest of your friends, and then we're getting as far away from BlackWidowmon as possible! This cave has a secret entrance, and I just happen to know where it is! It's actually more of an escape route than a secret entrance!"

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Sam shouted, giving Ogremon a dirty look.

"Sorry, it slipped my mind. Besides, I had other things to worry about. It's not everyday that someone interrupts your nap, and then you find yourself involved in a huge battle with evil digimon!" Ogremon shot back.

"Will you two quit arguing? We've got to get out of here before BlackWidowmon recovers!" Ryoko interrupted, holding Alopemon tightly to his chest.

Ryoko raced back into the main corridor of the cave with the others, and they quickly headed down the left-hand tunnel that led to the room with the pedestal.

Takara leaped to her feet, as they stumbled to a halt in front of her, and she stared at them with wide frightened eyes.

"Ryoko! You're okay! I was so worried!" she whispered.

"Yeah. How's Dai doing?" he asked, glancing down at the goggle headed leader's pale face.

Takara hugged herself and gave him a shaky smile. "I'm not sure. It's hard to tell."

"Listen, Kara. We've defeated Gnomemon, but BlackWidowmon is still after us," Mickey said glancing anxiously at the door. "Ogremon knows of a way out of this place, so we're going to take advantage of it."

Takara glanced over Mickey's shoulder, and her mouth fell open. "Is that Halomon?"

"Yeah, he digivolved. Now let's get going," Ryoko said impatiently.

"Gabrielmon, you'd better carry Dai," Mickey said softly.

The angel quickly picked Dai up, and they headed towards the back of the room.

Ogremon pressed his fingers against a small rock that was sticking out of the wall, and the virus digimon stepped back with a smile.

Ryoko let out a gasp as the wall began to open up, and he found himself staring down a narrow passageway.

"Come on," Ogremon said, motioning them all forwards.

Ryoko quickly followed Ogremon into the new tunnel, and they all started walking as fast as their legs would carry them.

They had only been walking for several minutes when Ryoko felt a sudden breeze against his face. He pushed his way to the front of the group and almost fell on his face when he stumbled out of the tunnel.

He glanced up, and his eyes widened in shock.

_Where are we?_

"Amazing!" Mickey whispered.

Ryoko nodded in agreement and smiled. He and his friends were no longer standing in a dark cave. Instead, they were standing in a shady forest.


	37. Evil Hides Behind a Mask

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm finally back! MBFG is next!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 37: Evil Hides Behind A Mask

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Gabrielmon gently laid Dai in the grass, and Ryoko knelt next to his friend's side.

"Dai, come on. You have to wake up," he said softly, placing a hand on the goggle headed leader's arm.

Dai did not respond, and he felt his eyes fill with tears. _What if he never wakes up?_

Alopemon leaned against his side and gave him a gentle smile. "Don't worry, Ryoko. He will be alright."

Ryoko rested his cheek against his partner's head and sighed. "I was worried about you."

"I was worried about you, too," Alopemon murmured. "Please don't run off like that again."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, hugging his partner tightly.

The little rookie's forehead came to rest against his, and Alopemon gave him a very serious look. "I mean it, Ryoko. I can't protect you if you're always running away from me."

"I wasn't running away from you," he murmured, stroking his partner's ears. You know I love you. I was just worried about Dai. I might not know you very well, yet, but I do know that we're going to make a perfect team."

"I agree," Alopemon said quietly. "I hope you realize how much I care about you. I know it might not have seemed like it when we first met, but I was distracted by the battle."

"I know," he said quietly. "Don't worry about it. That's one of the reasons why I'm glad that you're my partner."

Alopemon smiled and nodded.

"It's great having a digimon, isn't it?" Mickey said softly, sitting down next to him and giving Gabrielmon a fond look.

Mickey's partner was standing next to Angelicmon, under a tree, and the two digimon had their heads bent close together. They were whispering softly to each other, and Gabrielmon suddenly looked up, as if he sensed Mickey's gaze on him.

"Is something wrong, Mickey?" Gabrielmon asked, coming over and sitting down next to his partner.

Mickey shook his head and leaned his cheek against the angel digimon's shoulder. "Thank you for saving Ryoko," the older twin said softly.

"You don't have to thank me," Gabrielmon replied, wrapping an arm around Mickey's shoulders. "I wanted to save him!"

Ryoko blushed and smiled at Gabrielmon, who smiled back at him.

"I'm so glad that you're an angel digimon," Mickey whispered, running a hand over one of his partner's wings. "I was hoping that you would be, but I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure. You're absolutely amazing, you know that?"

"Thank you," Gabrielmon replied, resting his cheek against the top of Mickey's head.

"Of course he's an angel!" Matty laughed, flopping down on the ground next to his twin. "After all, we did find Halomon and Celestimon under an angel statue! I thought it was pretty obvious!"

"And yet you were still shocked when Celestimon digivolved," Mickey replied, looking amused.

Matty rolled his eyes and gave his brother a smile.

"Have you two finally stopped fighting?" Sam asked, giving them a look.

Ryoko glanced at his twin cousins and raised his eyebrows.

"We weren't fighting," Matty shot back, giving Sam a dirty look. "We were having a disagreement!"

"Whatever!" Sam laughed.

Gabrielmon whispered something to Angelicmon, and they both smiled.

"Besides, I had a good feeling about Halomon," Matty added.

"So did I," Angelicmon said softly, wrapping an arm around Gabrielmon.

Mickey's partner nodded and patted Angelicmon's wing. "It looks like you guys were right."

"I didn't tell you my suspicions before because I wanted it to be a surprise," Matty explained, turning to look at his twin.

Mickey smiled at his brother and pulled Matty against him in a hug. "Right. I bet you were afraid that you'd end up being wrong!"

"So?" Matty laughed, placing a hand against the back of his brother's golden head. "See, Sam? He forgives me!"

Mickey's forehead was resting against Matty's cheek, and the older twin laughed.

"I'm just glad that we all made it out of there in one piece!" Takara said, sitting down on Dai's other side. "You wouldn't believe how worried I was for all of you!"

"We were worried about you, too," Ryoko replied, leaning over Dai to kiss her cheek.

"There! That should stop BlackWidowmon from following us!"

Ryoko looked up at the sound of Ogremon's voice and turned to see that the virus digimon had blocked off the tunnel. The entrance was completely sealed with rocks and large tree branches.

Embermon nodded with approval and smiled at Ogremon. "Good thinking."

"See, Kara? Not all virus digimon are bad!" Sam laughed.

Takara made a face at him and rolled her eyes.

"Hey! I'm not that good either!" Ogremon grumbled.

"Kara, who were you shouting at earlier?" Matty asked, giving her a curious look.

"No one," Takara mumbled.

Apparently Matty had not forgotten about that.

Dai suddenly let out a groan, and Ryoko quickly turned back to his friend.

"Dai?" he whispered.

Dai slowly opened his eyes and blinked. "What's going on?"

"Don't worry. Everything's okay now," Takara said softly, taking his hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," Dai mumbled. "Where are we?"

"In a forest," Mickey replied. "We managed to defeat Gnomemon, but BlackWidowmon was still after us so we had to escape. Halomon digivolved to help us."

Dai lifted his head, and the goggle headed leader's eyes widened when he spotted Gabrielmon. "Wow! He's an angel, just like Angelicmon! You're really lucky, Mickey."

"Thanks," Mickey said softly.

"It's nice to meet you, Dai. I am Gabrielmon," the angel digimon said softly.

"You, too. You're a great digimon."

"I'm glad you think so," Gabrielmon replied.

"Why did you digivolve?" Dai asked, looking confused.

Gabrielmon glanced at Alopemon and smiled. "Ryoko was in trouble."

"What?" Dai snapped.

The goggle headed leader abruptly sat up and winced.

"Will you be careful before you end up hurting yourself even more?" Ryoko snapped back. "I'm fine."

"What happened to you?" Dai demanded, staring directly into his eyes.

Takara quickly explained what had happened, and Dai's face turned pale.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" the goggle headed leader asked, his voice shaking with anger.

"No! I was trying to protect you!" he shouted back.

Everyone stared at him in shock, including Dai, and the goggle headed leader suddenly leaned against his side.

"Don't ever do something like that again," Dai mumbled so softly that he just barely heard the words. "I'm not worth it."

Ryoko's eyes filled with tears, and he quickly turned his face away. _Yes, you are._

"Here," Angelicmon said softly, handing them their D-Coders. "You'd better keep a closer eye on your Digivices from now on. Those evil digimon can be tricky."

"Thanks," Dai said softly.

"Dai, I'm really sorry," Embermon whispered, standing on the goggle headed leader's knee and hugging him tightly. "I should have made more of an effort to protect you."

"No way. You did a great job," Dai said, tugging gently on Embermon's tail.

"You really scared me when you wouldn't wake up," the little rookie mumbled into his shoulder.

"Sorry," Dai murmured. "Don't worry, though. I'm okay."

"Thank goodness for that!" Takara whispered, slipping an arm around Dai's waist.

"I will always worry about you," Embermon said softly.

"You humans are so reckless!" Ogremon said. "It's no wonder that you're always getting yourselves into trouble!"

"Who's the ugly digimon?" Dai asked.

"Hey! It's what's on the inside that counts!" Ogremon replied, giving Dai a dirty look.

"Oh, this is Ogremon," Sam said. "He was the digimon that Gennai chose to protect Alopemon."

Sam quickly told Dai about everything that had happened to them in the cave, including their escape, and the goggle headed leader's face filled with astonishment.

"So our D-Coders can help us find each other again! That's so cool!"

"I know!" Matty laughed, and Ryoko smiled at his cousin.

Dai suddenly touched his arm, and he jumped.

"Um...thanks for taking care of my Digivice," the goggle headed leader muttered.

Ryoko blushed and nodded.

"Alright, so what's this about Gennai being captured?" Ogremon asked.

Ryoko quickly told the virus digimon about Vampiramon, and he told him about how she and her evil gang of digimon had captured Gennai.

When he was finished, Ogremon frowned. "So Andromon and Leomon went to look for him? Well that settles it then! I'm going to go look for Gennai, too! File Island is actually my home, but I came to Server because Gennai needed me to protect Alopemon. Now that Ryoko's here, I can finally get back to the island and help the others. Leomon probably needs me."

"Sounds good," Dai replied. "While you're doing that, we're going to go look for Sam's and Takara's digimon partners."

"After you get some rest!" Ryoko snapped.

Dai glared at him and sighed. "Alright, alright! After I get some rest!"

"How are we going to get home?" Sam asked, looking a little worried.

Ogremon pointed to a small television that was half hidden by a group of bushes. Ryoko had been so busy worrying about Dai that he had not even noticed it before.

"Come on, guys. We'd better get going," Mickey said softly. "Thanks for all of your help, Ogremon."

Ogremon shrugged, and his green face split into a wide smile. "Hey, no problem. This isn't the first time that I've helped out a group of humans. I'd better quit it or the other digimon on File Island are going to start thinking that I'm nice!"

Ryoko laughed and shook Ogremon's hand. "We'll see you around, Ogremon. Thanks again!" He did not bother asking the virus digimon about the first time that he had helped humans. _We probably won't get an answer anyway!_

Dai tried to get to his feet and would have fallen over if Matty had not caught his arm.

"Did I not just tell you to be careful?" Ryoko shouted. "Why do I even bother? Here, let me help you."

He slipped his arm around his friend's waist, and Mickey quickly moved to Dai's other side. Together they managed to drag the goggle headed leader over to the gate.

"This had better not happen again!" he snapped, glaring at the goggle headed leader. "Especially now that Alopemon and I can help you fight!"

Dai ignored him. Instead, the goggle headed leader turned and hugged Mickey tightly.

"Thank you," he heard Dai whisper in Mickey's ear.

Mickey smiled and nodded. "You're welcome."

Ryoko felt his face turn red and bit his lip. _Are they talking about me?_

"Bye, Ogremon!" Takara called out.

"Good luck!" Sam added.

"You guys be careful!" Ogremon called back.

Ryoko and his friends held out their D-Coders, and they were swept back through the gate.

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

DarkAngelicmon stood at the edge of the canyon and smiled at the sight of BlackWidowmon stumbling out of the cave.

_I warned them to be careful about Halomon, but obviously BlackWidowmon didn't listen to me._

He sighed and brushed a stray strand of black hair out of his eyes. Technically he was still an angel digimon, and that was why he had been able to sense what Halomon's champion form was going to be. Digimon had a way of sensing their own kind, which was why he had known about Angelicmon, as well.

"It definitely makes things interesting," he said softly.

_I would love to meet them in battle, although I certainly won't be making the same mistakes that LadyDevimon made with Angewomon. I've never really been the jealous type!_

He smiled in amusement and laughed as he watched BlackWidowmon trip over a rock.

_Once again our master's going to be very disappointed. Oh well. Let the others fail. I never expected much from them anyway. In the end, I will be the one who destroys the Digidestined. Soon all digimon and humans will be forced to obey me and my master. It is my destiny._

"Watch out, my fragile human friends," he whispered softly. "You have not even come close to seeing our true strength. As I always say, beware The Powers of Darkness, or they just might swallow you whole."

He turned his back on BlackWidowmon and leaped gracefully into the air.

_And Masato Takaishi thinks that his digimon is powerful. Well, we'll see about that!_

He smiled slightly and flew off in the direction of Cyber, without a backwards glance.


	38. The Price of Victory

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"After everything we've seen and all the things we've been through, we're not about to let evil have the final victory!" _-Takuya Kanbara (Season Four, Episode 47: When Knights Fall...)

Chapter 38: The Price Of Victory

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Ouch! Will someone please put some pillows here?" Dai shouted, sitting up and rubbing his back.

Ryoko pulled up his friend's shirt, and he glanced anxiously at the others. "It looks even worse than it did before. If Davis and Noriko see this, they're going to want to know what's going on."

"Are you kidding? Noriko's going to flip out!" Matty muttered.

"Do you mind not flashing my bare chest to the entire world?" Dai said sarcastically.

"Oh, please," Ryoko snorted. "It's not like I've never seen you naked before and trust me, there's not much there to look at!"

"Ryoko!" Takara squealed, turning bright red in the face.

Dai punched him in the chest and glared at him. "For your information, Ishida, I'm not planning on letting my parents catch a glimpse of my back. What? You think I walk around without a shirt on all the time or something?"

"Someone could accidentally see it," Sam pointed out. "What if your mom or dad walks in on you while you're changing? Or even Ami, for that matter."

"Trust me. No one's going to see anything," Dai replied. "I'll make sure of that."

"Come on, we'd better get you home," Ryoko muttered, helping Dai to his feet.

"I'll come with you," Sam said, moving over to stand on Dai's other side. "We'll see the rest of you tomorrow."

"Don't forget about me!"

Ryoko glanced down and smiled at his partner. Alopemon had reverted back to his in-training form, and the little digimon beamed at him.

"Who are you now?" he asked.

"Iramon," (eye-ra-mon) the little digimon replied.

Iramon was a small blue head with large sapphire eyes and a bushy tail.

"You'd better hide," he said softly, tucking his small partner into his backpack.

"Get some sleep, Dai," Takara said quietly, before leaving the room with Mickey and Matty.

It was obvious that she and the twins had wanted to come with, but that would have looked way too suspicious.

Ryoko motioned for Sam to take Dai's other arm, and they quickly helped the goggle headed leader out of the school.

It took them a while to get to Dai's house because the goggle headed leader could not walk very fast. By the time they reached the Motomiya's front door, they were practically carrying Dai. The goggle headed leader's eyes had fallen shut again, and he did not look very good.

Ryoko rang the doorbell and nervously bit his lip.

_Someone's going to notice that Dai isn't acting like his usual annoying self, and then we're going to be in big trouble! I hope Sam has some answers ready because I have a feeling that Dai's parents are going to be asking us a lot of questions. I'm absolutely no use at all! My mind's a complete blank!_

After several moments, the door opened, and his mouth fell open in surprise. He had been expecting Davis or Noriko to answer the bell, but instead they were standing face to face with Sam's father.

"Dad!" Sam gasped, his eyes growing wide with shock. "What are you doing here?"

Ken frowned and crossed his arms. "Davis and Noriko invited us over for dinner. I left you a note on the kitchen table, and I left one at the store, as well. Your mother was worried that you wouldn't get the message."

"Oh, I guess I must have missed seeing them," Sam replied, letting out a shaky laugh.

Ken raised his eyebrows, and Sam blushed.

"Um...I haven't actually been home yet," Sam mumbled, avoiding his father's eyes. "Dai wanted to talk to me so I decided to walk with him to his house first, before going home."

"Well, you're here now. I suppose that's what matters. Come on inside. Noah, Ema, and the others just left about five minutes ago.They were at the convenience store earlier today."

"Good," Dai mumbled, trying his best to keep his eyes open. "Ema's nothing but a pain in the but!"

Ryoko was about to step past Sam's father, but Ken suddenly put a hand on his arm to stop him.

He swallowed hard as Ken's deep blue eyes studied his face, and he frowned as Ken slowly turned to look at Dai.

"What's wrong with him?" Sam's father asked quietly.

Ryoko stared at Sam in horror, and they both glanced at Dai with fear in their eyes.

_I knew this was going to happen! If only Dai hadn't tried to act like a hero..._

"There's nothing wrong with me!" Dai muttered, straightening up and staring directly into Ken's eyes.

Ryoko jumped in surprise at Dai's sudden movement, and he accidentally lost his grip on the goggle headed leader's arm. His friend stumbled directly into Ken, and Ken quickly grabbed the goggle headed leader under the arms. If Sam's father had not reacted so quickly, Dai would have ended up falling flat on his face.

"Dai? Is that you?" Davis called from the kitchen.

"Davis, get in here!" Ken said sharply, wrapping his arms around Dai and glancing anxiously at the kitchen door.

Dai's father came into the room with a frown on his face and gave Ken a curious look. "Ken, what-"

Davis fell silent at the sight of Dai, and his eyes filled with sudden fear. "Dai? Dai, are you okay? What happened to you?"

"I'm fine," Dai mumbled into Ken's chest.

Sam's father sat down on the floor with Dai in his arms, and Davis knelt next to them.

"No, you're not," Dai's father said quietly, and Ryoko jumped as Davis turned to look at him. "What happened to my son?"

"Um...well...you see..."

His voice trailed off, and he glanced frantically at Sam.

"He got hurt playing soccer," Sam quickly blurted out. "It happened on the bleachers. We told him to be careful, but he wouldn't listen to us!"

Dai turned slightly to glare at Sam, and Ryoko felt a sudden crazy urge to laugh.

"I thought you said Dai just wanted to talk to you," Ken said softly, staring calmly at his son. "Did you forget to mention the fact that you were trying to help him home?"

Sam blushed bright red and stared at the floor with a guilty expression on his face. "Dad-"

"We'll talk later," Ken said quietly, giving his son a very disappointed look.

Ryoko winced and gave Sam a sympathetic smile. _Poor Sam. I'm glad my parents aren't here!_

"Come on, Dai. Let's get you upstairs," Davis said softly, placing a hand against his son's pale cheek.

Ken gently let go of Dai, and Davis lifted his son into his arms.

"I can walk," Dai mumbled, his head coming to rest against his father's shoulder.

"Sorry, Dai. I can't have you falling down the stairs. Your mother would kill me if I let that happen!" Davis replied, resting his cheek against the top of his son's head. "You're too stubborn sometimes, you know that?"

"Kind of like someone else I know!" Ken replied, giving Davis a warm smile.

Davis laughed and smiled back at his best friend.

"Davis, what's going on in there?" Noriko called from the living room.

Davis froze, and he exchanged a look with Ken. "Nothing, honey. Dai and a few of his friends just came home, that's all."

"Is Sam here?" Yolei shouted, making Sam wince.

"Yes," Ken called back.

"Good, because supper's almost ready."

"Okay," Davis replied. "We'll be downstairs in a few minutes."

"Davis, how could you lie to Noriko like that? You're setting a bad example for the kids," Ken scolded.

Ryoko laughed, and Davis rolled his eyes.

"You know what Noriko's like," Dai's father whispered in Ken's ear. "She'll freak out if she sees Dai in this condition. I know it might not always seem like it, but she worries about him a lot. That's why she yells at him all the time."

"Yeah right!" the goggle headed leader muttered.

They entered Dai's room, and Davis gently laid his son on the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked, brushing Dai's hair out of his eyes.

Dai shrugged and allowed his father to pull off his shoes. "Okay, I guess."

"What exactly happened?" Ken asked, sitting on the edge of Dai's bed.

"He fell down the bleachers and hurt his back," Ryoko said quickly. He felt guilty about lying, but they did not really have a choice.

Davis slowly lifted up Dai's shirt and flinched when he caught sight of the bruises on his son's back. "I hope you haven't broken anything."

"I haven't," Dai mumbled, lying on his stomache. "Trust me. I'd be in a lot worse pain if I had!"

"Are you sure?" Davis asked, gently running a hand over his son's back.

Dai nodded and buried his face in his pillow. "It's not like I have to go to the hospital or anything. Don't worry, Dad. I'll be fine after I get some rest."

Davis sighed and leaned over to give Dai a warm hug. "Will you please be careful from now on?" he murmured softly into the back of his son's head. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," Dai mumbled, turning slightly so that he could wrap his arms around his dad's neck.

"I love you," Davis whispered.

Dai smiled and closed his eyes. "I know."

"What about Noriko?" Ryoko asked, glancing at Sam.

Sam's face was very pale, and he kept staring at his father as if hoping that Ken would forget that he was there.

"I'll tell her that Dai's sick or something. She'll worry, but at least she won't be hovering over him like he's on his deathbed! That's the last thing he needs right now!"

"Thanks, Dad," Dai said softly.

Davis crossed his arms and gave his son a stern look. "I'll cover for you, this time, but don't get use to it. Next time you're on your own!"

Ryoko stared nervously at the ground as Davis suddenly turned to look at him.

"Um...Davis...listen..."

He broke off as Davis suddenly put a hand on his arm, and Dai's father smiled at him.

"Thank you for looking after Dai, especially considering how you feel about him."

"What?" Ryoko blurted, his whole face turning pink.

Davis raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Or at least how you pretend to feel!"

His mouth fell open, but Davis had already turned away from him to look at Sam and did not see his expression.

"You, too, Sam. Dai's lucky to have such great friends."

Sam shook his head and gave Davis a hug. "No, we're lucky to have Dai!"

"Will you stop embarrassing me?" Dai shouted, his face turning red.

The goggle headed leader's cheeks were bright pink, and Ryoko did not fail to notice the fact that Dai was avoiding his eyes.

_I've never seen him look so uncertain before. Is it because of me? _

"Alright, alright, I'll leave!" Davis laughed. "Come on, Ken. We'll bring you guys up some supper later on. I'm sure Noriko will understand. Besides, Dai could use some company."

"Bring me some food, too!" Dai mumbled, sounding half asleep.

"I will," Davis replied, looking amused. "And I'll be back to check on you every once in a while to make sure that you're okay."

Both Ken and Davis gave Dai a hug before they reluctantly left the room. It was obvious that they wanted to stay, but that would have made Yolei and Noriko suspicious.

"Don't forget to tell Ami to leave me alone!" Dai shouted after them.

Ken paused for a moment to stare at Sam before disappearing around the corner. Although Ken had not said anything, it was plainly obvious that he was not very happy with his son for lying to him.

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"I'm home!" Takara called out, bouncing into the living room and smiling at her parents.

Her mother was curled up in an armchair, and she was reading a book. Her father was seated on the couch, next to Taysuke, and they were watching television.

"Hi, Kara. Did you have a good time playing soccer?" her mother asked, giving her a warm smile in return.

"Yes," she replied, crossing the room and giving her mother a hug.

"We weren't sure what time you'd be home at so we went ahead and ate. There's some more in the fridge if you want to heat it up," her father added.

She nodded and let out a sigh. _I hope Dai's doing alright._

"Is something wrong, Kara?" her mother asked, kissing her cheek.

"No," she mumbled, feeling guilty.

_If you don't count the fact that I lied to you earlier about playing soccer!_

"Are you sure?" her father asked, watching her closely.

She nodded and jumped when she realized that Taysuke was watching her.

"Um...I think I'll go eat some supper now," she said quickly, avoiding her brother's eyes.

She headed into the kitchen, and she was about to open the fridge when someone suddenly touched her arm. She let out a gasp and spun around to find her brother standing right behind her.

"Tay! You scared me!"

"Sorry," he replied, glancing towards the living room.

"What's wrong?" she asked, feeling suddenly nervous.

Taysuke motioned her towards the table, and she quickly sat down across from him.

"I wasn't going to tell you this, but I've been having second thoughts," her brother said softly.

"Tell me what?" she asked, feeling confused.

_He looks so serious._

"Ema's determined to find out what you and the others are up to. That's why we were following you this afternoon. Ema thinks that Dai skipped his practice a few days ago, and she won't give up until she can prove it."

Takara stared at her brother in shock and felt her heart sink. She had known that Tay and his friends were following them, and she had known that Ema was suspicious of Dai. Unfortunately she had not realized just how determined the younger kids were to find out the truth.

"You weren't playing soccer today, were you?" Taysuke asked quietly. "And you weren't watching Dai's soccer practice when you showed up late for my game a few days ago."

"Tay, I-"

Her brother shook his head and smiled slightly. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but there is one thing that's bothering me, and all you have to do is answer yes or no."

She hesitated and finally nodded.

"You do have a good reason for skipping my game, right?" her brother asked, his voice trembling. "It's not because you don't want to watch me play anymore, is it?"

"No, of course not," she said softly, reaching across the table and giving him a warm hug. "I'm really sorry that Ryoko and I missed your game, but there was definitely a good reason for it."

"So you weren't at Dai's soccer practice," Taysuke said quietly.

She shook her head and sighed. "No. I was somewhere else."

"What were you doing?"

She smiled softly and sat down next to her brother. "The most important thing I've ever done."

Taysuke studied her for a moment, and she smiled at the look of concern in her brother's eyes.

"Be careful, okay?" Taysuke whispered.

"I will be," she said quietly.

_Hopefully that will be one promise I won't have to break!_

"Um...Kara? Don't tell Ema I said anything, otherwise she'll kill me!" Taysuke muttered.

"Don't worry, I won't!" she said with a laugh.

"Tay, you're going to miss the rest of the show!" their father called from the living room.

"Coming!" Taysuke called back.

Her brother turned to look at her, and he smiled. "Thanks for being honest."

"You're welcome," she whispered, watching her brother leave the room.

_I just hope that I can keep being honest with him. At least I know what Ema's up to. Now I just hope that I can stop her from finding out about what's going on._


	39. The Emperor's Greatest Fear

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Unwilling slave of darkness, be purified by the light!" _-BeoWulfmon (Season Four, Episode 32: My Brother in Spirit)

Chapter 39: The Emperor's Greatest Fear

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Ken, are you alright?"

Ken Ichijouji stood at the bottom of the stairs with his best friend and glanced anxiously in the direction of the living room. "No," he said quietly. "I'm worried about Sam."

"Why?" Davis asked, giving him a curious look.

"Let's go into the kitchen. I don't want Yolei to overhear us," he murmured, motioning for Davis to follow him.

Davis shrugged and smiled softly. "I guess Yolei and Noriko can wait a little longer."

They sat down next to each other at the table, and Ken turned to gaze thoughtfully out of the window.

"What is it?" Davis asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, to get his attention.

He let out a sigh and shook his head. "I'm not really sure. It's just...Sam has been acting a little strange lately, and I can't help but feel a little bit concerned about the whole thing. He seems uneasy about something, and he has been rather quiet the last couple of days. It's not like him to be so...distant."

Davis raised an eyebrow and studied his face. "Are you sure that you're not just imagining things?"

"You saw the way that Sam was acting a couple of minutes ago, and I know that you saw the way he tried to lie to me earlier," he said flatly.

"Have you told Yolei any of this?" Davis asked, looking amused.

"No," he muttered, avoiding his friend's eyes.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Davis chuckled.

Ken managed a faint smile and shrugged. "If Yolei knew that Sam was acting like anything other than his usual self, she would never let the poor boy out of her sight! I'm hoping this whole thing will blow over before I have to tell my wife about it!"

Davis started to laugh and crossed his arms. "Trust me, Ken. I'd do the same thing if I was in your shoes. Oh wait! I almost forgot! Noriko's just as bad as Yolei!"

"Besides, I think Yolei suspects something already," he said quietly. "It's only a matter of time before she starts to hassle Sam about his behaviour. If she starts to pester him, it's only going to make him upset, and I don't want our son to be angry at us."

Davis frowned and studied his face. "What are you really worried about?"

"That's how it started with me," he whispered, staring down at the table. "I acted the same way towards my parents after my brother died."

"So that's what's bugging you," Davis said softly, giving him a sad smile. "You're afraid that Sam is going to end up taking the same path that you took when you became the Emperor."

Ken's heart filled with sadness, and he slowly nodded. Miya, Sam, and Nao were his whole heart and soul. After their births, he had made a promise to himself that he would never let them suffer the same horrible fate that he had suffered. He and Yolei were determined to be the best parents that they could possibly be, and he was not about to push any of his kids into being someone that they were not. That was one of the things that had caused him to be the Emperor in the first place, and he was not about to make the same mistake with his children.

"Ken?"

He lifted his eyes to his friend's face, and Davis gave him a very serious look.

"Ken, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Sam is not going to end up becoming another Digimon Emperor. He has a lot of support from you, Yolei, his siblings, the rest of his family, and a great group of friends. You didn't have that when you were the Emperor. Besides, Sam's childhood is completely different from your childhood. I know the memories still haunt you, but Sam has only good memories in his life, so far. He has also never lost someone close to him. Somewhere along the line Sam is going to face some tough challenges in his life, but he's a strong person, and I know that he'll be able to overcome any obstacles that stand in his way. You were able to change your life around, and Sam is your son. There is no reason why he won't be able to do the same thing."

_I hope you're right, Davis._

He let out a sigh and gazed up at the ceiling. Miya had always been more like her mother, and that was why he did not often worry about her. He knew that she was going to be just fine. Sam and Nao were a different story. Both of his sons reminded him a lot of himself, and that scared him. He was especially worried about Sam because his older son was now around the same age that he had been when he had become the Emperor. That fact made him very uneasy. His greatest fear was that Sam would end up following the same path of darkness that he had taken. If that happened, he did not know what he would do.

_I hope I'm not going to be this stressed out when Nao gets to be Sam's age!_

He smiled softly and shook his head. It was hard being a parent, but it had also helped him understand his own mother and father a little bit better.

_My past is behind me, but if that's the case, then why do I feel as if it's going to come back to haunt me? Sam might remind me a lot of myself, but he also reminds me of my brother, and that scares me most of all. I couldn't bear it if I lost my son, especially after losing my brother. I can't handle anymore heartache, and losing my son would probably drive me completely insane..._

"Ken, we haven't even been to the Digital World in years," Davis said quietly. "I doubt we'll ever go back. The chances of Sam finding out about it are slim, and even if he did, there's no way he could get there. Trust me, Ken. Sam is never going to let darkness consume him."

_Oh, Davis. If only I could be as optimistic as you are._

Unfortunately optimism had never been one of his strong points.

"Ken, hey. Look at me," Davis said softly.

Ken felt his friend's hands on his shoulders and slowly looked up.

"I believed in you, and now you have to believe in Sam," his friend whispered.

"Daddy?"

Ken jumped at the sudden voice and turned to see Nao standing in the doorway.

"Daddy, where's Sam?" Nao asked, coming over to his side.

"He's upstairs with Dai."

"Do you think that Dai will mind if I hang out with them?" his son asked, looking a little uncertain.

Ken smiled into Nao's deep blue eyes and pulled his younger son into a hug. "Of course not. He loves spending time with you."

"Yeah. In fact, now that I think about it, even Ryoko's rather fond of you!" Davis laughed, ruffling Nao's hair.

Nao beamed at them, and Ken smiled as his younger son's small arms went around him in a hug.

"Why don't you go upstairs and spend some time with them. Sam's probably wondering where you are."

"Okay," Nao said happily, giving him a big smile.

Ken watched his son leave the room, and he turned to see Davis watching Nao with a frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his heart filling with sudden fear.

Davis blinked and smiled at him. "Don't worry, Ken. Both Sam and Nao are going to be just fine. It's Dai I'm worried about."

"Me, too," he said softly.

"Do you think I should take him to the hospital, just in case?" Davis asked, looking very uneasy.

Ken placed a reassuring hand on his friend's arm and sighed. "I'm sure Dai will be fine. If he gets any worse, have Joe check him over. That way Noriko won't find out about his condition. You know Joe will keep Dai's secret."

"You're right. I don't want Noriko to be upset over nothing."

"Davis?" he said softly. "Do you believe Sam and Ryoko? Do you really think Dai got injured playing soccer?"

"I don't know, do you?"

"I want to, but I find their explanation hard to believe," he said quietly. "Something's not right. I can feel it."

"Me, too," Davis murmured.

"Why would they lie to us though? It doesn't make any sense," he said, feeling frustrated.

"Good question," Davis muttered.

"So this is where you've been hiding," Yolei said, coming into the room and frowning at them.

"Since you're here, we might as well get the food out," Noriko added, stepping into the kitchen behind Yolei. "Where are Dai and the others?"

"Upstairs. Dai's not feeling too well," Davis replied.

Noriko's forehead wrinkled with worry, and she frowned. "Is he alright?"

Davis stood up and kissed Noriko's cheek. "He'll be fine. Now let's eat. I'm starving!"

Yolei rolled her eyes and smiled at the former Digidestined leader.

"By the way, Ryoko's here, too." Davis added.

"They're not fighting, are they?" Noriko asked, giving her husband a suspicious look.

Ken exchanged a look with Davis and smiled softly. "I wouldn't worry, Noriko. There's hope for those two yet."

"And for Sam," Davis muttered.

Ken sighed softly and leaned over to give Yolei a kiss.

_I hope you're right, Davis._

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Sam sank to the floor and covered his face with both hands. "Did you see the look on my dad's face?" he moaned.

"Yeah," Ryoko said quietly, letting Iramon out of his backpack.

"He's really mad at me."

"He looked more upset than angry," Ryoko replied, pulling DemiEmbermon out of Dai's backpack.

"That's even worse!" Sam wailed.

He sighed and watched Ryoko hand DemiEmbermon over to Dai. The goggle headed leader hugged DemiEmbermon tightly and refused to meet Ryoko's eyes. Ever since Davis had made that comment about Ryoko, the two boys had been doing their best to avoid having to look at each other.

"Don't worry, Sam," DemiEmbermon said cheerfully, snuggling against Dai's chest. "Your dad will be back to his usual self in no time."

"That's right," Iramon said, curling up next to Dai's cheek on the bed.

Ryoko was so busy staring at the floor that he did not even notice the fact that Iramon seemed to be quite fond of Dai.

Sam did, though, and he smiled.

_Even their digimon have figured it out before they have!_

The door suddenly flew open, and Sam jumped as his brother came into the room.

"Hi, Sam!" Nao said, giving him a big smile.

"Nao! What are you doing in here?" he gasped, glancing anxiously at Ryoko.

Ryoko quickly pulled Dai's blanket over the two digimon and sat down on the edge of the goggle headed leader's bed.

"What? You don't want me in here?" Nao asked, his voice starting to tremble.

"Of course I do," he said softly, pulling his little brother into a hug. "You just surprised me, that's all."

Nao smiled at him and wrapped an arm around his neck. "Thanks."

"You're really lucky to have Sam and Miya," Ryoko said softly, ruffling the younger boy's hair. "I wish I could have been that lucky."

Nao stared at Ryoko for a moment, and Sam let out a gasp as his younger brother suddenly gave Ryoko a hug. "Don't be sad," Nao said, sounding shy. "You still have all of us."

_Wow! My little brother's brave! Ryoko's not the type of person you just walk up to and hug unless you're really close to him!_

"Thanks," Ryoko whispered, his sparkling blue eyes filling with sudden emotion.

Sam smiled as Ryoko hugged Nao back.

"Ryoko," he said softly. "You would have made a great older brother."

Ryoko blinked at him, and the blond's face suddenly turned bright pink. "Really? You think so?"

He nodded and placed a hand on his friend's arm. "You're really good with kids. I've seen the way you interact with Tay, Nao, Rina, and the rest of the younger children. They love you, and that's the most important part."

"Yeah, it's too bad I'll never get the chance to be an older brother," Ryoko said sadly, hugging Nao tightly to his chest.

Dai suddenly placed a gentle hand on Ryoko's wrist, and the blond jumped in surprise.

So did Sam. He had thought that the goggle headed leader had fallen asleep.

"Never say never," Dai murmured, gazing into Ryoko's eyes.

"Yeah!" Nao said happily.

Ryoko stared at the other two boys in shock, obviously surprised by their sudden affection.

The door burst open again, and this time Miya and Ami walked into the room.

"What do you want?" Dai grumbled, his eyebrows narrowing into a frown.

"We've been in Ami's room this whole time trying to eavesdrop on you guys!" Miya said cheerfully. "Unfortunately we couldn't hear what you were saying very well. What's going on? Why were my dad and Davis in here earlier?"

"None of your business!" Dai shot back.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop on people," Nao said seriously.

"Have I ever told you that you're the coolest kid I've ever met?" Dai grinned, leaning over to give Nao a hug.

Nao blushed and smiled shyly at the goggle headed leader.

"Dai, are you okay?" Ami asked, sitting down on the bed next to Ryoko. "We heard something about you being hurt."

Sam felt a sudden small stab of fear.

_What else did they hear?_

"I'm fine. Now go away!" Dai groaned.

Ami gave her brother a worried look and sighed. "You'd better be!"

"Did you really fall off the bleachers?" Miya giggled.

"It wouldn't be the first time that he's made a fool out of himself!" Ryoko smirked.

"Will you get out of my room?" Dai shouted, kicking Ryoko in the side with his foot. "I think you've annoyed me enough for one day! Besides, I'm trying to sleep!"

Ryoko let out a gasp as he fell into Ami, and the two of them tumbled off of the bed.

"Ouch!" Ami shouted, her back hitting the floor. "Ryoko!"

Ryoko had fallen on top of her, and he gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry."

"I'm sure you are!" Miya giggled, glancing at Ami and raising her eyebrows.

Ami's face turned bright pink, and she glared at Miya. "If you say even one word, I'll never speak to you again!"

"Whatever!" Miya snorted, rolling her eyes.

Sam frowned at his sister and turned to look at Ami.

_What's going on with them?_

"Come on, let's go downstairs and have some supper," Ami muttered, squirming out from under Ryoko.

"I'm coming, too," Ryoko said. "If I spend anymore time with Daichi, I'll probably end up hitting him. He's already done a fairly good job of hurting himself already! He doesn't need me here to make it worse!"

"Well, what are you waiting for? You can leave anytime!" Dai snapped.

Ryoko ignored him and frowned. "That reminds me. I'd better call my parents. What about you, Sam? Are you coming?"

"No. I'll stay here and keep Dai company."

_There's no way I want to meet up with my dad again so soon! He probably doesn't even want to look at me right now!_

He was definitely not looking forward to the conversation that they were going to end up having eventually. He felt terrible just thinking about it.

_Well at least Ami and Miya don't appear to be suspicious of us. That's one good thing that has happened today. I guess they weren't able to hear very much of our conversation._

"I'm staying, too," Nao said softly.

"Okay," Ryoko replied, picking up Shadow, who had just entered the room.

Shadow happily licked Ryoko's face, and the blond left the room with Ami and Miya.

"Dumb dog!" Dai shouted after them. "You're suppose to be on my side!"

Sam managed a weak smile and stared anxiously at the ground. Now all he had to worry about was facing his father. Unfortunately the look of disappointment that he had seen in his dad's eyes was the one thing that he was dreading to face most of all.


	40. Rina Learns the Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: They're going back to the Digiworld again! Sam is going to have a conversation with Ken, but that'll happen after Kara gets her partner. Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"I'm seeing things. Either that or a dog eared bunny rabbit just flew by!" _-Impmon (Season Three, Episode 8: A Question of Trust)

Chapter 40: Rina Learns the Truth

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Makiya Takaishi slowly opened his eyes, and he let out a huge yawn.

_It's a good thing that tomorrow's the weekend because I really need to catch up on my sleep._

"Mickey! You're awake! Can I have some breakfast?" Palelymon asked, hopping onto his stomache.

He wrapped his arms around his partner and smiled at the little digimon. "Of course you can, but first I have to get up."

He turned to glance at his brother, who was still sleeping, and laughed. Unlike him, Matty moved around a lot during the night, and his twin often woke up with the blankets tangled around his body. His brother also snored occasionally, but Mickey had gotten used to it. After all, they had shared a room since the day that they were born. He had had no choice but to get use to it.

Currently Matty was sleeping on his side, and most of his blankets were lying in a big pile on the floor.

"I bet Goldmon wants some breakfast, too," Palelymon added.

"In that case, I'd better wake up Matty!"

He quickly climbed out of bed and sat down next to his brother. Matty's eyelids fluttered, and his twin let out a soft sigh.

"Matty! Wake up!" he said loudly, shaking his brother by the shoulders.

"No, go away!" Matty mumbled, rolling over onto his stomache.

Mickey smiled in amusement and started tugging on his twin's shirt. "Don't make me sick Palelymon on you!"

"Come on, Matty. Don't you want something to eat?" Palelymon asked, rubbing against the younger twin's cheek.

Goldmon's eyes suddenly popped open, and he hopped onto Matty's back. "Did someone say food?"

"That's right!" Palelymon said cheerfully, jumping up next to Goldmon and wrapping a fluffy ear around the other digimon's small body.

Goldmon had been sleeping against Matty's stomache earlier, but now the little digimon appeared to be wide awake. The same could not be said for Matty.

"Do you want Mom to come in here and yell at us?" Mickey asked, frowning at his twin. "If she does, I'll tell her it's your fault we're taking so long to get ready."

"No you won't," Matty said, giving him a sleepy smile.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that if I were you!" he laughed, smacking his younger twin's cheek to wake him up.

"Ouch! Alright, you don't have to assault me!" Matty shouted, sitting up and giving him a dirty look.

Mickey was about to answer when a sudden voice made them both jump.

"Mickey, Mommy told me to tell you and Matty to get up," Rina said, coming into the room and giving them a big smile. She was still dressed in her pink nightgown, and her hair was pulled back in a short high ponytail.

Mickey let out a gasp and leaned over Matty to cover up the two digimon who had tumbled off of his younger twin's back. There was only one problem. He had not reacted fast enough. Rina had already spotted Goldmon and Palelymon, and her mouth fell open in surprise.

"Uh-oh," Matty said, giving him a weak smile.

Mickey covered his face with his hands and groaned. It was too late to pretend that the digimon were stuffed animals. Rina had already seen them move on their own, without the help of human hands.

_Dai's going to kill us when he finds out about this! What if Rina tells our parents?_

"We're so dead," Matty muttered, gazing at Rina with wide frightened eyes.

Mickey could only nod, and he stared at his sister in horror. His heart was pounding so fast that he could barely hear himself think.

_I knew this was going to happen! We should have been more careful!_

Rina slowly moved towards them, and she came to a stop when she reached the edge of Matty's bed.

Mickey had expected her to be afraid of the two digimon, but that did not appear to be the case. Instead of fear, her bright blue eyes were sparkling with curiosity.

"They're real," she said softly, climbing onto the bed and holding out her hand to Palelymon.

"Hello!" Palelymon said happily, hopping into her lap. "I'm Palelymon. Your brother's my human partner. It's nice to finally be able to talk to you, Rina."

Rina let out a giggle and gently stroked Palelymon's ears. "You're so cute!"

"Palelymon!" Mickey gasped. "What are you doing?"

"She already knows about us, so there's no point in hiding anything from her anymore," Palelymon said reasonably.

"That's right," Goldmon added, joining Palelymon in Rina's lap. "It's nice to meet you, Rina! I'm Goldmon."

"So much for trying to keep them a secret!" Matty moaned, flopping back against his pillows.

Rina glanced between the two of them and frowned. "Palelymon and Goldmon can talk. I've never seen an animal do that before. What exactly are they?"

"They're digimon," Mickey replied, letting out a sigh of defeat. "They're not from this world."

"Oh," Rina replied, looking a little confused. "But I thought there was only one real world. I learned all about the solar system in school. There are lots of other planets, but no one lives on them."

"That's what we use to think, too, until we found ourselves being transported to the Digital World," Matty said quietly. "That's where digimon live."

"It sounds like something out of a storybook," Rina giggled.

"Trust me," Mickey murmured. "The Digital World is as real as you and I are."

Rina smiled and nodded. "That's good because I thought all that talk about the solar system was really boring! This is much more interesting! Where is the Digital World?"

Matty shrugged. "We're not exactly sure, but it's out there somewhere."

Rina glanced down at the digimon and studied them with interest. "They're not aliens, are they?"

"No," Mickey laughed. "Definitely not!"

"Well, at least not in the way that you think!" Matty grinned.

"What's an alien?" Goldmon asked.

"They're our friends," Mickey said softly.

"And they need our help," Matty added. "There are some evil digimon who are trying to take over the Digital World, and we're trying to stop them."

"Wow!" Rina said, her eyes filling with excitement. "That makes you both heroes! You won't let the bad guys win, will you?"

"Not a chance!" Matty said softly. "That's why Goldmon and Palelymon are our partners. They help us defeat the bad guys."

"Mickey! Matty! Are you two getting up?" their father called from the kitchen.

Mickey slowly turned to look at Rina, who was sitting between himself and his twin. "Um...Rina..."

Rina looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, Mickey," she said softly, giving him a hug. "I won't tell Mommy and Daddy about the digimon, and I promise not to tell anyone else, either. No one would believe me anyway. They'd just think that I was telling stories."

"You mean you believe us?" Matty said in disbelief.

Rina giggled and nodded. "Goldmon and Palelymon are real enough for me! I know you're not just telling me a story because the proof is right in front of me!"

"Thanks," Matty said softly, giving her a hug.

"Besides, you guys are the best big brothers in the whole world. I don't want you to get into trouble," she said seriously.

"And you're the best little sister," Mickey said softly, kissing her cheek and giving her a squeeze.

"Rina, you'd better get dressed!" their mother called out.

"And tell Mickey and Matty to get moving!" their father added.

"Okay!" Rina called back, jumping off of the bed and racing for the door.

She paused in the hallway and turned back to look at them. "Promise me you'll win against the bad guys?"

"We promise," Mickey said softly.

"See you later, Rina!" Goldmon called out.

"Bye!" Palelymon added.

"I believe in you guys, and I'm glad that the stuff that happens in books really isn't so impossible after all," Rina said softly, before disappearing around the corner.

Mickey turned to look at Matty, and his twin made a face at him. He felt good about the fact that Rina thought so highly of them, but at the same time, he still felt uneasy.

"Great," Matty muttered. "How are we going to explain this to Dai and the others?"

Mickey sighed and shook his head. "I have no idea, but I do know one thing. They're not going to be happy with us at all..."

_Takara Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Takara entered the computer room, and her eyes immediately fell on Dai. "What happened last night? Did your parents find out about your bruises? Are you feeling any better?"

"One question at a time!" Dai replied, looking amused. He was sitting in a chair next to the computer with Ryoko and Sam hovering over him. She had wanted to ask Dai a ton of questions all day, but there had always been too many people hanging around. She had not wanted to risk someone overhearing about the Digital World, especially considering the fact that Ema had been hanging around them again today. The only reason she had even managed to make it to the computer room without Ema following her was because Taysuke had purposely distracted the other girl. That had given her a chance to get away.

_I'll have to remember to tell him what an amazing brother he is when I get home._

At least one of the younger kids was on their side.

"I feel much better today," Dai said, capturing her attention. "Unfortunately my dad and Ken saw the bruises on my back. Don't worry, though. They don't have a clue about what really happened. They think I got injured playing soccer. My mom just thinks that I'm sick, and she's driving me crazy! She kept bugging me last night to see if I was okay."

"Good," she said softly, stepping forward and taking Dai's hand. "I couldn't sleep last night because I was so worried about everything."

"Well, you don't have to worry anymore," Dai replied, giving her a warm smile. "Even Ami and Miya don't suspect a thing!"

She smiled back at him and squeezed his hand. His fingers were warm against her skin, and her whole arm felt like it was on fire.

_What is it going to take to make him change his mind about me?_

She looked up and jumped when she realized that Ryoko was watching her. The blond's eyes were focused on her's and Dai's hands. A small smile slipped across his face, and she frowned. He looked more amused than angry, and she blushed bright red.

She quickly snatched her hand out of Dai's grip and avoided Ryoko's eyes. "Well? Are we going, or not?"

"We have to wait for the twins," Sam said quietly.

Takara turned to look at him and frowned. Her friend's face was pale, and he seemed uneasy about something.

_He's been acting really strange all day. I wonder what's going on._

"Sam, what's-"

The door suddenly opened and the twins came into the room.

"Hey, guys," Matty said, looking a little nervous.

"Hi, Matty!" Goldmon said happily, hopping up next to the computer.

"What's up?" Takara asked, giving her cousin a suspicious look.

Mickey and Matty turned identical shades of pink.

"Nothing," they said at the exact same time.

She exchanged a look with Ryoko, and her frown deepened.

_They're definitely hiding something._

"Are you sure?" Ryoko asked, raising his eyebrows.

Mickey and Matty glanced at each other and quickly looked away again.

"Yes," Mickey mumbled. "We should probably-"

"-get going," Matty said quickly. "Who knows when Ema might come walking in on us? She could be lurking outside the door at this very moment for-"

"-all we know," Mickey muttered.

Takara crossed her arms and gave them a look. Mickey and Matty had a habit of finishing each other's sentences when they were nervous about something.

_I wonder what it is they're not telling us._

"Evil, she is," Dai grumbled, getting to his feet. "Alright, guys, hold out your D-Coders. This time we're heading to the Southern Hemisphere!"

Takara glanced at Dai and sighed.

_He didn't even notice that I was holding his hand! Why do boys always have to make things difficult? What am I suppose to do, hold up a neon sign?_

She turned to look at Ryoko, and the blond gave her a sympathetic smile. Her heart skipped a beat, and she held her breath.

_He doesn't suspect something, does he? Wait. If he does, then why isn't he angry?_

"Everyone ready?" Dai asked, picking up DemiEmbermon.

"Yeah, now let's go find the rest of our friends," Iramon said softly.

"Alright," Dai replied, holding up his D-Coder. "Take us to the continent of Text! Digiport open!"

The last thing she saw before she was swept through the gate was Mickey whispering frantically in his twin's ear.


	41. Music Without Sound

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Takara's partner appears in the next chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Hearing noises is a bad sign." _-Kazu Shioda (Season Three, Episode 23: A World Apart)

Chapter 41: Music Without Sound

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Takara slowly opened her eyes, and she let out a gasp of astonishment. "Wow! Look at the view! It's amazing!"

She and her friends had just arrived in the Digital World, and she was pretty sure that the gate had transported them to the Southern Hemisphere in response to Dai's request. They were standing on the edge of a large cliff, which gave them a fantastic view of the ocean. Several digimon were playing in the water, and the sun was shining brightly overhead.

_This is definitely the continent of Text. It's so warm here!_

_"_Forget the view! If we don't hurry up and find your partner, I'm going to end up sweating to death!" Dai complained.

"Don't forget about my partner," Sam said softly.

"I agree with Daichi," Ryoko said quietly. "Vampiramon and her gang are probably going to try and stop us from finding Sam's and Takara's partners. We can't let that happen."

"You're right," Takara said softly. "There's only one problem. How are we going to stop them from coming after us?"

"We have to be quick," Ryoko replied. "I'm hoping that we can find your partner before we end up running into Vampiramon or one of the others. That way we can leave the Digital World as soon as possible. If we're lucky, the bad guys won't even know that we've been here until it's too late, and that way we won't end up having to participate in another huge battle. The same goes for Sam's partner."

"Sounds good to me," Matty replied.

Ryoko turned to look at Dai and raised an eyebrow. "You agree with me, right? After all, it's your idea."

Dai stared at him in surprise. "It is?"

Ryoko gave the goggle headed leader a look, and Dai blushed.

"Of course it is! Come on, guys, let's get going!"

"Well, it's about time," Takara said, giving the goggle headed leader a small smile. "My D-Coder can't sense the direction that my digimon is in if we're just standing here!"

They started towards a set of stairs that led down to the beach, and Takara frowned. "Guys, don't you think it's weird that Vampiramon and the others always know where we are?"

"I've been wondering the same thing," Sam said seriously. "They must be following us."

"Impossible," Mickey said quietly. "We would have seen them."

"They probably have some way of keeping tabs on us that we don't know about," Embermon muttered. "How else would they be able to tell which continent we're on at any given moment? They always manage to attack us when we're vulnerable, and they always arrive on the scene with enough time to try and stop one of you humans from finding your digimon partner."

"Good point," Alopemon murmured. "I've never believed in coincidences, especially when they happen that many times in a row!"

"I guess we'll just have to make them tell us!" Dai said, his brown eyes filling with determination.

"Haven't you risked your life enough times already?" Ryoko snapped.

"No," Dai said softly. "You've only saved my life once. That means that you still owe me, remember?"

"You're stupid, you know that?" Ryoko mumbled, blushing furiously.

Dai frowned at him. "Are you trying to back out of our deal?"

"What are you talking about?" Ryoko said, looking exasperated. "We never made any deal!"

"Yes, we did," Dai said quietly, avoiding his eyes. "Obviously you weren't paying attention, were you?"

"Daichi, are you sure you didn't hit your head when BlackWidowmon attacked you?" Ryoko asked.

Dai blushed and gave the blond a dirty look. "No! We promised each other, and you know it! Well, we didn't actually say the words out loud, but you know what I mean!"

Ryoko stared at Dai in disbelief, and the blond suddenly smiled. "Trust me, Daichi, I don't plan on being in your debt for very long!"

"I know," Dai murmured, his eyes sparkling with sudden emotion. "Um...listen. You'd better have a good reason for wanting to save my life. I don't want you to do it just because you feel that it'll make us even again, okay?"

"Are you asking me to make a promise?" Ryoko asked, staring hard at Dai's face.

Dai hesitated and finally nodded.

"I promise," Ryoko whispered.

Takara glanced between the two of them and smiled at the expression on Dai's face. The goggle headed leader was staring at Ryoko in shock, and there was a spark of hope in his eyes that had not been there before.

_How can Dai be so blind? Ryoko obviously cares about him. That's the only explanation that makes sense._

"Thanks," Dai whispered, avoiding Ryoko's eyes.

Ryoko blushed bright red and did not reply.

She smiled slightly and shook her head.

_I guess Dai's not the only person who's blind around here._

She was just as guilty when it came to being unable to see the truth. She had never even suspected that Ryoko might care about Dai until recently.

_He acts as if he hates Dai, but I bet he really wants to be friends with him. Why else would he have agreed to make such a crazy promise?_

"Kara, has your D-Coder started to spew any mist yet?" Dai asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"No," she replied, frowning at her D-Coder.

"Mine hasn't either," Sam said softly.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Mickey asked, looking concerned. "You've been really quiet all day."

Sam made a face and managed a shaky smile. "It's my dad."

"What do you mean?" Halomon asked, hopping up and down in the sand.

Sam quickly told them about what had happened with Ken, and Takara gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Sam. I'm sure you'll be able to work things out with your dad. Have you talked to him yet?"

Sam shook his head. "No. He wanted to talk to me last night, after we got home from Dai's house, but I managed to avoid a confrontation by pretending to be tired. I went to bed right away, and I didn't see him again until earlier this morning."

"Did he try to talk to you during breakfast, as well?" Ryoko asked.

"Yes," Sam replied. "Luckily Miya had come into the room at that moment, and I managed to slip out of the house before he could say anything to me."

"Miya helped you get away by distracting Ken?" Dai asked, looking a little surprised.

"Not intentionally," Sam murmured, smiling slightly. "She had no idea that she was helping me!"

Takara wrapped an arm around Sam and gave him a gentle smile. "I know you don't like lying to your dad, but you really don't have a choice. We have to keep what we're doing a secret."

"I know," Sam said softly. "Don't worry, Kara. I'll be okay."

Mickey turned to Dai and frowned at the other boy. "What about your dad? Did he see your bruises, too?"

Dai quickly filled the twins in about his dad, and Mickey gave the goggle headed leader a stern look. "You're very lucky that Davis didn't figure out the truth. The next time that we end up in another battle with an evil digimon, we're going to have to make sure that no one else gets hurt. Our parents are definitely going to get suspicious if we all end up with bruises, or worse."

"Hopefully there won't be a next time!" Matty muttered, glancing nervously at his twin.

Takara nodded, and her D-Coder let out a sudden loud beep.

"Look!" she gasped, holding out her green Digivice. "My partner must be somewhere nearby!"

"Oh," Sam said softly, looking a little disappointed.

Green mist had started to seep out of her D-Coder, and she smiled at the green arrow that was hovering above it. "Finally! I feel like I've been waiting forever to meet my digimon partner!"

She glanced at Sam and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Sam replied. "We'll find my partner soon enough. Besides, I'm really happy for you. You deserve to have a chance to meet your partner."

"Thanks," she whispered, giving him a quick hug.

"Well, we're definitely in the Southern Hemisphere," Dai said.

"Obviously. Why else would it be so hot on this continent?" Ryoko snorted. "Come on, let's keep moving. Which way?"

Takara looked down at her D-Coder and frowned. "You see that section of the beach that's sticking out into the ocean? I think the arrow's pointing in that direction, but it's hard to tell."

"Well, it's worth a try," Dai said. "Come on, guys."

The goggle headed leader began to walk quickly across the sand, heading towards the small cove that she had pointed to a couple of seconds ago.

Several digimon stared at them as they walked by, but Takara barely noticed. She was too busy trying to catch up to Dai.

_So much for being injured!_

"Dai, wait up!" Embermon shouted, racing after the goggle headed leader.

Ryoko was right behind the little rookie, and the blond's eyes were glittering with emotion.

"I bet you a week's worth of dessert that Dai falls over halfway there!" Celestimon whispered in Halomon's ear.

"You're on!" Halomon laughed, shaking Celestimon's hand.

The two little rookies fluttered off after Dai, and Takara found herself being left behind.

"Guys! Wait up!" She cried, racing across the sand. Apparently Sam and the twins did not hear her because they were running after Dai and shouting at the tops of their lungs.

It was obvious that Ryoko was worried about Dai because the blond seemed hesitant to stray too far from the goggle headed leader's side. It looked as if Ryoko wanted to be there to catch his friend if Dai ended up falling unconscious again. Unfortunately the goggle headed leader was too busy racing towards the cove to notice that Ryoko was sticking closer to his side than usual.

Takara looked up and realized that she and her friends had almost reached the cove. Dai and the others were so far ahead of her now that she could barely see them.

"Guys!" she squealed. "How can you leave a girl behind like this?"

Her foot suddenly hit a rock that had been hidden in the sand, and she let out a shriek of surprise. She ended up falling on her face and a loud groan escaped her lips.

"Those boys are in big trouble!" she muttered, glaring at the rock that had caused her to end up with a mouthful of sand.

She slowly got to her feet and let out a sudden gasp of horror.

Dai and the others had disappeared.

"Dai? Ryoko? Where are you guys?" she cried, her eyes darting frantically around the beach.

_They must have reached the cove already. I don't understand. Why didn't they wait for me? I'm the one with the glowing D-Coder! They'll never be able to find my partner without me!_

"I guess I'd better hurry up and find them," she muttered.

She started towards the cove again and almost tripped over Sam. Her friend was lying motionless in the sand, and his eyes were closed. He looked like he was in a very deep sleep.

"Sam?" she whispered, reaching out and placing a hand against his cheek.

_What's going on? How did Sam end up falling unconscious, and where are the others?_

"Sam!" she shrieked, grabbing onto his shirt and shaking him as hard as she could. "What's wrong with you? Wake up!"

Her heart was pounding so fast that she was beginning to feel light-headed. It was no wonder that she had missed seeing her friend earlier. Her fear was making her unable to think straight, and it was making her overlook things that she normally would have seen right away.

"Please, Sam," she whispered, hugging her friend tightly. "We have to find the others. They could be in big trouble, and if we're not there to help them, who knows what might happen?"

Her D-Coder gave off a sudden spark of light, and Sam slowly opened his eyes.

"Sam!" she gasped, leaning over him and staring anxiously at his face. "Are you okay?"

_What just happened here? Did my D-Coder help Sam regain consciousness?_

Sam quickly sat up and turned to look at the cove. His eyes were glazed over, and he looked like he was in a world of his own.

"Sam, what's wrong?" she asked, her heart pounding with fear.

"Did you hear that?" Sam murmured.

His voice was barely above a whisper, and she frowned. "Hear what?"

"Music," Sam said quietly. "I hear music."

"What are you talking about?" she cried, grabbing onto his arms and shaking him. "Sam, we don't have time for jokes! We have to find the others!"

Sam suddenly scrambled to his feet, and she let out a gasp of surprise.

"Hey! Where are you going?" she cried, staring at him in shock.

"I have to follow the music," Sam whispered, turning his back on her and heading towards the cove.

She let out a moan and quickly hurried after him.

_This is insane! Sam must have hit his head on a rock or something. Why else would he be acting so weird? I hope we find Dai and the others real quick because something strange is definitely going on here._

Unfortunately her friends were not the only ones in trouble.

_I better find my digimon partner and quick. If I don't, I might not ever get a chance to meet her!_


	42. Spritemon's Trap

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Takara's partner has finally arrived! Well, I'm off to start another chapter for MBFG so I'll be back next week! No wait! I won't be. It'll be about two weeks so after Christmas. Sorry!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"There's never a dull day around here!" _-Rika Nonaka (Season Three, Episode 19, Impmon's Last Stand)

Chapter 42: Spritemon's Trap

_Spritemon_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"I can't believe my plan is working perfectly!" Spritemon giggled, hopping up and down on a large rock. "Wait until DarkAngelicmon hears about this! Vampiramon and the others are going to be so jealous of me!"

"I agree, mistress," the digimon beside her said softly. "Daichi Motomiya and the others will not be able to help their female friend find her partner if they are fast asleep!"

Spritemon leaped off of the rock she was standing on and knelt next to Ryoko's side. "That's right," she said, smiling at the blond who was lying unconscious next to her foot. "Takara Kamiya is going to be very vulnerable without her friends and their digimon partners hanging around!"

"What's next?" the female digimon asked, giving her a curious look.

Spritemon's eyes came to rest on a stone pedestal that was nestled in a clump of bushes, and she smiled. The cove was littered with large trees, small bushes, and huge rocks that made it quite shady and peaceful. It was a perfect place to destroy the Digidestined.

"Our little human friend is going to be following the signal of her D-Coder right to this spot. That's when we'll get her and her digimon partner!"

"What about the boy?"

Spritemon turned to look down at the four boys who were lying next to the pedestal and frowned. "Which boy?"

"The Emperor's son. He's still with the girl."

"So what?" Spritemon replied. "It's not like he's going to be able to do anything to stop us! He doesn't even have a partner! Besides, he's still under your control. He'll just end up falling asleep like the others, once he gets here. Don't worry, Sirenmon, our plan is going to end up working perfectly. In fact, Sam Ichijouji's going to lead Takara right into our trap! BlackWidowmon was stupid enough to have forgotten the fact that she had needed Ryoko in order to steal Alopemon in the first place! I'm not going to make the same idiotic mistake!"

"You're right, of course," Sirenmon replied, smiling slightly. "The pedestals cannot be removed from their rightful homes. That means that we can't steal them and take them to our master. It's like you said. The only way to get our hands on Takara's partner is to have her release the digimon from the pedestal first."

Spritemon nodded and smiled down at the four rookie digimon who were lying next to their human partners. "That's right. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait for our prey to come to us! This is almost too easy!"

Sirenmon turned to gaze out at the sea and sighed. "You're right. Those humans had better hurry up and get here soon, otherwise I'm going to end up dying of boredom!"

"Will you pay attention?" Spritemon snapped. "I think you'd better use your attack again. Sam's the reason that Takara's getting here so quickly, and I don't want him to end up regaining total consciousness before she arrives."

"Takara will come to the cove with or without Sam's help," Sirenmon murmured. "She is following the arrow that hovers above her D-Coder."

"True, but Sam is the real reason she's heading this way. Humans have some funny ideas about friendship."

"Humans are pathetic," Sirenmon replied, wrinkling her nose.

Spritemon nodded in agreement and smiled to herself.

_No one gets away with ruining my master's plans. The Digidestined are going to pay, and I'm going to be the one who finally stops them!_

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she snapped, glaring at Sirenmon. "Use your attack on Sam and move the rest of these boys away from the pedestal. I don't want Takara to know that this is a trap until it's too late!"

"Um...mistress? What if BlackWidowmon wasn't trying to steal Alopemon?" Sirenmon said, sounding hesitant. "Alopemon may not have had anything to do with her plans. Maybe she was trying to destroy the humans before they found another digimon. Wouldn't that make more sense?"

Spritemon narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Yes, but I have a different plan than BlackWidowmon. I'm going to steal the D-Coders, destroy the Digidestined, and then I'm going to make their digimon become my master's servants. I know that will make him very happy. That's why I need Takara's partner. The humans are going to pay for trying to ruin our plans, but I'm going to make them suffer a lot of pain first, before I end up killing them!"

_Takara Kamiya_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Takara quickly caught up to Sam and glanced anxiously at her D-Coder.

_At least we're heading in the right direction. I hope my partner's okay._

"Can you hear it?" Sam whispered, turning to gaze at the ocean.

"What are you talking about, Sam? I don't hear any music," she replied, giving her friend a worried look.

Sam did not answer, and she felt her heart sink.

_Where's Dai when I need him?_

She turned to stare at the beach and jumped in surprise. It was deserted. All of the digimon who had been present earlier were missing, and she had no idea of what had happened to them.

_Where could they have gone? I just saw them less than a minute ago!_

She felt a sudden stab of fear and hugged herself.

_Ryoko, Dai, and my cousins might be in big trouble, and Sam's acting like he's lost his mind! What am I going to do?_

They reached the edge of the cove, and Sam came to a sudden stop.

"Sam?" she whispered. "What's wrong?"

Sam frowned and shook his head. "The music," her friend said quietly. "It's louder here."

She wrapped her arms around him in a protective embrace and felt her eyes sting with tears of frustration."Sam, there's no-"

"Look," Sam whispered, pointing towards a large clump of bushes.

She turned to see what he was looking at and let out a gasp of astonishment.

She had just found her digimon partner.

A stone pedestal stood in the centre of the bushes, and it was surrounded by a small ring of rocks.

Her heart filled with excitement, and she smiled.

_I can't believe it! My partner's really here! I just know she's going to be amazing!_

"The music is so beautiful," Sam whispered, his violet eyes sliding out of focus again.

Takara bit her lip and glanced uneasily at the pedestal that stood before her.

_Something's not right. Where's the digimon who's suppose to be guarding it?_

She glanced nervously around at the landscape, but there was no one else in sight. She and Sam were completely alone.

_Something's wrong. I can feel it. It's too quiet here._

She glanced towards the pedestal again and straightened her shoulders.

_Dai and the others need me, and the only way I can help them is by joining up with my digimon partner. It looks like I have no choice. I'm going to have to get my partner out of the pedestal whether it's dangerous or not._

She turned to look at Sam and placed a hand against her friend's cheek. "Sam, listen to me," she said softly. "I'm going to release my partner from that pedestal, and then you and I are going to go find the rest of our friends. Wait here for me, okay?"

Sam's forehead wrinkled into a frown, and he nodded. "Hurry, Kara. We have to follow the music."

"Whatever you say," she replied, giving him a worried look.

_Sam's behaviour is starting to make me think that I'm walking right into a trap! Unfortunately I'm going to have to take that risk. Dai and the others are depending on me!_

"I guess I'd better get this over with," she muttered, taking a hesitant step forward.

She walked slowly towards the pedestal and gently placed her hand against it's smooth stone surface. There was a symbol on it that looked like a bird's wing, and it made her smile.

"Don't worry," she whispered softly to the pedestal. "I know you're in there, and I'm going to set you free."

Her D-Coder was glowing bright green, and she gently placed it on the pedestal. The symbol on it began to glow and soon the whole pedestal was surrounded by emerald mist.

There was a flash of green light, and she quickly closed her eyes against the harsh glare.

_I hope I'm strong enough to be a great human partner..._

"Takara?"

Takara jumped at the sound of her name, and she slowly looked up. She found herself staring at a small digimon, and her eyes filled with sudden happy tears.

"My partner," she whispered, reaching out her hand and stroking one of her digimon's small wings.

The little rookie snuggled against her hand and smiled at her. "That's right. My name is Dovemon. I'm a rookie level data type digimon, and my special attacks are Opal Laser and Feather Storm."

Dovemon was of standard rookie size, and she resembled a small bird. Her whole body was covered in white feathers, and her eyes were violet in colour. There was a small green jewel placed in the middle of her forehead, and she had two small wings.

Takara threw her arms around the little rookie and hugged her partner tightly. "I've been wanting so badly to meet you! I'm glad you're finally here."

"Me, too," Dovemon said softly. "You and I are going to be amazing partners, Takara."

"I know," she whispered, giving her digimon a big smile.

"The music is getting closer," Sam suddenly whispered, interrupting her thoughts.

She turned to look at her friend and frowned. "Sam, are you okay?"

"No," Dovemon murmured, anxiously fluttering her wings. The small jewel on her head turned white and quickly turned back to green again. "Something's not right. Kara, we have to get out of here now!"

Sam's eyes suddenly rolled up into his head, and Takara let out a shriek as her friend promptly collapsed onto the sand.

"Sam!" she shrieked, racing over to her friend's side and kneeling next to him. "Are you okay?"

Dovemon landed next to Sam's shoulder and gently touched his cheek with her wing. "Sam, wake up!"

"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you, rookie, but your little friend Sam is not going to be waking up anytime soon!"

Takara gasped at the sudden voice and slowly looked up. She found herself staring at two female digimon, and her heart sank like a rock.

_I knew this was a trap! Great. Now what am I going to do?_

There was no doubt about it. She had just come face to face with another one of Vampiramon's buddies, and there was no one around to help her and Dovemon fight.


	43. Myth Becomes Reality

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm back! Before you read this, go read Miss Anonymous hp's story, 'An Angel Named Makiya'. I can't even tell you how impressed I was with the amazing job she did on my characters, especially Matty. It shows the other side of the spectrum when Mickey's captured by Jestermon. Okay, you read it? Good. You may now proceed. Read and review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Evil can confuse you when you're staring at it straight in the face." _-Takuya Kanbara (Season Four, Episode 47: When Knights Fall...)

Chapter 43: Myth Becomes Reality

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Takara Kamiya placed her hand on Sam's shoulder and glared at the two digimon who were standing before her. "You guys don't give up easily, do you?"

The smaller female digimon crossed her arms and smiled. "I could say the same thing about you and the rest of your human friends! I suppose I should introduce myself. After all, it's only fair that you should know the name of the digimon who's going to destroy the Digidestined once and for all! I am Spritemon. I'm a mega level virus type digimon, and my special attacks are Fairy Cannon and Pixie Dust."

Spritemon was a small fairy digimon who resembled a human. She wore her long, green hair in a high ponytail, and she had large brown eyes. Her short skirt and skimpy top were made up of several shades of brown, and so were her knee-length boots. Her skin was a pale peach colour, and she had two small, silver wings that were sticking out of her back. She looked like she had been roaming in the woods all day, and that made her appear out of place on the beach.

Takara crossed her arms and glared at Spritemon. The mega digimon was barely tall enough to reach Dai's and Ryoko's chins, but Takara was well aware of the fact that appearances could be deceiving.

"What have you done to Sam, and where are the rest of my friends?" she asked, giving Spritemon a dirty look.

"We know that Sam's strange behaviour has something to do with you!" Dovemon added.

"Technically Sam's condition has nothing to do with me!" Spritemon giggled. "Allow me to introduce my companion. This is Sirenmon. She's an ultimate level virus type digimon, and her special attacks are Musical Sleep and Dark Tidal Wave."

Sirenmon also looked human in appearance, but it was obvious that she was anything but human. The ultimate level digimon had long, purple hair and pale blue skin. Her eyes were a deep violet colour, and she was wearing a transparent lavender veil that covered her mouth and nose. Her long dress was made up of purple and blue silk, and she was walking barefoot in the sand. Sometimes she appeared almost to be transparent, and Takara was finding it difficult to decide whether or not Sirenmon was a spirit or a digimon with a solid form.

"It was you," Takara said quietly, glaring at Sirenmon with anger in her eyes. "You're like those mythical creatures whose singing would cause sailors to disappear at sea! That's why I couldn't hear the music! Your attack only affects males! Leomon was right. Even myth becomes reality in the Digital World!"

"I guess Leomon was good for something," Sirenmon smirked. "You're right. My attack will only affect males. That is why your little Emperor friend has fallen asleep. My attack worked perfectly on him!"

Takara glanced uneasily at Sam and frowned.

_Emperor? Why did Sirenmon call him that? Does this have something to do with what Andromon had been saying earlier?_

"Where are the rest of my friends?" she asked quietly. "I know they're around here somewhere. They must have been following the sound of your music. This whole thing was a set-up. You purposely used my friends to lure me here! What do you want?"

"Simple," Spritemon giggled. "I needed you to release Dovemon from the pedestal in order for me to steal her and the rest of your digimon friends. They are about to become my master's servants. Oh, did I mention the fact that I'm going to destroy all of you humans and steal your D-Coders, as well?"

Takara felt her anger flare up, and she glared at Spritemon. "You used me to find my partner. You knew that I was the only one who could release her from the pedestal, and you tried to trick me into handing her over to you without realizing it. This whole thing was a trap!"

"Took you long enough to figure that out!" Spritemon snorted. The mega digimon turned to look at Sirenmon and laughed. "It's too bad that your attack doesn't work on females, Sirenmon."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Takara shouted.

"I'm tired of having to listen to you whine and complain!" Spritemon shot back. "I guess I'll just have to shut you up the old fashion way! Do you see why we wanted to get your male friends out of the way? Now there's no one to help you fight, and your digimon is going to end up becoming a loyal servant. Unlike BlackWidowmon, I always aim high!"

Takara hugged Dovemon tightly and lifted her chin. "You might be more ambitious than BlackWidowmon, but that doesn't make you any smarter! If we can defeat the rest of your evil friends, then there is no reason why we can't defeat you, too! You had better tell me where the rest of my friends are, or you're going to be sorry!"

"They're right here," Spritemon replied. The mega digimon suddenly turned and pointed the gun on her wrist at a large clump of bushes. "Fairy Cannon!"

Takara let out a shriek of horror as a large, green blast shot out of Spritemon's weapon. The bushes exploded in a blaze of emerald green light, and her eyes widened in shock.

Dai, Ryoko, Mickey, Matty, and their digimon were all lying unconscious in the sand. They had been hidden by the bushes that Spritemon had just blown away, and that was why she had not spotted them earlier.

"Yes, my attack also works on male digimon," Sirenmon smirked. The female digimon knelt next to Dai and placed a hand against his cheek. "It's too bad that I have to destroy them. I'm sure they would have made life very interesting!"

Takara felt her blood boil with rage, and she clenched her hands into fists. "Don't you touch him!" she snapped, giving Sirenmon a murderous look.

"Jealous?" Spritemon giggled.

Takara felt her face heat up. "Why would I be jealous of a monster?"

Sirenmon's eyes narrowed into slits of anger, and the female digimon glared at her. "You're going to pay for that!"

"That's your cue," Spritemon replied, giving Sirenmon an impatient look. "Destroy Takara and bring Dovemon to me!"

Takara knew that she was suppose to be afraid, but her anger was getting in the way of her common sense. Sirenmon's attack had worked on all of her friends, and she was not going to let the evil digimon get away with putting them all to sleep! She was also angry at herself for stepping into what had obviously been a trap and for getting herself into such a terrible situation in the first place.

_This is what I get for hanging out with a bunch of boys! Does beauty always have to come first with them?_

"Come on, Kara. We have to save Dai and the others. We're going to need them in order to stop Sirenmon," Dovemon said.

"But-"

"We have no choice," her digimon said softly.

"I know," she replied.

She gave her partner a weak smile and turned to give Sam a quick hug. "Don't worry." she whispered softly in his ear. "I'll find a way to wake everyone up. I promise."

"Hey, Spritemon!" Dovemon shouted, leaping into the air. "If you want to make me your master's servant, you're going to have to defeat me first!"

"Be careful," Takara whispered.

"Get her!" Spritemon snarled, giving Sirenmon a push.

"Feather Storm!" Dovemon shouted, flying around Sirenmon in a circle and flapping her wings as hard as she could.

Sirenmon disappeared in a flurry of white feathers, and the mythical digimon let out a shriek of surprise.

"How's that for an attack!" Dovemon shouted, swooping around Sirenmon's head.

Sirenmon was unable to see what was going on around her, and it was causing the female digimon to lose her balance.

"You stupid little rookie!" Sirenmon snarled, tripping over her own dress. "I might not be able to see you, but I can still hear you!"

The mythical digimon fell forward onto the sand and quickly covered her face with her left arm. She swung her other arm backwards and hit Dovemon hard in the face.

"Look out!" Takara cried.

Dovemon flew backwards into a clump of bushes, and the feathers around Sirenmon disappeared. The virus digimon slowly got to her feet amd smiled.

"Sorry, Dovemon, but you're going to have to do more than that to defeat an ultimate level digimon!" Spritemon giggled.

The mega digimon was sitting on a rock next to Mickey, and she was clearly enjoying the show.

Takara frowned and glanced at Dai, who was lying between Ryoko and Matty.

_How am I going to wake them up without Spritemon noticing?_

The mega digimon was obviously keeping watch over Dai and the others to make sure that they remained unconscious.

_Either that or she's too lazy to join in the fight!_

"I'm not done yet!" Dovemon shouted, leaping into the air again. "Opal Laser!"

A small green blast shot out of the jewel on Dovemon's head and headed straight for Sirenmon. The mythical digimon quickly ducked, and Dovemon's attack flew harmlessly out to sea.

"You're not having very much luck, are you?" Spritemon smirked, giving Dovemon an evil smile.

"How come you're not out here fighting? Don't tell me you're scared!" Dovemon shot back.

"I don't need to fight," Spritemon replied, leaning down and poking Mickey in the stomache. "Sirenmon can deal with you all on her own!"

"Yeah, the rest of your buddies had the same idea!" Takara shouted. "It didn't work then, and it isn't going to work now!"

"What can a rookie possibly accomplish in battle?" Spritemon snorted.

"More than you think," Dovemon muttered, shooting another blast at Sirenmon.

Takara stared at Spritemon for a moment and bit her lip.

_How am I going to help Dai and the others when that evil mega is sitting right next to them! Somehow I'm going to have to get her to join in the battle. That way Dovemon will be able to distract her and Sirenmon long enough for me to make a move. I just hope that Dovemon doesn't end up getting hurt because of me..._

She turned to look down at her D-Coder and let out a gasp. It was glowing again.

_Wait a minute! Maybe I can use my D-Coder to help the others! I'm sure that it was responsible for waking Sam up earlier!_

She quickly pointed her D-Coder at Sam, and a beam of green light shot out of it. The blast hit Sam right in the chest, and her friend's whole body began to glow.

"Sam?" she whispered, leaning over him and taking his hand.

Sam slowly opened his eyes, and he gave her a frightened look. "Kara!" he mumbled. "Something bad is happening. Where are the others? We have to help them."

"I know," she murmured, squeezing his hand. "Don't worry, Sam. I know what to do now, and I'm going to save the others whether Spritemon likes it or not!"


	44. The Light of Digivolution

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Not a long wait this time!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Unless my eyes are deceiving me, that's the light of digivolution!"_ -Makuramon (Season Three, Episode 29: Goliath)

Chapter 44: The Light of Digivolution

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Opal Laser!" Dovemon shouted, swooping down and hitting Sirenmon in the back with her attack.

Sirenmon stumbled, but she managed to catch herself and leaped onto a large rock. "It's time to finish you off, rookie! Dark Tidal-"

"Leave her alone!" Sam shouted, sitting up and glaring at Sirenmon.

Sirenmon froze in the middle of her attack and stared at Sam in astonishment. "Impossible!" the mythical digimon gasped. "How did you wake up from my attack so quickly? It's suppose to last at least a couple of hours!"

Takara glared at the ultimate level digimon and held up her D-Coder. "I guess I'm finally beginning to understand why you guys want these things so much. These D-Coders are a lot more useful than I'd thought they'd be!"

"So that's how your little friend was able to wake up on his own earlier. I thought that was just a fluke," Sirenmon murmured. "The only reason I was able to keep him in a semi-conscious state was because I had used my attack again."

"What?" Spritemon shrieked, leaping to her feet. She glared at Sirenmon and crossed her arms. "Don't just stand there, you fool! You'd better capture Dovemon, right away, and bring that D-Coder to me! I'm not going to risk having Daichi and the others wake up, too!"

"What about our little Emperor friend?" Sirenmon asked.

"Forget him," Spritemon snorted. "He doesn't have a digimon like the others. He's not a threat to us!"

"What did you call me?" Sam snapped, leaping to his feet and glaring at the two evil digimon. His eyes were sparkling with fear, and he looked uneasy.

"Not now," Takara said softly, wrapping an arm around him. "We need to concentrate on saving the others first."

She turned to look at Spritemon and held out her D-Coder. "If you think that I'm going to let you hurt my digimon and steal my D-Coder, think again! If you don't want to get zapped, I suggest you move out of the way!"

A beam of green light shot out of her D-Coder, and it headed straight for Spritemon. The mega digimon let out a squeal of surprise and quickly leaped out of the way. The green blast slammed into Dai and her other friends, and there was a flash of bright light. A moment later, the glow faded away, and Dai slowly opened his eyes.

"What happened?" the goggle headed leader muttered.

"Did we fall asleep?" Embermon asked.

Mickey sat up and frowned. "That's funny. I remember seeing a really beautiful lady, but that's all I remember."

"She had really pretty hair," Matty added, rubbing his eyes and smiling at Celestimon.

Dai nodded in agreement. "She also had a pretty face."

"With really pretty eyes," Ryoko said, sitting up next to Dai.

Takara felt a stab of anger and glared at them. "Boys!" she muttered.

"Guys! Are you okay?" Sam gasped, racing towards them.

Takara quickly followed him and knelt next to Dai. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No," Dai replied, frowning in confusion. "What happened to the pretty lady?"

Takara felt her face turn red, and she hit Dai hard on the back of his head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Dai shouted, glaring at her.

"As if you don't know!" she wailed, giving him a dirty look.

Dai crossed his arms and frowned at her. "What's wrong with you?"

"If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you!" she replied, turning up her nose.

"Sirenmon! Hurry up and use your attack again!" Spritemon shrieked, leaping to her feet. "We can't let Embermon and the other digimon get involved in the fight!"

"Yes, mistress," Sirenmon replied, raising her arms and gazing up at the sky. "Musical Sleep!"

"No way!" Takara snapped, holding out her D-Coder again. "Let's see what else these things can do!"

Her Digivice started to glow a bright green, and once again a beam of light shot out of it. The light hit Dai and the others, and she gasped in surprise as all of her friends were suddenly surrounded by emerald green mist.

"What's happening?" Halomon asked, frowning in confusion and glancing down at his glowing body.

Sirenmon quickly used her attack, but nothing happened.

"It was her!" Ryoko gasped, pointing at Sirenmon.

"So you're the one who has been singing!" Dai shouted, glaring at the mythical digimon. "We should have known that this was a trap! Let me guess. You two ladies are working for Vampiramon and her buddies, aren't you?"

Sirenmon let out a shriek of rage and glared at Takara. "This is all your fault! How dare you stop my attack from affecting them!"

"Don't thank me!" Takara shot back. "Thank my D-Coder!"

"What's going on?" Alopemon asked, frowning at Spritemon.

Takara quickly explained what had happened to them, and Matty smiled.

"So somehow your D-Coder is protecting us!" the younger twin said in amazement. "We can still hear Sirenmon's music, but the light from your D-Coder is stopping us from falling asleep!"

"Thanks, Kara!" Celestimon said, fluttering into her arms and giving her a hug.

"You're welcome," she replied, smiling at the little rookie. "Now, will you guys hurry up and help me out? While you boys were having a nap, Dovemon and I have been doing all of the dirty work!"

"Sorry," Ryoko replied, giving her an apologetic look.

"Boys," she muttered, smiling fondly at them.

"Man, sometimes it sucks being a guy! We're missing all of the action!" Dai complained, standing up an straightening his goggles. "Embermon, you'd better get in there and give Dovemon a hand!"

Takara glared at him and crossed her arms.

_Oh sure. He can fall head over heels for an evil digimon, but he can't even give me a second look! Typical!_

"Come on, guys! Let's help out our new friend!" Halomon shouted.

"You idiot!" Spritemon shrieked, glaring at Sirenmon. "Now look what you've done! Bring me that D-Coder, right now! I won't have it causing anymore trouble, understand? I won't let anything stand in the way of my plans, especially not a stupid little gadget!"

"Yes, mistress," Sirenmon replied, holding out her arms again. "Dark Tidal Wave!"

"Look out!" Sam shouted.

Takara let out a gasp of horror.

A huge tidal wave rose up out of the ocean behind Sirenmon and shot over the mythical digimon's head. The five rookies disappeared in a flood of rushing water, and they ended up slamming into a large group of rocks.

"Ouch. That hurt," Celestimon moaned, sitting up and rubbing his head. The water had disappeared, but it had left Embermon and the other digimon soaking wet.

"I hate water," Embermon muttered, holding out a hand and pulling Alopemon to his feet.

"There's no way we're going to let you come anywhere near Takara!" Alopemon shouted, giving Sirenmon a dirty look.

"And we're not going to let you capture us and turn us into slaves either!" Dovemon said.

"Embermon, digivolve now!" Dai shouted.

"You, too, Celestimon," Matty said.

"And you, Halomon," Mickey added.

"You got it, Dai! Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

"Celestimon digivolve to, Angelicmon!"

"Halomon digivolve to, Gabrielmon!"

"Dragon Fire Spin!" Dragermon shouted, leaping into the air and shooting his attack at Sirenmon's head.

"Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon called out, darting around Sirenmon and shooting his blast at her legs.

Sirenmon dove to the side, and she landed on her back in the sand. Both attacks missed her, and the mythical digimon quickly jumped to her feet again.

"Dark Tidal Wave!" Sirenmon shrieked, throwing her arms into the air.

"Fly out of the way!" Takara cried, her heart pouding with fear.

Dragermon, Dovemon, Gabrielmon, and Angelicmon quickly flew off in different directions, but unfortunately the attack was still heading for Alopemon.

Takara jumped as Ryoko suddenly clutched her arm, and the blond stared at Alopemon with fear in his sapphire eyes.

"Alopemon, move out of the way!" Ryoko gasped. "She's going to drown you in a flood of water!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Alopemon replied, racing directly towards the tidal wave. "Frozen Specter!"

The shadowy image of Alopemon flew right into Sirenmon's attack, and the tidal wave became nothing more than a large ice sculpture.

"Good move!" Dovemon called out, landing on Dragermon's head and giving Alopemon a smile.

Dai turned to Spritemon and smiled triumphantly at her. "Our digimon, including Takara's partner, are kicking Sirenmon's butt, and her attack isn't going to work on us guys anymore! Looks like we win again, Spritemon!"

"Give me that D-Coder, right now!" Spritemon shrieked, her face filling with rage.

"No way!" Takara shot back.

She let out a scream as Spritemon suddenly leaped into the air and flew towards her. The sprite digimon tackled her to the ground, and she found herself lying on her back in the sand.

"That D-Coder's mine!" Spritemon snarled, grabbing onto her wrist. The mega tried to pull it out of her hand, but she managed to roll to one side and quickly scrambled to her feet.

"Takara! Are you okay?" Dovemon shouted.

Dovemon, who was still battling Sirenmon, glanced in her direction, and she managed to nod her head.

"Not for long!" Spritemon shouted, fluttering into the air and flying straight towards her again.

"Don't you even think about hurting her!" Dai shouted, racing after Spritemon.

Ryoko and the others ran after Dai, and she could see the fear in their eyes as Spritemon came closer to her.

_She's going to kill me!_

"Alopemon! You have to help Takara!" Ryoko shouted, reaching out and trying to grab one of Spritemon's wings. Unfortunately the blond missed and ended up running into Dai. The two of them fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs, and they were almost trampled by Sam and the twins. Sam managed to step around them, but Matty accidentally tripped over Dai's foot, and the younger twin fell face first into the sand. Mickey stumbled over his brother and quickly grabbed onto Sam's sleeve. Both boys ended up falling on top of Matty, and the younger twin let out a loud groan.

"You're dead, human!" Spritemon snapped, and Takara found herself being slammed up against a tree.

"Kara!" Dovemon cried, turning in the air and flying towards her.

"I don't think so!" Sirenmon shouted. "Dark Tidal Wave!"

The ocean behind her erupted and several swirling geysers shot up into the sky. The watery tornadoes slammed into Dragermon, Dovemon, and the angel digimon, and all four of them tumbled out of the air. They hit the ground with a large crash, and Takara let out a squeak of terror.

Unfortunately Alopemon had been distracted by Ryoko's voice earlier, and the little rookie had not been able to use his ice attacks to stop Sirenmon's attack. Now Alopemon was the only digimon on their side who was still standing.

"All I need is your D-Coder and your partner," Spritemon said, hovering in the air and keeping a firm grip on her throat. "You know what that means, don't you? You're useless to me, now that Dovemon had been released from the pedestal, and I'm tired of the way that you keep ruining my plans! Say goodbye to your friends, human, because your D-Coder isn't going to help you out this time!"

"Kara!" Dai shouted, struggling to his feet.

"No!" Ryoko cried, his face turning white with terror. "I won't let you kill her!"

"Alopemon, you've got to stop Sirenmon before she hurts Kara!" Mickey cried.

"I'm coming, Kara!" Alopemon shouted, leaping over a rock and heading towards them.

Takara let out a gasp as the weapon on Spritemon's arm came to rest against the middle of her forehead. Her heart began to pound with pure terror, and she slowly closed her eyes.

_Oh, Dai. I should have told you how I felt a long time ago. Now I'm never going to have a chance to make you see how much you mean to me..._

"Goodbye, human!" Spritemon shouted. "Fairy Cann-"

"Kara!" Ryoko screamed.

Takara's eyes flew open, and she let out a gasp. Ryoko's whole body disappeared in a blaze of icy blue light, and she stared at the blond in shock.

_What's going on?_

Alopemon's small body began to glow a bright blue, and the little rookie glared at Spritemon. "It's my turn now," he said softly. "Alopemon digivolve to, Tirimon!"

Takara glimpsed a flash of icy blue fir, and suddenly Spritemon was no longer hanging onto her. The mega digimon went flying through the air, and she landed in a large clump of bushes.

_What just happened here?_

She quickly turned to the left, and her mouth fell open in astonishment.

"Alopemon?" she whispered.

The large digimon in front of her nodded, and she gazed into his deep blue eyes.

"That's right," the champion digimon said softly. "I had to digivolve in order to save you."

The digimon glanced at Ryoko and smiled. "My name is Tirimon, and Spritemon's about to find out what it feels like to be nothing more than a pile of excess data!"


	45. The Guardian of the Seas

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'll explain Tirimon's name in the next chapter. Also, I hope I got all of the attacks right for Dovemon's Guardian digimon. Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Have faith in yourselves and work together, and you will be triumphant!" _-Ophanimon (Season Four, Episode 50: End of the Line)

Chapter 45: The Guardian of the Seas

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"You digivolved for me!" Takara whispered, gazing at Tirimon in shock.

Tirimon smiled at her and nodded. "You're like a sister to Ryoko," the digimon whispered softly in her ear. "He would never have let Spritemon hurt you, and neither would I."

She smiled and gently stroked the top of his large head. "Thank you," she murmured, giving him a warm smile.

Ryoko and the others slowly got to their feet, and they stared at Tirimon in astonishment.

Dai's mouth fell open, and the goggle headed leader gaped at Tirimon in amazement. "Unbelievable!" he whispered. "Who are you now?"

"I am Tirimon," the digimon replied. "I'm a champion level vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Arctic Blast and Winter Inferno."

"Wow!" Mickey gasped, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Tirimon was a large arctic fox digimon who walked on four legs. He had pale blue fur, sapphire eyes, small ears, and a bushy tail. His head and legs were covered in silver armor, and he was big enough that Ryoko could easily ride on his back.

"You're the most amazing digimon I've ever seen," Ryoko whispered, staring at his partner in shock. "Thank you for saving Takara."

"You're welcome," Tirimon murmured.

Obviously Ryoko, Dai, and the others had not heard what Tirimon had whispered to her a moment ago.

Dai slowly turned to gaze at Ryoko, and Takara was shocked to see that the expression on his face was one of sadness.

"Congratulations," Dai said flatly, his dark brown eyes filling with sudden hurt.

Ryoko stared at him in surprise and frowned. "What's wrong with you?"

Dai opened his mouth to say something, but Spritemon's sudden shriek of rage captured their attention.

"You've ruined everything!" the mega screamed, leaping out of the bushes and fluttering into the air. "I will not let any of you get away with wreaking my plans! Sirenmon! Destroy the humans and give me their D-Coders. The digimon will not be able to defeat us without their partners, and don't you dare let Dovemon digivolve, too!"

"Yes, mistress," Sirenmon replied.

Takara quickly joined the rest of her friends and gave them an anxious look. Sirenmon had been busy fighting Dragermon and the others when Spritemon had attacked her, and that was why the mythical digimon had been unable to help Spritemon steal her D-Coder.

"Ryoko, I want you and the others to stay here," Tirimon said quietly. "Dragermon, myself, and the others will deal with Sirenmon and Spritemon."

"Okay," Ryoko replied, coming forward and resting his cheek against Tirimon's large head. "Be careful."

"Alright, guys, let's get rid of these two evil digimon once and for all!" Dragermon shouted.

"Stay safe, Kara!" Dovemon cried, giving her an anxious look.

"I will," she replied.

Matty put an arm around her, and she gave her cousin a grateful smile.

"Dragon Fire Spin!" Dragermon shouted, flying over Sirenmon's head.

The mythical digimon quickly leaped out of the way and jumped behind a large group of rocks. "You won't get away with this!" she snarled.

"That's what you think!" Angelicmon shot back, sailing towards the ground and giving her a dirty look. "Celestial Star!"

Sirenmon quickly covered her head and ducked behind the rocks again.

"Don't forget about me! Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon shouted, pointing his weapon towards Sirenmon and landing next to Angelicmon on the ground. Streams of yellow and orange light slammed into the rocks, but neither one of their attacks managed to touch Sirenmon.

"We're the ones who are suppose to be playing dirty!" Spritemon snapped, diving out of the sky and landing next to Sirenmon. "Fairy Cannon!"

The blast shot over the rocks and hit Angelicmon right in the chest. He stumbled into Gabrielmon, and the two of them fell to the ground in a flurry of white and gold feathers.

"You're heavier than you look!" Gabrielmon groaned, giving the other angel a gentle push. Unfortunately for him, he had ended up on the bottom of the pile.

Angelicmon rolled his eyes and quickly jumped to his feet, pulling Gabrielmon up with him.

"Who's next?" Spritemon said calmly. She crossed her arms and gave them all a small smile. Her brown eyes were flashing with anger, and she looked ready to blast them all into little bits of data.

"You are!" Tirimon growled, leaping over the rocks and knocking her to the ground with his front paws. "Arctic Blast!" A huge stream of snow and blue light shot out of his mouth, and it hit Spritemon in the face.

"Opal Laser!" Dovemon shouted, swooping down and hitting Sirenmon in the forehead with her attack.

Both digimon screamed and disappeared in a blaze of light.

"Now's your chance, Dragermon! Finish them off!" Dai shouted.

"Be careful!" Sam cried, his eyes growing dark with anxiety.

Tirimon quickly backed away from the two digimon, and Dovemon landed on his back.

"Thanks for saving Kara," she said softly.

"Anytime," Tirimon replied.

"I've had enough of this battle!" Dragermon snorted, hovering over Spritemon and Sirenmon. "I think it's time we wrapped this whole thing up! Ring of Fire!"

The burning blaze descended towards the two evil digimon, and they quickly leaped over the rocks to avoid the blast.

"I'm not letting either one of you get away!" Tirimon shouted.

"Dark Tidal Wave!" Sirenmon screamed.

The huge wave shot up towards the sky and headed straight for Tirimon. He glared at Sirenmon and quickly jumped to the side. "That trick is really starting to get old!" he snorted. "Winter Inferno!"

Tirimon hit Sirenmon in the stomache with his tail, and a huge icy blast knocked her off her feet. She had been completely surrounded by blue light, and she had almost disappeared in the explosion.

"Great move!" Dovemon cheered, fluttering into the air. "Come on, guys, let's send her back to the sea! Feather Storm!"

Sirenmon's body disappeared in a gale of feathers, and the other digimon quickly took advantage of her vulnerability.

"Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon shouted, rising into the sky and pointing his weapon at her.

Angelicmon flew up beside him and lifted his face to the sky. "Zenith Point!"

Seven rays of bright, yellow light and one huge orange blast slammed into Sirenmon, and she fell backwards into the sand. The explosion just barely missed Spritemon, and Takara gave the mega a disappointed look.

_Close, but not close enough!_

"Not fair!" Spritemon squealed, fluttering out of the way and giving them all a dirty look.

"You're never going to sing anyone to sleep again! Opal Laser!" Dovemon cried.

"Ring of Fire!" Dragermon shouted.

Both blasts hit Sirenmon and smoke started to rise up from her dress.

"Curse you, Digidestined!" she screamed, her violet eyes filling with sudden fear.

"I hope you have a nice trip to Primary Village!" Tirimon growled. "Arctic Blast!"

Sirenmon let out one final scream and disappeared in a blaze of icy blue light. By the time the light faded away, not even her data remained.

Spritemon froze in mid-air and stared at the spot where Sirenmon had been standing in astonishment. The stunned look on her face made Takara smile. Obviously the mega digimon could not believe what had just happened.

Angelicmon pointed his spear at Spritemon and smiled in amusement. "Are you ready to suffer the same fate as Sirenmon?"

Spritemon's eyes sparkled with sudden anger, and she glared at the angel digimon. "I refuse to run away like a coward!" she snapped, settling herself on the ground. "You may have defeated Sirenmon, but she was not a mega like I am! I don't need help to defeat all of you! I can do it all by myself!"

"Prove it!" Dragermon shot back.

Spritemon smiled and pointed her weapon at him. "My pleasure! Fairy Cannon!"

Dragermon avoided the blast, and Takara glanced towards the ocean. She noticed something that looked rather odd and frowned. "What is that?"

Matty stared at her in confusion, and she pointed towards the ocean. "Look."

She could see something floating beneath the water, but it was hard to tell exactly what it was that she was looking at. It appeared to be quite large, and she was surprised that she had not noticed it earlier.

"What do you think it is?" Sam asked, giving her a curious look.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out!"

A sudden idea came to her, and she quickly held out her D-Coder.

_I hope this works!_

Her D-Coder started to glow, and a bright beam of light shot out of it.

"What's going on?" Ryoko asked, staring at her in amazement.

The green light from her D-Coder flew towards the ocean and quickly surrounded the thing that was floating beneath the waves. It started to move, and she quickly backed away from it. It was pretty close to the shore, and that made her feel uneasy.

_What if it's another one of Spritemon's traps?_

"It's alive!" Mickey gasped, his eyes growing wide with fear.

Spritemon and the other digimon all froze, and they turned to look at the ocean.

"What's going on?" Spritemon snapped, looking impatient. She spotted the thing in the ocean and let out a shriek of frustration. "Not him, too!"

"What are you talking about?" Ryoko snapped, giving her a suspicious look.

The thing slowly rose out of the ocean, and Takara let out a gasp when she realized it was a digimon.

The large whale digimon took one look at what was going on and let out a cry of anger. "You're the cause of all this chaos!" the whale digimon shouted, turning to confront Spritemon.

The female digimon let out a squeak of surprise, and she quickly backed away from him. "You were suppose to stay asleep!"

"You were trying to stop me from helping the Digidestined, weren't you?" the whale digimon roared.

"So what if I was?" she shot back.

"I'm not going to let you stand in the way of justice!" the whale digimon replied. He looked ready to hit her with an attack, but Spritemon fluttered high into the air and quickly headed towards the beach.

"She's trying to escape!" Dai shouted, his eyes flashing with anger. "Someone stop her!"

The two angel digimon made a grab for her, but she managed to avoid them and let out a cry of triumph. "Till we meet again, Digidestined!" she shrieked, before disappearing from sight.

"What a coward," Dragermon muttered.

"She knew she couldn't beat us, and that's why she ran," Tirimon said softly.

"Don't worry, she'll be back," Angelicmon murmured.

Gabrielmon put a hand on his shoulder and nodded. "The next time we see her, I have a feeling she'll be stronger than ever."

They all turned to look at the whale digimon, and Takara placed a hand against his large head. "Who are you?" she asked softly.

The whale digimon stared at her for a moment and nodded to himself. "I am Whamon," he said finally. "I'm a champion level vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Blasting Spout, Jet Arrows, and Tidal Wave. I am the guardian digimon who was chosen by Gennai to protect Dovemon."


	46. Making Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, so Tirimon's name came from the Inuit or Inuktitut name for the arctic fox which is Tiriganiaq. The twins and their sis, and Sam and the Emperor are going to be coming up soon! Please read and review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Nothing worth doing is ever simple." _-Takuya Kanbara (Season Four, Episode 46: To Make the World Go Away)

Chapter 46: Making Plans

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Takara gave Whamon a warm smile and nodded. "I thought so. It's too bad Sirenmon's attack worked on you, too. I could have used your help."

"What exactly happened here?" Whamon asked, sounding confused.

She turned to look at Dai, and he gave her a quick nod.

"Well, it all started with Sirenmon," she said slowly, making a face. She quickly told him about what had happened to them on the beach while he was asleep, and then she proceeded to tell him about their earlier adventures which had involved the rest of Spritemon's buddies. She finished off her story with the news that Gennai had been captured and finally fell silent again.

"This is not good," Whamon murmured. "They would not have wasted a lot of time trying to capture Gennai without a good reason. He must have some information that could help you defeat them."

"That's what we think, too," Dai replied, his eyes dark with anger.

Takara crossed her arms and let out a sigh. "I hope Leomon and the others can find Gennai before Vampiramon and her buddies decide to finish him off. He doesn't seem like the type of guy who's going to just tell them everything they want to know. That's not going to make Vampiramon very happy."

"That evil witch," Ryoko muttered, looking disgusted.

"Takara, I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you," Whamon said, turning towards her again. "I should have been more prepared for something like this. I guess I haven't done a very good job of protecting your partner, have I?"

"That's okay," she said, patting his head and giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm sure that Gennai will understand."

"I take it that Takara has passed your test?" Sam asked, looking amused.

Whamon nodded. "Yes, she has."

"I thought that was pretty obvious!" Dovemon laughed.

"You're right, Dovemon," Whamon replied. "Your human partner has a remarkable amount of courage. I think she may even rival Dai when it comes to being brave."

Takara's mouth fell open in surprise, and she turned to look at Dai.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a warm smile. "That's for sure. She's the most amazing girl I know."

Takara felt her face turn red, and she quickly lowered her eyes to the ground.

_Does he really mean that, or is he just trying to be nice?_

"Is that the reason Kara passed her test earlier?" Sam asked, his eyes sparkling with interest.

"That's one of the reasons, but it's not the only one," Whamon replied. "One day you will understand why we're able to judge so quickly whether or not you are who you say you are, but that day will only come when you finally realize why you were all chosen to be Digidestined in the first place."

Takara rolled her eyes and smiled slightly. "You're not going to tell us anything, are you?"

Whamon shook his head, and Dai let out a loud groan. "Figures," the goggle headed leader muttered.

"Have you met any other humans before?" Mickey asked, giving Whamon a curious look.

"Yes," the whale digimon replied. "Unfortunately I cannot tell you anymore than that. Gennai will decide when the time is right for the past to be revealed."

"Gennai's in no position to be telling anyone anything!" Takara muttered.

She let out a sigh and turned to look down at Dovemon, who was standing next to her side. "You did a great job today," she said softly, giving her partner a warm smile. "I can't believe that you and I are finally together, and I know we'll be great partners."

Dovemon fluttered into her arms, and Takara hugged her partner tightly.

"You're right," Dovemon murmured, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "We'll be great partners. In fact, I think we already proved that today with Sirenmon and Spritemon."

"I can't argue with that!" Matty laughed, reaching out and stroking the top of Dovemon's head.

"You're lucky to have Kara for a partner," Dai said softly, running his fingers over one of Dovemon's snowy wings. "She's a pretty amazing person."

Takara felt her face turn pink, and she gave Dai a radiant smile.

_Maybe he isn't so hopeless after all..._

Dovemon gave Dai a warm smile and nodded. "I know," the little rookie murmured.

"Welcome to the team!" Embermon said enthusiastically, leaping into Dai's arms and holding out a hand to Dovemon. He had reverted back to his rookie stage, and he seemed eager to welcome the little bird digimon into their group.

Dovemon beamed at him, and she extended one of her small wings for Embermon to shake. "Thanks. I promise I won't let any of you guys down!"

"We know," Angelicmon replied, looking amused.

"She's not the only one!" Tirimon said softly.

Takara turned to look at the large fox digimon and smiled. Ryoko had his arms wrapped around Tirimon's head, and his cheek was resting against his partner's nose. There was a soft smile on the blond's face, and he did not look as if he was planning on moving from his current position anytime soon.

"Thanks for helping me out, Ryoko," she said softly.

Ryoko smiled at her and gently stroked his digimon's head. "Don't thank me," he murmured. "Thank Tirimon."

"She already did!" Tirimon laughed.

"You really are amazing," Ryoko murmured, giving his partner a fond look.

"No kidding," Sam said softly.

Dai's face flushed with sudden anger, and he glared at Ryoko. "He's not that great!" the goggle headed leader muttered.

"What's wrong with you?" Ryoko snapped, his sapphire eyes sparkling with sudden hurt and anger. "You should be glad that Alopemon digivolved! If he hadn't, Takara would have ended up dead! Is that what you want?"

"No, of course not!" Dai shouted, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment. The goggle headed leader stared at the ground for a moment, and he carefully avoided Ryoko's eyes. "I just thought that when Alopemon finally digivolved, it would be because of...um...nothing. Just forget it," he mumbled.

Dai's deep brown eyes sparkled with emotion, and Takara frowned at him. "Dai, are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he muttered, sounding rather defensive.

Mickey and Matty glanced at each other, and they both rolled their eyes.

Takara turned back to Ryoko, and she almost burst out laughing. Her blond friend was staring at Dai as if the other boy had grown an extra head.

"I couldn't just stand by and let Takara get hurt," Ryoko said quietly, staring hard at Dai's face.

Dai gazed back at him for a moment and nodded. "I know," he said softly. "I would have done the same thing."

"You almost beat me to it," Ryoko replied, smiling slightly.

Dai let out a sudden laugh and shook his head. "Close, but not close enough, I guess."

Ryoko nodded and placed a hand on the goggle headed leader's shoulder. "Maybe next time," he said softly.

Takara raised her eyebrows, and she exchanged a look with Sam. She had a strong feeling that they were no longer talking about her at all anymore.

Dai blushed bright red, and then he frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I'm assuming that Tirimon will eventually digivolve to the ultimate level. After all, we are Digidestined, and according to Leomon, that makes achieving the higher stages of digivolution entirely possible," Ryoko replied.

"Only time will tell," Gabrielmon murmured, exchanging a look with Angelicmon.

The two digimon smiled at each other and turned to gaze fondly at their partners.

Takara felt a spark of excitement and nodded. "I can't wait for that to happen," she said softly.

Dai raised an eyebrow and grinned at her. "Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? Dovemon still needs to digivolve to champion first!"

"You're right! I almost forgot!"

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug and turned to smile at Ryoko. "You guys are the best, you know that?"

They both blushed, and Matty gave her an indignant look. "Hey, what about us?" the younger twin complained, gesturing to Mickey, Sam, and himself.

Takara laughed and put her arms around him. "You guys are awesome, too, but if any of you boys ever leave me to fight on my own again, you're all going to wish that you were facing Spritemon again, instead of me!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Dai replied, trying not to smile.

"I'd take Spritemon over her any day!" Matty whispered into the older twin's ear.

"That's for sure!" Sam muttered.

Mickey gave her a sheepish look, and Ryoko smiled in amusement.

"Boys," she muttered, glaring at each and every one of them.

Gabrielmon placed a hand on Mickey's shoulder and smiled at the older twin. "It's getting late. We should get back to the human world before your parents start to wonder where you are."

Mickey snuggled against his partner's side and smiled up at him. "You're right. Come one, guys, let's head back to the gate."

"In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can find Leomon and the others. The sooner we rescue Gennai, the better," Whamon said.

"Good idea," Dai replied, giving the whale digimon an approving nod. "While you're doing that, we're going to be looking for Sam's digimon partner. According to Andromon, the little guy is somewhere here on Text."

"That's right. Good luck, Digidestined."

"You, too, Whamon," Takara replied.

They watched the whale digimon glide out into the ocean before turning back towards the beach.

"I hope we find my partner soon," Sam said quietly. He was clutching his D-Coder tightly in his hand, and Takara was surprised to see that he looked very uneasy about something.

"We will," Dai replied, wrapping an arm around the other boy and giving him a smile.

Takara followed the others up the stairs, which were carved into the side of the cliff, and she quickly stepped in front of the gate.

_I hope Sam's okay._

She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. The ocean was once more filled with digimon, and that was enough to convince her of the fact that she and her friends would save the Digital World, no matter what it took. In the end, they would conquer the Powers of Darkness, and that was definitely something that was worth a few risks.


	47. Dangerous Minds

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Ken's POV is up next!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Darkness hides from the light until it is ready to destroy it." _-Duskmon (Season Four, Episode 30: Oh Brother, Who Art Thou?)

Chapter 47: Dangerous Minds

_Vampiramon_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Vampiramon slammed her fist into Dovemon's useless pedestal and let out a snarl of rage.

"You should learn to control your temper," a male voice said softly in her ear.

She whirled around in surprise and glared at DarkAngelicmon, who was standing behind her.

The fallen angel leaned against a tree and smiled in amusement. "That was quite a spectacular fight. Tirimon is an impressive champion, and Dovemon is a powerful rookie."

Vampiramon gave him a dirty look and kicked angrily at her skirts. "Whose side are you on anyway?" she snapped.

"I am loyal to our master, and that is all you need to know," he replied, giving her a faint smile. "I must say, I quite like the Ishida boy. He reminds me a lot of myself. He's a little cold around the edges, but I'm sure we can fix that. The humans may be an annoyance, when it comes to getting in the way of our plans, but that does not make them any less interesting."

Vampiramon sniffed and turned her back on him. "If you think I'm going to let you waste your time with human pets, forget it! We've got more important things to think about!"

He raised an eyebrow at her and smiled. "Really? What could be more important than the Digidestined?"

"The Spirit Chips!" she snapped, her emerald eyes flashing with anger. "Without those D-Coders, we won't be able to find the Spirit Chips!"

DarkAngelicmon seated himself on a rock and began to examine one of his black wings. "You're right, of course, but I wouldn't worry so much, if I were you. We have the Crests that once belonged to their parents. You know what that means, don't you? We're already halfway towards reaching our goal. It is only a matter of time before we have the D-Coders, as well."

"This is all Spritemon's fault!" she shouted, sitting down in the sand and smoothing out her skirts. She rested her cheek against the rock that DarkAngelicmon had chosen for a seat and glared at the pedestal. The object itself was not the actual cause of her problems, but it gave her something to take her anger out on. "Spritemon is too ambitious for her own good! How could she have let Dovemon join Takara? Doesn't she realize what a stupid mistake that was? As if that wasn't bad enough, she caused Alopemon to digivolve, as well! Our master will punish all of us for her failures! This cannot be allowed to happen again! Our master put me in charge, and from now on I expect everyone to obey my orders! If anyone dares to disobey me, I will see to it personally that they are destroyed!"

"Yes, Vampiramon. We would never dream of disobeying you," DarkAngelicmon replied, a small smile playing across his lips.

Vampiramon scowled at him and turned to glare at the pedestal again. She hated the fallen angel with a passion, and she was sure that the feeling was mutual. Unfortunately they had to at least pretend to get along for the sake of their master, but that did not mean she had to sit there and put up with his insults!

_Once the Digidestined are out of the way, and I'm standing beside my master, I will be free to utterly destroy this sorry excuse for a fallen angel! Half the time I can't decide whether he wants to kill the Digidestined or adopt one of them as a partner! He must be killed, or he will end up ruining all of my plans. I cannot allow that! He will die at my hands, but first I must find a way to pin his death on someone else. After all, he is one of my master's most valuable servants. I could always blame it on BlackWidowmon, that snippy little-_

"What do you suggest we do next?" DarkAngelicmon asked, interrupting her thoughts. "The Digidestined have managed to join up with five of their partners, and we still have not managed to steal any of the D-Coders."

Vampiramon slowly stood up, and she gave him a sweet smile. "We are going to stop Sam Ichijouji from ever getting his hands on his partner!"

DarkAngelicmon ran a hand through his long, black hair and nodded. "Go on."

"When Sam and his friends arrive here tomorrow to search for Glowmon, we will be waiting for them. I'm going to make sure that we destroy them before they have a chance to get anywhere close to that pathetic little rookie! That's when we'll steal the D-Coders, and we will not let Dovemon digivolve, understand?"

"Glowmon?"

DarkAngelicmon stared at her in surprise, and she smiled, pleased to have caught him off guard for once. "It took a while, but I was finally able to get that little piece of information out of Gennai. It's only a matter of time before he tells me everything he knows," she said, a smile of satisfaction slipping across her face.

DarkAngelicmon's green eyes lit up with excitement, and he reached out to take her hand. "The Emperor's son. I am going to enjoy meeting him. It's too bad that I never had the privilege of working with his father. Who knows? Maybe the Emperor would not have failed if I had been there to help him."

She yanked her hand out of his grip and let out a snort. "You are a fool, DarkAngelicmon!"

Her anger seemed to amuse him because he laughed softly, his lips twisting into a small smile. "There's a difference between being arrogant and being confident, Vampiramon. I have a feeling that Sam and I are going to become very good friends in the near future. The same goes for young Masato and his twin brother, only I have something more...special planned for them."

"What did I say about following my orders?" she snapped.

DarkAngelicmon stood up and gently ran his fingers through her dark red hair. "Of course," he said in a soothing tone. "Come. Let's head back to Cyber. Our master is waiting for us, and he can be very impatient."

He held out his arm, and she gave him a suspicious look.

_Yes. He must be killed, otherwise we will all end up dying at the hands of the Digidestined._

She hooked her arm through his and gave him a brilliant smile. "For once, I agree with you, DarkAngelicmon. It is not wise to keep our master waiting."

They strolled arm in arm towards the stairs that led up the side of the cliff, and she managed not to flinch at the thought of what their master would do to them when he found out about Spritemon's failed attempt to stop the Digidestined.

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Takara stood next to Mickey in the computer room and smiled at her digimon partner, who was hopping around on one of the desks. "Dovemon, you've reverted back to your in-training form. Who are you now?" she asked, giving her partner a curious look.

"I'm Fluttermon," the little digimon replied, hopping into her arms.

Fluttermon was a small white head with large, violet eyes and two small wings. Her face resembled that of a bird, and there was a small green jewel in the middle of her forehead.

"I was really worried about you today," Fluttermon said quietly. "Spritemon could have hurt you really bad."

"Don't worry, Fluttermon, I'm fine," she murmured, giving her little partner a warm hug.

"Guys, we have a problem," Dai said, sitting down on a desk and crossing his arms. "We won't be able to use this computer room when we go to the Digital World tomorrow."

Mickey frowned and hugged Palelymon tightly to his chest. "You're right. Tomorrow is the weekend."

"We can use the computer at my house," Ryoko said, sitting down next to Dai and scratching DemiEmbermon's ears. "My parents won't be home tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me," DemiEmbermon said cheerfully. The little digimon was clinging to Dai's shoulder, and he beamed at Ryoko. Ryoko smiled back at DemiEmbermon, and Takara almost laughed at the expression on Dai's face. He looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

_Why can't they both see what's right in front of their faces?_

"Come on, guys. We should go before Ema suddenly pops up out of nowhere and demands to know what we're doing in here," the goggle headed leader managed to say.

Takara laughed and shook her head. "I don't think that's going to happen, Dai."

"Why not?" Dai asked, frowning at her in confusion.

"My brother is the reason why Ema wasn't able to follow any of us to the computer room today."

She quickly told them about the conversation that she had had with Taysuke the night before, and they stared at her in amazement.

"Wow! I can't believe Tay would risk making Ema angry to help us!" Matty laughed.

"No kidding," Dai replied, grinning from ear to ear. "He's a brave kid!"

"I always knew we could count on him," Ryoko said softly.

Takara nodded in agreement and smiled at Dai. "You should have seen the way he distracted Ema, Taniko, and Kenzo to stop them from following us. We can definitely trust him to keep our secrets, not that he knows very much about what's going on, but you know what I mean!"

For some reason, Mickey and Matty both blushed, and she gave them a suspicious look.

"Remind me to thank your brother later," Dai said, getting to his feet. "Anyone who can manage to get Ema off my back deserves nothing but my utmost respect. I'll be in his debt forever! Come on, guys, let's go."

They were about to leave when Takara realized that Sam was making no effort to follow them out the door.

"Sam, are you okay?" Dai asked, looking concerned.

Apparently she was not the only one who had noticed Sam's strange behaviour.

"The Emperor," Sam whispered, his eyes sparkling with fear. "That's what Sirenmon called me. Why would she say that?"

Dai stared at him in confusion, and Takara let out a sigh. "Sirenmon said the same thing to me when you guys were all unconscious."

Sam's face grew very pale, and he gave her an anxious look. "I don't understand. I have a feeling that this Emperor everyone keeps talking about is a human or a digimon, but according to Andromon, he, or she, is nothing but a distant memory. Why would Sirenmon compare me to someone who existed a long time ago? Why would she compare me to someone who was evil?"

Takara stared at her friend in shock, and she jumped when Ryoko suddenly stepped forward and pulled Sam into a hug.

"Listen, Sam. I wouldn't worry about this too much, if I were you," the blond said softly. "I bet Spritemon and Sirenmon were just trying to mess with your mind so that they could find a way to use you to their advantage. All of this stuff about the Emperor doesn't mean anything. I'm sure of it. They can call you whatever they want, but nothing they say is ever going to change who you are."

Sam took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "You're right, Ryoko. I shouldn't have let them get to me."

"That's more like it!" Ryoko's arms tightened around Sam's shoulders, and the blond smiled. "You're an amazing person, Sam. Don't ever forget that."

Sam's eyes sparkled with sudden tears, and he wrapped his arms around Ryoko's waist. "So are you," he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.

Takara turned to look at Dai, and she gave him a sympathic smile. The goggle headed leader was doing his best to ignore Ryoko and Sam, but she could see in his eyes that he would have given anything to be in Sam's place.

"Come on, guys, let's get out of here," she said softly, motioning for the others to follow her.

Ryoko's words seemed to have calmed Sam down a bit, but she could tell that her raven haired friend was not going to stop feeling uneasy until he knew for sure whether or not Sirenmon's words had meant anything.

She glanced at her twin cousins and frowned. Mickey and Matty had their heads together, and they were whispering softly to one another. It was obvious that they did not want anyone else to overhear what they were saying.

"What's wrong with you two?" she asked, giving them a suspicious look. "Both of you have been acting really strange today. Is something wrong?"

Mickey's face turned bright red, and he quickly pushed Matty out into the hallway. "No," the older twin stammered, giving her a weak smile. "Everything's fine. Um...see you guys tomorrow."

She watched her cousins leave the room and frowned.

_Mickey and Matty are definitely hiding something, but what?_

"I guess I'll just have to wait and see," she muttered, following Sam out of the computer room. She closed the door behind herself and frowned again. She had a bad feeling that she did not want to know what their secret was, but she knew that she was going to find out eventually, whether she wanted to or not.


	48. Living By the Crest

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Mickey, Matty, and Rina are up next with a new parent POV! I don't think I'll get back to writing till hopefully next week because I have to work some really stupid shifts tomorrow and the day after. You're all free to yell at my boss for me!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Most times, the right thing to do is easy to see if you're willing to look and do what's necessary." _-Angemon (Season Four, Episode 40: The Bully Pulpit)

Chapter 48: Living By the Crest

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ken slowly closed the front door behind himself and glanced towards the kitchen.

_I wonder if Sam's home yet._

He let out a sigh and shook his head. Sam had been avoiding him ever since yesterday evening, and he was afraid of what that might mean.

_Something's definitely bothering him. If only he would open up to me and let me know what's wrong. I can't help him if he doesn't want to tell me anything._

"Hey, Dad."

Ken looked up in surprise and smiled at his daughter. Miya had just come into the room, and she gave him an odd look. "Where's Mom?"

"She's still at the store. She said she'd be back in time for supper," he replied, bending over slightly to kiss her cheek. "Where's Nao?"

"He's in the kitchen having a snack."

Miya had offered to look after Nao while he and Yolei were at the store, and he was extremely grateful for her help. He had been so busy worrying about Sam that it had taken all of his concentration just to help run the store properly. Having to worry about Nao would have only made him even more of a nervous wreck.

"Is Sam here?" he asked quietly, glancing towards the stairs.

Miya gazed curiously at him for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, he's in the living room."

"Thanks," he replied. He wrapped his arms around her in a quick hug and managed a brief smile. "I'm just going to go talk to him for a moment, and then I'll meet you in the kitchen, alright?"

Miya stared at him. "Um...Dad? Are you okay? You're home earlier than I thought you'd be."

He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and nodded. "Don't worry, Miya, I'm fine."

_At least I hope I am. I guess that'll depend on Sam._

He headed into the living room and paused at the door when he spotted his oldest son. Sam's head was resting against the arm of the couch, and there was a textbook lying in his lap. His dark hair gleamed under the living room lights, and his sapphire eyes twinkled. Several more books were scattered on the floor in front of him, along with his backpack. It looked like he was doing his homework.

Ken crossed his arms and frowned. Sam's face was very pale, and there were dark purple shadows under his eyes. He looked like he had not slept at all last night.

_Poor Sam. I've never seen him look so upset before. What am I going to do if he refuses to tell me what's wrong?_

"Hey, Sam," he said quietly.

Sam's head jerked up, and he let out a gasp. "Dad! What are you doing here? I thought you were at the store!"

Ken raised an eyebrow at the look of fear on Sam's face and gave his son a tentative smile. Obviously Sam did not want to talk to him, and that made his heart ache with sadness.

_What is it that he's afraid to tell me?_

"I just got home," he said quietly, moving slowly towards the couch. "Your mother should be home soon, as well. She just wanted to finish up a few things at the store first. What's wrong?"

Sam's face turned pink, and he lowered his eyes to his textbook. "Nothing. I just didn't expect you to be home so soon."

Ken smiled sadly and sat down on the couch next to his son.

_Sam was hoping to avoid me again. I can tell by the look on his face. There has to be something I can do to get him talking._

"I didn't want Miya to have to spend her whole evening looking after Nao," he said softly.

He had decided to come home a bit earlier than he normally would have that day because he had been hoping for a chance to talk to Sam. He did not bother mentioning that little fact, though, because he had a feeling it would only make his son even more upset. He studied Sam's face for a moment and sighed. He wanted nothing more than to throw his arms around his son and hug him tightly, but he was afraid that Sam would push him away if he tried.

_I can't let that happen. He needs me, and I need him._

Sam tugged nervously on one of his socks and glanced anxiously towards the door. "I should probably finish the rest of my homework upstairs. Mom's not going to be too happy with me if she sees the mess I've made all over the floor."

Ken stared at his son's pale face, and the look in Sam's eyes made his heart ache with despair.

_I love you, Sam. I love you so much._

He hesitated and slowly pulled Sam into a hug. "Sam, listen to me," he said softly, resting his cheek against his son's raven hair. "I'm not mad at you. I just want to talk."

Sam let out a gasp and tried to wriggle away from him, but Ken held his son's smaller body tightly against his chest and squeezed his eyes shut.

_I can't stand seeing him like this. What am I going to do?_

Sam finally stopped struggling in his arms, and he let out a small sigh of relief.

"No, you're not mad," Sam mumbled into his shoulder. "You're upset, and that's even worse."

Ken gazed into Sam's deep blue eyes and smiled. "Of course I'm upset," he murmured. "You've been acting really strange lately, and I'm worried about you."

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine," Sam whispered, snuggling against his side.

"Are you?" he whispered. "You seem pretty quiet to me, more so than usual."

Sam suddenly pulled away from him and turned to gaze out the window. "I'm sorry about trying to keep Dai's condition a secret from you and Davis," he said quietly. "I didn't want to, but Ryoko and I were worried that Davis and Noriko would be really mad. Besides, Dai made us promise not to tell his parents because he didn't want them to worry."

Ken stared at the back of his son's head for a moment and frowned. "There's something else you're not telling me, isn't there?" He hesitated and slowly placed his hand on Sam's shoulder. Sam flinched at his sudden touch, and he quickly pulled his hand back again. "Sam, you know you can tell me anything," he whispered. "I want to help you, and you know I'll always be here when you need me."

Sam remained silent, and Ken felt his heart fill with sudden fear. "Please?" he whispered. His tone sounded urgent, even to him, and he quickly snapped his mouth shut. If he did not keep his emotions under control, he was going to end up scaring Sam even more than he already had, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Sam slowly turned towards him, and he let out a gasp. His son's sapphire eyes were filled with uncertainty and fear.

"Dad?" he whispered. "Do you think I'm a good person?"

Ken stared at his son in shock, unable to speak. "Sam, I don't understand," he said quietly. "Why would you ask me something like that?"

_Does this have something to do with why he's been acting so funny lately?_

"Am I?" Sam whispered, ignoring his question.

Ken froze and gazed into his son's dark blue eyes. He felt a strong desire to wrap his arms around Sam in a tight hug, but the look on his son's face convinced him to wait until Sam was ready to make the first move. He had a feeling that if he tried to hug his son now, he would only end up making Sam even more upset.

"Of course you are," he murmured. "Everytime I look at you, I can't help but wonder what I did to deserve such a precious gift. The same goes for Miya and Nao. I'm so proud of you, Sam, and I don't want you to ever forget that. You're a good person, and you always will be. Nothing is ever going to change that."

Sam's eyes began to sparkle with tears, and he threw his textbook onto the floor.

_Oh, Sam. Please don't do this..._

He tried to say something, but Sam suddenly scrambled into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry," his son whispered into his chest.

Ken smiled and gently stroked Sam's dark hair. The heat of his son's body soaked into his skin, and he felt himself start to relax. It looked like Sam had finally decided to bridge the gap between them, and Ken no longer felt as if his son was trying to push him away. He had never felt so relieved in his life.

"It's okay," he murmured, holding Sam close. "You might get into trouble sometimes, but you're still my son, and I will always love you, no matter what."

"I love you, too," Sam whispered.

Ken rested his cheek against the top of his son's head and smiled. _I guess it doesn't matter how old my children get. I'm always going to feel as if I have to protect them from anyone or anything that tries to hurt them. We all need someone to turn to in times of trouble. Davis was the one who taught me that, and somehow I'm going to have to pass that same message onto Sam._

Ken let out a deep sigh and gently rubbed his son's back. "Sam, what's hurting you so much? I can't help you if you won't let me."

Sam slowly looked up at him and smiled. "Nothing. I was upset before, but I'm not anymore. It doesn't matter what they call me. If you say I'm a good person, then that's all that matters."

"Huh?" Ken stared at his son in confusion and frowned. Sam's eyes were sparkling with happiness, and all of the fear that had consumed him earlier was gone.

_I don't understand. Has someone been tormenting my son?_

He wrapped his arms around Sam's slim shoulders and sighed. He could feel his son's heart beating against his side, but the steady rhythm did not comfort him as it normally would have.

_What's going on? If someone is hurting Sam..._

"Hey, Dad?"

Ken glanced curiously at his son, and Sam smiled softly at him.

"What is it, Sam?"

Sam gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment and sighed. "I wish I could have had a chance to meet my uncle."

Ken was so startled by the sudden change in subject that he jerked his head up and stared at his son in surprise. He gazed into Sam's eyes for a moment and smiled sadly, his face a mask of sorrows. "I wish you could have, too. He would have been so proud of you."

Sam pulled his legs up onto the couch and wrapped his arms around his knees. "You really think so?"

He looked a little unsure of himself, and Ken wrapped an arm around him. "Yes. You are everything he could have ever wanted in a nephew, and so is Nao."

"Don't forget about Miya. She's the one with the abnormally large brain! I'm sure she and Uncle Sam would have gotten along great!"

Ken laughed and gently tugged on one of his son's grey socks. "It might not have always seemed like it, but your uncle was a good brother to me. I loved him, and that's why your mother and I named you after him. As long as we continue to remember him, he'll never really be gone. A part of him will always be with us, and that's something that death can never take away from the living."

"Yeah," his son whispered. Sam's feet came to rest against his thigh, and he smiled. "I love you. You know that, don't you?"

Sam nodded and turned to stare out the window again. "I know," he said softly. "You already told me that."

Ken pulled Sam into his arms again and gently kissed the top of his son's head. "Good. You know what, Sam? I'm never going to let you forget it."

Sam's arms went around his neck, and he felt his son lean against him.

"Hey, Dad? I promise I'll tell you and Mom everything as soon as I can."

_So he is hiding something from us._

"Just don't wait too long, okay?" he whispered into his son's raven hair.

Sam nodded and gave him a warm hug. "I won't."

There were still some things that Sam did not want to discuss, but at least he was talking, and that was a start.

_That's the reason he changed the subject and started talking about his uncle. He wanted to distract me in order to stop me from finding out the truth about what's going on._

There were still some things he did not understand, but there was one thing he was sure of beyond a shadow of a doubt. He would die before he would ever let anyone hurt his son, and that was a promise to himself that he intended to keep.


	49. A Blessing and a Curse

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: The title of this chapter actually goes along with what happens at the end of the chapter. You'll know what I mean after you finish reading it. You'll be surprised at who finally gives the parents away. Or maybe not...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Darkness will prevail! Your light shall be extinguished!" _-Duskmon (Season Four, Episode 30: Oh Brother, Who Art Thou?)

Chapter 49: A Blessing and a Curse

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Mickey crossed his arms and gave Matty a stern look. He was standing in the bathroom next to his younger twin and his sister, and the three of them were taking turns spitting into the sink.

"You're dripping toothpaste all over the floor," Matty informed him, without looking up from the counter.

Mickey glanced at the green toothbrush he held in his right hand and sighed. It no longer had any toothpaste on it.

"You better clean that up before Mom sees it!" Rina giggled, pointing at the floor. She was standing on a small stool next to Matty, and she gave him an innocent smile. The extra height allowed her to reach the sink with ease and prevented her from making a huge mess on the floor.

Mickey smiled slightly and shook his head. _It looks like I'm the one who's doing an excellent job of making a mess, not Rina!_

He ignored the glob of pale blue toothpaste lying next to his foot and shook his toothbrush in Matty's face for emphasis. "Quit trying to change the subject! We have to tell Dai and the others about Rina!"

Matty made a face at himself in the mirror and sighed. "They're going to freak out. You know that, don't you?"

"Matty, they're all going to find out eventually, whether we tell them or not, and if they find out that we have been keeping it a secret from them, then they're really going to be mad, more so then if we had just told them in the first place!"

"Tell Dai I promise not to tell anyone about the digimon," Rina said solemnly. "I'm good at keeping secrets. Dai and the others won't be mad if you mention that to them. Besides, it was an accident. I wasn't actually suppose to find out."

She gave them both a disapproving look and hit Matty over the head with her pink toothbrush.

"Hey! What was that for?" Matty shouted, giving her a dirty look.

Rina stuck her nose in the air and banged her toothbrush on the edge of the sink. "That was for trying to keep Goldmon and Palelymon a secret from me!"

"You're crazy, you know that?" Matty muttered. He ran a hand through his silky, blond hair and groaned. "Now look what you've done! There's toothpaste in my hair!"

Mickey smiled and gently wrapped his arms around his twin's shoulders. "Matty, you know I'm right," he said softly.

Matty stared at the blue toothbrush in his left hand and sighed. "I think Kara already suspects something. I saw the way she was looking at us in the computer room, before and after we went to the Digital World, and I know you did, too. I bet she'll find out before we have a chance to say something."

Mickey frowned and stared thoughtfully at himself in the mirror. He had spent the last several minutes trying to convince Matty that they needed to tell the others about Rina, but so far he was having no success.

"Kara's really smart," Rina said softly. She tugged on the end of her pink nightgown and smiled at them. Her toothbrush had fallen into the sink, but she did not seem to notice. "You know what? I want to be just like her when I grow up."

"Hey! I thought you wanted to be like me!" Matty said, pretending to look hurt.

Rina giggled and hugged him tightly around the neck. "I already am like you!"

"Don't let Mom and Dad hear you say that!" Matty joked.

"Matty!" Mickey poked his brother in the ribs and frowned. _How am I going to get him to change his mind? He won't even stay on the subject long enough for me to convince him that telling the others is the right thing to do!_

Matty turned towards him, and he found himself gazing into his twin's amber eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, and Matty finally let out a loud sigh.

"Alright," his younger twin said reluctantly. "We'll tell Dai and the others tomorrow."

_I knew he'd come around eventually!_

Mickey gave his brother a warm hug and beamed at the younger twin. "Good. I'm glad you've finally come to your senses!"

"How do you always manage to trick me into agreeing with you?" Matty asked, sounding suspicious.

"Why do you always let me?"

"Cause I can't help it!" Matty complained.

Mickey glanced at his brother's reflection in the mirror and smiled. Matty stood between himself and Rina at the sink, and Mickey could tell that his twin was not happy about having to tell Dai and the others about Rina. There was a scowl on Matty's face, and he looked like he wanted to throw his toothbrush across the room.

_I hope he doesn't. I'm the right-handed twin, and if Matty decides to take his anger out on his toothbrush, it'll most likely end up hitting me in the face!_

Mickey stepped back and gave his younger twin's toothbrush a wary look. The two of them were facing each other, and Mickey knew there was a good chance Matty's toothbrush would connect with his nose instead of flying over his shoulder. Matty was left-handed, and that sometimes created a little bit of chaos, especially when they sat next to each other at the dinner table.

He took a step closer to Matty and gently placed a hand on his younger twin's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Matty, but we really don't have a choice," he said softly, giving his twin a sympathetic smile.

Matty smiled back at him and nodded. "I know."

"Mickey's always right," Rina piped up. She shook her toothbrush at Matty and gave him a knowing look. "You should listen to him more often."

Matty made a face at her and did not reply. It looked like he was lost in his own thoughts, and he appeared to be completely unaware of what was going on around him.

Mickey chose that opportunity to study his twin and frowned. Matty was dressed in grey sleep pants and a white t-shirt. His feet were bare, and his hair was still a bit damp from his shower. He looked like he wanted to change his mind about revealing their secret to Dai, and that was definitely not a good thing.

"Matty, are you okay?" he asked.

Matty pulled him into a hug and smiled at him. "I'm fine," his younger twin said softly.

He raised his eyebrows and rested his cheek against Matty's shoulder. "Are you sure?"

Matty started to laugh, and Mickey stared at his brother in confusion. "What?"

"Good-for-nothing brother," Matty murmured, his amber eyes sparkling with affection. "You're always trying to take advantage of me! One day I'll get you back for this!"

Mickey laughed and wrapped his arms around his twin's waist. "I know exactly how you feel! Everytime you trick me into doing something, I always end up regreting it. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to stop me from agreeing anyway!"

"And what exactly is that suppose to mean?" Matty asked, giving him a look.

"You're going to get me into a lot of trouble one day, but I still love you anyway," he said softly.

"The three of you have been in here for twenty minutes! Aren't you done yet?"

Mickey jumped at the sound of his father's voice and clutched Matty's arm in fear. _Oh no! What if he heard us talking about Palelymon and Goldmon?_

"Dad!" Rina squealed. She turned around to gape at him and nearly fell off her stool. Somehow she managed to grab onto the sink, but unfortunately she lost her grip on her toothbrush, and it hit Matty right in the face.

"Yuck!" Matty shouted, making a face. He used a towel to wipe a smudge of toothpaste off his cheek and glared at her. "You're dangerous with that thing, you know that?"

"Sorry," Rina giggled.

Their father leaned against the wall and smiled at them. "Come on, you three, it's time to get to bed."

Mickey spit the last of his toothpaste into the sink and glanced anxiously towards the door. He had stashed Goldmon and Palelymon under Matty's bed before joining his siblings in the bathroom, but that did not stop him from feeling uneasy.

_What if Mom decides to check under the beds to see if Matty and I did a decent job of cleaning our room earlier? Well, at least Dad doesn't seem to suspect anything._

Their mother suddenly stuck her head in the door and frowned. "Why is there toothpaste all over the floor?"

Mickey tugged nervously on his blue t-shirt and bit his lip. It was almost as if his thoughts had conjured her up out of thin air.

"Sorry," Matty said, giving their mother a weak smile. "We'll wipe it up."

They quickly cleaned up the toothpaste and crowded into the hallway. Mickey was the last one to leave the bathroom, and he gave his sister a big hug. "Good night, Rina."

"Say good night to Goldmon and Palelymon for me," she whispered softly in his ear.

"I will," he whispered back.

Rina gave Matty a quick hug and smiled up at their parents.

"Sweet dreams," their father said, kissing her cheek.

Rina beamed at him and gave their mother a hug. "Good night, Mommy. Good night, Daddy."

"Good night, my little angel," their mother replied.

Rina scampered off down the hallway towards her bedroom, and Mickey smiled nervously at his parents.

"Um...good night," Matty mumbled, his face turning red with shame.

"See you in the morning," Mickey said. He felt his own face heat up and quickly looked at the floor.

Their father pulled them both into a hug and smiled at them. "Have fun at Ryoko's house tomorrow."

Mickey rested his cheek against Matty's forehead and bit his lip. "Yeah right," he whispered. "We'll be lucky if Dai doesn't kill us both!"

Matty gave his hand a sympathetic squeeze, and he managed a faint smile. Luckily neither one of their parents noticed the exchange.

Their father kissed them both on the tops of their heads and handed them over to their mother.

"I love you both," she whispered, hugging them tightly and kissing their cheeks. "Sleep well."

"We will," Mickey said softly.

He quickly pulled Matty into their room and let out a sigh of relief. "One of these days we're going to get caught. Either Mom and Dad are going to catch sight of our digimon, or they're going to overhear us talking about the Digital World. One or the other is bound to happen, and then Dai's really going to freak out!"

Matty pulled Palelymon and Goldmon out from under the bed and stared at them in disbelief. Both digimon were fast asleep. "You know what, Mickey? You're probably right about that. Let's hope this whole thing doesn't end in disaster when our parents finally figure out what's going on. Is it just me or are our digimon completely insane?"

Mickey laughed and gently swooped Palelymon out of his brother's outstretched hands. "Yeah, they're definitely insane, and so are we. There's no way we're going to be able to fool our parents for much longer."

"I know," Matty grumbled.

Mickey quickly climbed into his bed and snuggled under the blankets with Palelymon. "Good night, Matty," he said softly.

Matty slowly came towards him and leaned over the bed to give him a hug. "Good night, Mickey," his twin whispered into his shoulder. "I love you, too, and I'm not going to let Jestermon or anyone else hurt you ever again."

Mickey smiled softly and wrapped his arms around Matty's neck. They held each other close for a moment, and Mickey let his eyes fall shut. He could feel Matty's heart beating against his chest, and the warmth of his younger twin's skin made his fears slowly melt away. Both of them were okay, and that was all that mattered.

Matty finally climbed into his own bed, and after several moments, Mickey heard his twin's breathing pattern fall into a steady rhythm. The sound floated towards his side of the room, and he hugged Palelymon tightly to his chest.

_I'll do the same for you, Matty. I promise._

_Kari Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Kari slowly climbed into the large bed she shared with T.K. and frowned. "T.K., do you get the feeling that Mickey and Matty are hiding something from us? They've been acting a little...odd lately."

T.K. climbed in beside her and let out sigh. "I was talking to Davis earlier today, and he said the same thing about Dai, Sam, and Ryoko. Sora mentioned something about Takara acting strange, as well. What do you think is going on?"

Kari snuggled against T.K.'s chest and stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "I'm not sure. Both of our sons have been really quiet lately, and that worries me."

"Mickey's always quiet," T.K. replied, looking amused.

"Yes, but Matty isn't," she murmured. "If anything happens to them..."

T.K. smiled at her and gently stroked her dark hair. "I know how you feel, Kari, but there's nothing we can do unless they tell us what's going on."

"We can't let anything happen to our boys," she whispered.

T.K. hugged her tightly, and she buried her face against his chest.

"Did you see the way Mickey and Matty were looking at us earlier?" he said quietly.

She nodded and slid her arm around his waist. "I've never seen them look so guilty before."

"Their expressions reminded me of the way Cody used to look when he was afraid that his mother and grandfather would find out about the Digital World!" T.K. laughed.

Kari sat up and pulled open the bottom drawer of the nightstand that stood on her side of the bed. She pulled out her pink D-3 Digivice and held it tightly in her hand. "Hey, T.K.? Do you think we'll ever go back to the Digital World? We haven't been there since Miya and Noah were babies."

T.K. glanced at her D-3 and shrugged. "I don't know," he said softly. "I hope so. I'm sure Patamon and the others miss us just as much as we miss them."

She let out a sigh and gently placed her D-3 back in the drawer beside T.K.'s green Digivice. They usually kept them hidden under a lot of junk to stop Rina and the twins from accidentally stumbling upon them.

She turned to gaze into her husband's sparkling, blue eyes and hugged herself. "T.K.?" she whispered. "Promise me you won't let anything happen to our sons."

T.K. sat up and kissed her softly on the lips. "I promise," he whispered.

She snuggled beneath the covers again and rested her head against his shoulder. She could feel his heart beating against her hand, and she smiled up at him. "Thank you," she murmured.

"I love our boys, and I'm not going to let anyone hurt them," he said quietly.

She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. She knew T.K. would do his best to keep his promise, but unfortunately she had a feeling that it was going to take a lot more than a promise to keep Mickey, Matty, and the rest of their friends safe from danger. The darkness was spreading. She did not know if it had anything to do with the Digital World, but it was getting stronger everyday, and she had a feeling that if she did not do something about it soon, it would end up consuming them all...


	50. Tension

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Please excuse Ryoko's crazy behaviour. He tends to take after his mother when it comes to overreacting! I won't be updating MBFG this week cause I'm still writing the next chapter out on paper. Bad for MBFG fans, good for FTFOD fans! I'll have three chapters up for this story this week instead of two!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"The game to determine your future has begun!" _-Ophanimon (Season Four, Episode 47: When Knights Fall...)

Chapter 50: Tension

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Come on, Ryoko. Where are you?" Dai muttered. "Hurry up and answer the door!"

He was about to bang on its wooden surface again when it suddenly opened, and he found himself gazing into his blond friend's angry blue eyes.

"Where have you been?" Ryoko demanded. "The others are already here, and we've been waiting for half an hour!"

He opened his mouth to say something, but Ryoko quickly cut him off.

"You probably slept in again, didn't you?"

"My alarm clock didn't go off," he muttered, glaring at the blond. "Now, will you get out of my way? We can't save the Digital World if we're standing around out here all day!"

"I didn't even get a chance to have breakfast this morning!" DemiEmbermon grumbled.

Dai gave his partner a comforting hug and studied Ryoko's handsome face. He could not deny the fact that he had been disappointed when Alopemon had digivolved for Takara instead of him. After all, Ryoko had promised to save his life again.

_Doesn't he want to work things out between us? When is he finally going to wake up and realize that I'm the obvious choice when it comes to him clearly needing a best friend? I might have Matty, but he doesn't have anyone, and I'm pretty sure Matty won't mind sharing. He needs me. Why can't he see that? Wait a minute! I didn't just say all of that, did I?_

"Is something wrong?"

Dai jumped at the sound of Ryoko's voice and looked up.

The blond's eyebrows narrowed into a frown, and his sapphire eyes grew cloudy with sudden concern. "Daichi-"

"No," Dai mumbled. He felt his face heat up, and he quickly glanced over Ryoko's shoulder to avoid having to look at the blond. "Where are Matt and Mimi anyway?"

Ryoko reached out to stroke DemiEmbermon's head and smiled. "They're over in Kyoto. Mom's doing a fashion shoot there, and Dad went with her. They won't be back until tomorrow."

"Awesome! That gives us plenty of time to find Sam's partner!"

"If you keep standing around out here like an idiot, we won't be finding anyone!" Ryoko snorted. "Now, hurry up and get inside. Your incessant chattering is starting to annoy me."

Dai rolled his eyes and pushed Ryoko into the house ahead of him. "What kind of an insult is that? You're losing your touch, Ishida."

"Hey!" Ryoko shouted. "Who do you think you are assaulting me in my own house! Let go of me you-"

"Quit being a baby!" Dai shot back. He shoved Ryoko up the stairs and glared at the blond's back. _My partner digivolved for you, and you act like it never even happened! How could you forget so easily? What am I going to have to do to make you see what has been right in front of your eyes this whole time?_

He did not blame Takara for what had happened. In fact, he was glad Ryoko had saved her. More than glad. He did not know what he would have done if she had ended up dying, but none of that changed the fact that Ryoko still owed him. The blond had a lot to prove before he would even consider revealing how he really felt...

They entered Ryoko's bedroom, and he smiled at the rest of his friends. Takara was sitting on the bed with Fluttermon and Iramon, and Sam was sitting on the floor. The twins were huddled in a corner of the room with Goldmon and Palelymon, and Matty was whispering frantically in Mickey's ear.

"Hey, Dai," Sam said, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Dai placed a hand on the raven-haired Digidestined's shoulder and smiled at him. "Hey, Sam, how are you feeling?"

"I feel great," Sam said softly.

"Have you talked to your dad yet?" Takara asked.

Sam smiled up at her and nodded. "I talked to him last night."

"That's good." She gave Sam a hesitant look and placed a hand on his arm. "Um...how did it go?"

Sam beamed at her and patted Fluttermon's head. "Don't worry, Kara. My dad and I worked everything out. Can we go to the Digital World now?"

Dai glanced at the computer on Ryoko's desk and nodded. "Definitely. You're really anxious to meet your partner, aren't you?"

"Yes," Sam whispered. "I want to find him before Vampiramon and her friends discover a way to steal him right out from under our noses. The chances of that happening are slim, since I'm the one who has to release him from the pedestal, but you never know. In the Digital World, it seems like anything is possible."

"You're right," Ryoko said, his voice unusually quiet. He pulled Iramon into his arms and stepped in front of the computer. His D-Coder was in his hand, and there was a determined expression on his face. "Well? Are you guys coming, or what?"

"Wait!" Matty suddenly cried.

Dai frowned at the younger twin and crossed his arms. "What is up with you, Matty? You and Mickey have been acting really weird lately."

Matty's face turned red, and he glanced at his brother.

Mickey let out a sigh and placed his hand on the younger twin's arm. "I think we'd better get this over with now, Matty, before we go to the Digital World," he said quietly. "I don't want our news to cause any distractions when we're searching for Sam's partner."

Ryoko crossed his arms and gave his cousins a cool look. "I think the two of you have some explaining to do." he said, his voice as hard as the ice in his eyes.

Dai winced and sent the twins a sympathetic look. A part of him was glad that, for once, he was not the cause of Ryoko's sudden anger, but the most important part of him, his heart, was reaching out to Mickey and Matty.

_Are they finally going to tell us what's wrong? They're obviously hiding something, and it can't be good, whatever it is. I just hope Ryoko doesn't end up freaking out on them if they decide to spill the beans. He has a tendency to do that a lot, especially if it's really bad news..._

"We have something to tell you," Goldmon said seriously.

"What is it?" Takara asked, frowning at her cousins.

Goldmon hid his face against Matty's chest, and Mickey gently stroked the little digimon's fluffy ears. "Goldmon, I think you'd better let me do the talking," the older twin murmured.

"Rina knows about our digimon," Matty blurted out before Mickey had a chance to say anything.

Dai stared at the twins in confusion and Matty's words suddenly registered inside his head. "She what?" he shouted. Matty's announcement stunned him so much he almost dropped DemiEmbermon on the floor.

"Matty." Mickey gave his younger twin a stern look and shook his head.

Matty flushed and hid his face between Mickey's shoulder blades. "Sorry," he mumbled into the older twin's green shirt.

"How?" Ryoko said crossly, his face a mask of rage.

Takara put her face in her hands and groaned. "I knew it!" she moaned. "I knew it had to be something like this! It's no wonder you guys have been acting like the world's going to end and jumping at every sound!"

"So much for keeping the Digital World a secret from our parents!" Sam muttered.

"How?" Ryoko shouted, setting Iramon on the ground. He glared so fiercely at Mickey that Palelymon let out a squeak of fear and hid his face against the older twin's neck.

"Calm down, Ryoko," Mickey said softly. "Rina walked into our room before we had a chance to hide Palelymon and Goldmon."

"It was an accident!" Matty wailed.

"I wasn't talking to you, was I?" Ryoko snapped.

Matty's mouth fell open, and he stared at Ryoko in shock. The younger twin looked like he had been slapped.

"We had no choice, Ryoko!" Mickey said, his eyes sparkling with sudden hurt. "We had to tell her about the Digital World! Our parents don't know, if that's what you're worried about."

"Not yet, they don't, but what if Rina tells them?" Ryoko said furiously.

"She promised she wouldn't tell," Matty muttered.

"Matty, I know you're not stupid, so quit trying to pretend you are!" Ryoko shouted. "She might accidentally let something slip without even realizing it! If Aunt Kari and Uncle T.K. find out what's going on, we're going to be in big trouble, understand?"

"Hey! I might be your least favorite cousin, but that doesn't mean you can treat me like dirt!" Matty screamed back at him.

The room went dead silent, and Dai flinched. He knew Matty and Ryoko did not always get along, but he had never seen them fight like this before. _I've got to do something before they really end up hurting each other._

"Oh, Matty," Takara said tearfully. "That's not true, and you know it."

Ryoko's face turned white, and he stared at Matty in shock. "Is that what you really think?" the blond whispered.

Matty ducked behind his brother and buried his face against Mickey's shoulder. The younger twin's cheeks were red with embarrassment, and his eyes sparkled with fresh tears. "You've always liked Rina and Mickey better than me," he mumbled. "You never fight with them, only me."

Ryoko gently pushed Mickey out of the way and flung his arms around Matty. He hugged the younger twin tightly, nearly crushing Goldmon, and pressed his face against Matty's shoulder. "Matty, you and I don't often agree on things, but I still love you anyway," he whispered. "Don't ever forget that. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I don't know what came over me. I guess I must have just panicked."

"Rina won't tell anyone," Matty said quietly.

"I know," Ryoko whispered. "I meant what I said before, Matty. You and Mickey are like brothers to me. I love you both equally, and the same goes for Rina."

Matty pulled away from his cousin and stared uncertainly at the ground. "You promise?"

"I promise," Ryoko murmured, pulling Matty close again.

Matty glanced at Mickey and shook his head. "Mickey, you're the older twin. You're suppose to be protecting me from people like Ryoko!"

Mickey started to laugh, and Ryoko gave the older twin a faint smile. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Mickey," he said softly.

"No, Ryoko," Mickey said quietly. "Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Matty."

Matty hugged Ryoko tightly and gave his cousin a fond smile. "He already did," the younger twin murmured.

Ryoko blushed and lowered his eyes to the ground. "Um...Matty? You know what? I always thought you didn't love me as much as Mickey."

Matty's mouth dropped open, and he burst out laughing. "You're so stupid," the younger twin whispered softly in Ryoko's ear. "Of course I do. Are you kidding me? Mickey and I adopted you as our triplet years ago! I'll always care about you, even when you act like an idiot!"

"Thanks," Ryoko whispered.

_Ryoko made a promise to me, too, Matty. Let's hope he can keep them._

Dai smiled slightly and shook his head. Despite his thoughts, he was feeling a lot happier than he had been earlier when he had first arrived on Ryoko's doorstep. If Matty and Ryoko could learn to get along, then there was no reason why he and Ryoko could not do the same thing.

"Well, what's done is done," Sam said, pulling out his D-Coder. "I'm pretty sure Rina will keep our secret, but let's all make sure that no one else finds out, alright?"

"As long as Ema doesn't know, we're safe!" Dai laughed.

Matty glanced at him in surprise and smiled. "You know what, Dai? I thought you were going to be the one who freaked out on us!"

Dai grinned at the younger twin and shrugged. "Actually, do you want to know the truth? I thought I was going to be the one who ended up giving us away! This is great! Now Ishida can't blame me if our parents find out about the Digital World!"

"Shut up, Daichi!" Ryoko laughed. "Forget the Digiworld. I'll just find something else to yell at you about!"

"You would, too!" he grumbled.

"Ryoko, you've got to learn not to get so carried away when things don't work out the way they're suppose to," Iramon said seriously, hopping into the blond's arms again.

"I agree!" Goldmon said, beaming at Ryoko.

"Can we please go now?" Sam said anxiously. The raven haired Digidestined tightened his hands around his D-Coder and glanced nervously at the computer.

Dai wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulders and gave his friend an apologetic look. "Sorry. Are you all ready to go?"

Matty pulled out his yellow D-Coder and pointed it at the computer. "We're ready," the younger twin said softly. "Alright, gate. Take us to the continent of Text again! Digiport open!"

They all held out their D-Coders, and Dai closed his eyes as they were swept through the gate. The search for Sam's partner had begun, and they weren't going to leave the Digital World until they found him.


	51. The Powers of Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

A/N: Okay, last update for this week. Hopefully I'll be back next week with another chapter of MBFG. Please review!

_"Evil in all it's forms must be stopped!" _-Takuya Kanbara (Season Four, Episode 47: When Knights Fall...)

Chapter 51: The Powers of Darkness

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sam slowly opened his eyes and sat up. His dark blue gaze settled on a large forest, which stood about ten feet away from him, and he frowned in confusion. _Is this really the Southern Hemisphere? This place feels so...strange._

He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. The forest seemed peaceful enough, but for some reason he still felt uneasy.

_The beach was peaceful, too, until Sirenmon and Spritemon decided to attack us. What if the same thing happens here? What if there's an evil digimon out there waiting for a chance to destroy us?_

The back of his neck prickled, and he quickly averted his eyes from the forest. Someone was watching them.

_No way. Now I'm just being stupid. There's no one in the forest._

"Check out this forest," Dai said, sitting up and adjusting his goggles. "Talk about creepy."

"We better not be walking into another trap," Embermon muttered.

"We're not!" Sam snapped.

Everyone stared at him.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Dovemon asked, her wings drooping slightly. "You seemed so happy when we were at Ryoko's house. Did you see an evil digimon or something?"

"No." Sam gently stroked Dovemon's wings and turned to look up at the sky. The sun was shining, but for some reason it did not appear to light up the Digital World as much as it should have. The light radiating from it's fiery surface was weak.

Sam rubbed his arms and lowered his eyes to the grass. There were shadows everywhere.

_Why can't I feel the light of the sun on my skin? This is the Southern Hemisphere. I should be sweating like crazy by now, but I'm not. Instead, I feel cold. It's almost as if the sun has been covered by a shadow._

Somehow that shadow was stopping the sun's light from reaching the ground.

"I don't like this place," Celestimon said, nervously fluttering his ears.

"There's something not right here," Halomon murmured.

Sam nodded in agreement and tightened his hold on his D-Coder. "This place is nothing like the beach where we found Dovemon."

"Can you feel it?" Mickey whispered.

"Feel what?" Dai frowned and stared at the older twin in confusion. "What are you talking about? I don't feel anything."

"Darkness," Mickey murmured. "This place is covered in darkness. Why do you think there are no digimon here? Something's coming. Something very bad."

Matty stepped closer to Mickey and glanced apprehensively at the forest. "Can we please find somewhere else to look for Sam's partner? This place is...evil."

"We have to get away from here, right now!" Mickey gasped.

Sam stared at the twins in surprise and swallowed hard. "You mean...you guys feel it, too?"

"Yes," Matty murmured, giving him a penetrating look.

The twins glanced at each other and turned to look at their digimon. Celestimon and Halomon were clinging tightly to each other, their eyes bright with fear. Both digimon kept glancing at the forest and nervously fluttering their wings.

"What are you three talking about?" Ryoko asked, sounding annoyed. "As much as I hate to agree with Daichi, I don't feel a thing."

"Me either," Takara said quietly.

Halomon's blue eyes widened in surprise, and the little rookie buried his face against Mickey's leg. "How can you not? The darkness is so strong."

"Don't worry, Halomon, everything will be okay," Mickey said, trying to smile.

Halomon did not look at all reassured. His small hands were clutching the left leg of Mickey's jeans, and his whole body was trembling. "Something bad is going to happen. I just know it!"

Celestimon nodded in agreement and fluttered into Matty's arms. The little rookie let out a moan and hid his face in his hands.

_Will my digimon be able to understand me as well as Celestimon and Halomon understand their partners? _

Somehow Celestimon was able to pick up on Matty's emotions, and the younger twin's uneasiness was clearly upsetting the little rookie. Apparently Mickey's and Halomon's relationship worked the same way.

_I guess that's true for all human and digimon partners. Alopemon always seems to know what Ryoko's thinking, and the same goes for Dai and Embermon. Then there are Takara and Dovemon. Those two are always on the same page when it comes to knowing what the other is thinking. I hope I can be that close to my partner._

"Alright, you guys are starting to freak me out," Dai said, crossing his arms and frowning at the forest. "I know this place seems a little quiet, but that's nothing to get excited about. We have to stay focused."

"Dai's right," Embermon said quietly. "We have to concentrate on keeping ourselves out of danger. If we don't, Vampiramon and her buddies will destroy us before we even have a chance to blink, and then Sam's partner and the entire Digital World will be doomed."

"And where exactly do you suggest we start looking for Sam's partner?" Alopemon asked.

_I don't care where we start looking as long as we don't end up going into the forest._

He could not explain why the forest frightened him so much. There was just something...strange about it.

_I can almost hear it calling out to me..._

"We must have been transported to this exact spot for a reason," Takara murmured. "The gates have always sent us to areas that were relatively close to where our partners were. I don't see why this time would be any different."

"Sam, has your D-Coder started reacting to anything yet?" Embermon asked.

Sam glanced at the purple D-Coder in his hand and frowned. "Not yet."

"Great," Ryoko muttered. "Now what do we do?"

"Start walking, I guess," Matty sighed.

Sam was about to reply when his D-Coder suddenly let off a loud beep. He looked down in surprise and smiled. His Digivice was glowing.

_Finally! I hated being the only one without a digimon. It made me feel so...alone..._

"No, we can't!" Mickey cried.

Sam turned to stare at the older twin and frowned in confusion. "Mickey, what's wrong?"

"Look," the older twin whispered, pointing towards the sky.

Sam looked up and felt his heart leap into his throat. There was a bright purple arrow hovering above his D-Coder, and it was pointing directly at the forest.

"We can't go in there," Mickey said, his voice trembling with barely concealed fear.

Matty wrapped his arms around the older twin in a protective embrace and glared at the forest. "Sam, I'm not entirely sure, but I think the darkness we're feeling is coming from inside the forest. If we go in there, someone's going to end up getting hurt."

_Matty's right. That forest is full of evil._

"We don't have a choice," Dai insisted. "Sam's partner's in there!"

Sam felt a chill race down his spine, and he wrapped his arms around himself. Last night his dad had managed to ease all of his fears, and when he arrived at Ryoko's house that morning, he had felt better than he had in quite a while. Unfortunately it looked like his good mood was not going to last very long. All of the things that had frightened him earlier were starting to creep back into his heart again, and he stepped closer to Dai for comfort. He had been looking forward to meeting his partner, but now he was starting to have second thoughts.

_Why is my partner located in a forest surrounded by darkness? What does that say about him...and me?_

"Sam, you know we have to go in there," Alopemon said seriously. "You do want to find your partner, don't you?"

"Of course I do," he whispered.

Alopemon placed a hand on his leg and nodded. "Then what are you waiting for?" the little rookie asked quietly.

Sam slowly straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath. "Let's go."

_My partner's not evil, but something in that forest is, and I have to stop it from getting anywhere close to my digimon. I know my partner's safe inside his pedestal, but I'd feel a lot better if he was in my arms and away from the darkness. I just hope I can find him before the darkness finds me first..._

"No!" Mickey moaned, stumbling backwards and trying to move as far away from the forest as possible. "I won't go in there! I won't!"

Matty let out a sigh and wrapped his arms around the older twin's shoulders. Mickey's whole body was trembling badly, and he looked like he was ready to collapse from pure terror.

"Mickey, I know how you feel, but Alopemon and the others are right," the younger twin said softly in his brother's ear. "The sooner we find Sam's partner, the sooner we can leave. You don't want Vampiramon and her buddies to hurt him, do you?"

Mickey tightened his fingers on Matty's sweater and shook his head. "No," the older twin whispered.

"Then you know what we have to do," Matty replied, giving his twin a gentle smile.

"Don't worry, Mickey," Halomon said softly, fluttering into the older twin's arms. "I'm right here with you, and so is your brother. You can't forget about the rest of your friends either. We're not going to let anything happen to you or to Sam's partner."

The fear on Mickey's face did not fade away. If anything, he looked even more frightened than he had before.

"Come on. Let's go before we end up wasting the entire day away," Ryoko said quietly, glancing anxiously at Mickey.

Sam slowly followed the rest of his friends into the forest, and he swallowed a sudden lump of fear in his throat. The sun was still shining overhead, but it's golden light did not filter through the trees and cast shadows on the ground the way it should have. In fact, it was so dark in the forest that he could barely see where he was going. If he had not known any better, he would have said it was the middle of the night.

A slight breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, and he shivered. "It's too quiet," he murmured. "I would have expected to see at least a few digimon in here."

"This place is full of evil," Mickey whispered, his amber eyes sparkling with fear.

Sam wrapped his arms around Mickey and hugged the older twin tightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry for putting you through this."

"No, Sam. It's not your fault," Mickey murmured. "You had no idea this was going to happen. Trust me, this darkness has nothing to do with you."

Sam gasped in surprise and felt his face heat up when he realized that both Mickey and Matty were watching him closely. He had an uneasy feeling that they had known all along what he was thinking. "Mickey-"

Mickey gently placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled sadly at him. "That's what you're afraid of, isn't it."

Sam was about to reply when the forest suddenly turned pitch black. "What's going on?" he cried.

"Don't tell me this is another trap!" Ryoko shouted.

_The darkness is coming for me. I can feel it getting closer._

Sam tried to respond, but a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over him, and everything started to spin. He heard Takara scream and felt something brush against his cheek.

_Am I on the ground?_

That was his last conscious thought before the voices of his friends faded away, and the darkness finally claimed him.


	52. Meant to Be

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'll be updating MBFG next, and after this chapter, we get back to Sam and company. Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"As long as I'm still breathing, I'll be right there by your side." _-Takato Matsuki (Season Three, Episode 14: Grow Mon Grow)

Chapter 52: Meant to Be

_Matt Ishida_

_Kyoto, Japan, Earth_

"Hey, Matt."

Matt looked up at the sound of Mimi's voice and spotted his wife walking slowly towards him. He was sitting at a table next to the window in a small restaurant, and he gestured for her to sit across from him. The restaurant was relatively close to the place where Mimi was being assaulted by cameras, and they had made plans to meet there for lunch. Apparently the fashion shoot was running a bit behind schedule because his wife was twenty minutes late for their dinner date.

_Or should I say brunch? I guess it doesn't really matter either way, as long as she eats a decent meal. Poor, Mimi. I don't know how she can stand having a bunch of cameras in her face all day._

He had not forgotten what it was like to be the centre of attention. After all, thirteen years ago he had been the lead singer of one of Japan's most popular rock bands. At first, he had not minded being in the spotlight, but then the media had started to invade his private life, and that was when he had decided he did not want to spend the rest of his life in the music business. He had always been a private person, and nothing was ever going to change that.

_I had known all along that being in a band was going to affect my whole life, but I never expected The Teenage Wolves to become so popular. I tried to stick it out as long as possible, but in the end, my desire to have a family and live a normal life won out. I don't need a bunch of screaming fans following me around all day because I have Ryoko. He'll always be my biggest fan, and his opinion is the only one that matters._

Music would always be a part of him, but it did not have to be everything.

He and his band had decided to break up when Mimi was six months pregnant with Ryoko. All of them had wanted to start their own families and pursue other interests. Unfortunately the band's demise had not stopped the media from following him and Mimi around when Ryoko was born, and now, every so often, he would open a magazine and spot his son's face plastered across several sheets of glossy paper, along with his own. He was doing his best to keep his family out of the spotlight, but so far he was not having very much luck. It was hard to avoid the press when you were a former singer and your wife was one of Japan's most famous models.

"Hey, Mimi," he said softly. "You look really tired. Are you feeling alright?"

Mimi slowly sat down across from him and reached out to take his hand. Her eyes were dark, and she looked like she was lost in thought.

_Maybe we should have gone back to our hotel room to talk. She looks so serious._

"I don't think I'm the one you should be worried about," his wife said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Matt studied his wife's pale face and frowned in confusion._ Mimi has been acting a little strange lately. I wonder what's going on. Is she worried about Ryoko?_

"Matt, do you think it's a good idea to let Ryoko have friends over while we're away?" Mimi asked, gently squeezing his hand.

He stared at her in surprise and shrugged. "I don't see why not. We've allowed him to have friends over before while we've been gone, and there has never been a problem."

"I know. It's just...do you remember what Tai said about Takara?"

Matt could feel his wife's hand trembling in his grip, and he leaned over the table to give her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "I remember. He said Takara has been acting really odd lately, and T.K. said the same thing about our nephews."

"Don't forget about Sam," Mimi whispered. "Ken's is really worried about him, and I can tell Yolei's starting to suspect something, as well."

Matt nodded in agreement and sighed. "Then there's Dai. Apparently he got injured on the bleachers at the soccer field, but I don't believe that for a second. It's a good thing Noriko doesn't know about his injuries, otherwise she'd have a fit. You heard what Davis said to me over the phone. Both Sam and Ryoko told him Dai got hurt playing soccer, but I think they were just trying to cover up what really happened that afternoon."

"You really think Ryoko would lie to Davis and Ken?" Mimi asked, her eyes growing wide with surprise.

Matt smiled softly at her and shook his head. "I don't know, Mimi. Ryoko has always been so open and honest with us before, and I just can't believe he would lose those qualities almost overnight. No one can change that much in one week."

"Change usually happens over time," Mimi said quietly. "Ryoko's still as honest as ever. I know he is, and I refuse to believe anything different!"

Matt gently kissed the back of his wife's hand and gazed into her amber eyes. "I know Ryoko seems a lot like me, but we can't deny the fact that he's also a lot like you. That's what makes him such a wonderful person."

"The Crest of Sincerity," Mimi whispered. Her eyes sparkled with sudden tears, and she rested her cheek against his outstretched hand. "Oh, Matt. I love him so much. What are we going to do if something happens to him?"

"I don't know, Mimi, but there is one thing I am sure of," he said, his sapphire eyes narrowing into a frown. "Ryoko and his friends have been acting very secretive for almost a week now, and whatever it is they're hiding from us, it can't be good. Why else would they be trying so hard to stop us from figuring out what they're really up to?"

"Good point." Mimi let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around herself. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, and a small frown appeared on her pretty face. "Ryoko, Dai, Sam, Takara, and our nephews are spending a lot of time together after school. I know they always have an explanation for their whereabouts, but a lot of their excuses have sounded more like lies to me. It's almost as if they've practiced what they're going to say to us ahead of time. What do you think is really going on?"

Matt shook his head and turned to stare out the window. "It's hard to say. Ryoko and his friends always spend a lot of time together after school. That's nothing new. It's not like they're really doing anything out of the ordinary."

"You're right," Mimi said, smiling slightly. "Maybe I'm just overreacting. Ryoko's our only child, and I know I'd end up going crazy if anything ever happened to him."

_I feel the exact same way, Mimi._

"Are you ready to order?"

Matt looked up in surprise and blinked at the waitress who was standing next to their table. The raven haired teenager had given him a couple of menus earlier, and he had told her he was going to wait until his wife arrived before making his final selection from the list of main courses. Apparently he had been so busy worrying about Ryoko that he had not even noticed her approaching the table with a pad of paper in her hand.

"Yes," he replied. "Sorry about the wait."

"Don't worry about it," the waitress replied, giving him a big smile.

Mimi glanced down at her menu, and her eyes sparkled with sudden emotion. "Oh," she said softly. "I haven't eaten anything today, have I?"

Matt shook his head and smiled at her. "It's no wonder you look so worn out. I know this fashion shoot is important to you, but you can't allow it to get in the way of taking care of yourself. You should have had some breakfast before we left the house this morning."

"You're right!" his wife gasped, her amber eyes growing wide with fear. "I'll never forgive myself if I end up hurting-"

Mimi suddenly broke off in the middle of her sentence, and Matt stared at her in surprise. "Mimi, what-"

"I think we've made our waitress wait long enough," Mimi said quickly, forcing a smile. "Let's eat before my stomache starts to growl!"

The waitress quickly wrote down their orders and scurried off to another table. She passed by one of her co-workers, who was heading towards her, and put a hand on the other girl's arm to get her attention. The raven haired teenager pointed at Mimi, and Matt heard her whisper something about 'the singer' and the 'famous model'.

He gazed at them for a moment and slowly turned to look at Mimi. The two waitresses were still talking about him and his wife, but he barely even noticed. All he could think about was the look that had been on Mimi's face just before the raven haired teen had interrupted them. _Something's definitely wrong with her. She has been acting very uneasy the past few days, and I'm sure she didn't sleep at all last night. I get the feeling she's excited about something, but that doesn't make any sense. Her eyes are filled with fear. How can she feel excitement and fear at the same time?_

"Mimi, you've been really quiet today," he said softly, reaching across the table to take her hand again. "Are you still worried about Ryoko?"

_I know I am, and that would explain the fear in her eyes._

For some reason, Mimi was unable to look at him. "Well, yes," she said quietly, avoiding his eyes. "I am worried about him, but...that's not the only thing I'm worried about."

"What do you mean?" Matt stared at her in confusion, but she refused to look at him.

"I'm not worried about something happening," she whispered, her eyes filling with sudden tears. "I'm worried about something not happening. Matt,...do you remember that conversation we had in Ryoko's room several days ago?"

Matt realized his hand was trembling in Mimi's grip, and he gave her fingers what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze. "Yes," he said quietly. "What about it?"

Mimi finally looked at him, and her amber eyes began to sparkle with fierce hope and determination. "Do you remember how we...um... you know...about two weeks before that?" she mumbled, her face turning pink. She glanced around the restaurant to see if anyone was listening and quickly ducked her head again.

Matt forgot he was supposed to be embarrassed. The sound of his own heartbeat rang loudly in his ears, and he found himself unable to breath. _This can't be happening. I'm dreaming. Any minute now I'm going to wake up..._

"Mimi..." His voice was shaking so badly he could barely say her name.

She placed a finger against his lips and managed a shaky smile. "Ever since we had that conversation in Ryoko's room, I've been feeling a little...odd," his wife said quietly. She slowly looked up at him again, and this time she stared directly into his eyes. "Matt," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm not entirely sure, but...I think I might be pregnant."


	53. Fallen Angel

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Did you really think I was going to let Mimi suffer? Anyway, here's the next chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"You're so twisted, it's scary!" -Henry Wong (Season Three, Episode 10: The Icemon Cometh)_

Chapter 53: Fallen Angel

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sam's eyes slowly opened, and he let out a soft groan. Every bone in his body ached, including the ones he did not even know he had. The ground beneath him felt more like a cement sidewalk than a forest floor, and there was a large rock poking him right between his shoulder blades. He managed to roll onto his side and pushed himself into a sitting position. His head was pounding, and a sudden wave of nausea curdled in his stomache. He waited for the sensation to pass and blinked several times to clear his vision. He did his best to ignore the sharp pains in his forehead and took a moment to study his surroundings. What he saw made his dark blue eyes grow wide with terror. The forest was completely covered in darkness.

_Impossible! The sun was shining less than a minute ago! It can't be nighttime already...can it? How long have I been unconscious?_

He looked up at the sky and felt his blood run cold. The sun was indeed gone, and there was no moon to take it's place.

_There aren't even any stars up there! It's almost as if a blanket of darkness has covered the sky._

He glanced down at his hands and let out a gasp when he realized he could not see them.

_This is insane! There aren't any clouds above me, so how can the forest be this dark?_

A shiver raced down his spine, and he wiggled his fingers in an effort to make them out in the darkness. He gave up after one attempt and let out a whimper of fear. The darkness around him was so thick he could not even see what was right in front of his face.

"Sam? Sam, is that you?"

"Halomon?" Sam jerked around in surprise and nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a small hand touch his shoulder.

"I'm right here," Halomon said softly in his ear.

He felt one of the little rookie's fluffy ears brush his cheek and let out a loud sigh of relief. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that! I almost thought you were an evil digimon!"

"Sorry," Halomon said quietly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay. Where's Mickey?"

"He's lying next to you on the ground, and he won't wake up!" Halomon said anxiously. "I'm really worried about him."

Sam frowned and gave Halomon a comforting hug. "Don't worry. He'll be okay."

"I hope so," Halomon whispered.

"Me, too," Sam muttered. He reached out a hand and slowly felt along the ground until his fingers connected with the smooth skin of Mickey's forearm. The contact of human flesh eased his fears somewhat, and he gave the older twin's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Mickey, wake up," he murmured.

"Please?" Halomon whispered.

Sam leaned over Mickey's unconscious body and gently shook the older twin's shoulder. A soft moan escaped the blond's lips, and Sam felt Mickey's hand touch his face. "Mickey, are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"Sam, what happened?" Mickey mumbled.

"I'm not sure." He gently helped Mickey into a sitting position and glared at the darkness surrounding them. He was pretty sure it had something to do with them falling unconscious.

"Mickey!" Halomon cried, leaping into the older twin's lap and hugging him tightly. "I was afraid you might be dead!"

"Not yet," Mickey murmured, stroking Halomon's wings.

Sam smiled and wrapped an arm around the older twin. "I'm glad you're okay," he said softly. Although the forest was still dark, his vision had adjusted enough for him to make out Mickey's and Halomon's profiles. Unfortunately the rest of his friends were nowhere in sight. He clapped a hand over his mouth in horror and a muffled gasp escaped between his fingers. _Where are they? They have to be around here somewhere...unless..._

Sam's heart filled with fear, and he moved closer to Mickey for warmth. _What if the darkness has completely consumed them? What if we never see them again?_

"Matty," Mickey whispered, glancing frantically around at the trees. "Where's Matty?"

Sam gently pulled Mickey into his arms and squeezed his eyes shut. For the first time since he had regained consciousness, he was glad the forest was dark. He did not think he would have been able to bear seeing the look on Mickey's face. "I'm really sorry, Mickey," he said sadly, gently rubbing the older twin's back.

"No," Mickey whispered, shaking his head in denial. "He has to be around here somewhere. Where is he, Sam? Where's my brother?"

"I don't know," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, Mickey, but I just don't know."

Mickey let out a soft sob, and Sam held the older twin tightly against his chest.

"When I woke up a few minutes ago, you and Sam were the only ones here," Halomon said tearfully, hiding his face against Mickey's back. "I wish I could be of more help, but I don't know anymore than you two do. I hope Celestimon and the others are okay."

Sam gazed helplessly at Mickey and shook his head. The older twin was trembling in his arms and sniffing loudly. He could feel Mickey's tears soaking his shirt, but he did not care. All he wanted to do was comfort his friend, but he did not know how that was going to be possible. Being in close contact with the older twin made him feel a lot better than when he had first regained consciousness, but it did not seem to be helping Mickey at all.

"He promised me he would look out for me, and I promised him the same thing," Mickey choked out. "How can I keep my promise if he disappears on me like this? What if he's gone forever, or worse! What if he's-"

"Stop, Mickey, or I'm going to start crying, too!" Halomon wailed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset." Mickey gently pulled Halomon into his arms and sucked in a shaky breath. "What about Dai and my cousins?" the older twin whispered. "I couldn't bear losing any of them anymore than I could bear losing Matty. We have to find them. All of them. I know they must be around here somewhere. They have to be!"

"I agree," Halomon said, snuggling against Mickey's chest.

Mickey absently stroked one of Halomon's fluffy ears and nodded. "They're alive," the older twin said quietly. "I know they are."

Sam smiled at Mickey and pulled the older twin close again. Mickey's cheek came to rest against his shoulder, and he gave the blond a comforting hug. "I'm glad to see you're acting like your old self again," he said softly.

"I have to be strong for Matty's sake," the older twin said softly. "Giving into fear isn't going to help us find him, and it isn't going to help us find Dai and the others either."

Sam pulled his D-Coder out of his pocket and held it out to Mickey. He must have put it away just before he fell unconscious, although he did not remember doing so.

Mickey stared at it in confusion, and Sam laughed. "Matty and the others aren't dead," he said quietly. "Have you forgotten about our D-Coders already? As long as we have them with us, we'll always be able to find our friends again."

"Matty," Mickey said softly, placing a finger on the D-Coder's glowing screen.

"He's not alone," Sam murmured, gazing at the yellow dot that represented Matty. "Ryoko's with him, and you know he would never let anything happen to Matty."

"And Matty will do the same for Ryoko," Mickey replied, his amber eyes sparkling with sudden happiness.

"Dai and Kara are together, as well. None of them are really that far away from us. I bet we can catch up to all of them in no time."

"Don't forget about your partner, Sam. We have to find him, too," Mickey said quietly.

Sam glanced up at the purple arrow hovering above his D-Coder and nodded. "I haven't forgotten," he said softly. The arrow was pointing somewhere off to the left, and although he wanted to start off in that direction, more than anything, he knew what he had to do first. "Listen, Mickey. I think we should find the others before we start looking for my partner."

"How come?" Mickey asked.

"The others can't see the purple arrow hovering above my D-Coder, and I don't want them to be attacked while you and I are searching for my partner. We have a better chance of defeating our enemies if we're all together. That's why I think the six of us should be within an arm's length of each other when we go looking for my digimon. Also, we can't guarantee they'll remember the trackers on their D-Coders. They might not have a clue where we are, and if we leave them behind, they might not be able to catch up to us."

"Good point," Halomon said, gazing thoughtfully at the trees. "Which direction should we head in first? It looks like Matty and Ryoko are ahead of us, and Dai and Takara appear to be somewhere off to our right."

Sam turned to look at Mickey and placed a hand on the older twin's shoulder. "Why don't we look for Matty and Ryoko first? That way you won't have to break the promise you made to your brother. I know Dai and Embermon will keep Takara safe until we can reach them."

"I don't know what I would do without Dai for a friend," Mickey said softly. "Come on, Halomon! You better digivolve. I want to be ready in case Vampiramon and her buddies decide to attack us."

"You got it, Mickey! Halomon digivolve to, Gabrielmon!"

"Stay close to me," Gabrielmon said quietly, staring intently at the trees as if he expected them to be attacked at any moment.

The three of them started forward, and Sam made a point of staying close to the angel digimon's side. The arrow hovering above his D-Coder created a small circle of faint, purple light around them, which allowed him to see Mickey's face more clearly. The older twin's amber eyes were dark with fear, and there was a small frown on his face.

"Mickey, what's wrong?"

Mickey bit his lip and glanced anxiously at the forest "How did Dai and the others manage to get so far away from us?" the older twin said slowly. "Matty was standing next to me right before we all fell unconscious."

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling we're going to find out," Sam muttered.

Mickey stared at him for a moment and reached out to touch his arm. "Sam, I knew you could feel the darkness as soon as we arrived in the Digital World today," the older twin said quietly. "I could tell by the look on your face, and Matty could, too. Is there something wrong with us?"

Sam wrapped his arm around Mickey's shoulders and shook his head. "No," he whispered. "Last night, my dad made me realize something I'm pretty sure I knew all along. I'm a good person, Mickey, and the same goes for you and Matty. He was only confirming what Ryoko had already said. I don't know why this darkness is affecting us, but I do know one thing. You were right about me. I'm not evil, and neither are you."

"I did say that, didn't I?" Mickey sighed and managed a small smile. "Thanks, Sam, I feel much better now."

"No partner of mine could ever be considered evil," Gabrielmon murmured.

Sam was about to reply when Gabrielmon suddenly froze and held up a hand to stop them from moving forward.

"What's wrong?" Mickey asked, sounding anxious.

Sam placed a hand on Gabrielmon's arm in an effort to stop himself from falling on the ground and ended up getting a face full of feathers. He sneezed loudly and made a face. "Gabrielmon, you've really got to watch it with those wings of yours! You could put someone's eye out with those things, and the next time you decide to come to an abrupt stop, warn me, okay? I almost ran right into you!"

"I sense something up ahead," Gabrielmon murmured.

Sam stared at the angel digimon in surprise and frowned. Gabrielmon did not appear to have heard a single word he had said.

"What is it?" Mickey whispered, clutching Gabrielmon's arm.

Gabrielmon shook his head and fluttered his wings in frustration. "I'm not really sure, but I've sensed it before, if only faintly. This time, the feeling is stronger. Whatever I'm sensing is closer than it has ever been before. It's the same feeling I get when I'm with Angelicmon."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" Mickey asked, staring at his partner in shock.

Gabrielmon shrugged and gently placed a reassuring hand on Mickey's shoulder. "I didn't think it was all that important. Neither did Angelicmon. That's why we never said anything."

"You mean...Angelicmon has sensed this thing before, as well?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Gabrielmon murmured.

Something suddenly stepped out of the trees, and Sam stumbled backwards in shock when he realized it was an angel digimon.

"Angelicmon?" Mickey whispered, taking a hesitant step forward.

The angel digimon stood just outside their circle of light, but it was still possible to make out Angelicmon's features in the darkness. Sam's stomache clenched, and he slowly backed away from the angel digimon who stood in front of them. Although Angelicmon was still smiling, something about him seemed...wrong.

_Why isn't he saying anything?_

Sam glanced down at his D-Coder and felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. Matty was still a good distance away from them, and he was sure it was pretty safe to assume Angelicmon was with him.

_But...if the digimon in front of us isn't Angelicmon, then who is he?_

"Angelicmon! I can't believe you're really here!" Mickey gasped, moving forward and reaching out to place a hand on the newcomer's arm. "Where's Matty?"

"Mickey, get back here, right now!" Gabrielmon snapped, pulling the older twin roughly against his chest.

Mickey blinked in surprise and stared up at his partner in confusion. "What's wrong, Gabrielmon? Angelicmon's-"

"That is not Angelicmon," Gabrielmon said quietly, glaring at the other angel digimon and gently stroking Mickey's golden hair.

Sam clutched Gabrielmon's arm and swallowed a lump of fear in his throat. He had just realized something, and it made him feel sick to his stomache. The darkness he had felt earlier was no longer coming from the forest around them. It was coming from the angel digimon standing directly in front of them.

Apparently Mickey had come to the same conclusion because the older twin's face turned pure white, and a low moan escaped his lips.

The digimon stepped into the light, and Sam let out a gasp of horror. "Impossible!" he whispered.

The angel in front of them had long, black hair, black wings, black armor, and black, feathery ears sticking out of his head. His skin was pure white, and his eyes were an intense emerald green. He looked exactly like Angelicmon, but unlike Matty's partner, this digimon was pure evil.

"No," Mickey whispered, tears of horror streaming down his face. "This can't be happening! Angels are symbols of hope, faith, and light! They represent peace and innocence, not darkness!"

"Not always," Gabrielmon said sadly, holding Mickey tightly in a protective embrase.

"They can't be evil!" Mickey sobbed. "They just can't be!"

"All good things can be corrupted by evil if they succumb to the Powers of Darkness. You would do well to remember that, Makiya Takaishi," the fallen angel said softly.

Mickey gasped, his amber eyes filling with fear, and the older twin quickly hid his face against Gabrielmon's chest.

"Who are you?" Sam demanded, glaring at the fallen angel.

"Sam Ichijouji and Makiya Takaishi. I've been waiting for a chance to meet the two of you," the angel said, smiling in amusement. "I have a question for you, Sam. Are you looking for your partner? You are? Good. I'm looking for your partner, as well, and I must say, I'm very anxious to meet him."

Sam shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. "Leave my partner alone," he whispered.

"Do you think I'm here to steal you partner?" The fallen angel laughed and shook his head. "Oh no, Sam," he said softly. "I'm not here to capture the little rookie. I'm here to help you find him."


	54. Enter Vampiramon

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Takara's lines were making me laugh while I was writing them! Finally they come face to face with the leader of the evil digimon! Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"You had to be cute, didn't you?" _-Rika Nonaka (Season Three, Episode 10: The Icemon Cometh)

Chapter 54: Enter Vampiramon

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Takara's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself gazing up at a pitch black sky. She tried to sit up and gasped when she realized something was pinning her to the ground.

_Where did all this darkness come from, and what in the Digiworld is lying on top of me?_

She sucked in a sharp breath and tried her best not to panic. Whatever it was, it was heavy, and she could feel it breathing, it's stomache pressing against her own with every new intake of air. That was not the only thing she could feel. She could also feel it's heart thumping against her chest, the sound filling her head and ringing loudly in her ears. The thing was alive.

_What if it's an evil digimon? I bet it's just waiting for me to wake up because it wants to taunt me first and then slash me to pieces! Evil digimon tend to brag a lot before they get around to the actual killing part!_

Turning her head from side to side, she felt someone's cheek brush against the side of her face, and several strands of silky hair tickled her nose. Takara blinked in surprise. It was not an evil, murderous digimon after all. It was a human!

_Or it could be an evil digimon with human characteristics..._

She managed to free one of her arms and gently ran her fingers through a head of thick, glossy hair. Her hand brushed against a pair of goggles, and she froze, her mouth dropping open in shock. The thing lying on top of her was definitely not an evil digmon. It was Daichi Motomiya.

Takara felt her face heat up, and she quickly yanked her hand away from Dai's hair. She was pretty sure her face was as red as a tomato, and for the first time that day, she was grateful for the darkness surrounding her.

"This is so embarrassing!" she moaned. "How am I going to get myself out of this predicament?"

"Takara, you're awake!" Dovemon cried. "I started to get really worried when you wouldn't respond to my voice."

"Dovemon!" Takara gasped in surprise. "You're here, too?"

"So am I," Embermon said quietly.

Takara spotted Dovemon and Embermon standing next to her, and she felt her face turn red again. The two digimon were just barely visible in the darkness, but that did not make her feel any less embarrassed. If she could see their outlines, then they could see Dai lying on top of her. She squirmed in humiliation and gasped when she suddenly became aware of the warmth of Daichi's body soaking into her skin. Goosebumps made her shiver from head to toe, and her heart started to pound at an alarming pace. Aware of the fact that her partner and Embermon were witnessing the whole embarrassing incident, Takara quickly wiggled her other arm free and pushed against Dai's chest. Unfortunately he was too heavy for her to move on her own, and she collapsed against the ground in defeat.

"Now what?" she moaned. The goggle headed leader had not budged even an inch.

"We have to wake him up," Embermon replied.

"Are you crazy?" she squeaked, blushing furiously. "There's no way I'm going to let him see me like this!"

"We don't have a choice, Kara," Dovemon insisted.

Takara bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. Dovemon was right. Two rookie digimon would not be able to lift Dai, and she had tried already and failed. There was no point in having Dovemon digivolve either. Both digimon needed their strength for when Vampiramon and her buddies decided to attack.

_I hope this situation doesn't end up becoming really awkward._

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and gently shook the goggle headed leader's shoulder. "Dai, wake up," she said softly, her lips brushing his ear.

At first, Dai did not respond, but then he buried his face against her neck and groaned softly, his lips brushing her skin.

Takara's breath caught in her throat, and her heart skipped a beat. She felt like she was going to faint at any moment. "Dai?" she whispered.

She felt the goggle headed leader's body move slightly, and he slowly lifted his head.

"What? What's going on?" he mumbled, his eyes fluttering open.

Takara tried to speak and found she was unable to utter a sound.

"I don't know, but one thing's for sure. I'm glad you're alright," Embermon said, pressing his face against Dai's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Dai replied.

"That's the best news I've heard all day," Takara said softly.

Dai looked down at her, and for the first time since waking up, the goggle headed leader seemed to realize she was there. Their eyes locked, and Takara lost herself in Dai's intense, dark brown eyes.

"Takara?" he said in confusion. "Where are the others?"

Takara's blush faded away, and she stared at the goggle headed leader in shock. Dai appeared to be completely unaware of the fact that he was lying on top of her! She was so shocked, her mind went blank, and she could not find the words to reply.

Apparently he was not really expecting an answer because he pulled himself off of her and stood up.

_I can't believe him! He's acting like this kind of thing happens all the time and isn't worth mentioning! What does a girl have to do around here to get an apology for almost being flattened to death? If he's going to manhandle me, he could have at least finished the job by trying to kiss me or something! Boys have no clue what to do with themselves when it comes to romance!_

Takara slowly sat up and shivered. Now that Dai's warmth was no longer surrounding her, she felt cold.

_We were so close to each other. I don't understand. Why wasn't he able to feel the electricity between us?_

"We've searched everywhere, but all of the others have disappeared," Dovemon said quietly, jerking Takara out of her angry thoughts.

"Well? What are we standing around here for? Let's go find them!" she snapped, pushing past Dai and heading into the trees again.

"Someone's in a bad mood!" Dai grumbled, following her out of the clearing.

Takara felt her eyes fill with tears, and she wrapped her arms around herself. "Do you think Ryoko and the others are alright?" she whispered.

"I'm sure they're fine," Dai said softly. "I know Sam and the twins are scared of this forest, but Ryoko will watch out for them. He would never abandon any of his friends. You know that as well as I do."

"I hope you realize that includes you, too," she said softly, glancing sideways at him.

Dai's face turned pink, and he quickly looked away from her. "Maybe," the goggle headed leader murmured.

"Um...guys? Where exactly are we going?" Dovemon asked. "The others could be anywhere in this forest. What if we head in the wrong direction and start moving away from them instead of closer?"

"You're right," Takara groaned, rubbing her arms and shaking her head. "There's no point in moving forward if we don't even know which direction we're suppose to be heading in. Why is it so cold out here, and where did all this darkness come from? It's giving me the creeps."

"I can't even imagine what Sam and the twins must be feeling right about now," Dai muttered. "How could they have gotten separated from us?"

"Huh?" Takara turned to look at him and gasped when the goggle headed leader suddenly stepped in front of her. His chest brushed lightly against her heart, and she blushed when she realized she could feel the heat of his skin through his shirt. He was standing so close to her, she could have easily counted the freckles on his nose, and for a moment, she completely forgot about the darkness surrounding her.

"You look like you're freezing to death," Dai said softly, gazing at her with concern in his eyes.

Takara was too busy admiring his long, dark eyelashes to bother with a reply.

_Wow! I'd kill to have eyelashes like that! I can't believe he doesn't realize how handsome he is! I know Ryoko inherited long eyelashes from his mom, but they don't stand out as much because they're light. Dai's lashes are the complete opposite, and they're extremely cute!_

Dai suddenly pulled her into a hug, and she swallowed a gasp of shock. The warmth of his body made her shiver again, and she buried her face against his shoulder. He smelled kind of like the forest, which was not really surprising considering the fact that they had been lying in the dirt for at least several minutes, if not longer.

_What time is it anyway? It looks like the middle of the night out here!_

"Feel better?" Dai murmured into her hair.

"Yes," she whispered, gently placing a hand against the back of his neck. "Much better."

Dai slid his arms around her waist and smiled at her.

She smiled back at him and flushed. His face was only inches away from her own, and she could feel his warm breath against her lips. The sleeves of his shirt were pushed up, and she lightly touched his arm. Immediately, his skin responded to her touch. The hairs on his arm rose up, and goosebumps began to pop up on his skin. Unfortunately Dai did not seem to notice. He was too busy staring at the trees with a frown on his face to pay much attention to her.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, gently placing her hand against his heart.

"Did you hear something?" Dai asked, his arms tightening around her waist.

She stared at him in surprise and shook her head. "No. Dai, what-"

"Let's go find the others," Dai said quickly.

"But, Dai-"

"You're right." Dai turned to his partner and gave the little rookie a serious look. "Embermon, how are we going to find the others?"

Embermon was about to reply when the forest around them suddenly lit up with bright red light.

"Look out!" Dai gasped.

"What's going on?" she cried.

Dai pushed her roughly against a tree, and a bright stream of light shot past them. She could feel the goggle headed leader's heart pounding against her chest, and she hugged him tightly.

"Stay back!" Embermon warned, his voice sounding deadly serious.

"What was that?" Takara whispered, glancing in the direction where the light had come from.

Dai held her protectively against his chest and gave the forest around them a dirty look. "Takara, I don't think we're alone anymore," he said quietly.

Something stepped out from behind a tree, and Takara gasped when she realized it was a digimon who resembled a young woman. She had long, red hair, bright green eyes, pale white skin, and long, sharp fangs. She was dressed in red and black silk skirts, black elbow-length gloves, a long, black cape, and a strapless, black top that showed off her belly. Two small horns stuck out of the top of her head, and a small knife appeared in her hand.

Although Takara had never seen the female digimon before, she knew immediately who it was. Vampiramon had finally decided to make an appearance, and the look of fury in her eyes indicated she would not back down until every last D-Coder was in her possession and every last Digidestined standing in her way was destroyed.


	55. Friendship and Sincerity

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Matty's going to have a lot of respect for his brother and Sam once things start happening! (More than he already has, if that's possible!) I'm sorry for the lame chapter. It's one of my worst yet, but it just would not turn out the way I wanted it to. The next one will be better when we get back to Sam and Mickey.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"This whole place is starting to suck!" _-Kazu Shioda (Season Three, Episode 30: The Imperfect Storm)

Chapter 55: Friendship and Sincerity

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Matty! Matty, wake up!"

"Celestimon, is that you?" Matty mumbled.

"Yes," Celestimon whispered. "I'm standing right next to you. Are you okay?"

"I think so." Matty slowly opened his eyes and spotted the little rookie kneeling next to him on the ground. He could feel his partner's small hand touching his cheek, and even though Celestimon could not see him very well, he still gave the little rookie a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Celestimon. I'm fine."

Celestimon nodded and hugged him tightly around the neck. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"

"No!" Matty laughed, stroking one of his partner's small wings. "Where are the others?"

"Ryoko's right beside you."

Matty jumped at the sound of Alopemon's voice and felt his heart leap into his throat. "Alopemon, why didn't you say something earlier? If you digimon keep scaring me like this, I'm going to die of a heart attack!"

"Sorry," Alopemon replied, sounding amused.

"Ryoko's the only one here," Celestimon whispered, sounding anxious.

_Mickey..._

Matty felt a sudden stab of fear in his heart, and he stared at his partner in shock. "That's impossible! Mickey was standing next to me just before I lost consciousness!"

"I know," Alopemon said quietly. "I'm sorry, Matty."

"No," Matty whispered, shaking his head. "My brother has to be around here somewhere!"

Alopemon sighed and shook his head. "I've already searched the forest around us for any sign of the others. They're not-"

"Ryoko!" Matty flung himself at his cousin and started shaking the other boy's shoulders. "Ryoko, wake up!" he cried desperately. "We have to find Mickey and the others before they end up getting themselves killed!"

"Mickey?" Ryoko murmured.

Matty let out a gasp of relief and pulled his cousin up into a sitting position. "Ryoko, are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Mickey, what happened?" Ryoko mumbled, sounding confused. "Where are the others?"

Matty's mouth fell open, and he stared at Ryoko in surprise. _I don't believe it! He thinks I'm Mickey!_

"I have no idea," Matty replied, smiling slightly. "I guess we must have gotten separated from our friends when this darkness suddenly surrounded us. You, me, Alopemon, and Celestimon are the only ones here."

Ryoko grabbed his arm, and Matty found himself being dragged to his feet. "Ryoko, what-"

"Come on," Ryoko said quietly. "We have to find the others as soon as possible. Who knows what kind of trouble Dai has gotten them into this time!"

"We can't let Vampiramon and her buddies hurt our friends," Celestimon said softly.

"You're right," Matty murmured. "There's only one problem. Where do we start looking?"

"I hadn't even thought of that," Ryoko muttered.

Matty gazed curiously at Ryoko and gently placed a hand on his cousin's arm. "Ryoko, is something wrong?"

Ryoko sighed softly and wrapped his arms around himself. "No," the blond said quietly. "I guess I'm just worried about the others, especially Matty. I still feel really bad about yelling at him earlier."

Alopemon coughed into his hand, and Celestimon started to giggle.

Matty ignored the two digimon and gave his cousin a warm smile. "Don't worry, Ryoko. Matty doesn't hold it against you. You could be the biggest jerk in the world to him, and he'd still care about you."

Ryoko sighed, and a small smile appeared on his face. "You know what, Mickey? I really admire Matty. He's so outgoing and friendly, and he isn't afraid to show other people what he's feeling inside. I wish I could be like that."

Matty's eyes stung with sudden tears, and he pulled Ryoko against him in a hug.

_The only reason he's telling me all of this is because he thinks I'm Mickey. He never would have had the courage to tell me otherwise. Wow. I never realized he thought so highly of me._

They had often argued with each other when they were younger, but after what he had just heard, he knew he would never doubt how much Ryoko cared about him ever again.

"Mickey, what's wrong?" Ryoko asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

Matty smiled softly and shook his head. "Ryoko, I'm not Mickey," he whispered into his cousin's ear. "I'm Matty."

Ryoko gasped in shock and quickly squirmed away from him. "Matty!" his cousin shouted, sounding thoroughly embarrassed. "You jerk! You tricked me into thinking you were Mickey!"

"Do I look like I'm wearing Mickey's clothes?" Matty laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't realize who I was a long time ago, especially with Celestimon here!"

"It's dark out here!" Ryoko mumbled, sounding defensive. "I can barely see you or your clothes! Besides, you and Mickey sound exactly the same. It's hard to tell your voices apart, and Celestimon being here doesn't mean anything!"

Matty raised his eyebrows and smiled in amusement. "You know something, Ryoko? Most people only mistake me for Mickey if I keep my mouth shut!"

"I could have sworn I was talking to Mickey," Ryoko murmured. "You usually don't sound that-"

"Sensitive?" Matty laughed and gently placed his hands on Ryoko's shoulders. "I can be sensitive when I want to be. Thanks for saying all those nice things about me, even if you weren't actually planning on saying them to my face," he whispered.

"I'm glad I did," Ryoko mumbled, holding him close. "Thanks, Matty. You know what? I'm glad you're here with me."

Matty nodded and gave his cousin a serious look. "I meant what I said before, Ryoko."

"Me, too," Ryoko whispered.

"Guys, we have to find the others," Alopemon gently reminded them.

Fear crept back into Matty's heart, and he slowly nodded. Talking to Ryoko had allowed him to get his emotions under control, but Alopemon's words made him realize that he could no longer ignore the horrible situation they had gotten themselves into. Mickey and the others were missing, and there was a good chance that they were in danger. "Mickey's probably really worried about me," he said softly, his voice trembling with emotion.

"And you're worried about him," Ryoko said in a gentle voice.

Matty turned his back on Ryoko and clenched his hands into fists. "What if something has happened to him? I promised him I would protect him, and now I won't be able to keep that promise. If Jestermon or one of the others tries to hurt him-"

"We'll find him," Ryoko whispered. "I promise."

"What about Dai and the rest of our friends?" he mumbled.

Ryoko placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded. "Don't worry. We'll find them, too!"

"The D-Coders!" Celestimon suddenly gasped, fluttering into the air. "The D-Coders will help us find them!"

"That's right!" Matty gasped. "I almost forgot!" He quickly pulled out his D-Coder and smiled when he spotted the glowing dots that represented his friends. "They're alive, and look. There's Mickey," he whispered, gently placing a finger over his brother's orange dot.

"He's with Sam," Ryoko murmured. "Dai and Kara are together, as well."

"Who should we start looking for first?" Alopemon asked, glancing at Ryoko.

"I think we should catch up with Dai and Kara first," Ryoko mumbled.

"Why?" Matty blurted out.

Ryoko avoided his eyes and shrugged. "It makes sense, doesn't it? If the four of us are together when we meet up with Sam and Mickey, we can start looking for Sam's partner right away without having to waste time searching for the rest of our friends."

"We also have a better chance of defending ourselves when we're all together," Matty added, sighing in defeat.

"I'm sorry, Matty," Ryoko said quietly, his sapphire eyes filling with sympathy.

Matty managed to give his cousin a weak smile and shook his head. "It's okay. You're right. Mickey and Sam will just have to look after each other until we can find them."

"Let's go," Celestimon said softly, fluttering off into the darkness.

They started walking in silence, and Matty glanced nervously at the trees. The darkness around him was so thick he felt like he was suffocating.

_What if all this darkness decides to turn on Mickey and Sam? I bet Mickey's really freaking out right about now, and I can't even do anything to comfort him. What if the darkness swallows him up before I have a chance to reach him? My brother and Sam have always been sensitive, and this kind of thing could send them both over the edge if they don't keep their heads on straight. Oh, Mickey. Please stay safe until I can find you again..._

"Mickey worries about you a lot," Ryoko suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts.

Matty smiled softly and held his D-Coder tightly against his chest. "He thinks I go looking for trouble. That's why he worries so much."

"Mickey's right. You do go looking for trouble!" Ryoko shot back, smiling slightly. "Dai's the same way."

Matty studied Ryoko's face for a moment, and his eyes widened in surprise. "You really care about Dai, don't you?" he said quietly.

Ryoko blushed and turned away from him. "I know you think I hate Dai, but-"

"You don't," Matty whispered. "You don't dislike him at all! I guess I always sort of knew that, but I still can't help feeling a little surprised."

"So am I," Ryoko murmured.

A sly smile slipped across Matty's face, and he elbowed Ryoko in the ribs. "Can I tell him?"

"Go ahead. He'll never believe you," Ryoko shot back.

Matty gave Ryoko a serious look and shook his head. "You have to tell him eventually."

"I know," Ryoko murmured. "Come on. We have to hurry. Knowing Dai, he'll end up getting himself into trouble before we can reach him just to spite me!"

"You guys better digivolve," Maty said seriously, glancing at his partner who fluttered in the air beside him.

"Okay," Celestimon said softly. "Celestimon digivolve to, Angelicmon!"

"Alopemon digivolve to, Tirimon!"

"Thanks for reminding us about the D-Coders," Matty said, gently stroking one of Angelicmon's large wings.

"You're welcome," Angelicmon said quietly. "Come on. Let's go find Dai and Kara."

_If only we knew where all this darkness was coming from. I can feel it running through my veins and casting a shadow over my heart. It's so thick, and I feel so cold. If it's affecting me this much, I can't even imagine what it's doing to Mickey and Sam. I hope they're okay._

Unfortunately he had a horrible feeling that Mickey and his friends were in a lot of danger, and there was nothing he could do about it.


	56. Glowmon

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

A/N: DarkAngelicmon is definitely up to something!

_"Anyone without a digimon is slime!" _-Kazu Shioda (Season Three, Episode 30: The Imperfect Storm)

Chapter 56: Glowmon

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"You're lying!" Sam shouted, clenching his hands into fists. He gave the fallen angel a dirty look and quickly moved closer to Mickey and Gabrielmon. The evil digimon had not tried to attack them yet, but that could very well change if they ended up making the angel angry.

"Tell us who you are, right now!" Mickey cried, his voice trembling with fear.

The fallen angel bowed slightly and smiled. "Very well. I am DarkAngelicmon. I'm a champion level virus type digimon, and my special attacks are Dark Teleportation, Twilight Spear, and Wrath of Hades."

"You're only a champion?" Sam gasped in shock. "That's impossible! All your evil buddies are megas! Why would they want to hang out with a less powerful digimon like you?"

"Not all champion digimon are at the same level when it comes to power," DarkAngelicmon said quietly. "You should know that by now, Sam." The fallen angel glanced at Gabrielmon and smiled slightly. "Your digimon are proof of that."

"I'm not going to let you get anywhere near my partner!" Sam snapped.

DarkAngelicmon crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "I told you. I'm not here to steal your partner. Actually, I'm interested to see what kind of a digimon he is. I always like to study my opponents first before I face them in battle."

"A wise move," Gabrielmon murmured, watching the fallen angel closely. "So you admit you're working with Vampiramon?"

"Of course I am," DarkAngelicmon replied, sounding impatient. "Now, are we going to go looking for Sam's partner, or not?"

_Is he completely insane?_

Sam gaped at the fallen angel and shook his head. "Are you kidding me? We're not going anywhere with you!"

"Yes, you are," DarkAngelicmon said calmly, his eyes glittering with excitement. "You have two choices, Sam. You can allow me to come with you, or you can refuse. I must warn you, though. If you do refuse, I will be forced to destroy you and the rest of your friends."

Sam glanced anxiously at Gabrielmon, and the angel slowly nodded.

"No!" Mickey shouted, tugging on Gabrielmon's arm. "He's trying to trick us! He just wants to steal Sam's partner after Sam releases the little rookie from the pedestal!"

"I do not want to fight him unless I have to," Gabrielmon said quietly. "He's a lot more dangerous than he looks, and I'd prefer to have the rest of my fellow digimon with me if we do end up having to enter into battle."

"Also a wise decision," DarkAngelicmon said, smiling faintly. "Are we ready to go? You don't want to keep you partner waiting, do you?"

Sam glanced once more at Gabrielmon and finally nodded. "Let's go," he mumbled.

They started off in silence with the fallen angel leading the way, and Sam made a face. _Why did Gabrielmon allow DarkAngelicmon to come with us? That evil angel is just waiting for a chance to steal my partner!_

"Sam, we have to get away from him," Mickey whispered, sounding anxious.

Sam shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. The waves of darkness coming from the fallen angel were making it hard for him to think straight. They had stepped right into another trap, and now his partner was going to end up paying for it.

_DarkAngelicmon's going to try something. I know he is. What are we going to do? Somehow we have to find a way to escape from him._

"You're responsible for all this darkness, aren't you?" Mickey shouted, glaring at the fallen angel.

"Of course I am!" DarkAngelicmon replied, stepping closer to Mickey and giving the older twin a smile that was surprisingly warm. "All of this beautiful darkness you see around you is a result of one of my attacks."

Mickey's face turned white, and he quickly backed away from DarkAngelicmon. "What have you done with Dai and the others? Where are they?" the older twin whispered.

"What makes you think I had anything to do with them disappearing?" DarkAngelicmon asked, raising his eyebrows.

Mickey flushed and gave the fallen angel a dirty look. "They disappeared when you covered the forest in darkness! Tell me where they are, right now!"

"Well, I'm not really sure," DarkAngelicmon replied, sounding amused. "They're around here somewhere. I'm sure you'll meet up with them very soon, Makiya."

"We already know where they are," Sam said quietly, giving the older twin a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Remember our D-Coders?"

"Oh, right. I almost forgot," Mickey mumbled, his face turning pink.

"They are useful devices, are they not?" DarkAngelicmon said, glancing at the D-Coder in Mickey's hand.

Sam clutched his own D-Coder tightly against his chest and gave the fallen angel a suspicious look. _What if he's planning on stealing our D-Coders by pretending to help me find my partner? Maybe he's willing to let me meet up with my digimon if it means he gets a chance to get his hands on a couple of Digivices._

There was one thing he was definitely sure of. DarkAngelicmon was not to be trusted.

_I probably shouldn't have mentioned the D-Coders in front of him. I don't understand. DarkAngelicmon is standing less than a foot away from Mickey, and not once has he tried to steal my friend's D-Coder._

"Our friends," Mickey whispered, gazing at the fallen angel in horror. "If you've done anything to hurt them..."

DarkAngelicmon placed a hand on Mickey's shoulder and shook his head. "How could I have hurt Daichi and the others if I haven't even seen them yet? Don't worry, Makiya. Your brother's safe for the time being. He's a strong human, and he has a very powerful digimon. I'm looking forward to meeting both of them."

"You leave my brother alone!" Mickey shouted, poking DarkAngelicmon hard in the chest. The older twin's eyes were blazing with fury, and his whole body was trembling with emotion.

"Mickey!" Sam gasped, pulling his friend away from the fallen angel. "What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"There's no way I'm going to let him hurt Matty," Mickey mumbled, clenching his hands into fists.

Sam wrapped his arms around the older twin's shoulders and shook his head in disbelief. _Mickey didn't even flinch when DarkAngelicmon touched his shoulder. Unbelievable! How is he able to ignore the darkness coming from that evil digimon so easily?_

DarkAngelicmon studied Mickey's face for a moment and smiled softly. "You're very loyal to your brother, aren't you?"

"I would die before I would ever let you touch him!" Mickey shot back, his face flushed with anger. "How did you manage to separate all of us? I know you're responsible for Dai and the others disappearing, so quit trying to lie about it!"

DarkAngelicmon rolled his eyes and sighed softly. "I was able to separate all of you by using another one of my attacks."

"Why?" Sam murmured, gazing curiously at the fallen angel. "Why did you want to separate us?"

"I have my reasons," the fallen angel said slowly, glancing warily at the forest.

Sam blinked in surprise and frowned. _Is it just me, or does DarkAngelicmon look a little worried? It's almost as if he's afraid we're being followed._

Mickey opened his mouth to say something, but DarkAngelicmon quickly shook his head. "I can't give away all of my secrets, Makiya. Your friends are safe. That's all you need to know."

"How many of you are there?" Sam asked quietly.

DarkAngelicmon laughed and fluttered his black wings. "You mean other than myself, Vampiramon, Jestermon, Spritemon, and BlackWidowmon?"

Sam nodded. _What if there are too many of them for us to be able to defeat?_

_"_There are only five of us," DarkAngelicmon replied. "Our master is very selective when it comes to choosing his servants."

Mickey swallowed hard and stared at the fallen angel with wide frightened eyes. "Who's your master?"

"I think I've given you enough information to work with already," DarkAngelicmon laughed, ruffling Mickey's golden hair.

"Stay away from my partner!" Gabrielmon snapped, pulling Mickey into his arms.

DarkAngelicmon gazed silently at Gabrielmon, and a small smile appeared on his face. "I'm going to enjoy meeting you in battle," the fallen angel finally said, sounding amused. "Vampiramon believes you humans are nothing but a waste of space. She will stop at nothing to destroy each and every one of you. I, on the other hand, believe all of you will be very useful in our quest to rule the Digital World. I might have to destroy all of you eventually, but that will only happen if things don't turn out the way I want them to."

_Yeah right. I bet he's just waiting for a chance to steal our D-Coders and my partner at the exact same time! Without me, he can't get his hands on my digimon, and that's the only reason he hasn't tried to kill any of us yet!_

"Look. We're here," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, gesturing towards the trees in front of them with a flourish.

Sam glanced at the purple arrow hovering above his D-Coder and blinked in surprise. The fallen angel was right.

"My partner!" he cried, leaping forward and bursting through the trees into a large clearing.

"Sam, come back!" Gabrielmon cried, glancing anxiously at DarkAngelicmon.

Sam barely heard the angel digimon. A stone pedestal stood in the centre of the clearing, and there was an image of a half moon on it's rough surface. He had finally found his digimon partner.

_He's safe!_

"Sam, wait up!" Mickey shouted. "This could be a trap!"

Sam ignored his friend and hurried over to the pedestal. He quickly placed his D-Coder on the image of the half moon, and a beam of bright, purple light shot out of his Digivice. Violet mist started to seep out of the pedestal, and he spotted the outline of a small digimon materializing out of thin air. The light slowly died away, and Sam found himself gazing at his digimon partner.

The little digimon was of standard rookie size, and he resembled what looked like a firefly. He had a round, dark green body, six legs, and two small, transparent wings. His large eyes were dark violet, and the underside of his abdomen glowed with a bright yellow light. Two small antennae stuck out of the top of his head, and the shape of his mouth looked exactly like the mouth of an insect, along with the rest of him. He was perfect.

_My partner! I can't believe it! I've finally found him!_

"Sam!" the little digimon gasped, fluttering into his arms. "You're here! I've been waiting forever to meet you!"

Sam's eyes filled with tears, and he hugged the little digimon tightly against his chest. "Don't worry," he whispered softly, stroking his partner's small wings. "I'm here now. I'm not going to let Vampiramon and her buddies hurt you. We'll fight them together, and I know we'll win."

"You're right, Sam," the little digimon said softly. "The Powers of Darkness will never defeat us as long as we're together."

"What's your name?" Sam asked, smiling fondly at his partner.

The little digimon snuggled against his chest and let out a happy sigh. "I'm Glowmon. I'm a rookie level data type digimon, and my special attacks are Luminaire and Glow Beam."

"You're amazing," Sam whispered, resting his cheek against his partner's small head. His heart was filled with so much happiness, he felt like it was going to explode.

"Sam ichijouji. I see you've finally arrived."

Sam looked up in surprise, and a large digimon stepped out of the shadows. This digimon's upper body resembled a human's upper body, and his lower body resembled a horse.

"Hello," Sam said softly. "You must be the digimon Gennai put in charge of protecting my partner."

"That's right," the digimon replied. "I am Centaurumon. I'm a champion level data type digimon, and my special attacks are Solar Ray, Jet Arrows, and Jet Gallop. I'm glad you're here. I'm anxious to return to File Island. Do you know where all this darkness is coming from? It wasn't here earlier this morning."

_DarkAngelicmon!_

Sam let out a gasp of horror and turned to gaze at the forest.

"Sam!" Mickey shouted, bursting out of the trees and racing towards him.

Gabrielmon was right behind the older twin, and there was a look of concern on his face.

"Sam, we have to get out of here!" Mickey cried. "DarkAngelicmon's going to try and steal your partner! I know he is, and we can't let that happen!"

"Sam, what's going on?" Glowmon whispered, anxiously fluttering his wings.

Sam slowly headed towards the edge of the clearing with the others and glanced nervously at the thick trees surrounding them.

"Where is he? He was here just a second ago!" Mickey said, sounding confused.

Sam stared at the forest with his mouth hanging open and a stunned expression on his face. DarkAngelicmon was gone.


	57. Flying High

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry it's a bit short. I've been getting distracted by the Olympics. Definitely not good for my writing. Also, one of Vampiramon's attacks is called Lamia Transformation. I've only been able to find that word in old dictionaries, and it means female demon or vampire. Anyway, please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"I'm not afraid of protecting my friends. That's what real friends do!" _-Beetlemon (Season Four, Episode 49: Lucemon on the Loose)

Chapter 57: Flying High

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Vampiramon," Takara whispered, staring at the female digimon with wide frightened eyes.

Vampiramon crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. "Greetings, Digidestined. I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

Takara's face turned red, and she quickly pulled away from Dai. "No," she mumbled, glaring at the vampire digimon.

"Crystalmon never did know how to keep her mouth shut," Vampiramon said, sounding bored. "You're right, human. I am Vampiramon. I'm a mega level virus type digimon, and my special attacks are Scarlet Lightning, Dark Stiletto, and Lamia Transformation. You and your friends have been causing me a lot of trouble, Daichi Motomiya, and I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"What have you done with our friends?" Dai shouted, his eyes sparkling with anger. "I know you're responsible for all this darkness, and that means you're responsible for Ryoko and the others disappearing, as well!"

Vampiramon shrugged. "I have no idea where they are, but I will catch up to them eventually. In the meantime, it'll be easier to destroy the two of you and your digimon without those other fools hanging around."

"This does not look good," Takara whispered, moving closer to Dai again.

"I guess you're not as stupid as you look!" Vampiramon smirked.

Dai's face turned red with anger, and he gave the vampire digimon a dirty look. "If you think I'm going to let you get away with insulting my friend-"

"Dai, it's okay," Takara murmured, placing a restraining hand on the goggle headed leader's arm.

Vampiramon's emerald eyes narrowed into angry slits, and she tightened her grip on the knife in her hand. "My master has sent me to steal your D-Coders, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Not if I can help it!" Dai snapped, pulling out his Digivice. "Embermon, digivolve right now! We're not going to give up our D-Coders without a fight!"

"That's for sure," Embermon snorted. "Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

"Don't forget about me!" Dovemon shouted. "Let's get her, Dragermon!"

"Dragon Fire Spin!" A huge stream of fire shot out of Dragermon's mouth, and it headed straight for Vampiramon.

The vampire digimon managed to avoid it and sent a fork of red lightning straight at the dragon digimon.

"Be careful!" Takara shrieked.

Dragermon tried to fly out of the way, but Vampiramon's attack hit his wing and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Dragermon!" Dai shouted, scrambling out of Takara's arms and racing towards his partner.

"Dai, no! Come back!" Takara cried, her eyes growing wide with horror. She tried to grab his hand, but he pulled away from her, and she almost fell on her face.

Dovemon fluttered over to the goggle headed leader's side and grabbed onto the edge of his shirt with her beak. The little rookie tried to pull him backwards, away from the battle, but Dai jerked his arm out of her grip and gave her an impatient look. "Quit it!" the goggle headed leader snapped, glancing anxiously at Dragermon.

"Dragon Fire Spin!" Dragermon shouted, leaping into the air again and diving at Vampiramon.

"Scarlet Lightning!" Vampiramon shrieked, holding out her hands. A blast of red light shot straight through Dragermon's attack and hit the champion digimon in the forehead. Dragermon fell to the ground again, and Vampiramon turned to glare at Dai. "You are the leader of the Digidestined, and it's your fault my plans have failed so far. I cannot allow you to continue getting in my way. It's time you were destroyed, Daichi Motomiya, and once I get rid of you, the rest of your friends will be easy prey."

"No!" Takara shouted, her heart pounding with fear. "Leave him alone, you evil witch!"

"There's no way I'm going to let you destroy him! " Dovemon cried, landing on the ground in front of Dai and glancing fearfully at Dragermon's unconscious body.

Vampiramon smirked at the little rookie and glared at Dai. "Victory will be mine!" she hissed, raising the knife in her hand and stepping towards the goggle headed leader.

"No," Takara whispered, tears filling her eyes. "You can't do this!"

"Be quiet!" Vampiramon snapped. "I would like to enjoy my victory in peace!"

Takara froze and stared at Dai in horror. "Dai, get out of there!" she managed to shriek.

"Stay back, Kara!" Dovemon warned, keeping one eye on Dai and the other one on Vampiramon. "Opal Laser!"

The green blast hit Vampiramon in the stomache, but it appeared to have no effect. The mega digimon knocked Dovemon out of the sky with her right arm, and the little rookie crashed into a tree trunk.

"She's too powerful," Takara whispered, tears filling her eyes. "We'll never be able to defeat her with only one champion."

_How many evil digimon does she have on her side? What if we're totally outnumbered? There's no way we'll be able to beat them if they all gang up on us!_

"All humans and digimon who oppose my master will be destroyed!" Vampiramon shrieked, grabbing Dai by the shirt and dragging him away from his partner.

_She's going to kill him!_

"No," Dovemon gasped, struggling to get back into the air again.

"You'll never cause me trouble ever again!" Vampiramon snarled, raising her knife and plunging it straight at Dai's throat.

"Dai!" Takara screamed, falling to her knees and reaching out a hand towards the goggle headed leader. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she covered her face with her hands. There was nothing she could do to help him because he was too far away from her. There was no way she would be able to reach him in time to stop Vampiramon.

Takara held her Digivice tightly against her chest and let out a sob. "I'm sorry, Dai," she whispered, gazing helplessly at the goggle headed leader. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"Let go!" Dai shouted, struggling in Vampiramon's grip.

_I can't just sit here and let her destroy him! I have to do something!_

"Dai!" she shrieked, leaping to her feet and racing towards him.

_I have to tell him how I feel, and I can't do that if he ends up dying on me!_

It was almost as if her D-Coder could hear what she was thinking because a bright beam of green light shot out of it and lit up the forest.

"Don't worry, Kara. I'm not going to let that evil vampire hurt Dai!" Dovemon shouted, disappearing in a ball of emerald light. "Dovemon digivolve to, Ibismon!"

Ibismon dived out of the sky and tackled Vampiramon to the ground in a flurry of pink feathers. Dai ended up falling to the ground on his hands and knees, and he quickly backed away from the two digimon who were trying to pin each other to the ground.

"Dai," Takara whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. She came to a stop next to the goggle headed leader and collapsed on the ground beside him. Before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Are you okay?" she whispered in his ear.

"I'm fine," Dai replied, staring at Ibismon in astonishment.

Takara nodded and buried her face against his neck. She could feel his pulse throbbing against her lips, and the feel of his heart beating against her hand brought a shaky smile to her face. "Dovemon digivolved for you," she said softly, gazing directly into his eyes.

Dai gently placed a hand against her cheek and smiled softly. "Thanks," he murmured, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

Takara blushed and smiled back at him. "You're welcome."

"Dai, are you alright?" Dragermon mumbled, gingerly lifting his head and glancing anxiously around for his partner.

Dai turned to look at his digmon and nodded. "I'm okay, thanks to Takara. Dovemon digivolved just in time to help me out."

All three of them turned to see Ibismon flutter into the air again.

"You stupid little rookie! I'll kill you for this!" Vampiramon shrieked, leaping to her feet and glaring at the champion digimon.

Ibismon crossed her arms and gave the vampire digimon a cool look. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm no longer a rookie. My name is Ibismon. I'm a champion level data type digimon, and my special attacks are Emerald Flare, Feather Darts, and Cyclone Fury. You shouldn't be so upset, Vampiramon. If you hadn't decided to go after Dai, none of this would have happened! If you want to blame someone for another failed attempt to stop us from digivolving, blame yourself!"

Takara gaped at her digimon, unable to speak. Ibismon had rosy coloured skin, sparkling, green eyes, and long, green hair. The bottom of her face was covered by a green mask, and pink feathers stuck out of the top of her head. She had bright pink, feathery wings, and a body that made her look human in appearance. She was dressed in a short, green skirt, green gloves, green boots, and a short, green top. Most of her outfit was covered by pink armor, and the feathers on her skirt and boots were also pink.

"You're not having very much luck when it comes to destroying us, are you," Ibismon said quietly, glaring down at Vampiramon who was standing beneath her on the ground. "You and your evil buddies have held onto Gennai long enough. After we've destroyed you and the rest of your friends, we're going to come after your master, and he's going to find out just how powerful the Digidestined really are. Did you really think I was going to let you get away with hurting one of my friends? Forget it, Vampiramon. You've earned yourself a trip to Primary Village, and when you get there, say hi to Crystalmon for me. I'm sure you two will have a lot to talk about. Come on, Dragermon. Let's turn this evil mega into a pile of data! The Powers of Darkness will never defeat us, and we're going to make sure these evil digimon never forget that very important lesson!"


	58. Reinforcements

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

A/N: I'm going to have to go searching for more quotes. (those old Digimon tapes come in handy!) Anyway, I haven't even started my next chapter for MBFG, but I will get to it as soon as I can. (I still have to finish the next chapter for this story, as well. (Yikes! I'm getting behind!) Anyway, please review! The parents are going to find out what their kids have been up to very soon!

Chapter 58: Reinforcements

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Are you ready, Takara?" Ibismon asked, glancing in her direction.

Takara smiled softly at her partner and nodded. "I'm always ready. Go get her, Ibismon!"

"You too, Dragermon!" Dai shouted.

"Scarlet Lightning!" Vampiramon shrieked, shooting a bolt of red lightning straight at Ibismon.

Ibismon flew higher into the sky to avoid the attack and pointed her fist at Vampiramon. "Emerald Flare!" the female champion shouted, aiming her attack directly at the vampire digimon. A blast of green sparks shot out of Ibismon's fist and hit Vampiramon in the shoulder.

"Dragon Fire Spin!" Dragermon roared, swooping around Vampiramon and aiming for her back.

The evil mega ducked, and the blast flew over her head. It sailed harmlessly into the trees and caused a large explosion.

"Be careful, Dragermon! If you don't watch where you're shooting, you're going to end up setting the forest on fire!" Dai called out.

"Sorry," Dragermon replied, looking a little embarrassed.

Ibismon quickly joined Dragermon in the sky, and the two of them turned to face Vampiramon.

"She's quick, but we can still beat her," Ibismon said, landing on Dragermon's back.

Vampiramon snarled at them and drove her knife into a tree trunk. "I will not be defeated by a couple of pathetic champions!"

"That's what you think!" Ibismon shouted, leaping into the air again and twirling in a circle. "Cyclone Fury!"

A gale of pink feathers began to swirl around Ibismon, and she sent the raging tornado spinning towards Vampiramon. The mega digimon went flying into the trees, and Ibismon quickly dived after her.

"Dark Stiletto!" Vampiramon shrieked, slashing at Ibismon's left wing.

Ibismon kicked the vampire digimon in the stomache and fluttered her large pink wings. "Feather Darts!" she shouted, leaping back into the air again and spreading her wings. A storm of razor sharp, pink feathers ripped through Vampiramon's cape and sent her stumbling into a group of small bushes.

_We're winning!_

Takara hugged Dai tightly and beamed at her digimon. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Just like you," Dai said softly, resting his cheek against her hair.

Takara stared at him in shock and felt her face turn bright red. "You really mean that?" she whispered.

Dai gave her a small smile and shrugged. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

_I can't believe it! Maybe he's not as blind as I thought he was. Is there a chance for us after all?_

"Scarlet Lightning!" Vampiramon shouted, shooting red bolts of electricity into the sky.

Dragermon managed to veer out of the way, and the blast just missed his wing.

"Emerald Flare!" Ibismon cried, flying low and shooting her attack at Vampiramon's head.

Vampiramon blocked the blast with her knife and sent it flying towards Dragermon. The green sparks hit the dragon digimon in the eyes and sent him spinning to the forest floor.

"Dragermon, are you okay?" Ibismon gasped, diving out of the sky and heading towards the fallen digimon.

"Look out!" Takara shrieked.

"Scarlet Lightning!"

A blast of red light hit Ibismon in the back and sent her crashing down on top of Dragermon.

"You might have been able to digivolve, Ibismon, but that won't help you win against me! The D-Coders are my main priority, and I will stop at nothing to get my hands on them! You might think you've won against me, but this battle is far from over! I've got news for you, Digidestined. You will never be able to defeat me without Sam Ichijouji's partner!"

"You leave Sam and his digimon alone!" Dai shouted, jumping to his feet and glaring at Vampiramon.

Vampiramon's emerald eyes sparkled with fury, and she kicked viciously at her long skirts. "You and your friends will never be able to reach your full strength without Sam's partner," the mega digimon snarled back at him. "Even if you do get your hands on that pathetic little rookie, you still won't be able to defeat me!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Dai snorted.

"Once my master has the D-Coders in his possession, we will be unstoppable," Vampiramon hissed. "Scarlet Lightning!"

"Dai, watch out!" Takara shrieked.

"Arctic Blast!"

A huge blast of blue light slammed into Vampiramon and sent her flying halfway across the clearing. Takara turned just in time to see Ryoko, Matty, and Angelicmon race out of the trees, and a loud sigh of relief escaped her lips.

"Daichi! Kara! Are you guys okay?" Ryoko asked, hurrying towards them.

Dai gently patted Tirimon's head and gave the fox digimon a grateful smile. "Thanks, Tirimon. I owe you one."

"No kidding! Do you realize how close you came to losing your life?" Matty shouted at the top of his lungs. "You're just lucky Tirimon was able to stop that blast from hitting you right in the-"

"We're fine," Takara said, giving Ryoko a weak smile.

Dai turned to glare at the blond and crossed his arms. "Where were you, Ishida? You're late! Takara had to save my life because you couldn't be bothered to show up on time and help me out! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"What are you talking about?" Ryoko asked, looking confused.

Ibismon slowly got to her feet, and Takara let out a sigh of relief. _That was a close one. I know Tirimon was able to deflect Vampiramon's attack and prevent it from hitting Dai, but the same can't be said for Ibismon and Dragermon. I hope they're okay._

"Well?" Ryoko demanded, sounding extremely impatient.

Takara smiled softly at him and pointed towards her digimon. "Dovemon digivolved to her champion form. Her name is Ibismon."

"Wow! She's amazing!" Matty said softly, staring at Ibismon with a stunned expression on his face.

Ryoko beamed at her and slowly turned to look at Dai. "Tirimon just saved your life, Daichi," the blond said quietly. "That makes us even."

"We're only even because Dragermon helped me save you the first time," Dai mumbled, avoiding Ryoko's eyes. "I'm glad you and Matty are okay."

Ryoko slowly stepped closer to Dai and gently placed his hands on the goggle headed leader's shoulders. "It doesn't matter whether we're even or not," he whispered softly in Dai's ear. "Somewhere along the line, you're going to get yourself into trouble again, and when you do, I'm going to make sure you stay alive long enough for me to yell at you for making our lives difficult!"

Dai started to laugh, and he wrapped his arm around Ryoko's shoulders. "I knew you were going to say that!"

"Will you please be careful from now on?" Ryoko said quietly, gazing directly into Dai's dark eyes. "I was worried about you."

"Hey! What about me?" Takara asked, pretending to look hurt.

Ryoko smiled at her and shook his head. "Daichi would never have let anything happen to you. I knew you were safe with him."

Dai's mouth fell open, and he stared at Ryoko in shock.

"What?" Ryoko asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Listen, Ishida, I-"

"Vampiramon's getting up!" Ibismon shouted, leaping into the air and waving her hands to get their attention.

"Come on, Tirimon. Let's help out Dragermon and Ibismon," Angelicmon said quietly.

"Fools!" Vampiramon screamed, jumping to her feet and shaking her fist in the air. "How did you manage to find us so quickly?"

"We had a little help," Ryoko replied, giving the mega digimon a cool look. "You're right, Vampiramon. Our D-Coders are powerful. They helped us find our friends."

"Of course! I can't believe I forgot about the D-Coders!" Dai groaned, smacking his forehead.

Ryoko rolled his eyes and smirked at the goggle headed leader. "Why does that not surprise me? If you had taken a look at your D-Coder earlier, you might have been able to avoid Vampiramon, and we could have caught up to you a lot sooner."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, did I," Dai grumbled, making a face.

"You've fought well against two champions," Ibismon said calmly, giving the vampire digimon a cold look. "I guess we should have expected that from a mega. I'm interested to see how well you stand up against four champions. Are you ready to fight, or are you having second thoughts about taking on all four of us at once?"

"This isn't over!" Vampiramon hissed, her eyes sparkling with anger. "We will meet again, and when we do, I will be victorious! Lamia Transformation!"

"Look!" Matty gasped.

Vampiramon quickly turned herself into a large bat and fluttered into the air. Instead of attacking Ibismon, she turned and flew off in the other direction, away from the forest.

Takara watched the vampire digimon disappear into the darkness and shook her head in amazement. Apparently Vampiramon was not immune to fear after all.

_Mimi Ishida_

_Kyoto, Japan, Earth_

Mimi smiled softly at the look on Matt's face and leaned over the table to give her husband a warm hug.

"Mimi-"

"I know what you're going to say, and I can understand why you're concerned, but I have a good feeling about this," she whispered, holding him tightly in her arms. "I wouldn't have said anything if I wasn't at least ninety-five percent sure."

Matt hid his face against her shoulder and slowly shook his head. She could feel him trembling in her arms, and she gently kissed his golden hair. Several people in the restaurant were staring at them, but she barely noticed. All she could think about was the baby she knew was growing inside of her. She had started to notice the signs about a week ago, and ever since then, she had been unable to focus on anything else.

_I know I'm pregnant. I have to be. A woman can sense these things if she takes a few moments to listen to what her body is trying to tell her. I won't give up on our dream of having another baby, and I'm not going to let Matt give up on the idea of becoming a father again either._

She was excited, worried, and nervous, but most of all she was afraid their dreams were going to end up falling to pieces.

_What if I'm wrong? What if I'm not pregnant? How will I be able to sew the pieces of my broken heart back together and move on with my life?_

"Mimi, I don't want you to get your hopes up if it turns out you're not pregnant after all," Matt choked out, struggling to gain control of his emotions.

Mimi gently placed a hand against her belly and rested her cheek against his shoulder. "I'm going to pay our docter a visit as soon as possible. I want to be a hundred percent sure before I let myself get too carried away."

Matt nodded and slowly placed his hand against the side of her face. "Mimi, I want this more than anything, and I know you do, too," he whispered softly in her ear. "Life has never been easy for me, and that's one of the reasons why I've always wanted my own children. Ryoko means more to me than I could ever put into words, and I love being able to show him how much I care about him. It's so easy, and I know he loves me back. That's the best part. I want to be able to give out twice as much love, and I want to experience twice as much love in return."

Mimi's eyes filled with tears, and she hugged him as hard as she could. "I love you, Matt. I know we're going to have another baby. Don't worry. Everything's going to turn out all right."

_Now if only the same thing could be said for Ryoko._

Mimi stroked Matt's golden hair and bit her lip. She could not explain why she was so worried about Ryoko, but that did not make the feeling go away. Her son was the reason why she was trying to stay positive about her possible pregnancy. Ryoko had never said anything to her, but several times she had overheard him telling his friends how much he wished he had a sibling. Unfortunately she had a horrible feeling her son was in trouble, and if she lost Ryoko, she would never be the same again.

_I love you, Ryoko. Please stay safe. I won't let your little brother or sister grow up without getting a chance to know you. You're still my baby, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you, no matter what..._


	59. Two Steps Closer

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I am going to updating MBFG next since I've finally started the next chapter. The parents are definitely getting suspicious! Please review! (I'm sorry if you think this chapter is boring, but I needed to wrap things up a bit. Mickey and Sam will be back in the next chapter)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 59: Two Steps Closer

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"What a coward," Tirimon grumbled, tossing his head and glaring up at the sky.

Takara laughed and gently scratched Tirimon's ears. "I'd say that's a good thing! She came pretty close to beating us. If you guys hadn't shown up when you did, we would have been in serious trouble!"

Ibismon landed gracefully on the ground and frowned at the dark forest. "Vampiramon's not the type of digimon who's going to let us get away with making her look like a fool. She's going to have some of her evil buddies with her next time, and that's going to put us at a huge disadvantage when it comes to battling. They're all megas, and we're only champions. We might be able to take on one mega and stand a lucky chance of winning, but it'll be a whole different story if we have to face four or five megas at once."

"Good point," Dai murmured, turning to smile at Dragermon, who had landed beside him. "I know it's going to be hard for us to face four or five powerful digimon at once, but we have something Vampiramon and her buddies don't have."

"Are you talking about the D-Coders?" Matty asked, looking confused.

"Teamwork," Dai said softly. "I'm talking about teamwork. That's our secret weapon. Vampiramon and her buddies might be on the same side, but that doesn't stop them from working against each other. The only thing Vampiramon cares about is getting on her master's good side, and she'll stop at nothing to make sure she remains number one on his list of most valuable servants. I still can't believe she finally decided to show herself. She must be getting desperate if she's willing to risk being turned into a pile of data."

"She's one scary digimon," Matty muttered, making a face. "Jestermon's the same way. He'll betray all of his evil buddies if it means getting on his master's good side."

"They're all like that," Ryoko sighed, his sapphire eyes narrowing into a frown. "Vampiramon, Jestermon, Spritemon, and BlackWidowmon have all tried to steal our D-Coders, and I'm starting to get really worried. How many mega digimon are we going to have to face in order to save the Digital World?"

Dai shook his head and said slowly, "I don't know, Ishida. There could be hundreds of them, but that doesn't change anything. We'll still beat them."

"All it takes is a little teamwork," Ryoko said softly, gazing into the goggle headed leader's dark eyes.

Dai nodded and placed his hand on the blond's shoulder. "It's simple. The six of us and our digimon can defeat anything if we remember to work together as one mind, one body, one heart-"

"And one soul," Ryoko whispered, his voice trembling with sudden emotion.

"That's right," Dai said quietly. The goggle headed leader slipped his arm around Ryoko's shoulders, and the blond jumped in surprise. They stared at each other for a moment, and Ryoko finally gave the goggle headed leader a tentative smile. Dai smiled back at him, and they turned to gaze up at the dark sky, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Takara beamed at them and quickly turned her attention to Ibismon.

_I guess Dai and Ryoko don't need my help after all. It looks like they're well on their way to becoming good friends, and it's all thanks to the Digital World. This place is definitely bringing them closer together, and so are Alopemon and Embermon. At this rate, they'll be great friends in no time!_

"You're awesome, you know that?" she said softly, giving her partner a warm hug.

Ryoko nodded in agreement and gently stroked one of Ibismon's pink wings. "You're a great digimon, Ibismon. Vampiramon never stood a chance against you!"

"Thanks!" Ibismon replied, wrapping her arms around Ryoko's shoulders and smiling at him. "I hope I can live up to such an amazing compliment."

"You already have," Takara whispered, leaning forward and resting her cheek against Ibismon's heart.

"Can we go find Sam and Mickey now?"

Takara turned to look at Matty and gave her cousin a sympathetic smile. "You're really worried about your brother, aren't you?"

"Yes," Matty mumbled, glancing anxiously at his yellow D-Coder. "He's not really that far away from us, and Sam is definitely with him. I want to catch up to them before Vampiramon does. There's no way Gabrielmon will be able to defeat her on his own."

Takara let out a gasp of horror and clapped a hand over her mouth. "You don't think Vampiramon has gone to attack them, do you?"

"I wouldn't put it past her," Matty said seriously, his angelic features twisting into a frown.

Dai suddenly pulled away from Ryoko and started towards the edge of the clearing with a determined look on his face.

"Dai, wait!" Matty shouted, grabbing onto the goggle-headed leader's wrist and pulling him to a stop.

"Matty, we have to-"

"We're not going anywhere unless you're sure you're okay!" Matty interrupted, his amber eyes flashing with anger.

"Matty-"

Matty placed his hands on the goggle-headed leader's shoulders and shook his head. "I mean it, Dai," the younger twin said quietly. "Vampiramon could have killed you today, and don't even get me started on BlackWidowmon! I know you want to protect us, but you have to take care of yourself, too! Do you understand what I'm trying to say? You're one of my best friends, along with everyone else here, and I care about you a lot. I know how much you want to protect Mickey and Sam, but putting yourself in danger isn't going to help them. It's only going to make things worse."

"Matty's right," Ryoko whispered. "You always think with your heart and forget to use your head."

"I'm fine," Dai insisted.

Takara wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. "You still have some bruises on your back," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

_I can't lose you, Dai. You mean more to me than I could have ever thought possible. I've never felt this way about another guy before, and I need to know if you return my feelings. If you die before I have a chance to figure out whether or not we can be a couple, I'll never be able to move on with my life. I'll always be thinking about what might have been between us, and that's definitely not something I want to live with for the rest of my life. _

"You're a very stubborn human, Dai," Angelicmon said softly, looking amused.

Dai stared at them for a moment and let out a small sigh of defeat. "I know you guys are worried about me, but I meant what I said earlier. My ribs and back still hurt a little bit, but other than that I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Dragermon asked, lowering his head and resting his nose against Dai's shoulder. His emerald eyes were filled with uneasiness, and he wrapped one of his large, scarlet wings around the goggle headed leader's body in a protective embrace.

Dai gently ran his fingers over Dragermon's wing and nodded. "I'm sure. Now, let's go find Sam and Mickey."

Takara quickly pulled out her D-Coder and glanced at it's glowing screen. Mickey's and Sam's dots were hardly moving at all. _Why aren't they looking for us?_

"They've been standing in the same spot for quite a while now," Ryoko murmured, his sapphire eyes narrowing into a frown. "I wonder what they're doing."

Dai took a quick look at Ryoko's D-Coder and shrugged. "Maybe they've forgotten about the trackers on their D-Coders."

"That makes sense. Dai and Kara almost forgot about their D-Coders, as well," Matty said, smiling at Ryoko. "I bet Mickey and Sam are trying to come up with some sort of plan that will help them find us again, since their Digivices seem to have completely slipped their minds. Why else would they be standing around in the middle of a dark forest?"

Takara slowly shook her head and tugged nervously on her dark ponytail. "Something's wrong," she murmured, glancing anxiously at Ibismon. "Sam and Mickey are in trouble!"

"We don't know that for sure," Tirimon said quietly.

"I know you guys think I'm crazy, but I'm not," Takara insisted. "Sam and Mickey should have been searching for us by now!"

Matty ran a hand through his golden hair and sighed. "I feel the same way," the younger twin said quietly. "After all, Mickey's my twin. I can sense these things about him. He might not be in immediate danger, and the same goes for Sam, but that doesn't change the fact that something definitely doesn't feel right. I guess I was just trying to fool myself earlier."

"Gabrielmon needs our help," Angelicmon said seriously, fluttering into the air and taking the lead. "I won't let him face Vampiramon or one of the others on his own."

"We're right behind you," Dai replied. The goggle headed leader glanced at Matty, and his face turned pink. "Matty, I know you and the others worry about me a lot, and I can't even tell you how good that makes me feel. I know I'm lucky to have such great friends, and I guess I just want to apologize for acting like a jerk earlier. I promise I'll be more careful from now on. I don't want you guys to think I don't care about your feelings."

"Don't worry about it," Matty replied, placing a comforting hand on Dai's arm. "Let's concentrate on finding Sam and Mickey, okay?"

"Okay," Dai said softly.

Takara glanced over her shoulder and quickly hurried after the others. _This is ridiculous. I haven't been scared of the dark in years! I hope Sam and Mickey are having better luck than the rest of us when it comes to avoiding evil digimon._

Vampiramon was still out there somewhere, and Takara had a feeling the evil mega would do everything in her power to make sure Sam did not live long enough to meet his partner.

_T.K. Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"T.K.! Cody and Rosa are here!"

T.K. jumped at the sound of his wife's voice and nearly fell out of the chair he had been sitting in for almost and hour. He was supposed to be finishing another chapter in the novel he was currently writing, but the words on the computer screen kept blurring in front of his eyes, and his thoughts kept drifting back to his twin sons. Mickey and Matty were two of the best things that had ever happened to him, and he was scared he was going to end up losing them.

_I wish they would tell me why they've been acting so strange lately. What's wrong with them? Are they in some kind of trouble? How am I going to get them to talk to me?_

"Daddy! Mommy told me to tell you to hurry up," Rina giggled, bouncing into the room.

T.K. smiled at his daughter and nodded. "We'd better not keep Mommy waiting. Come on, sweetheart."

He took his daughter's hand, and they followed the sound of Kari's voice which eventually led them into the living room. He spotted Cody and Rosa sitting on the couch and turned to look at Kari who was sitting next to them in an armchair. All three of them were talking quietly to one another, and he could tell by the looks on their faces that they were having a very serious conversation.

Rosa looked up at the sound of his footsteps and gave him a warm smile. "Hello, T.K. How are you doing?" she asked, standing up and leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

Rosa studied his face for a moment and shrugged. "I'm alright. Kari told me about Mickey and Matty. You must be really worried about them."

_I'm more worried about them now than I have ever been in my entire life. How am I going to keep my promise to Kari if I don't even know what I'm supposed to be protecting them from?_

"Yes, I am," he said quietly.

"I would feel the same way about Kenzo if I was in your place," Rosa replied. Her dark hair was cut short and held up in a ponytail, and her sparkling eyes were filled with sympathy. She was dressed in a short, yellow skirt that fell to her knees, a white blouse, and a pair of yellow sandals. She looked like she wanted to offer some advice, but T.K. interrupted her before she could decide on what exactly it was she wanted to say.

"Where is Kenzo today?" he asked, glancing around the living room.

"He's at Izzy's and Mina's house," Cody replied. "Listen, T.K., I know you're worried about Mickey and Matty, and I understand why you're so upset, but you and Kari have got to give your sons a chance to explain themselves before you start jumping to conclusions. Mickey and Matty are good kids. I know they would never do anything to make you believe otherwise."

T.K. smiled at Cody and gave his former DNA partner a warm hug. "Thanks, Cody. I'll try to remember that. Has Kenzo been acting really strange lately, too?"

Cody ran a hand through his thick, dark hair and slowly shook his head. "Not really, although he did mention something about Ema being obsessed with catching Dai skipping out on soccer practice. I get the feeling he wasn't supposed to tell me that because he turned bright red and quickly dropped the subject. Do you think he's hiding something from me?"

"He'd better not be!" Rosa muttered.

T.K. glanced down at the light blue carpet under his feet and frowned. "I have no idea. Davis never said anything about Dai skipping practice."

"Do you think this whole thing with Ema has something to do with our sons?" Kari asked, fiddling nervously with the hem of her long-sleeved, pink top.

Rina let out a dramatic sigh and tugged on Kari's jeans. "Mommy, Mickey and Matty are fine. I wouldn't worry about them if I were you."

"What do you mean?" Cody asked, watching Rina closely. The younger man was dressed in black pants and a beige polo shirt. He had a very serious look on his face, and his dark eyes were narrowed in a frown.

Rina's face turned pink, and she let out a nervous giggle. "Nothing. Mommy, can I go over to Nao's house? He must be pretty lonely without me!"

T.K. stared at his daughter for a moment, and his mouth dropped open in surprise. Rina knew. He could tell just by looking at her. She knew exactly what was wrong with Mickey and Matty, and he had a funny feeling she was going to do her best to make sure he did not find out exactly what it was she was hiding from him.


	60. The Problem With Twins

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I don't have any more chapters ready yet! Don't worry, I'll try to get one done as soon as I can. Please review! (one of my longer chapters!)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 60: The Problem With Twins

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Where did he go?" Mickey whispered, glancing anxiously around the dark forest.

Sam slowly shook his head and hugged Glowmon tightly against his chest. _Why would DarkAngelicmon help me find my partner and then leave without even trying to steal my D-Coder? None of this makes any sense! Is he hiding somewhere in the forest, or is he really gone? Maybe he's waiting for me to let down my guard, and then he's going to try and steal Glowmon right out of my arms!_

"He's gone," Gabrielmon said quietly, his sapphire eyes scanning the dark sky. "I can no longer sense his presence."

Glowmon fluttered his wings and let out a small sigh of relief. "That's good. I don't know who this DarkAngelicmon is, but I'm glad he's gone. He sounds like an extremely evil digimon."

Mickey slowly lowered himself to the ground and glared at the dark trees surrounding them. "He is," the older twin mumbled, a hint of sorrow in his voice.

"Did this DarkAngelicmon try to attack you?" Centaurumon asked, crossing his arms.

Sam stroked Glowmon's small wings and shook his head. "He never touched us."

"That's very strange," Centaurumon murmured. "I wonder what he's up to?"

Sam smiled slightly and nodded. "I'm wondering the same thing, Centaurumon."

Gabrielmon suddenly knelt next to Mickey and gently placed his hand on his partner's golden head. "Mickey, are you alright?" the angel asked, sounding concerned.

Mickey touched Gabrielmon's smooth, white cheek and gave his partner a fond smile. "You're not like him and neither is Angelicmon," the older twin whispered, resting his forehead against Gabrielmon's chest. "Please don't let that evil angel hurt Matty and Angelicmon. I know he wants them, and I refuse to let him get anywhere near my brother."

"I promise," Gabrielmon whispered, wrapping his arms around Mickey in a tight hug.

Mickey nodded and gave the angel's hand a warm squeeze. "Thank you."

"Sam! Mickey!"

Sam jerked around in surprise and was almost trampled by Dai.

"Dai, will you be care-"

"Sam, are you okay?" Dai gasped, his deep, brown eyes glittering with fear and determination.

Sam grabbed Dai's arm to steady himself and nodded. "I'm fine. Where did you come from? Are the others with you?"

"We're right here," Ryoko said softly, strolling out of the trees. Matty and Takara were practically stepping on the blond's heels, and all three of them had expressions of relief on their faces. Dragermon and the other digimon were keeping close to the edge of the clearing, and they all had their gazes focused on the forest. Obviously they were keeping watch in case Vampiramon and her buddies decided to show themselves.

_It's a little too late for that! DarkAngelicmon did an excellent job of making his presence known already!_

"I guess you guys remembered the trackers on your D-Coders, after all," Sam said softly, giving Dai a warm smile.

The goggle headed leader glanced at Ryoko and flushed. "Um...yeah..."

"Daichi forgot all about the D-Coders!" Ryoko snorted. "I was the one who had to remind him!"

"Shut up, Ishida!" Dai mumbled.

"I remembered the D-Coders," Matty said softly.

Takara blushed and gave Ryoko a sheepish look. "I didn't."

"Sam, why didn't you come looking for us?" Dai asked, frowning in confusion.

Sam smiled softly and held out his digimon. "Mickey and I were just about to come searching for you guys, but as you can see, we got a little sidetracked. This is my partner. His name is Glowmon."

"Hello," Glowmon said, looking extremely shy.

Takara let out a squeal of delight and gently stroked Glowmon's head. "He's so cute! Oh, Sam. I'm so happy for you. I know how much you wanted to meet your partner."

"You're really lucky, Sam. Glowmon's a great digimon," Ryoko said softly.

Matty nodded and tickled one of Glowmon's wings. "Welcome to the team, Glowmon."

"Thanks," the little rookie said softly.

Dai patted Glowmon's head and laughed. "I've never seen a shy digimon before. I'm sorry I didn't see you earlier, but it's a bit dark out here."

Glowmon beamed at the goggle headed leader and happily fluttered his wings. "That's okay. I'm just glad I can finally help you guys out."

"We feel the same way," Angelicmon said softly, fluttering over to Matty's side and giving the little rookie a warm smile.

Sam glanced at Takara's partner and raised his eyebrows. "I take it Dovemon digivolved?"

"Yes. This is her champion form," Takara replied. "Her name is Ibismon."

"She's really pretty," Mickey said quietly, startling everyone.

Sam blinked in surprise and turned to stare at the older twin. He had almost forgotten about the other boy because Mickey had not said a single word throughout the entire conversation. Matty's presence usually brought a smile to Mickey's face, but this time the older twin barely even glanced in his brother's direction. Instead, his eyes were focused on the ground in front of him, and there was an odd expression on his face.

"Mickey, what's wrong?" Matty asked, his amber eyes growing dark with fear. The younger twin slowly sat down next to his brother and placed a hand on Mickey's arm.

Mickey shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. "Dovemon wouldn't have digivolved unless you guys were in trouble," the older twin whispered. "What happened?"

Takara made a face and sat down next to Gabrielmon. "Vampiramon attacked us. She tried to kill Dai, but Dovemon digivolved and saved him."

Mickey let out a gasp and glanced anxiously in Dai's direction.

The goggle headed leader shrugged and gave Mickey a reassuring smile. "I'm okay. She tried to kill me twice, but Matty and Ryoko showed up just in time to help me out. Tirimon was able to stop her second attempt to finish me off, and I can't thank him enough. He was awesome, and the same goes for Ibismon."

"I'd never let anyone hurt you," Tirimon said quietly, his icy blue eyes coming to rest on Dai's face.

"Same here," Ibismon said softly.

Dai blushed and nodded. "Thanks, guys," he mumbled.

"You're welcome," Tirimon replied.

Sam swallowed a gasp and stared at Matty in shock. "You guys met Vampiramon?"

Matty nodded and gently rubbed his brother's shoulder. "Yeah, we did," the younger twin murmured. "She makes Jestermon and the others look like good guys!"

"She's creepy," Takara whispered.

Sam shook his head in astonishment and glanced at Ryoko. "How did you guys manage to get away from her?"

"Apparently she didn't think stealing our D-Coders was worth the risk of facing four champions in battle," Ryoko said dryly. "You can tell she's their leader because she's the only one in their whole group who even makes an attempt to use her brain! Her problem is her ego. It's as big as Daichi's ego, and you know what his is like!"

"Hey!" Dai shouted.

Ryoko ignored the goggle headed leader and frowned thoughtfully at the trees. "I wonder how many digimon Vampiramon has on her side. Like I said before, there could be hundreds of them, and that's going to make our job a lot harder. What kind of odds are we up against? We'd have a better chance of saving the Digital World if we knew the answer to that question."

"There are five of them," Mickey whispered, hiding his face against Gabrielmon's arm.

"How do you know?" Dai asked, scratching his head and looking confused.

Mickey shivered and wrapped his arms around Gabrielmon's waist. "Their master only has five servants."

"I guess that makes sense. Crystalmon worked for Vampiramon, and Zombiemon worked for Jestermon. The same goes for Gnomemon and Sirenmon. Those four digimon were only at the ultimate level, and obviously Vampiramon's master thought they were expendable," Takara said quietly.

Dai kicked at a fallen tree branch and snorted loudly. "They were soldiers. Vampiramon and her buddies are the ones we have to worry about."

"Daichi's right," Ryoko murmured. "Vampiramon's the voice of their master, and she'll make sure BlackWidowmon and the others follow her orders."

Matty's shoulders stiffened, and he slowly turned to look at his brother. "You said five," the younger twin choked out, his hand tightening on Mickey's arm. "We've only met Vampiramon, Jestermon, Spritemon, and BlackWidowmon. Who's the fifth one?"

"No," Mickey whispered.

"I mean it, Mickey!" Matty snapped, his fingers digging into the older twin's arm. "Tell me right now! Who's the fifth one?"

"I can't!" Mickey shouted, his eyes filling with sudden tears. He pushed Matty away and tried to scramble to his feet, but the younger twin dragged him back down and pulled him into a hug.

"Please?" Matty whispered.

Mickey flinched and buried his face against the younger twin's shoulder. "He's going to try and kill you! I can't...I'm so confused. Matty, I..."

The older twin began to tremble violently in Matty's arms, and a soft sob escaped his lips.

"Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?" Matty whispered, his amber eyes glittering with uncertainty and fear. He held the older twin tightly against his chest and sent Gabrielmon a frantic look.

Gabrielmon sighed and gently stroked Mickey's golden hair. "Sam, I think you'd better tell them about DarkAngelicmon."

Sam jumped at the sound of his name and gave the angel digimon a dirty look. _Why do I have to be the one to explain? Poor Matty. He's never going to be the same again after he hears about DarkAngelicmon..._

"Sam, they need to know," Glowmon said softly.

Sam took a deep breath and quickly told the others about the fallen angel. He made sure he did his best to tell them everything, and when he was finished, there was dead silence.

"Unbelievable!" Dai finally whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. "This DarkAngelicmon must be one evil angel if he can cover a whole forest in darkness!"

Takara nodded and bit her lip. "We should have known one of Vampiramon's buddies was responsible for separating us! As if we didn't have enough problems already. Now we have to deal with an evil angel digimon, as well?"

Ryoko shook his head and did not reply. His face had turned a sickly shade of green, and he looked like he was about to puke.

Matty was the only one who did not look as if he was ready to die from shock. The younger twin's eyes were glued to the back of Mickey's head, and his face was completely void of expression.

"Matty, what's wrong? Say something," Angelicmon whispered. The angel digimon sat down on the ground next to his partner and gently placed his hand on Matty's knee.

Matty ignored his partner and continued to stare at Mickey with a blank expression on his face. "I take it DarkAngelicmon is the reason why you don't want to come anywhere near me?" the younger twin said calmly.

Tears started to stream down Mickey's cheeks, and his face turned a rosy shade of pink. "Matty, it's not-"

"Shut up, Mickey! Just shut up!" Matty shouted at the top of his lungs.

The younger twin's eyes filled with sudden tears, and he gave Mickey a hard shove to put some distance between them.

Mickey let out a small moan of despair and stared at Matty as if he could not believe what had just happened.

"Matty!" Angelicmon gasped, his emerald eyes growing wide with shock.

"Angelicmon's not evil, and neither am I," the younger twin whispered, his whole body trembling with emotion. "We're not like him, and we never will be."

Sam winced and gave his friend a sympathetic smile. _Oh, Matty. Do you really think Mickey believes you're evil?_

"Please don't fight," Takara said tearfully, standing up and huddling between Ryoko and Dai.

"Matty, do you really think I don't know that?" Mickey gasped, looking absolutely horrified. The older twin flung his arms around Matty's shoulders in a fierce hug, and he hid his face against the back of his twin's neck. "I'm sorry, Matty," he whispered. "I didn't mean to make you upset. I know you're not evil. Angelicmon's presence just brought back a few unpleasant memories, that's all. He looks so much like DarkAngelicmon, and I guess I just got a little confused. Please don't be mad at me."

Matty slowly nodded and turned to face his brother. He gave the older twin a hesitant smile and lowered his eyes to the ground. "I was worried about you."

Mickey hugged his brother tightly and squeezed his eyes shut. "I was worried about you, too," the older twin whispered. "Matty, DarkAngelicmon's going to come after you and Angelicmon. I know he is, and I swear I'll stop him from hurting you if it's the last thing I do!"

Matty's amber eyes began to sparkle with determination, and he lifted his chin a little higher. "DarkAngelicmon wants to fight me, does he? Well, if he ever comes near you again, he's going to find out just how powerful Angelicmon really is! Mickey, will you promise me something?"

Mickey quickly nodded, and Matty gave the older twin a serious look. "Promise me you won't end up putting yourself in danger for my sake. "

"Only if you promise me the same thing," Mickey said stubbornly.

Matty hesitated and finally nodded.

"Um...Matty?"

"What?" Matty asked, looking confused.

Mickey gave his twin a weak smile and shrugged. "You know we're going to end up breaking our promises to each other, right?"

Matty stared at the older twin for a moment, and a small smile slipped across his face. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Are we okay now?" Mickey asked, giving his brother a shy look.

Matty tightened his arms around Mickey's waist and nodded. "We're okay," he whispered.

"We should have said something a long time ago," Angelicmon said quietly, glancing anxiously at Gabrielmon. "If I'd known our strange feelings had anything to do with DarkAngelicmon..."

"You're right. You should have said something, and the same goes for Gabrielmon," Dai replied, sounding extremely annoyed. "You guys could have saved us a lot of trouble if you had told us about your ability to sense DarkAngelicmon's presence a long time ago!"

"Well, what's done is done, and the only thing we can do is move forward," Centaurumon said quietly.

Dai glanced at the centaur digimon and frowned. "Who are you?"

"I am Centaurumon. I'm the guardian digimon who was chosen by Gennai to protect Glowmon."

"Did you know that Gennai has been captured?" Ryoko asked.

Centaurumon shook his head, and Sam quickly told the champion about Vampiramon and her quest to steal the D-Coders. Obviously the news about Gennai came as a surprise to Centaurumon because he gave Glowmon's pedestal a thoughtful look and shook his head in disbelief.

"Are you going to go help Leomon and the others?" Takara asked, glancing curiously at the centaur digimon.

Centaurumon slowly nodded and glanced at the twins.

"What's wrong?" Matty asked, his amber eyes filling with fear.

"If you were evil, you would not be a Digidestined," Centaurumon murmured, gazing directly into the younger twin's eyes.

Sam hugged Glowmon tightly against his chest and frowned. "How can you be so sure?" he murmured.

"The Digimon Emperor," Centaurumon replied, his face deadly serious. "You might not believe me, but I know you'll believe Wormmon. If you don't, you'll end up losing one of the most important people in the world to you, and then the Digital World will be doomed."


	61. Spirit Chips

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Wow, I can't believe I wrote this up so fast! I love this chapter. Lots of talk, but it's still good. (I think anyway) Don't worry, I'll explain how the crests have suddenly magically appeared into existence again. Please review! (The last couple of paragraphs are my favorites!)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 61: Spirit Chips

_T.K. Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

T.K. slowly sat down on the couch and covered his face with his hands.

_What kind of secrets are my children keeping from me? I thought I knew them so well, but I guess I was wrong. I feel so...lost._

"T.K., are you alright?" Cody asked, sitting down on the couch beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

_No, Cody. I won't be okay until I know what's going on with my children._

He managed to give the younger man a weak smile and turned to stare uneasily at his daughter.

_What is she hiding?_

Rina suddenly scrambled into his lap and she wrapped her small arms around his neck. "It's okay, Daddy," she said softly, snuggling against his chest. "Mickey and Matty aren't doing anything bad. In fact, I'd say they're doing something really good."

"What do you mean?" he asked, feeling confused.

Rina smiled nervously at him and kissed his cheek. "You'll see."

_I knew it! Mickey and Matty must have told her their secret. Either that or she found out by accident. I guess I was right, after all._

T.K. hugged his daughter tightly and glanced anxiously in his wife's direction. "Kari-"

"I know," Kari said quietly, her amber eyes sparkling with fear and confusion. She sat down on the edge of the couch and gave Rina a helpless look. "Sweetie, What have Mickey and Matty been up to lately?"

Rina smiled innocently at her mother and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mommy, but I can't tell you. I promised them I wouldn't say anything."

"Rina, we need to know," Kari said seriously. "We're not going to get them into trouble. We just want to make sure they're okay. What if they're in danger and need some help? We can't protect them if you don't tell us what's going on."

T.K. let out a sigh and gently stroked his daughter's dark hair. "Please, Rina?" he murmured.

"Daddy, I promised Mickey and Matty I wouldn't tell anyone their secret, and I know they're counting on me to keep my word," Rina said stubbornly. "If you want to know what it is they're hiding, you're going to have to ask them yourself."

Kari gave Rina an exasperated look, and T.K. smiled slightly. "Alright, Rina, I'll ask them," he said softly, holding her close and gently resting his cheek against her forehead.

"Yurina Takaishi, you're going to drive me crazy one day, you know that?" Kari sighed, kissing Rina's cheek.

"That's the best part about being a kid!" Rosa laughed. She sat down next to Cody and grinned at her husband. Cody just shook his head and sent Kari an apologetic look.

"I guess that's true. We were constantly driving our parents nuts!" T.K. replied.

He glanced down at his daughter and raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had expected her to laugh at Rosa's joke, but she had not even cracked a smile.

"Daddy, you don't have to worry about protecting Mickey and Matty. They have all the protection they need," his daughter said quietly. "I know those little guys will never let them down."

T.K. slowly turned to look at Kari, and they stared at each other in confusion.

_Why do I feel like I should know what Rina's talking about?_

Apparently Kari felt the same way because she made a face and leaned over to kiss his lips. "T.K., I have a bad feeling about this," she whispered in his ear.

_So do I. I guess there's only one thing left for me to do. It looks like I'm going to have to have a long chat with Mickey and Matty as soon as they get home from Ryoko's house._

Hopefully they would finally tell him the truth and he would not have to worry about them drifting away from him anymore.

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sam stared at Centaurumon with his mouth hanging open, and his heart began to pound rapidly in his chest. "You know who the Emperor is?" he whispered, almost choking on the words.

Centaurumon slowly shook his head and placed a hand on Glowmon's pedestal. "The Emperor no longer exists. I did not know him personally, but I knew of him. He brought chaos and destruction to the Digital World, and yet, at the same time, he also brought salvation. Don't worry, Sam. He will be remembered for all of the good things he did, not the bad things."

Sam held his breath and gave the centaur digimon a hopeful look. "You mean...he wasn't evil?"

"That's something you'll have to decide for yourself," Centaurumon replied.

"Who was the Digimon Emperor anyway?" Dai asked, looking confused.

Centaurumon crossed his arms and gave Dai a long look. "I think you'd better ask Wormmon that question. He'll be able to explain everything a lot better than I can."

"Who's Wormmon?" Takara promptly asked.

"All of the answers you seek can be found on File Island," Centaurumon replied. "That is where the Legend of the Digidestined first came into existence, and that is where it will continue to thrive."

"You're certainly a lot more helpful than Leomon and the others were," Dragermon said quietly.

"Apparently Gennai did not give all of us the same information," Centaurumon said dryly. "If he had, the six of you would have known about Wormmon already. Or perhaps not, seeing as how it appears Gennai must have guessed that you would not be informed of the Digital World's existence until you got here. Obviously you do not know about the original Digidestined, and I can understand why they would have wanted to keep their adventures a secret from you. The Digital World is a dangerous place, and you probably wouldn't have believed them anyway."

"Have you forgotten the fact that we have digimon of our own?" Dai shot back. "Of course we would have believed them!"

"Yes, but you didn't always have digimon, did you," Centaurumon replied, looking amused. "Gennai may have told Whamon and the others to keep quiet, as well. Either that or they chose to remain silent because they wanted to respect the wishes of the original Digidestined. It's hard to say. Listen, I know you're anxious to stop Vampiramon and the others, but first you must return home to your parents. I'm sure they're very worried about you."

"They think we're at Ryoko's house," Matty said, blushing furiously.

Sam felt equally guilty. Technically they had been at Ryoko's house, but that did not change the fact that he had still lied to his parents about his whereabouts.

"Even so, you should head home now. When you do return to the Digital World, I strongly suggest you visit File Island again. As I said before, that is where you will find your answers."

"Are you crazy?" Dai shouted. "We can't go running off to File Island without at least making an attempt to free Gennai from Vampiramon's clutches!"

"Don't tell me you've come up with another crazy plan to get us all killed!" Ryoko snapped, glancing suspiciously at the goggle headed leader.

"Ishida, I was worried about you, too," Dai said innocently, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement.

Ryoko's cheeks turned bright red, and he sent the goggle headed leader another look that was even more suspicious than the first one.

Sam could not say for sure, but he had a feeling Dai was being entirely serious.

"What's wrong?" Centaurumon asked, gazing curiously at the goggle headed leader.

Dai crossed his arms and gave the centaur digimon a dirty look. "You're going to go find Leomon and the others, right? Well, we want to come with you! It makes sense. Think about it. What else are we going to do? All of our digimon partners have been found, and almost all of them have digivolved. We might as well make ourselves useful by helping Leomon and the others find Gennai. We're going to need him in order to save the Digital World."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to come with me," Centaurumon said seriously.

"Why not?" Matty demanded, glancing anxiously at his twin.

Centaurumon sighed and made a fist with his right hand. "You must return to File Island. If you don't, you'll never be able to reach your full strength."

"You're not making any sense, you know that?" Dai snorted.

"I think Gennai knew right from the start that you six would end up coming to the Digital World," Centaurumon murmured. "He said something along those lines to me on the day when I was chosen to protect Glowmon, and I know he wanted to meet all of you when you did finally arrive. Unfortunately, according to you guys, he has been captured, and as a result, he has been unable to help you on your quest to save the Digital World. There were a few things he wanted to explain to you before you started searching for your partners, but there are also some things he wanted you to discover on your own."

"What kind of things?" Takara asked curiously.

"Things like Wormmon, obviously, though he can thank the original Digidestined for that," Centaurumon replied. "Gennai wanted you to discover the past without his help. There is a time and a place for everything, and now is the time for all of you to understand your destiny. That is why I want you to return to File Island."

Sam stared at Centaurumon in surprise and frowned. "How did Gennai know we would end up coming to the Digital World? You make it sound as if he knew we would be needed long before Vampiramon and her buddies decided to cause trouble."

"Gennai understands the Powers of Darkness better than anyone," Centaurumon replied. "He knew evil would return to the Digital World one day, and he wanted to make sure we were ready to fight against it. He and his counterparts were able to find new Digidestined and had new digimon partners stored away until the day they would be needed. You six are those Digidestined who were chosen to stand against the darkness. Gennai and the others knew evil was returning to the Digital World because they could feel it. Although Gennai did not know exactly what kind of evil the Digital World was facing, he knew it would be strong, and that brings me to the topic of digivolution. In order for the Digital World to remain peaceful, the Powers of Light and the Powers of Darkness must work together in perfect harmony. One cannot exist without the other, and that is why darkness can never really be defeated."

"Great, we're doomed!" Mickey moaned.

Centaurumon laughed and shook his head. "Not at all. The legacy of the Digidestined exists for a reason. You're not here to destroy the Powers of Darkness. You're here to make sure the balance of power does not shift in favour of the darkness. You six will always be Digidestined, but that does not mean you won't see another group of Digidestined rise up and follow in your footsteps. The forces of evil will continue to try and conquer the Digital World, but that doesn't matter. There will always be a team of Digidestined waiting in the wings, and they will do whatever they can to keep the darkness at bay. That is how we defeat evil in the Digital World. Gennai was the one who explained all of this to me, and I believe some of it is stuff he wanted to tell you when you arrived here. Since he has been captured, I will have to do the explaining for him. Anyway, now you can see why Gennai knew you would be called to the Digital World eventually."

"I feel sorry for the next group of Digidestined already!" Ryoko mumbled.

"Centaurumon, can you tell us the names of the Digidestined who came before us?" Sam asked, his heart pounding with anticipation. "You make it sound as if we know them already. Do we?"

"Since they have not told you themselves, neither can I. Gennai is most likely grateful for that as I believe that's one of the things Gennai wanted you to discover on your own, and it looks like Leomon and the others had enough sense to keep quiet," Centaurumon murmured. "Don't worry, Sam. You're not going to have to wait much longer to find out the answer to your question. This is the moment Gennai was waiting for. The things I'm about to tell you now are things Gennai wanted me to reveal to you, and obviously he chose this moment for a reason because apparently Leomon and the others did not receive the same message. It's almost as if he knew somehow that you would be coming to me last. You were able to find all of your partners without any help, and in doing so, you have proved yourselves worthy of being called Digidestined. Gennai wanted you to learn to work together as a team because he knew you would be facing difficult opponents. You have passed another one of Gennai's tests with flying colours, and I know he'll be very proud of you when he finds out. Unfortunately the six of you are not strong enough to take on Vampiramon's master without some help, and that is why Gennai and his allies came up with the Spirit Chips."

"What's a Spirit Chip?" Ryoko asked, frowning in confusion.

Centaurumon folded his hands together and bowed his head. "According to Gennai, they will help you reach the next stage of digivolution, but the only way to get them is by using the power of the Digivices and the powers of the crests. Gennai knew you would need to reach a higher stage of digivolution in order to defeat evil in the Digital World, but unfortunately the crests have gone missing, and that's going to cause a huge problem."

"Leomon mentioned something about crests earlier. What exactly are they?" Mickey asked, looking extremely uneasy.

"They are the hope and salvation of the Digital World," Centaurumon said softly. "The powers of the crests can still be found in the hearts of the humans who once held them because that is where they originated from in the first place. The only reason we need the objects themselves is because the Spirit Chips won't work very well unless they are fused together with the crests. Although you could digivolve to ultimate on your own, it'll be easier to do so with the help a Spirit Chip. They have the ability to control the powers of the Digidestined, new and old."

"They sound a lot like the D-Coders," Ryoko commented.

"D-Coders?" Centaurumon asked, looking confused.

"Our Digivices," Sam quickly explained.

"Oh, yes. They're a lot like the Digivices," Centaurumon agreed. "The Spirit Chips transfer the power from your hearts to your Digivices, and then that power is transferred to your digimon. I know a lot of this sounds very confusing, but don't let that get to you. Gennai will be able to explain the Spirit Chips in detail and their relationship with the crests. I only know the basics, and that's why I'll let him explain everything."

"Excuse me, but have you forgotten the fact that Gennai has been captured?" Dai grumbled, sounding very impatient. "He can't help us unless we help him first."

"Dai's right. Maybe we should come with you," Takara said softly.

"Gennai's information will be useless to you without the crests," Centaurumon said bluntly.

"And where exactly do you expect us to find these crests?" Matty demanded.

"First you must go to File Island and find a digimon named Veemon. He'll have a bunch of friends with him, and I know they'll be willing to help you out, including Wormmon. They will give you the information you need about a group of humans who can help you find the crests. I believe all of the crests have been stolen by the same person, so it won't be too difficult to find them."

"How much do you want to bet Vampiramon has them?" Dai muttered.

"You could be right," Centaurumon agreed. "Once you've found the crests, myself and the others will allow you to assist us in the quest to find Gennai, if we do not free him before you meet up with us. That way Gennai will be able to tell you about the Spirit Chips, and you can go search for them before Vampiramon finds out about their existence. I believe that is the only way to save the Digital World, and a lot of the responsibility lies in your hands. I've told you all I know, and now it is time for you to return home and get some rest."

"I have one more question. Who are Gennai's counterparts?" Sam asked.

"You'll meet Benjamin and the others soon enough," Centaurumon said quietly. "You're a good Digidestined, Sam, and you passed the test as soon as you arrived in the forest. There might be some hard times ahead for you, but you are strong, and I know the darkness will never defeat you. Good luck, Digidestined. The fate of the Digital World is in your hands, and when we meet again, I suspect the balance of power will have shifted slightly in our direction. Let's hope that is the case."

"There's always hope," Matty said softly.

"Come on, guys," Dai said quietly, motioning them all towards Dragermon. "Let's get back to the gate."

Sam climbed onto Dragermon with the others and hugged Glowmon tightly against his chest. He watched the forest grow smaller behind them and smiled softly. The darkness over the forest was lifting, and all of their digimon who could fly started doing victory loops in the air. Matty was right. No matter how bad things got, there was always hope, and in that moment, he realized the darkness did not seem so bad after all.


	62. Destiny Unfolds

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, here's another chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 62: Destiny Unfolds

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Daichi Motomiya fell out of the computer and landed on the floor of Ryoko's room with a grunt of pain. He jumped in surprise when he realized he was lying on top of Matty and nearly sneezed. The younger twin's silky, blond hair was tickling his nose and making it hard for him to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Dai, will you get off? You're crushing my ribs!" Matty shouted, giving him a dirty look.

_Why do I always get blamed for everything around here? It's not like I tried to flatten him on purpose!_

"I told you we should have put some pillows down ahead of time," he said reasonably.

Matty rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No you didn't!"

"Well, I was going to, but then Ishida caused a huge scene, and I forgot all about the computer!"

"Don't blame me for your own stupidity!" Ryoko snapped, his sapphire eyes glittering with anger.

Dai ignored his potential best friend and gave Matty a sheepish look. "Sorry."

"I'm glad you're okay, Dai," Sam said softly, sitting up and giving him a warm smile.

He smiled back at the other boy and climbed off of Matty, taking rather longer than necessary to do so. The younger twin was still glaring at him, and he was determined to teach his friend a lesson.

_Of all the nerve! Well, at least he's not as bad as Ryoko!_

"I feel the same way about you," he said quietly, gazing directly into Sam's eyes. "I thought for sure Vampiramon was going to come after you and Mickey. Hey! Look at Glowmon!"

"My name is actually Glimmermon now," the little digimon beside Sam said softly. "This is my in-training form."

Glimmermon was a small, round digimon with green skin and large, violet eyes. There was a small antenna sticking out of the top of his head, and it had a glowing bulb attached to it. He basically looked like an insect with a small light bulb hanging just above his eyes. The only thing he lacked was an actual body. A talking head described him more accurately.

"You're even cuter than you were before!" Takara squealed, stroking Glimmermon's head.

Dai stared at his female friend for a moment a smiled slightly. _She really is the most amazing girl I know. I wonder if she realizes how pretty she is._

Takara's long, dark hair, hazel eyes, and bright smile were enough to get any guy's heart racing, himself included. The yellow top and jean shorts she had on showed off her slim figure and longs legs, making her look even taller than usual. Funny how he had never noticed those things before. It was only after she had saved his life that he had begun to see her just a little bit differently than he had before...

_Don't be dumb. She only saved you because you're her friend. At least...I think that's why she saved me. Wait a minute! Why do I even care? It's not like I have feelings for her or anything...do I?_

"I wish Vampiramon had come after us," Mickey whispered, sitting down on Ryoko's bed and holding Palelymon tightly in his arms. "I'd rather face her over DarkAngelicmon any day."

Matty sat down next to his brother and shook his head. "Trust me, Mickey. You don't want to face her either."

_I can't argue with that!_

Dai crossed his arms and frowned at the twins. They looked like they were going to be alright, but that was not enough to convince him of anything. Something about the expression on Mickey's face made him feel very uneasy.

"I'm glad you guys are getting along again," he said quietly, watching them closely.

Mickey flushed and glanced anxiously at Matty. The younger twin managed a weak smile, but it was obvious he was still worried about his brother.

"We're going to be just fine," Mickey whispered, gazing directly into Matty's eyes.

Matty nodded slowly and nearly fell off the bed in surprise when Mickey suddenly hugged him tightly. The older twin was doing everything he could to make sure Matty understood the depth of their relationship, but Dai could not help wondering if that was going to be enough.

_I hope they realize how much they love each other. If they don't, DarkAngelicmon's going to end up tearing them apart._

Mickey and Matty were both very independent people, but they also enjoyed each other's company. They knew when to give each other space and when to give each other support, and that was what made them such a great team. The only thing they could not stand was the thought of losing one another forever. Unfortunately their worst nightmare was going to end up coming true if they continued to let DarkAngelicmon come between them.

"I still can't believe DarkAngelicmon's only a champion," Takara murmured, shaking her head in disbelief.

Sam sat down next to Ryoko on the floor and nodded. "I couldn't believe it either. There has to be more to him than meets the eye. He must be a powerful digimon if Vampiramon and the others are willing to hang out with him."

"I still don't understand why DarkAngelicmon didn't try to steal Glowmon," Ryoko said quietly. "The same goes for the D-Coders. He had a perfect opportunity to get his hands on two of our Digivices, and he didn't take it. Why? What exactly is he planning, and why do I have a feeling he's not working towards the same goal as Vampiramon?"

"I'm surprised he didn't try to destroy Glowmon," Dai muttered, avoiding Ryoko's eyes. He sat down on the blond's other side and frowned at the computer. According to Sam, DarkAngelicmon was an aggressive digimon who would try to eliminate any obstacle standing in the way of his plans, and yet, the fallen angel had not tried to hurt anyone. In fact, Vampiramon was the one who had tried to destroy them, not DarkAngelicmon. Apparently she felt her plans would go a lot more smoothly if they were dead. DarkAngelicmon was a different story. He obviously thought they were more important somehow, and he seemed to think he could use them in his quest to plunge the Digital World into darkness.

_DarkAngelicmon and Vampiramon might be working towards the same goal, but they have two very different ideas of how to accomplish what they have been sent to do. I wonder which plan their master believes will work the best?_

"DarkAngelicmon was worried," Sam whispered. "I could tell by the way he kept glancing around at the forest. Vampiramon wanted to destroy Glowmon. DarkAngelicmon didn't. I think he was afraid of what would happen if Vampiramon discovered he was trying to ruin her plans."

"He's not afraid of anything," Mickey said flatly. "Wary? Yes. Afraid? No. He's not going to let someone like Vampiramon order him around for long. As soon as he sets his plans into motion, Jestermon and the others are history. He's only using them to help him achieve his goal, and once he's done with them, he'll throw them aside like useless trash. I don't think he's even afraid of his master."

Dai blinked in surprise and stared at the older twin with his mouth hanging open. "Um...Mickey? Which plan do you think their master prefers, Vampiramon's plan or DarkAngelicmon's plan?"

Mickey gently stroked Palelymon's ears and shook his head. "I don't know," he whispered. "I wish I did, but I don't."

Dai stretched out on his stomache and turned to gaze at Ryoko. The blond sent him a fearful look, and he gave his friend a reassuring pat on the knee.

_If only there was something we could do to help Mickey, but I think this is one thing he's going to have to do on his own._

Apparently Matty felt the same way because the younger twin gazed helplessly at Mickey and shook his head in denial. Obviously he did not like the idea of having to watch his brother suffer, and he definitely did not like the idea of being unable to do anything about it.

"Why did Vampiramon say we couldn't win against her without Sam's partner?" Takara asked, leaning her back against the leg of Ryoko's desk.

"We have a better chance of defeating her when we're all together," DemiEmbermon piped up. "I think that's what she meant. All of us are a lot more powerful when we work together as a team instead of as individuals. We're going to need all of that power in order to defeat Vampiramon and her buddies, and there's no way we can reach our full potential without Glowmon."

"That's why she tried to stop us from finding all of our partners," Sam muttered. "She really is a witch!"

"A very dangerous witch," Dai murmured.

"Vampiramon's a lot easier to figure out than DarkAngelicmon is," Iramon said seriously. The little digimon snuggled against Ryoko's leg and gave his partner a penetrating look.

Ryoko nodded slowly and ran his fingers over Iramon's bushy tail. "We're going to have to be very careful around him."

"He's not the only one who's hard to figure out," Sam mumbled.

Dai exchanged a look with Ryoko and raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" he asked, turning to gaze at his raven haired friend.

Sam hesitated and finally shrugged. "It's nothing."

"Sam-"

"Dai, do you think the Digimon Emperor was really evil?" the raven haired Digidestined blurted out.

"I'm not sure," he said quietly. "I think you're going to have to wait until we find Wormmon in order to get an answer to your question."

Sam nodded and let out a sigh. "Centaurumon said I could end up losing someone close to me if I didn't believe this Wormmon he kept talking about. I don't understand. What exactly was he trying to say?"

Glimmermon gave Sam a sympathetic smile and hopped into the raven haired Digidestined's lap. "Don't worry, Sam, everything's going to work out just fine."

"I hope you're right," Sam sighed. "I wonder who Wormmon is. How exactly is he suppose to help me, and who am I going to lose if I refuse to listen to him? Was Centaurumon talking about one of you guys? He made it sound as if Wormmon knew the Emperor very well. Is it just me, or am I ending up with more questions than answers? I thought Centaurumon wanted to help me, but all he has done is make me feel even more confused!"

"There's no point in dwelling on everything," Fluttermon said from her seat next to the computer. "You'll find out what's gong on soon enough."

"Right now we have more important things to worry about," Matty said seriously.

Sam frowned at the younger twin and crossed his arms. "What are you talking about? I'd say the Emperor qualifies as being important!"

"The Spirit Chips!" Takara shouted, her hazel eyes glittering with excitement. "Can you believe our digimon are going to be able to digivolve to ultimate?"

"I just hope they'll be strong enough to defeat Vampiramon and the others," Mickey said softly.

Goldmon stroked Mickey's hand with one of his fluffy ears and smiled at the older twin. "Don't worry. We will be."

Dai nodded and grinned at DemiEmbermon. He was anxious to see his partner digivolve to the next level, but he was even more anxious to find out the identities of the original Digidestined.

_I hope Veemon can tell us what's going on. He sounds like a pretty cool digimon. He must be if he has a lot of friends. At least, that's what Centaurumon said. Do Veemon and the others really know who the original Digidestined are?_

"Dai, do you think those other Digidestined will like us?" Takara asked nervously.

Dai frowned and rested his chin on his arms. "I'm not sure, Kara. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"I'm starting to really hate surprises," Takara muttered.

Ryoko let out a sudden gasp, and Dai turned to look at him. "What's wrong, Ishida?"

"Do you think Veemon might have had a human partner?" Ryoko asked, his sapphire eyes beginning to sparkle with excitement. "Maybe that's why Centaurumon wants us to find him! If he can lead us to the other Digidestined, then they can help us find the crests! Didn't Centaurumon say something along those lines?"

Dai blinked at Ryoko and started to laugh. "You're brilliant, Ishida! Of course! That makes perfect sense. Why else would Centaurumon want us to waste time looking for a useless digimon?"

"Apparently he's not so useless after all!" Matty smirked.

Dai nodded in agreement and smiled up at Ryoko. "I guess the same goes for you, Ishida!"

Ryoko gave him a rather shy smile and turned bright red in the face. "Thanks," the blond mumbled, looking both surprised and confused by the sudden compliment.

_Okay. It wasn't exactly a compliment, but the part about him being brilliant was!_

"Do you think Wormmon might have had a partner, too?" Sam asked, almost stumbling over the words. The raven haired Digidestined sounded as if he did not know whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing.

"That's definitely a possibility," DemiEmbermon said seriously.

Dai slowly got to his feet and scooped the little digimon into his arms. He turned to face the rest of his friends and stared at each and every one of them before letting his gaze settle on Ryoko. "It doesn't look like we'll be able to go to the Digital World tomorrow, but as soon as the weekend is over, we're going straight to File Island, alright?"

Ryoko got to his feet and nodded. "Alright," the blond said softly.

"I guess we should all head home. It's almost dinnertime, and I don't think we're going to learn much more until we have a chance to talk to Veemon," Matty yawned. "Besides, I'm really tired, and all this useless chatter is putting me to sleep!"

"It wasn't all useless. Ryoko proved that!" Takara shot back, looking amused. "Come on, guys, let's go home."

Dai was about to follow the others out of the room when Ryoko suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"What's wrong, Ishida?"

Ryoko hesitated and glanced anxiously towards the stairs. "Daichi, do you think Mickey's going to be okay?"

Dai gazed at Ryoko for a moment and gently placed his hands on the blond's shoulders. "Don't worry, Ishida. Your cousin's a lot tougher than he looks. I know it's hard to believe, but Mickey can be brave when he wants to be. Seriously. Sometimes he makes me look bad!"

"What about Sam?" Ryoko whispered.

Dai smiled at his friend and nodded. "The same goes for Sam." he whispered back.

For a moment, he could have sworn Ryoko was about to hug him, but instead of moving closer to him, the blond suddenly turned away and stared silently at the floor.

"Ishida, what-"

"Thanks, Dai," Ryoko whispered. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Dai frowned and finally nodded. He was reluctant to leave the blond's side at such a critical turning point in their friendship, but he made himself leave the room. As he was closing the front door behind himself, he realized something that made his mouth drop open in utter shock. For the first time since they were toddlers, Ryoko had called him by his nickname.


	63. So Far Away

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I know Kari doesn't get a big roll in this chapter, but don't worry. She'll have plenty of opportunities to share moments with her boys in the chapters to come. This chapter was giving me a real headache when I was writing it, so I hope it's okay. (The last half was the worst)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 63: So Far Away

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"I assume you have an explanation for your behaviour today?"

DarkAngelicmon knelt in front of the shadowy figure standing before him and bowed his head. "Yes, master. I believe the humans and their digimon are going to be a lot more useful to us than we had first anticipated. I do not think it would be wise to destroy them just yet."

"That still does not explain why you failed to steal two of the six D-Coders!" the dark figure snapped. "Explain yourself!"

_Of course, master. Soon you will understand why Vampiramon should never have been chosen to lead us!_

DarkAngelicmon slowly looked up at his master and smiled slightly. "You'd be surprised at how much I've learned about the Digidestined in such a short time. I could not have attacked them without losing their trust, and that might be the key to finding the Spirit Chips. Gennai refuses to tell us where they are, and I have a feeling the D-Coders will be useless to us without the humans."

"Really," his master said slowly.

_Observation is the key to success. That is something Vampiramon will never understand._

DarkAngelicmon glanced at the robed figure sitting next to the wall and nodded. "Only the humans will be able to do what is necessary with the D-Coders. I know because I've spent a lot of my time watching them closely. Unfortunately Vampiramon has failed to learn the same lesson, and that could cause all of your plans for the Digital World to fall into ruin."

The dark figure stepped forward and gently placed his hand on DarkAngelicmon's head. "You have done well, my faithful servant. Come take a walk with me and tell me more about what you have learned."

"Yes, master," DarkAngelicmon replied. A small smile slipped across his face, and he quickly got to his feet. He was about to leave the room with his master when a sudden voice stopped him.

"Only a fool underestimates the strength and power of the Digidestined."

DarkAngelicmon slowly knelt next to Gennai on the floor and placed a hand against the man's cheek. "For once, I agree with you, Gennai," he said quietly. "We've learned quite a bit from you over the past week, especially about the Spirit Chips, but there are still some things you aren't telling us."

"I will never tell you where the Spirit Chips are," Gennai murmured. "You can torture me all you want, but that is one piece of information I will never reveal."

DarkAngelicmon smiled in amusement and shrugged his shoulders. "That's okay. I'll find out eventually, with or without your help!"

Gennai stared calmly back at him and did not reply.

"Come, DarkAngelicmon. We have much to discuss, and I will not have you wasting your time with fools like Gennai. He will pay for his attempts to thwart me soon enough."

DarkAngelicmon glanced at his master and nodded. "I'm sure he will."

_And I'll be the one who makes sure he does!_

Unfortunately that would have to wait until after Gennai had given them all the information they needed in order to keep the Digidestined from ruining their plans.

The fallen angel took one last look at Gennai's pale face and quickly followed his master out the door. Soon the Digidestined would be his, and there was nothing Vampiramon, Gennai, or anyone else could do about it.

_T.K. Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Mom! Dad! We're home!"

T.K. looked up from the kitchen table and glanced anxiously towards the front hallway. He could hear Mickey and Matty pulling off their shoes, and a small sigh of relief escaped his lips. Unfortunately it was followed by a lump of fear in his throat, and he swallowed hard.

_What if they refuse to tell me anything? I can't force them to talk to me if they really don't want to. If only I could figure out a way to get them to open up to me..._

"T.K., you'd better go talk to them," Cody said quietly, poking him in the arm to get his attention.

He glanced across the table at his wife and reached out to take her hand.

She smiled back at him and gently squeezed his fingers. "Cody's right. You should talk to them as soon as possible, and now seems like a good time."

"Aren't you going to come with me?" he asked.

Kari shook her head and kissed his cheek. "I better stay here and get supper ready. Besides, I think they're less likely to tell us their secret if we both go in there and confront them about it. I don't want to intimidate them, T.K., and I don't want them to think we're getting them into trouble either. If they feel like they're being caught in a trap, they're going to try to hide even more things from us, and I definitely don't want them to feel as if they can't trust their own parents with whatever is bothering them, whether it's the secret they have now or one they may have in the future."

T.K. nodded and managed a weak smile. "Good point," he said quietly. "Alright. I'll let you know what happens."

"Daddy, can I-"

"You're staying right here!" Kari said firmly, giving her daughter a stern look.

"Not fair!" Rina grumbled, gazing sullenly at the table.

Rosa laughed and gently pulled Rina into her arms. "Don't worry, honey. I'm sure Mickey and Matty will tell you everything later! In the meantime, you and I can help your mom get dinner ready, okay?"

Rina wrinkled her nose and wrapped her arms around Rosa's neck. "Alright," she sighed, looking extremely disappointed.

"Don't worry, T.K. Mickey and Matty are going to be just fine," Cody said seriously.

T.K. nodded and glanced towards the door. He wanted to believe his former DNA partner, but he did not think he would be able to until after he had a chance to talk to his sons.

_Well, your chance has finally arrived, so quit stalling and go talk to them!_

T.K. slowly stepped out of the kitchen and glanced towards the living room where he had been sitting with Kari and the others earlier. He could hear Mickey and Matty talking quietly to each other, but he was unable to make out exactly what it was they were saying.

_They sound really upset about something. I wonder what they're talking about. Obviously something's bothering them, and whatever it is, it can't be good._

"Hello, boys," he said softly, walking into the room with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

Mickey and Matty looked up in surprise, and they both smiled at him.

"Hi, Dad," Mickey said quietly.

T.K. studied his sons' faces for a moment and frowned. _They're smiling at me, but their eyes are filled with fear. Are they afraid I might have overheard them talking, or are they afraid of something else?_

"Is dinner almost ready?" Matty asked, glancing nervously towards the door.

T.K. nodded and slowly sat down on the couch next to Mickey. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he did not really know where to begin.

Matty yawned loudly and stretched his arms over his head. "That's good. I'm starving, and I'm also sleepy. I think I'm going to have to go to bed early tonight. If I don't, I'll never be able to wake up at a decent time tomorrow!"

T.K. gently placed his hand on Mickey's shoulder and did not reply. Instead, he watched his sons closely and was immediately concerned by what he saw.

Matty was leaning against the arm of the couch, and his feet were curled up underneath him. There was a small frown on his face, and he looked extremely tense. Mickey's feet were propped up on the coffee table, and the older twin had his face turned away from Matty. Although the two of them were sitting close together, their body language made it seem as if they were miles apart. Both of them appeared to be avoiding each other's eyes, and the tension between them was so thick you could almost see it.

_I don't understand. Mickey and Matty hardly ever fight. What could have happened to make them act this way towards each other?_

He searched his brain for an answer and came up with nothing.

_What am I going to do? I would die before I would ever let them hurt each other, but I have a feeling this isn't something I can fix with a few simple words and a couple of hugs._

T.K. gazed at his sons for a moment, and a sad smile slipped across his face. _I wonder if Mickey and Matty realize how lucky they are. I would have given anything for a chance to grow up with my brother._

It had taken him a long time to get over his parents' divorce, but the amount of suffering he had had to endure was nothing compared to the pain his brother had been forced to live with.

_Matt's a few years older than me, and he can remember what went on during that time better than I can. The years following our parents' divorce were really hard. We were lucky if we got to see each other once every couple of weeks. Things got a lot better between us after our first trip to the Digital World, but I still can't help thinking about all the times we couldn't be there for each other when things got tough. The only good thing to come out of our parents' divorce was the fact that it made us even more determined to spend time with each other. We learned to cherish every single moment we had together, and that was something our parents' divorce could never take away from us. After moving to Odaiba, I got to spend even more time with Matt, and it was like we had never been separated. We got to see each other almost every day, and I even got to spend more time with my dad. I know my parents' divorce was probably for the best, but I still can't help wondering if their decision to separate was a choice that could have ended up ruining my relationship with Matt forever..._

T.K. squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in Mickey's hair. If he had not tried so hard to stay in touch with Matt, things might have turned out a lot differently between them. They could have ended up becoming complete strangers instead of good friends and even better brothers. The thought alone was enough to make him feel sick.

_I know Mickey and Matty are going to grow up together, but that doesn't mean they won't start drifting away from each other, especially if they continue to act like they are now. How am I going to stop them from making such a huge mistake? If they start to treat each other like strangers, they're going to regret it. I can't just sit here and do nothing, and I definitely can't let them experience the same kind of pain I had to live with for so many years..._

"Boys, what's wrong?" he asked quietly. "You seem upset about something."

Mickey and Matty glanced anxiously at each other and turned to look at their backpacks. Both bags were lying on the floor next to the wall, and they appeared to be unusually full.

"We're not," Mickey mumbled, blushing furiously.

T.K. raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Mickey's green backpack. "It looks like the two of you were given a lot of homework to do over the weekend."

Matty's face turned pure white, and the younger twin tugged nervously on his dark blue, hooded sweater. "We got most of it done at Ryoko's house."

"Yeah. Don't worry, Dad. We're not leaving it until the last minute," Mickey blurted out.

"I know."

T.K. gave his sons a reassuring smile and glanced once more at their backpacks._ Are they hiding something in their bags?_

He was tempted to check, but guilt prevented him from leaping off the couch and racing over to the wall to make sure his sons were telling him the truth. Mickey and Matty were entitled to a little bit of privacy, and accusing them of anything now would only make them even more reluctant to tell him their big secret.

"Dad, are you okay?" Mickey asked, looking extremely uneasy.

T.K. took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around both of his sons' shoulders. "I had a very confusing conversation with Rina today," he said quietly, pulling them close and resting his cheek against the top of Mickey's head.

His sons slowly turned to look at each other, and their amber eyes filled with horror.

"Dad, we can totally explain!" Matty gasped.

Mickey's eyes began to sparkle with tears, and the older twin buried his face against Matty's shoulder. Both of them looked absolutely terrified, and they were trying unsuccessfully to hide behind each other.

_They think I know exactly what's going on, and they're afraid I'm going to start yelling at them. Does that mean they're doing something they shouldn't be doing?_

T.K. crossed his arms and gave them a long look. "Explain what?" he asked quietly.

Matty blinked in surprise and slowly loosened his grip on Mickey's green t-shirt. "You mean...you don't know?"

T.K. shook his head and gave Mickey a comforting hug. "Rina didn't tell me anything. She knows why the two of you have been acting so strange lately, but she wouldn't give me any details. She told me to ask you myself, and I promised her I would. Mickey, Matty, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. We're fine," Mickey mumbled, sounding extremely guilty.

Matty nodded in agreement and smiled softly at his brother. The tension between then seemed to have faded a little bit, and it looked like they were no longer avoiding each other's eyes.

_Either that or there was never any tension to begin with. Maybe I'm just imagining things. At least, I hope I'm just imagining things..._

T.K. frowned and hugged his sons tightly against his chest. "Rina told me you two have a secret, and apparently she's not allowed to tell me what it is. I know I can't force you to tell me anything, but I want both of you to know I'm here if you need someone to talk to. Your mother and I aren't blind. We noticed your odd behaviour a long time ago, and we want to know what's wrong. That's why we asked Rina if she knew what was going on with you two."

Matty's face turned green, and he glanced anxiously at his twin. "Mickey..."

Mickey flinched and quickly turned away from Matty. "No," the older twin said quietly.

"Mickey, they're going to-"

T.K. turned to look at Matty, and the younger twin quickly fell silent.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Mickey whispered. "I want to tell you, but I can't, and neither can Matty."

"You can tell Rina, but you can't tell me?" T.K. said quietly.

Mickey blushed bright red and nervously bit his lip. "She found out by accident. One day we'll tell you and Mom what's going on. I promise."

T.K. gently brushed Mickey's tears away and smiled softly at both of his sons. "How about today?"

"You probably wouldn't believe us anyway," Matty muttered. "Sorry, Dad, but now is definitely not a good time."

"Matty, I'll believe anything. Trust me. I take it the two of you aren't going to tell me anything until it's too late for me to intervene," he said dryly.

Matty glanced at Mickey and rolled his eyes. "Are we really that obvious?"

"Matty, you really need to learn how to keep your mouth shut!" Mickey replied, giving his brother a fond smile.

_I still can't believe I had a hand in creating these two amazing human beings. I would have been happy with just one son, and by some miracle, I ended up with two. How in the world did I get to be so lucky?_

T.K. felt his eyes start to sting, and he hugged both of his sons as tightly as he could. "I love you both so much," he whispered into their golden hair. "If anything ever happened to either one of you..."

"You don't have to worry, Dad. Everything's going to be okay," Matty said softly.

"We love you, too," Mickey whispered.

T.K. let out a weary sigh and slowly shook his head. "Where's my guardian angel when I need him?" he muttered.

_If only Angemon and Angewomon were here. I know they would look after Mickey and Matty, and then I wouldn't have to worry about my sons getting themselves into trouble._

"What was that?"

T.K. turned to look at Matty in surprise and realized his son's face was filled with fear and astonishment. _Why is he looking at me like that? There's no way he could know about Angemon..._

"Dad, did you just say something about an...angel?" Mickey choked out, glancing frantically at Matty.

T.K. felt his face heat up, and he quickly got to his feet. "Come on, boys. Dinner's probably ready by now, and we don't want to keep your mother waiting. Besides, Cody and Rosa want to see you."

The twins stared uneasily at him for a moment and finally nodded.

"I can't believe Rina kept our secret," Matty said softly, looking very relieved. "She's the best little sister ever!"

Mickey nodded in agreement and smiled at Matty. "We were right about her after all."

"Yes, how unfortunate for me!" T.K. laughed. "I'm sorry for making you upset, Mickey, and you, too, Matty."

"Don't worry about it," Matty said softly.

_They don't know about Angemon. They can't..._

T.K. pulled his sons into his arms and held them close. "Promise me you'll tell me your secret eventually?"

"We promise," Mickey whispered.

T.K. slowly nodded and watched his sons leave the room.

_They'd better keep their promise. I've never been so scared in my life. Oh, Patamon. I wish you were here with me. You'd know exactly what to do in this type of situation._

Unfortunately Patamon was somewhere in the Digital World, and there was no way he could contact the little guy. This time he was on his own, and if he did not find a way to help his sons soon, then there was a good chance he could end up losing them forever...


	64. Calling All Digidestined

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'll probably be updating MBFG next, but first here's another chapter! Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 64: Calling All Digidestined

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Davis, will you please get the door?" Noriko shouted from the kitchen. "I have to finish getting breakfast ready, and while you're at it, tell Ami to take Shadow out for his morning walk."

"Why do I have to walk the dumb dog?" Ami complained, stomping into the living room and crossing her arms over her chest.

Davis looked up from the newspaper he had been trying to read and rolled his eyes. "Somebody has to walk the dog, and since Dai's not here-"

"Where is Dai anyway?" Ami interrupted, glancing suspiciously around the room.

Davis studied his daughter's face for a moment and shrugged. "He left for school about fifteen minutes ago."

"You're kidding!" Ami shook her head in disbelief and glanced angrily towards the living room door as if she expected to see Dai standing there with his backpack hanging over his shoulder. "Dai never gets up early for school! Honestly, Dad, I don't know why you and Mom let him have a dog in the first place. He obviously doesn't care about Shadow as much as he says he does. If he did, he wouldn't try to avoid Mom like the plague just because she wants him to take responsibility for his pet! I think he ran out of here so early because he wanted to avoid having to take Shadow for a walk! He should be punished for that kind of behaviour!"

_Trust me, Ami. You're not the only one who's surprised!_

"I'm sure your mother would agree with you," Davis said dryly. "She never even had a chance to yell at him before he was out the door and gone in a flash!"

"No wonder she's in such a bad mood this morning!" Ami muttered.

Davis got to his feet and gave his daughter a stern look. "Well? What are you waiting for? Shadow already has his leash on, and he's waiting for you in the kitchen. You don't want to disappoint him, do you?"

"Dad! You and Mom are being totally unfair! Shadow isn't even my dog! Why should I have to take him for a walk?" Ami shouted.

"Because I said so!" Davis shot back, nudging his daughter towards the door. "Hurry up, or you're going to be late for school."

"Excuse me, Dad, but I promised Miya I'd meet her at the convenience store this morning. As you can see, I have better things to do with my time than look after Dai's dumb dog. Will you walk Shadow for me?"

Davis smiled slightly and shook his head. "Not a chance. Now get moving. I have to answer the door."

"Fine, but when I get my hands on Dai, I'm going to strangle him!" his daughter snapped.

She sent him one last dirty look before stomping into the kitchen, and he let out a loud sigh.

_First Dai, and now Ami. Why do my kids have to act so much like me? Well, Noriko's pretty stubborn, too. Maybe this is all her fault! I never really thought there was anything wrong with my genes. After all, nobody can resist the Motomiya charm for long! Yeah. There's no doubt about it. This is definitely Noriko's fault!_

"Davis, are you going to answer the front door, or not?" Noriko shouted.

_I rest my case!_

Davis quickly pulled open the door, and he raised his eyebrows at the sight of Kari and T.K. standing impatiently on his doorstep.

"What took you so long? We've been standing out here for five minutes!" T.K. said, his sky blue eyes narrowing into a frown.

Davis leaned against the door and smiled at them. "Sorry about that. Ami was in the middle of a big speech about my terrible parenting skills. What are you two doing here this early in the morning?" he asked curiously.

Kari glanced nervously at T.K. and bit her lip. "Davis, we need to talk to you," she said quietly. "We can't stay long because I have to get to work and T.K. has to-"

Davis cut her off with a wave of his hand and stared at them in horror. "Dai," he whispered. "My son. He told me he was going to school just before he rushed out the door this morning. Has something happened to him? Is he alright?"

"He's fine," T.K. said softly. "At least, he was when I saw him a few minutes ago."

Davis stared at the blond in surprise and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He left our house not that long ago with Mickey and Matty," Kari explained. "I think the three of them are on their way to Ryoko's house."

"You know Dai likes to hang out with his friends before school starts," T.K. added.

Davis smiled at them and nodded. "Dai has always been big on friendship. Unfortunately he has a hard time making it to school before the final bell rings every morning, so he's lucky if he gets five minutes to hang out with Ryoko and the others!"

"Your son definitely knows what friendship is all about," T.K. said softly, giving him a warm smile. "He acts so much like you, and trust me, Davis, that's a good thing. Yolei and Ami might complain about your parenting skills, but I wouldn't listen to them if I were you. I think you make a great dad."

Davis felt his face turn red, and he quickly pulled them both into the house. "Come on. Let's go talk in the living room."

_T.K.'s right. Ami and Dai definitely take after me!_

"Okay," Kari said quietly, glancing anxiously at T.K.

_They look really worried about something. I wonder what's going on. At least Dai's alright. For a moment there, I thought Kari was going to tell me my son had been hurt or worse..._

Davis felt a shiver race down his spine, and he followed his friends into the next room. He sat down beside T.K. on the couch and gave the blond a serious look. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly. "Does this have anything to do with my son?"

T.K. blinked in surprise and slowly nodded. "Actually, it does. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," he said dryly. "Alright. What has Dai done this time?"

"We'll get to that in a moment. First we want to talk about Mickey and Matty," Kari said seriously.

Davis turned to look at her and frowned. "What about them?"

Kari quickly told him about the conversation T.K. had had with Mickey and Matty a couple of nights ago, and when she was finished, he stared at her in shock. "You're kidding me! Rina knows Mickey's and Matty's secret, and she won't tell you what it is?"

"That's right," T.K. said quietly. "I tried to get Mickey and Matty to tell me what was wrong, but they refused to say a single word."

"Davis, we don't know what to do anymore," Kari whispered, her amber eyes sparkling with fear. "We can't punish them unless we know for sure they've done something wrong, and we can't make that decision until we find out what they've been up to for the past week or so."

"I'm scared, Davis," T.K. choked out. "If anything ever happens to them..."

Davis placed a comforting hand on the blond's shoulder and gave his friend a reassuring smile.

_I never thought in a million years that T.K. and I would end up becoming this close to each other, but things happen for a reason, and this is one thing I'll always be thankful for. I'll never forget the day we managed to repair our friendship, and I know he feels the exact same way._

It had been one of those moments when you just knew everything was going to turn out okay. The two of them had accidentally ran into each other at the beach, and the rest of the story was history. Both of them had suffered a lot of heartache and sadness, but somehow they had managed to put all of that behind them and move on. Now the two of them were closer than ever, and Davis knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that nothing would ever come between them again.

"I'm really sorry, T.K.," he said softly. "I know how much you love Mickey and Matty, but I really don't see what any of this has to do with Dai."

"Davis, did Dai skip soccer practice last week?" Kari asked, looking extremely uneasy.

Davis felt his heart begin to pound rapidly in his chest, and he slowly shook his head. "Not that I know of. I remember Noriko was worried about him that day, but when he came home from practice, he said he was fine. Why do you ask?"

"I don't think Mickey and Matty are the only ones who have a secret," T.K. replied, his eyebrows narrowing into a frown. "In fact, I think Dai, Sam, Ryoko, and Takara have the same secret Mickey and Matty have, and all six of them are making sure we don't find out what it is."

Kari nodded in agreement and rested her cheek against T.K.'s shoulder. "Cody gave us some very interesting informaton yesterday. He said Kenzo mentioned something to him about Dai skipping soccer practice. Do you know what Kenzo was talking about?"

Davis shook his head and clamped his hands together to keep them from shaking. "No," he said quietly. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Kari smiled sadly at him and leaned over her husband to kiss his cheek. "I know Dai told you he was at soccer practice, but I have a feeling he wasn't being entirely honest with you. Dai's practice took place on the same day Ryoko and Kara were conveniently late for Taysuke's soccer game, and if they had really been at Dai's soccer practice, they would not have been late. Dai's practices never run overtime."

"Matt told us about Kara and Ryoko," T.K. explained. "My niece and nephew told their parents they were late for Tay's soccer game because they got held up at Dai's practice, but I'm finding that explanation very hard to believe. Davis, our children are keeping a very big secret from us, and we have to find out what it is before they end up getting themselves into serious trouble."

_Dai lied to me, and he lied to Noriko. How am I going to be able to trust him again after this?_

"Kari, will you please tell Noriko to come in here?" he said calmly.

Kari gave him a frightened look and quickly hurried out of the room, her dark hair streaming out behind her.

"Davis, are you alright?" T.K. asked, looking concerned.

_No, I'm not alright. I noticed Dai's strange behaviour a while ago, but I never thought it would end up causing so many problems..._

Davis gazed into his blond friend's blue eyes and slowly shook his head. "T.K., you'd better call Tai and tell him to spread the news," he said quietly. "I think it's time for a good old-fashioned Digidestined meeting."

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"It's too bad we weren't able to go to the Digital World yesterday," Takara said glumly. "Who knows what Vampiramon and her buddies have been up to during the last twenty-four hours!"

"Don't worry, Kara. We'll be in the Digital World as soon as school's over, and then we can start searching for Veemon and the others," Ryoko replied.

He had left his house about twenty minutes ago with Dai and the twins, and the four of them had ended up running into Sam and Takara just before reaching the school grounds. Somehow Dai had managed to wake up early, instead of sleeping in till the last minute, so they had plenty of time to talk before school started for the day.

"Ryoko's right," Sam whispered, glancing anxiously towards the school building. "Vampiramon can't cause too much trouble in the Digiworld without us there. She needs our D-Coders for her plans, remember?"

They were doing their best to keep their voices down because Mrs. Hanari was standing on the school steps. Every so often she would glance suspiciously in their direction, and the frown on her face was making Ryoko nervous.

"That's right. I almost forgot!" Takara said happily.

"Why does she always think I'm up to no good?" Dai muttered, glaring in Mrs. Hanari's direction. "You'd think she could give me the benefit of the doubt at least once in a while!"

"She's worse than your mother!" Matty laughed.

Dai groaned and made a face. "That reminds me. My mom's going to kill me when I get home from school today. I snuck out of the house before she could make me take Shadow for a walk, and I know for a fact that's going to get me into major trouble!"

"It's a good thing we're going to the Digital World before you have to face Noriko!" Takara said dryly.

"No kidding. Let's meet in the computer room after school, okay?"

"Alright, but I have to go home first, so I might be a little late," Ryoko said quietly.

Everyone turned to look at him, and he felt his face heat up.

"Why?" Mickey asked curiously.

Ryoko avoided his cousin's eyes and frowned. "I'm not really sure," he mumbled. "My dad woke me up this morning, and I could tell he was really nervous about something, but when I asked him what was wrong, he just looked at me and said he was fine."

Takara frowned and crossed her arms. "That's weird. Did he say anything else?"

"Well, I told him I was going to be hanging out with you guys after school today, and he said that was fine as long as I promised to come home first. He also said my mother wants to tell me something, but she won't know what to say until this afternoon. What do you think's going on?"

"I have no idea," Takara replied. "Did your mom say anything to you this morning?"

Ryoko avoided her eyes and shook his head. "No. I saw her before I left for school, but she didn't say a single word to me. She looked like she was lost in thought, and her face was really pale. Do you guys think there might be something wrong with her?"

Matty smiled at him and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry, Ryoko. I'm sure Aunt Mimi's fine."

"Maybe she's just having a bad day," Mickey said softly.

"There's no sense in worrying about her until you know for sure what's going on," Takara said reasonably.

Ryoko bit his lip and finally nodded. He could tell his friends were doing their best to cheer him up, but their efforts were not really helping him very much. "Come on," he said quietly. "Let's get to the computer room before our digimon end up sweating to death in our backpacks!"

"Hurry!" DemiEmbermon moaned from Dai's bag.

"Keep your voice down!" Dai whispered back.

They started up the stairs towards the front doors, and Dai gave Mrs. Hanari a brilliant smile. "Good morning, Mrs. Hanari!" he said cheerfully.

Mrs. Hanari glared at the goggle headed leader and crossed her arms. "I suggest you get inside before the bell rings, Daichi, or I might have to stick you in detention. Well, I suppose it wouldn't be a first time, but to do so this early in the week? Your mother would have a fit!" she snapped.

Dai's face turned red, and he stomped into the school without a backwards glance. "She's evil! Pure evil!" the goggle headed leader muttered.

"Dai, you'd better not get into trouble today! The Digital World needs you!" Takara scolded.

"I won't. I promise," Dai replied.

Ryoko barely heard them. He was too busy worrying about his mother. _I've never seen her act so weird before, and Dad's obviously worried about her. What does she want to tell me, and why does she have to wait until this afternoon to let me know what's going on? Both of my parents were really quiet this morning, and that doesn't make any sense at all. Usually they're tripping over themselves in an effort to get me to open up to them, and today they barely seemed to notice me at all. Whatever their big secret is, I hope it's good news and not bad news..._


	65. Baby Number Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Matt is too cute in this chapter. I just couldn't help myself! Enjoy and please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 65: Baby Number Two

_Matt Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Matt Ishida burst through the front door of his house later that afternoon and nearly fell over the shoes in the hallway in his haste to find Mimi. He put a hand against the wall to steady himself and took a moment to catch his breath.

_Mimi must be around here somewhere. Her doctor's appointment took place almost an hour ago!_

His heart was pounding so fast, he could barely think straight. He had made arrangements to get off work earlier than usual that day because he had wanted to be there for Mimi when she came home from her appointment. There was a good chance his wife had ended up receiving bad news from the doctor, and if that was the case, then she was going to need his support.

_I wish I could have gone with her to the doctor's office, but I couldn't get away from work on time to make it home before she left for her appointment. I want to know what's going on, but I'm afraid to find out. What if we got our hopes up for nothing? No! She has to be pregnant. She just has to be! If she's not, how am I ever going to find a way to be happy again?_

"It looks like Mimi's not the only one who's going to need a little support," he muttered to himself.

_My wife's going to be devastated if it turns out she's not pregnant after all, and I know I'm going to feel the exact same way. How are either one of us going to be able to move on with our lives, and what about Ryoko? He's going to be so disappointed..._

Matt slowly straightened up and put his hands over his face. He wanted to find Mimi right away and ask her what was going on, but he was afraid of what she might say.

_Mimi and I have always wanted at least two children, if not more, but we're running out of chances to make our dream come true. I guess we could always adopt a child if things don't work out today. We've talked about it before, but I don't know if Mimi will be able to bring herself to go through the adoption process after suffering such a huge disappointment. There are so many kids out there who need loving parents, and if we can't have any more of our own children, we might as well adopt a child who deserves our love and affection. After all, adoption might be Mimi's last chance at happiness, and I'm sure there are a lot of kids out there who would benefit from being placed in a good home. I used to believe I was all alone in the world, and I thought nobody loved me, but I was wrong, and that's why I'm willing to do anything if it means I get a chance to be a dad again. I've learned so much growing up, and I want to be able to pass that on to Ryoko and to any other children I might have, whether they're my own biological children or not._

"Where's Tai when I need him?" he said softly. "I could use some of his courage right about now."

"Matt?"

Matt froze at the sound of his wife's voice and glanced anxiously towards the living room. _Mimi, you're here..._

"Matt, is that you?" Mimi called out.

Matt took a deep breath and slowly entered the living room. The tone of his wife's voice made him feel very uneasy because he could not tell if she was sad, happy, or somewhere in between.

_Her voice sounds so calm. Maybe she's in shock, but if she is, then does that mean the doctor gave her bad news?_

"Hey, Mimi," he said softly, giving his wife a nervous smile.

Mimi was sitting on the couch with her legs curled up underneath her, and there was a thoughtful expression on her face. It looked like she had walked into the living room immediately after coming home because her shoes were lying in a heap next to the couch.

"Mimi?" he whispered. "Are you alright?"

"Hey, Matt," his wife said quietly, ignoring his question. "I've been waiting for you to come home."

Matt slowly stepped forward, and after a brief hesitation, he sat down next to her on the couch. "How long have you been sitting here?"

"Not that long," she said softly.

"Mimi..."

Mimi finally turned to look at him, and he felt his heart sink. Her cinnamon eyes were sparkling with tears, and she looked like she was going to break down at any moment.

_Please tell me this is a bad dream..._

Matt felt his eyes start to sting, and he collapsed against the back of the couch. "Mimi, I'm so sorry," he choked out.

He felt like his heart was being torn into a million pieces. Mimi had seemed so sure of herself in the restaurant a few days ago, and for the first time in years, he had allowed himself to feel a small spark of excitement. Unfortunately, in less than a minute, all of his hopes had come crashing back down, and he knew there was no way he was going to be able to mend his broken heart, despite the fact that he had prepared himself for bad news as well as good news. The pain and sadness in his heart was stronger than anything he had ever felt before, and he had a horrible feeling the realization of what he had lost was going to haunt his memory forever...

"No," Mimi whispered. "Matt, look at me. Please, honey? Let me say something before you start to get all upset."

Matt looked up in surprise, and Mimi gently placed her hand against his cheek. He stared at her for a moment, and a loud gasp escaped his lips. There were tears running down her face, but she did not look at all upset. Her cinnamon eyes were sparkling with happiness, and he realized she was smiling.

"Mimi, what's going on?" he whispered, reaching out and taking her hand. "What did the doctor have to say?"

Mimi started to cry, and she hugged him tightly around the neck. "Matt, I was right," she sobbed into his shoulder. "We're going to have a baby! I can't believe it! I'm so happy, I don't even know what to say. Matt, I love you so much. I haven't felt this happy since Ryoko was born!"

Matt was speechless. He did not think he would have been able to say anything even if he had wanted to. This was the moment he had been waiting for all day, and it was more amazing than anything he could have ever imagined.

_It took thirteen years, but I'm finally going to be a dad again..._

"Can you believe we're going to be parents again?" Mimi mumbled in his ear. It was almost as if she had read his mind. He hugged her as hard as he could and realized there were tears running down his face. "I love you," he whispered over and over again into her rosy coloured hair.

Mimi started to laugh, and she kissed him on the lips. "I'm sorry I made you worry so much, but I've been in a daze ever since I left the doctor's office. Ryoko's going to be so happy. I know he has always wanted a sibling. I've heard him mention it to his friends a few times."

"Me, too," Matt said quietly, his voice trembling with emotion.

Mimi sighed softly and wrapped her arms around his waist. "The only reason he hasn't said anything to us is because he doesn't want to make us feel bad."

"I know." Matt stroked his wife's rosy hair and slowly shook his head. "Ryoko has quite a few friends, but I can tell there's something missing. I think he would really benefit from having a little brother or sister to spend time with."

Mimi nodded and rested her cheek against his shoulder. "Matt, do you want to have a boy or a girl this time?" she asked quietly.

Matt smiled softly at his wife and gently placed a hand against her stomache. "I don't care," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss the top of her head. "I just want our baby to be born healthy and happy."

"Me, too," Mimi replied, her cinnamon eyes sparkling with happiness. "Matt, I can't wait to tell everyone the news. Sora's going to freak when she finds out, and Tai and T.K. are going to be so happy for you. I bet Rina and the twins are going to be ecstatic. I'm sure they'd love to have another cousin!"

Matt rolled his eyes and started to laugh. "Let's concentrate on telling Ryoko first. We can let the others know when we meet up with them at Davis' house."

"Why does Davis want all of us to come over this evening anyway?" Mimi asked, looking uneasy.

Matt frowned and gently rubbed her stomache. "I'm not sure. Tai sounded really confused when I talked to him over the phone this morning, and I could tell he didn't have a clue what was going on. He just said he was passing on a message from T.K., and apparently Davis was the one who asked T.K. to call him in the first place."

"I guess we'll find out when we get to Davis' house," Mimi said quietly.

Matt hesitated and finally nodded. He was concerned about what was going on with Davis, but the thought of being a dad again was making it difficult for him to focus on anything else, including the importance of Tai's phone call.

"Mimi, I can't even tell you how happy I am," He whispered, tears of joy threatening to spill from his eyes again. "Our dream has finally come true, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure both of our children realize how much we love them."

_Mimi Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Mimi snuggled against her husband's chest and squeezed her eyes shut. "Matt, Ryoko already knows how much we love him," she said softly. "You're a great father, and I know our baby's going to be so happy to have you for a dad."

A warm smile slipped across Matt's face, and he gently touched her cheek. "The same goes for you, Mimi. Ryoko thinks you're the best mother in the world, and our baby is going to feel the exact same way."

"Thank you," Mimi whispered. She smiled at the look of pure joy on Matt's face and hugged her husband tightly against her chest. There were tears running down her face, but she barely even noticed. All she could think about was the baby she knew she was having and the look of happiness that was going to be on Ryoko's face when he found out. She had started to cry immediately after the doctor had given her the news, and ever since then, she had been in a state of shock. In fact, the doctor had made her sit in the waiting room for fifteen minutes before he would let her drive home.

_I've dreamed about this moment for so long, and now, after years of waiting for another child, I'm finally pregnant and more than ready to be a mom again. I'll never forget the look that had been on Matt's face when he thought I wasn't pregnant, and I don't even want to think about what the expression on my face would have been if I had been in his position._

Matt's left hand was still resting against her stomache, and she gently squeezed his fingers."We'd almost given up on having another baby, but I'm glad we didn't. If we had, we never would have created this beautiful infant lying inside of me. Miracles don't always happen right away, but when one does finally pop up out of nowhere, a part of you starts to realize it was definitely worth the wait."

"This is one miracle I know I'll never take for granted," Matt whispered, leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on her stomache.

Mimi buried her face in his golden hair and wrapped her arms around his neck. She loved her husband more than she could ever put into words, and she knew he felt the same way about her. They did everything they could to make each other happy, and that was why they had such a wonderful marriage. Matt's sapphire eyes were sparkling with excitement, and his face was glowing with pure happiness. He looked like he had forgotten how to be sad.

_I love you, Matt. I love you so much._

Mimi stroked his golden hair and let out a soft sigh. Her husband had not looked this happy since the day Ryoko had first called him daddy, and she knew she would never forget the look that had been on his face when she had announced she was pregnant. That had been the best moment of all, and she knew she would never forget it, no matter how many more years passed by.

"Mom?"

Mimi jumped at the sound of her son's voice and glanced towards the living room door. "I'm in the living room, honey. Your father's here, too," she called back, her heart pounding with excitement.

Matt rested his cheek against the top of her head, and she gave him a nervous smile. She had missed the sound of the door opening because she had been lost in her own thoughts, but that was the least of her concerns. Ryoko was very worried about her, and she had to concentrate on making sure he understood what was going on.

"Mom, are you alright?" Ryoko gasped, racing into the room and throwing his arms around her neck.

Mimi hugged her son tightly and kissed him gently on the cheek. "I'm fine, Ryoko," she whispered. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Your father and I didn't mean to make you worry so much."

"Mom, what's going on? Why were you and Dad acting so strange this morning?" Ryoko mumbled into her shoulder. He placed his hand against her tear stained cheek and stared at her in horror. He looked like he was going to be sick.

_My poor baby. He probably thinks there's something wrong with me. I better tell him what's going on before he starts to think I'm dying from some horrible disease or something. _

She could feel her son trembling in her arms , and she gently rubbed his back in a soothing gesture. "I love you," she whispered softly into his golden hair.

"Ryoko, your mom and I have something to tell you," Matt said quietly.

Ryoko gave his father a frightened look, and Matt started to laugh. "Don't worry, Ryoko, it's good news. Why don't you sit down on the couch and we'll tell you what's going on."

Ryoko slowly sat down between them and frowned. "You're not just trying to make me feel better are you?"

"No," Matt whispered, pulling his son into a warm hug. "Go ahead, Mimi. I think you should be the one to tell him."

Mimi nodded and placed her hand against her son's smooth cheek. "Honey, I wanted to tell you sooner, but I decided to wait until I knew for sure what the answer was going to be. I didn't want you to get your hopes up for nothing."

"Is that why you had to wait until this afternoon to explain to me why you've been acting so weird ever since I woke up this morning?" Ryoko asked, clinging tightly to his dad's arms. His sapphire eyes were filled with fear, and he looked like he was going to start panicking at any moment.

"Matt, what did you say to him this morning? The poor boy is scared out of his mind!" Mimi scolded.

Matt rested his chin against the top of Ryoko's head and sighed. "I'm sorry, Ryoko," he murmured, holding his son close. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Ryoko leaned back against his father's chest and shook his head. "It's okay," he said quietly. "Mom, Dad just said you wanted to tell me something, but you wouldn't know what to say until this afternoon. Please tell me what's going on."

Mimi gazed directly into her son's sapphire eyes and took a deep breath. "I went to the doctor's office this afternoon, and he gave me some really great news. He told me I'm going to have another baby, and that means you're going to have a new sibling," she whispered.

For a moment, Ryoko just stared at her, and then his eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious?" he gasped.

Mimi smiled and wrapped her arms around her son in a warm embrace. "I've never been more serious in my life," she murmured.

Ryoko's eyes filled with sudden tears, and he hugged her tightly. "I was afraid you were going to give me bad news," he choked out.

"No way," Matt said quietly, leaning forward to kiss the back of his son's head.

"I can't believe it," Ryoko whispered, his sapphire eyes beginning to sparkle with happiness. "I've always wanted a little brother or sister, but I didn't want to say anything because I didn't think it would ever happen. Besides, I didn't want you guys to feel bad..."

"We know," Mimi whispered. "It's okay, Ryoko. Your father and I have heard you mention it to your friends before, and we feel the exact same way. We've always wanted to give you a sibling, and now we finally have a chance to make your dream and our dream come true."

"I love you, Mom," Ryoko said softly.

"I love you, too, and I'm so glad you're happy about having a new sibling," she whispered back.

Matt smiled at her and gently ruffled his son's hair. "Hey, Ryoko? Which would you prefer, a brother or a sister?"

Ryoko laughed and wrapped his arms around his dad's neck. "I don't care," he said softly. "I just want a sibling."

"I'm glad," Matt whispered, resting his cheek against Ryoko's forehead. "You know what? When you were born, I cried like a baby."

"Yeah right," Ryoko replied, giving his dad a fond smile. "I bet you're just saying that."

"No, it's true," Matt insisted. "Just don't tell your Uncle Tai. Your mother was worse. She cried for two hours straight after you were born."

"I was so happy," Mimi whispered, hugging her son tightly.

Ryoko blushed and smiled at her. "Mom, can I tell Dai and the others?" he asked softly.

Mimi nodded and kissed his cheek. "You can tell the whole world if you want to," she whispered. "Actually, Davis wants us to come over to his house for dinner tonight, and since Tai and the others are going to be there, as well, we'll have a perfect chance to tell everyone at once."

"I know you're hanging out with your friends this afternoon, so make sure you come home with Dai, alright?" Matt said, bending forward and kissing Ryoko's forehead.

"I will," Ryoko said softly. "I better go before Takara and the others start to wonder where I am. I'll see you guys at Dai's house this evening."

"Alright," Mimi replied. "Have a good time, sweetheart."

Ryoko nodded and gently placed his hand against her belly. "I will," he said softly. "Goodbye, little brother or sister. I'll see you later."

Mimi kissed her son's cheek again and rested her head against his shoulder. "You're going to be a great brother, Ryoko."

Matt nodded in agreement and gently kissed her stomache again. "And you're going to be one lucky baby," he whispered to her growing belly.

Ryoko raised his eyebrows, and Mimi started to laugh. "Your dad used to do the same thing when I was pregnant with you," she said softly, giving her son a warm smile.

Ryoko's face turned pink, and he beamed at his father. "See you guys tonight," he murmured, kissing them both and racing out of the room.

Mimi blinked in surprise and turned to look at her husband. "What was that all about?"

Matt crossed his arms and gave her a look. "I think you've embarrassed him. Now he's never going to be able to look us in the eyes again!"

Mimi laughed and gave her husband a small smile. "Hey, Matt? How come you don't want Tai to know you cried when Ryoko was born?"

Matt blushed and quickly looked away from her. "No reason," he mumbled.

"You're being ridiculous, you know that?" Mimi replied, rolling her eyes. "Trust me, I know. Tai cried when Kara was born, and he cried again when Tay was born! What do you have to be embarrassed about?"

Matt's mouth dropped open, and he stared at her in surprise. "How do you know?"

"Sora told me! Tai probably didn't want you to find out, but Sora never said I was suppose to keep the news a secret!" she giggled.

"Really," Matt replied, a sly smile slipping across his face.

She nodded, and he gave her a suspicious look.

"Wait a minute. You didn't tell Sora I cried when Ryoko was born, did you?" he asked.

"Um...maybe..."

"Mimi! I bet you anything she told Tai! Thanks a lot!" Matt complained. "Come on. Let's hurry up and get to Davis' house. I know he said this evening, but I bet he wants to talk to us before all the kids start to show up!"

Mimi laughed and gently placed her hands against her stomache. "Ryoko, your dad, and I are really excited to meet you," she whispered softly to her belly. "We love you, baby. All three of us are going to protect you and keep you safe."

Matt gently squeezed her hand, and she smiled at him. Whatever Davis wanted to tell them tonight was going to have to wait until after she had a chance to tell everyone about the newest Ishida family member.


	66. The Children of Friendship

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm thinking there's going to be a major confrontation coming up! (and I don't mean Dai and Ryoko!) I know this chapter's short, but I'm sure you can see why. Onward to adventure! Please review, and while you're at it, feel free to write me a novel. I love reading reviews! (You wouldn't believe how much they've helped this story develop!)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 66: The Children of Friendship

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Dai sat down on a desk in the computer room and he gave the door a very impatient look. "How long does it take? If Ryoko doesn't hurry up, we're going to have to go to the Digital World without him."

"He'll be here," Iramon said quietly.

_He'd better be!_

Dai let out a weary sigh and he gently wrapped his arms around Ryoko's digimon in a comforting hug. "Guys, we don't have all day, you know. We have to be back before dinner. If we're not, our parents are going to wonder where we are, and that's going to make them even more suspicious of us."

"Give Ryoko a break," Matty said softly. "He's worried about his mom."

"I know that, but we're running out of time," he mumbled, feeling suddenly guilty.

_Ryoko always has to make me feel guilty about something! Still...I hope Mimi's okay._

Dai glanced down at Iramon, and smiling softly at the little digimon, he said, "You're really worried about Ryoko, aren't you?"

"Yes," Iramon murmured. "Do you think he's going to be okay?"

"I'm not sure," Dai replied. "I guess that depends on his mom. Ryoko loves Mimi a lot, and if anything ever happens to her..."

"I'm worried about Aunt Mimi, too," Mickey whispered.

Dai held Iramon and DemiEmbermon tightly in his arms, and he let out a sigh of frustration.

_Great. Now Iramon's upset about Ryoko. This day just keeps getting worse and worse. We're going to have to find Veemon and his friends quick if we want to make it back in time for dinner._

Dai shook his head and smiled slightly. Ryoko had asked him to look after Iramon, and he had agreed to his friend's request almost immediately. At this point, he was ready to try anything if it meant he had a chance to gain Ryoko's trust. The blond had barely said two words to him since they had come back from the Digital World a few days ago, and he had a feeling his friend was trying to avoid him.

_Is he embarrassed about accidentally calling me Dai and coming to me for comfort because he was worried about Sam and Mickey? Does he think I'm going to make fun of him or something? The tension between us is driving me crazy, and I can't stand the way he keeps avoiding my eyes. I would never make fun of him for revealing his true feelings to me. Why can't he understand that? If only there was a way I could make him understand how much I want his friendship..._

"Do you think there really is something wrong with Aunt Mimi?" Matty asked, glancing anxiously at his twin.

Mickey wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders and he gave the younger twin a nervous smile. "I hope not."

_Me, too._

Dai frowned at the Takaishi twins and he crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance. Mickey looked like he had not slept at all the night before because there were dark circles under his eyes, and his face was very pale. He kept glancing uneasily at Matty, as if frightened his twin was going to burst into flames at any moment.

Matty appeared to be in better condition than Mickey, but that was not exactly something a Digidestined could smile about. The younger twin's amber eyes were dark with fear, and every so often, he would reach out and touch Mickey's shoulder, as if making sure his twin was still real.

_Matty's acting like he's afraid his brother doesn't have a solid form, and it looks like he's starting to wonder if Mickey's really sitting beside him or if he's imagining Mickey's arm around him. Well, at least they're smiling at each other. I guess that's a good sign. I was hoping they'd manage to work out their problems over the weekend, but I guess not. This is all DarkAngelicmon's fault! I hope nothing else goes wrong before we have a chance to save the Digital World..._

Dai jumped as the door suddenly flew open, and he turned to see Ryoko gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"Ryoko, are you okay? What's going on?" Takara cried, racing forward and flinging her arms around the blond.

Dai felt a sudden stab of pain in his heart, and he quickly looked away from them. 

_I bet Kara has a crush on Ryoko. All the girls at school like him, so why would she be any different? They do everything together, and their parents are best friends. They're perfect for each other. Not like me and Ryoko, especially when it comes to being friends. Half the time Kara acts like I don't exist. Why am I the one who always ends up feeling disappointed when things don't work out the way they're supposed to?_

"Aunt Mimi's not hurt, is she?" Matty gasped, scrambling forward and grabbing onto Ryoko's arm.

Mickey clung to Ryoko's t-shirt and he gave his cousin a frightened look. "Ryoko, please-"

"Will you guys be quiet and let him say something!" Sam shouted, waving his hands to get everyone's attention.

Dai slowly stepped forward and he placed his hand on Ryoko's shoulder. "Ishida, are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine," Ryoko replied, giving him a brilliant smile. "And so is my mom. In fact, she's never been better."

"What do you mean?" Mickey asked, looking extremely confused.

Ryoko's took a deep breath, and reaching out he hugged the older twin tightly against his chest. "My mom's going to have another baby," he whispered into his cousin's shoulder. "Our doctor told her the news this afternoon. That's why she had to wait until I got out of school to tell me the news. My dad was with her when she told me, and both of them are really happy. Can you guys believe it? I'm finally going to be a big brother!"

For a moment, there was silence, and then everyone started talking at once.

"Mickey, this is awesome! We're going to have a new cousin!" Matty cheered, giving his brother a high five.

Mickey beamed at his twin and nodded. "This is the best news I've heard in a while!"

Takara promptly burst into tears and she hugged Ryoko as hard as she could. "Oh, Ryoko, I'm so happy for you! I know how much you've always wanted a sibling! Don't worry, if you have a baby sister, I'll teach her everything I know. She'll definitely grow up to be one classy lady! Your parents must have been freaking out. They've always wanted another baby, and now their dream has finally come true!"

"Congratulations," Sam said softly, giving Ryoko a warm smile.

Dai laughed and smiled at his blond friend. "Hey, Ishida? If you have a baby brother, I promise I won't let him pick up any of my bad habits!"

"Daichi, You're the stupidest person on the planet, you know that?" Ryoko replied, his sapphire eyes sparkling with happiness.

Dai hit the blond in the chest and he gave his friend a dirty look. "Hey, I'm making a huge sacrifice here! If you ask me, I think I'd be a perfect role model for your new sibling!"

"Yeah, you're definitely insane," Ryoko replied, rolling his eyes.

"Seriously, Ishida, I know how much you've always wanted a sibling. Your little brother or sister is going to be so lucky to have you for a big brother."

"Thank you," Ryoko whispered.

Dai was about to reply when the blond's arms suddenly went around him in a tight hug. The sudden gesture of affection nearly caused him to stumble into a desk, and he stared at the other boy in shock. The two of them had been friends for thirteen years, and not once had Ryoko ever made an attempt to hug him before.

_Ryoko's either too busy thinking about his new sibling to notice what he's doing, or he has completely lost his mind. I know he called me by my nickname earlier, but like I said before, I bet that was just an accident. He doesn't really care about me, but if that's true, then why is he hugging me?_

Dai squeezed his eyes shut and he hugged Ryoko tightly around the waist. "You're welcome," he whispered into his friend's ear.

He did not know why Ryoko was hugging him, but a small part of him realized it was probably better that way. He knew he would never have another chance to show Ryoko what real friendship was all about, and he wanted to make the most of it.

_I have a feeling this is one moment I'll never forget._

"Thanks for taking care of Iramon," Ryoko mumbled.

Dai smiled softly at his friend and he patted the blond's back. "Thanks for asking me to look after him. He's a great digimon. I thought for sure you'd ask someone else. You haven't exactly been all that eager to talk to me today."

Ryoko's eyes filled with sudden horror, and the blond let out a gasp of shock.

"What's wrong?" Dai asked, feeling confused.

Ryoko pulled away from him, and he blinked in surprise as the golden-haired Digidestined suddenly turned bright red in the face. "Sorry," the blond mumbled, looking extremely vulnerable.

"Why?" Dai whispered. "You haven't done anything wrong."

Ryoko's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

_I've never seen him look so embarrassed and nervous before. Did he think I was going to push him away or something? Maybe he's afraid I'm going to get mad at him for hugging me. Why does he always have to make everything so hard?_

Dai held out Iramon and he quickly lowered his gaze to the ground. "Here," he mumbled, avoiding the blond's eyes. "Let's go to the Digital World."

"We're right behind you," Matty replied, sounding extremely amused.

Mickey was currently beaming at Ryoko, and Takara looked ready to burst into giggles. Sam glanced down at his digimon and rolled his eyes. "They just don't get it, do they?" the raven-haired Digidestined murmured.

_What's he talking about? Actually, I don't think I want to know._

Dai made a point of ignoring his friends' smug looks and he quickly pulled out his D-Coder. He was about to head over to the computer when Ryoko suddenly grabbed his arm, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Daichi, it looks like I'm going to be walking home with you tonight. Apparently Davis invited all of our parents over to your house for supper. My mom and dad told me just before I left my house a few minutes ago," the blond said quietly.

"Really?" Dai frowned and stared at his friend in confusion. "My dad never mentioned anything to me about Matt and the others coming over for supper."

Ryoko narrowed his eyes and frowned at the computer. "That's strange. According to my dad, Tai and the others were all invited."

"My parents never said anything to me," Takara piped up.

"Me either," Sam added.

Matty glanced at his twin and shrugged. "I bet Davis called all of our parents when we were at school."

"I bet our mom left us a note about it," Mickey said softly.

Sam nodded in agreement and sighed. "My mom and dad are always leaving me notes."

"Yeah, my mom probably left me a note, too," Takara said slowly. "It looks like we're all going to be walking home with you, Dai."

Dai shrugged and quickly stepped over to the computer. "That's fine with me. Come on. We need to find Veemon and the others as soon as possible."

"Alright, everyone, let's head to File Island! Digiport open!" Takara shouted.

Dai quickly closed his eyes and allowed himself to be pulled through the gate.

_I hope we don't have to wander around the island for hours trying to find Veemon or Wormmon. They must have had human partners, otherwise Centaurumon would never have sent us to find them. I wonder if they'll be surprised to see humans in the Digital World again..._


	67. Primary Village

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'll be getting to the parents' conversation soon enough, but first, let's go meet Veemon and friends! Please review! (Trust me, I had tons of fun reading them last time!) And check out my cliff-hanger. I'm so evil!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 67: Primary Village

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Daichi slowly got to his feet and glanced anxiously at his friends. "Are you guys alright?"

"We're fine," Takara grumbled, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head.

Dovemon nodded in agreement and fluttered into Takara's arms. "Where are we?" the little rookie asked.

_Good question. I know we're on File Island, but that isn't really much to go on. Veemon and his friends could be miles away from us!_

Dai frowned at the thick, green grass under his feet and crossed his arms. He was standing at the edge of a small river, and the sky above him was bright blue. Large, white, puffy clouds created rolling shadows across the ground, and occasionally they blocked out the sun. The area around them was quiet and peaceful, and a light breeze sent small ripples across the water. It was a perfect place to start looking for Veemon and the others, but unfortunately there was not a single digimon in sight.

"Well, these things are useless!" Matty said cheerfully, waving his yellow D-Coder in the air.

Dai adjusted his goggles and frowned at his own red D-Coder. "You're right. Our D-Coders were able to find Embermon and the others easily enough, but I don't think that's going to be the case with Veemon and his buddies. They aren't our partners, and that means we're not going to be able to pick up their signals."

"The D-Coders are not useless!" Celestimon muttered, looking extremely indignant.

Matty laughed and gently patted his partner's head. "Sorry, Celestimon. I was just kidding. My D-Coder helped you digivolve to Angelicmon, didn't it?"

Celestimon stood next to Matty on the ground, and the little rookie beamed at his partner. "That's right!"

"Where should we start looking?" Glowmon asked, fluttering into the air and glancing curiously at his partner. "Veemon and his friends could be anywhere."

Dai shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Why don't we just follow the river and see where it takes us?"

"That's the best you can come up with?" Ryoko snorted. "Alright. Let's get moving. We've wasted enough time this afternoon already."

_I can't believe him! He's the reason we got held up in the first place, and now he's trying to act like it's my fault we ended up coming to the Digital World a little bit later than we had planned!_

Dai made a face at the blond's back and shook his head. "Jerk," he muttered.

"I never thought you were the type of human who would want a jerk for a friend!" Embermon replied, looking amused.

Dai blushed and glanced nervously at Ryoko, but the blond never looked in his direction. "Will you keep your voice down?" he hissed, glaring at the little rookie who was walking beside him.

Embermon rolled his bright green eyes and sighed. "Humans are very confusing."

"Embermon, remind me never to tell you any of my secrets again!" Dai muttered. He had finally worked up the courage to tell Embermon about Ryoko, and he was seriously starting to regret it.

They walked along the edge of the river in silence for about fifteen minutes when Mickey suddenly let out a gasp of surprise.

"What's wrong, Mickey?" Halomon asked, hovering anxiously next to his partner's shoulder.

Mickey frowned and pointed at something ahead of them in the distance. "Look! Is that a digimon?"

"Where?" Matty asked.

Dai stepped forward and squinted at a small shape standing next to the river. It looked like a rookie level digimon with large eyes and rust coloured fir. "You're right, Mickey! That is a digimon! It looks like he's fishing in the river. Why don't we go talk to him?"

"Good idea," Sam replied. "He looks harmless enough, and he might know who Veemon is!"

"Let's go," Alopemon said quietly.

Dai quickly hurried after the others, and they raced along the riverbank towards the little rookie. The rust coloured digimon saw them coming, and he dropped his net in surprise.

"Hello!" Celestimon said cheerfully, giving the other digimon a small smile.

The little rookie stared at them for a moment and slowly shook his head. "It has been a long time since I've seen humans in the Digital World," he said softly. "I take it you six are the new Digidestined? You must be if you have digimon partners. I knew you would come eventually. The Digital World has been a bit...unsettled lately, and the Powers of Darkness are rising. It's good you're here. I have a feeling we're going to need your help in our fight against evil."

Dai sat down next to the little digimon and raised his eyebrows. "You know about the Digidestined?"

"Yes," the little rookie said quietly. "Many years ago, I met a young boy who was a member of the Digidestined. He was very nice and very loyal to his partner."

"What's your name?" Glowmon asked curiously.

"My name is Elecmon," the digimon replied. "I'm a rookie level data type digimon, and my special attack is Super Thunder Strike."

"You're the rookie form of Leomon," Mickey whispered, his amber eyes sparkling with sudden excitement. "You wouldn't happen to be in charge of Primary Village, would you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. How did you know?" Elecmon asked. "He...didn't tell you, did he? You look so much like him. You don't know him...do you?"

"Who?" Mickey asked, looking confused.

"Leomon told us about you," Dai explained. "He said you look after the baby digimon at Primary Village. According to Gennai, we're the new Digidestined, and we need your help. We're looking for a digimon named Veemon. You wouldn't happen to know him, would you?"

Elecmon smiled slightly and nodded. "It looks like Gennai wants the six of you to discover quite a few things about the Digital World on your own. I met Veemon a while ago, and he's a very good friend of mine. In fact, I can take you right to him. He and his friends are playing with the baby digimon at Primary Village."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ryoko said in disbelief.

"I never thought we'd end up finding Veemon this quick! It looks like you were grumbling and complaining for nothing, Dai!" Dovemon laughed.

Dai jumped to his feet and gave her a dirty look. "Come on, let's go. Primary Village isn't too far from here, is it?"

"No," Elecmon said softly. "It's close by, but before we go, can I ask all of you a question?"

"Sure," Dai replied.

"What are your names?" the little rookie asked quietly.

Dai glanced at Elecmon and smiled slightly. "I'm Daichi Motomiya, and these are my friends. Their names are Ryoko Ishida, Takara Kamiya, Sam Ichijouji, Masato Takaishi, and Makiya Takaishi."

Elecmon let out a gasp and turned to look at the twins. "You do know him! I had my suspicions, but I wanted to make sure. Both of you look so much like him. He taught me a lot about human babies, you know."

"Who are you talking about?" Matty asked, his amber eyes narrowing into a frown. "Are you talking about that boy you met a long time ago?"

"Yes," Elecmon said softly.

"Can you tell us his name?" Mickey asked eagerly. "Do we know him? Please, Elecmon? We-"

"I think I'll let Veemon and Patamon answer your questions," Elecmon interrupted. "They'll be able to explain everything to you."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and find them!" Matty grumbled.

"Of course," Elecmon replied. "Come on, everyone, follow me."

Dai quickly hurried after Elecmon and realized they were heading for a small town in the distance. He could see the brightly coloured rooftops of the houses in the village and nearly tripped over his own feet in an effort to stop himself from running the whole way. He was extremely excited about meeting Veemon, and if he had to wait any longer, he was going to explode.

"So Leomon was the one who mentioned me to you. He's a great digimon. I hope I can be as brave as him someday," Elecmon murmured.

Dai gave the little rookie a warm smile and shrugged. "You already are. Leomon's your champion form, and maybe one day you'll get to digivolve."

"I would like that," Elecmon said softly. "No one would ever try to hurt the babies at Primary Village if I were Leomon. I guess I've changed a lot since I met Patamon and his partner. I'll never underestimate anyone again after meeting them!"

"You seem to have a knack for meeting up with Digidestined. One of these days a group of Digidestined will help you digivolve. If it can happen to Leomon, it can happen to you," Embermon murmured.

"Who's Patamon?" Celestimon asked, fluttering out of the sky and landing next to Elecmon.

Halomon quickly joined Celestimon, and they both turned to stare at the rust coloured digimon. "We know Patamon had a human partner, but that doesn't tell us anything about what kind of a digimon he is," Halomon said slowly.

Elecmon studied the other two rookies for a moment and nodded to himself. "You two remind me a lot of Patamon. He's an amazing digimon, and I bet he's going to be very excited to meet both of you."

Halomon blushed and buried his face against Celestimon's wings. "Thank you," the little angel said softly.

_I guess we're just going to have to wait to find out who Patamon is._

Dai motioned for the others to hurry up, and they quickened their pace. They reached the edge of Primary Village about twenty minutes later, and Elecmon took the lead again.

"This way," the little rookie murmured. "Veemon's probably playing soccer with the babies. He loves soccer."

Dai blinked in surprise and grinned. "Veemon knows what soccer is? Wow! He's definitely my kind of digimon!"

"I'll second that!" Matty cheered.

They started across the village, and Dai spotted hundreds of eggs lying in the grass. Each egg was brightly coloured and large enough to hold in both hands. Some had patterns on them, and others were plain. It was obvious Elecmon spent a lot of time taking care of them because each egg looked like it was in excellent condition.

"Those are Digieggs," Elecmon said softly. "They'll probably hatch in another three weeks, and then I'll have a new crop to look after. The baby digimon usually stay here until they reach their rookie forms, and then they leave to find their own place in the Digital World. Of course, there are exceptions. Digimon sometimes leave while still at the in-training level if they are strong enough to survive the dangers of the Digital World."

"The egg is the first stage of a digimon's life," Mickey said quietly. "I've wanted to come here ever since Leomon told me about this place. It's even better than I thought it would be. Evil digimon have a chance to start over here, and that means they have another opportunity to turn away from the Powers of Darkness."

"One day DarkAngelicmon will have that chance," Matty whispered.

Mickey's eyes filled with tears, and he rested his cheek against the side of Matty's face. "I hope so," the older twin whispered.

"One of Veemon's friends was reborn here at Primary Village," Elecmon murmured. "This village is a place of miracles. The former Digimon Emperor knows that better than anyone."

"The former Digimon Emperor?" Sam choked out, his eyes growing dark with uneasiness.

Elecmon studied Sam's face for a moment and nodded. "You will learn about the Emperor soon enough. Come on. I'm sure Veemon will be very excited to meet all of you."

They stepped around the corner of a bright yellow building, and Dai nearly ran into a small digimon who was hovering in the air.

"Will you please watch where you're going?" the insect digimon complained. "You nearly damaged my wings!"

"Sorry," Dai replied. He studied the little rookie's face and frowned. The insect digimon had a round body and large eyes. His wings were small, and his skin was red with purple spots.

_What's he worrying about his wings for? I'm the one who should be complaining! This bug nearly flew right into my face!_

The insect digimon stared at him for a moment and suddenly let out a loud gasp. "You're a human!"

"That's right, and you're in my way!" Dai shot back. "You'd think the leader of the Digidestined would get a little more respect around here!"

"Yeah, nice try!" Ryoko smirked.

"Impossible," the insect digimon whispered. "There haven't been humans in the Digital World for years!"

"Well, there are now, and frankly we have more important things to do than waste our time talking to an overgrown bug! Um...no offence, Glowmon," Dai added, giving Sam's partner an apologetic look.

Glowmon glared at him and promptly began to ignore him.

"You can't be here! The gates are closed!" the insect digimon gasped.

"Not anymore," Matty said softly. "Hey, are you okay?"

Dai caught the little rookie in his arms, just before the insect digimon hit the ground, and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Look!" the little rookie gasped, nodding towards Mickey and Matty. "They're clones! My partner told me all about human cloning, and I guess they've finally managed to succeed!"

"We're not clones! We're twins!" Mickey and Matty shouted, looking extremely offended.

Dai ignored the twins and stared at the insect digimon in surprise. "Did you just say you have a partner?"

"Yes," the insect digimon said weakly. "There are humans in the Digital World again! I have to warn Agumon! Humans only come to the Digital World when it's being invaded by evil digimon! On no. This isn't good at all! As a matter of fact, you look a lot like-"

"Tentomon, they've come here to talk to Veemon," Elecmon interrupted. "We'd better go find him and the others. I'm sure Daichi and his friends will explain everything to us as soon as they get a chance to meet Veemon."

"That's right. Lead the way, Tentomon!" Embermon said cheerfully.

Tentomon managed to nod his head and quickly fluttered towards a large green field that stood on the edge of Primary Village.

"This way," the little rookie stammered. "I was actually coming to find you, Elecmon. The baby digimon are getting hungry."

"I left dinner back with the Digieggs," Elecmon replied. "Right now we have more important things to worry about."

Dai followed the two rookies out onto the soccer field and spotted a large group of baby digimon bouncing a soccer ball around. There were several larger digimon on the field, as well, and they were cheering on the baby digimon.

"That's Veemon," Elecmon murmured, pointing to a blue reptile digimon who appeared to be directing traffic.

Dai gazed at the little rookie named Veemon and smiled softly. "Yeah, he's definitely a cool digimon."

"Veemon, over here!" Elecmon called out.

Veemon turned to look in their direction and froze. The reptile digimon's eyes slowly widened in shock, and the whistle in his hand fell to the ground. He stared at them for a long moment, and after a brief hesitation, he slowly headed towards them.

"Hey, wait for us!" a pink bird digimon called out, fluttering after Veemon with a group of rookie digimon right behind her.

Dai knelt in front of Veemon and smiled at the little rookie. "Hi, Veemon. We've been looking for you all afternoon. Gennai and Centaurumon sent us to find you. We've got a ton of questions, so I hope you have a lot of answers!"

"Look at his face!" an orange dinosaur digimon gasped.

Dai jumped as Veemon suddenly placed a hand against his cheek, and he found himself gazing into the digimon's large eyes.

"Davis?" Veemon whispered. "No, you can't be. Davis is older now, but...you look so much like him when he was a kid. I don't understand..."

"Time travel!" a green plant digimon gasped. "Davis had learned how to travel back in time! Izzy used to talk about time travel a lot."

"T.K., what happened to you?" a chubby digimon with long ears cried. "You've split into two people! That must have been very painful."

"What do you mean T.K.? They look like Kari with blond hair!" a white cat digimon gasped, looking horrified. "My partner has been turned into a boy! Two boys!"

Dai's heart began to pound rapidly in his chest, and his mind started to spin at an alarming pace.

_Veemon. He didn't just say what I think he said...did he? Davis, Izzy, T.K., Kari...this can't be happening. I must be having some sort of a nightmare..._

"Are you really Davis, or are you someone else?" Veemon asked, touching the goggles on his head. "These used to belong to Davis. Tai gave them to him. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. Where did you get them from?"

Dai slowly placed his trembling hands on Veemon's shoulders and gazed into the digimon's wide eyes. "Veemon, you have a human partner, don't you," he choked out. "Who is he? I have to know!"

Veemon slowly turned to look at Embermon and smiled. "Davis," the little rookie said quietly. "My partner's name is Davis Motomiya."


	68. The Original Digidestined

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: If I've gotten any of the info on the digimon wrong, please let me know, and if anyone knows the name for the rookie form of Noriko's digimon, please let me know as well! I'm not sure if I'll get anymore chapters up this week, but I'll write again as soon as I can. Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 68: The Original Digidestined

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"You're joking, right?" Dai whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. "Please tell me you're joking."

Veemon shook his head and frowned. "No. Davis Motomiya is my partner. He was the one who taught me how to play soccer."

_I don't believe it. My dad's a Digidestined. Why didn't he tell me?_

"You know T.K.?" Matty gasped, staring at the long eared digimon in astonishment.

"That's right," the little rookie replied. "T.K. Takaishi's my partner. We make an amazing team."

Mickey's face turned pure white, and his amber eyes grew wide with shock. "Impossible," the older twin whispered.

"Kari Kamiya's my partner," the white cat digimon said, giving Mickey a rather suspicious look. "Well, her name is actually Kari Takaishi now, but you get my drift."

"Izzy Izumi's my partner," Tentomon stammered.

Dai swallowed hard and glanced at the rest of the rookie digimon. "What about the rest of you?"

The pink bird digimon stepped forward and smiled nervously at him. "Sora Takenouchi...um...I mean Sora Kamiya is my partner."

"My partner is Tai Kamiya," the orange dinosaur said slowly.

"No," Takara moaned, covering her face with her hands.

The plant digimon frowned at Takara and crossed her arms. "My partner is Mimi Tachikawa. No, wait! That's not right. It's Mimi Ishida now!"

"That's right," the mammal digimon beside her said seriously. "My partner is Matt Ishida."

Ryoko's face turned green, and the blond slowly sank to the ground. "I think I'm going to be sick," he mumbled.

"My partner's Cody Hida," an armadillo digimon said, yawning loudly.

"And my partner is Joe Kido," a white water digimon added.

The hawk digimon ruffled his feathers and gave the water digimon an impatient look. "My partner is Yolei Inoue. She goes by Yolei Ichijouji now."

"My partner is Ken Ichijouji," a small worm digimon said quietly.

Sam's face turned pure white, and the raven haired Digidestined nearly dropped Glowmon on the grass. "Wormmon," he whispered, gazing at the green worm digimon. "Your name is Wormmon. You're my father's partner? I don't understand..."

"Your father," Wormmon said slowly, gazing up at Sam with large, curious eyes. "Yes. That makes sense. You look so much like him."

_Wormmon is Ken's partner? Does that mean Ken knows who the Digimon Emperor is? I can't believe I even said that! How can our parents be Digidestined? This is insane! Absolutely insane!_

"You're not Davis, are you?" Veemon said, interrupting his thoughts.

Dai slowly shook his head and managed a weak smile. "No, I'm his son. My name is Daichi. Daichi Motomiya."

"Davis didn't have any children the last time I saw him," Veemon said cheerfully. "Actually, that's not really true. Davis told me Noriko was having a baby, but the gates to the Digital World closed before the little human was born."

"You know my mother?" Dai choked out, almost stumbling over the words.

Veemon nodded and settled himself on the ground next to Embermon. "Noriko's a Digidestined, too. Her partner went to visit Meramon and Gotsumon. Meramon is Mina Izumi's partner and Gotsumon is Rosa's partner. Did she marry Cody? She was dating him the last we heard. You do know Rosa, don't you?"

"I really am going to be sick!" Ryoko moaned, covering his face with his hands.

"My mom must have been pregnant with Ami," Dai murmured. "She's my older sister."

"That's great! Davis always wanted kids!" Veemon said enthusiastically.

Embermon smiled at Veemon and held out his hand. "By the way, I'm Daichi's digimon partner. My name is Embermon, and yes, according to Dai, Rosa did marry Cody."

"It's nice to meet you," Veemon replied, shaking Embermon's hand. "I can tell you and Dai make a great team. I'm Veemon. I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Vee-HeadButt and Vee-Punch."

"My name is Patamon. I'm a rookie level data type digimon, and my special attack is Boom Bubble," T.K.'s digimon said, glancing curiously at Mickey and Matty. "Does this mean T.K.'s still in one piece?"

Matty gave the long eared digimon an incredulous look and held onto Mickey's arm for support. "Mickey and I are T.K.'s sons, and Kari is our mother," the younger twin stammered. "We also have a little sister named Yurina. My name is Masato Takaishi, and this is my brother, Makiya Takaishi. We're twins."

"Yes, that's what he tried to tell me, too," Tentomon whispered in Patamon's ear.

"If you call me a clone one more time, I'm going to clip your wings!" Matty shouted, his face turning red with anger.

"Hide me!" Tentomon moaned, trying to cower behind Patamon.

"See? I told you they look like Kari!" the cat digimon said smugly. "I'm Gatomon. I'm a champion level vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Lightning Paw and Cat's Eye Hypnotism."

Mickey's mouth fell open, and he gazed at Gatomon in shock. "You're a champion digimon? No offence, but you look like a rookie."

"I more than make up for it in strength," Gatomon said smoothly. "I take it these two are your digimon?"

"Yes," Mickey mumbled. "This is my partner, Halomon, and that's Matty's partner, Celestimon."

"Hello," Halomon said, giving Patamon a shy look.

Patamon let out a gasp and gently touched Halomon's cheek with his ear. "You and Celestimon are angels!" the chubby digimon murmured.

Halomon blushed and stroked one of Patamon's ears. "So are you and Gatomon."

"It must run in the family," Gatomon said dryly.

"Mickey, didn't our dad say something about his 'guardian angel' earlier?" Matty said weakly.

Mickey collapsed on the ground and hid his face against his knees. "Matty, we're really stupid, you know that?" the older twin mumbled. "We should have realized what Dad was trying to say a long time ago! I must be dreaming."

"This is no dream," Matty whispered. "Both Mom and Dad have angel digimon."

"What about you?" the pink bird digimon asked, turning to look at Takara. "What's your name?"

"Takara Kamiya," Kara squeaked. "Tai and Sora are my parents. I also have a brother named Taysuke."

"I'm Biyomon," the pink bird digimon replied. "I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon, and my special attack is Spiral Twister. Your mom's an amazing human."

"I'm Agumon," Tai's partner piped up. "I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon, and my special attack is Pepper Breath."

"This is my partner, Dovemon," Takara whispered, her eyes wide with shock.

Biyomon glanced at Dovemon and turned back to Takara. "You're just like your mom," she said softly.

"Thank you," Kara murmured.

Dovemon's face turned pink, and she gave Biyomon a tentative smile. "Kara and I make a great team."

"I bet you do!" Agumon replied.

"You must be Matt's son," the mammal digimon said quietly, turning to look at Ryoko. "You look so much like him."

Ryoko swallowed hard and nodded. "Matt and Mimi are my parents. My name is Ryoko Ishida. I don't have any siblings. Actually, that's not really true. My mom's going to be having a baby."

"Mimi's having another child?" the plant digimon gasped. "She must be so excited! I'm Palmon. I'm a rookie level data type digimon, and my special attack is Poison Ivy. Mimi's the best partner ever!"

"I'm Gabumon," Matt's digimon said quietly. "I'm a rookie level data type digimon, and my special attack is Blue Blaster."

Ryoko hugged himself and slowly nodded. "This is my partner. His name is Alopemon."

"It's nice to meet you," Alopemon said, eyeing Palmon and Gabumon with interest.

"You, too," Gabumon replied.

The hawk digimon stepped forward and gave Sam a slight bow. "You must be Ken's and Yolei's son. You look remarkably like Ken. My name is Hawkmon. I'm a rookie level data type digimon, and my special attack is Feather Strike."

"Yes," Sam mumbled. "My name is Sam Ichijouji. My father named me after his brother. I have an older sister named Miya and a younger brother named Nao."

"How did you know my name was Wormmon?" the green worm digimon asked.

"Centaurumon told me about you," Sam replied. "He said you might be able to help me."

Wormmon glanced anxiously at Hawkmon and slowly shook his head. "I can't help you, Sam," the little rookie said quietly. "Only you can help yourself. I am a rookie level virus type digimon, and my special attacks are Silk Thread and Sticky Net."

"You're a virus digimon?" Sam gasped. "Why did my dad get a virus-"

"It doesn't matter what kind of a digimon he is," Mickey said quietly. "You've said the same thing yourself several times now."

Sam blushed and quickly nodded. "You're right, Mickey. I'm sorry, Wormmon."

"That's okay, Sam. You don't have to apologize," Wormmon said softly. "I'm not surprised Ken named you after his brother. He really admired your uncle."

"I know," Sam whispered. The raven haired Digidestined appeared to have forgotten all about the Emperor because he did not bring up the subject again. "This is my digimon. His name is Glowmon."

"Hello," Glowmon mumbled, sounding extremely shy.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Hawkmon replied.

"I feel the same way," Wormmon murmured.

"Don't forget about us," the armadillo digimon said mildly. "My name is Armadillomon. I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon, and my special attack is Diamond Shell."

"As you already know, I'm Tentomon," the insect digimon said, glancing warily at Matty. "I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon, and my special attack is Super Shocker."

"I'm Gomamon," Joe's partner announced with a flourish. "I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Fish Power and Marching Fishes."

"So much for time travel," Gatomon snorted.

Palmon gave the champion digimon a sheepish look and shrugged. "You never know. If anyone had managed to discover how to travel back in time, it would have been Izzy."

"We haven't seen T.K. and the others in fifteen years!" Patamon said sadly. "It's strange. In the past the gates to the Digital World always closed right away after we defeated the Powers of Darkness, but for some reason that didn't happen after we stopped MaloMyotismon from taking over earth and the Digital World. The gates remained open for a long time, and we were able to see our human friends whenever we wanted."

"Patamon's right," Hawkmon said seriously. "Our partners used to come visit us all the time in the Digital World, and then the gates closed without warning about fifteen years ago. We haven't seen our partners since, and we still have no idea why it took so long for the gates to close."

"Who is MaloMyotismon?" Sam whispered.

"Later," Gatomon replied.

"How's Nobunari doing?" Gomamon asked.

Dai gaped at Joe's partner and shook his head in disbelief. "You know my cousin? This is unbelievable!"

"Joe took me to the human world to meet Noah when he was a year old," Gomamon explained. "He must have grown up a lot since then."

"Yeah," Dai said faintly. "He has a sister named Ema now, and she's a total brat!"

"I met Miya," Wormmon said quietly. "She was only a couple months old when Ken brought me to the human world to meet her."

"I met Miya, as well," Hawkmon added. "Yolei introduced us. Unfortunately the little human wasn't able to talk yet."

"We all met Noah and Miya!" Palmon said cheerfully.

"This is crazy! Pure madness!" Ryoko mumbled to himself.

"Did Cody have any children?" Armadillomon asked.

"Yes, Cody and Rosa have a son named Kenzo," Takara choked out. "Mina and Izzy also have a child. Her name is Taniko."

"Izzy must be very happy," Tentomon said enthusiastically.

"Davis was only twenty-two the last time I saw him," Veemon piped up. "He and Noriko got married at a pretty young age. Noriko was only twenty and Davis was only twenty-one. Is that young for humans to be getting married? Davis said he was getting married at a young age compared to some people."

"Twenty-one didn't used to be considered a young age, but that has changed over the past few decades. A lot of people wait until their mid twenties at least to get married these days," Dai managed to say.

"Our parents were both twenty-one when they got married," Mickey said softly.

"Not my parents," Ryoko mumbled. "My dad was twenty-four when he got married, and my mom was twenty-three."

"Both of my parents were twenty-four when they got married. They were going to have a double wedding with Ryoko's parents, but they decided not to because my dad wanted Matt to be best man at his wedding. Isn't that sweet?" Takara sighed.

Dai glanced at Ryoko and rolled his eyes, and Ryoko let out a laugh that bordered on the edge of hysteria.

"Sora and Tai were twenty-six that last time we saw them," Biyomon said sadly.

"Yeah," Takara murmured. "My mom didn't have me until she was twenty-eight."

"The Digital World must be in danger if the gates are open again," Agumon spoke up. "You six and your partners must be the new Digidestined."

"That's right," Dai replied, holding out his D-Coder. "Apparently I'm the new leader of the Digidestined, and these are our Digivices. They're called D-Coder Digivices."

"You're the new leader? Well I guess that explains the goggles," Gatomon said dryly.

"Of course he's the new leader! He is Davis' son, after all!" Veemon shot back.

Dai let out a gasp and stared at Veemon in shock. "You mean..."

"Your dad was the leader of the Digidestined before you, and Tai was the leader of the Digidestined before him," Veemon explained.

"Ryoko, you're not the only one who's going to be sick!" Takara said weakly.

Dai touched the goggles on his head, and all of a sudden his father's words from many years ago came back to him.

_Dai, if there's ever a time in your life when your courage fails you, I know these goggles will give you the strength to find yourself again. Everytime you look at them, I want you to remember me, and I want you to remember that I'll always believe in you, no matter what..._

All of a sudden Piximon's and his father's words were starting to make sense. It was almost as if his dad had known all along what was going to happen...

"Did...our parents have Digivices, as well?" Sam whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Yes," Gabumon replied. "Some of them have original Digivices and some of them have what we call D-3 Digivices. Tai's group and Davis' group are actually considered two separate Digidestined teams. Well...except Kari and T.K. They're a part of both teams."

"I'm...very confused," Matty mumbled.

"It looks like we have a lot of explaining to do!" Gomamon sighed.

"We're not the only ones! I think Dai and his friends have a lot of explaining to do, as well!" Hawkmon sniffed. "Obviously the Digital World is being threatened by a new evil, and we need to know what's going on!"

"Didn't your parents tell you about us?" Biyomon asked slowly.

"I don't understand," Patamon said, looking confused. "Didn't T.K. and the others tell you about the Digital World?"

Dai slowly turned to look at his friends, and they stared back at him with wide frightened eyes. All of them appeared to be shocked and confused, but their expressions were not enough to hide the hurt looks on their faces.

"No," he said quietly. "Our parents didn't tell us anything about the Digital World. We didn't even know it existed until Gennai summoned us. Veemon, you and the others had better sit down. We have a lot of things to tell you, and I know you definitely have a ton of things to tell us."


	69. The Calm Before the Storm

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: New chapter! I will be updating MBFG next, and that means Izzy and Joe (or Team Matt as I like to call them) will get a chance to be in the spotlight again! Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 69: The Calm Before the Storm

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Where are Matt and Mimi?" Yolei shouted, crossing her arms and glaring angrily at the living room door. "They should have been here by now!"

Davis rolled his eyes and glanced at the lavender haired Digidestined who was sitting on the cream coloured couch between Ken and Cody. "Yolei, I did say this evening, remember?"

"Yes, but you meant this afternoon!" Yolei shot back, tugging viciously on her long braid. "Obviously you want to talk to us before Miya, Dai, and the rest of our kids show up. If Matt and Mimi don't get here soon, I'm going to call them and give them a piece of my mind!"

"In that case, I'm glad I got here on time!" Tai replied, looking amused. The former Digidestined leader was sitting on the navy blue carpet next to Sora, and the two of them smiled at each other.

"Well, at least I can take a hint, unlike some people!" Yolei sniffed, tugging angrily on her purple skirt.

Davis sighed and rested his cheek against Noriko's forehead. They were squeezed into an armchair together, and he gave her an anxious look.

_What is she going to say when she finds out Dai lied to us?_

He was about to tell Yolei to give Matt and Mimi a break when he heard the sound of the doorbell ringing. He quickly shut his mouth and glanced at his sister who was sitting closest to the door.

Jun raised her eyebrows and slowly got to her feet. "It's your house! You should be getting the door," she muttered, stalking out of the room.

Davis ignored his sister, and a moment later, Mimi and Matt walked into the room, followed by Jun.

"Where have you been?" Yolei demanded, leaping to her feet and giving the handsome couple a stern look.

Mimi smiled nervously at them and clung tightly to Matt's hand. "Sorry, we're late. We were having a talk with Ryoko and lost track of time."

"About what?" Davis asked, his voice coming out sharper than he had intended. _Do they know Ryoko and the others have been lying to us?_

Matt looked at him in surprise and glanced at Mimi. "I think I'll let Mimi answer your question," the blond said softly, giving him a curious look.

"Is something wrong?" Kari asked. The petite brunette was sitting on the loveseat next to T.K., and the two of them exchanged worried looks.

Mimi wrapped her arms around Matt's waist and shook her head. "No," she said softly. "In fact, things have never been better."

"Are you sure?" Tai asked, jumping to his feet and placing a hand on Matt's shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with Ryoko, is there?"

Matt smiled at the worried look on Tai's face and shook his head. "Don't worry, Tai. Ryoko's fine. Mimi, you better tell them what's going on before they start to panic."

"I'm pregnant," Mimi whispered. "Matt and I are going to have another child."

Davis stared at her in surprise, and suddenly everyone started taking at once.

"I can't believe it!" Sora screamed, leaping to her feet and throwing her arms around Mimi. Tears were rolling down the older Digidestined's face, and she gave Mimi a brilliant smile. "I'm so happy for you, Mimi. You've always wanted another child. Have you picked any names yet?"

Mimi laughed and shook her head. "We haven't really had time to think about names, but I'm sure we'll come up with something. I just found out today."

"We don't actually know if we're having a boy or a girl," Matt explained. "We want it to be a surprise."

"Let me know if you need any advice. I am raising three children, you know. I've got tons of names you can choose from. Ken and I made a whole list when we were trying to come up with a name for Nao," Yolei piped up, giving Mimi a tight hug. "You're so lucky, Mimi. You've been waiting for years to have another baby, and now your dream has finally come true! It's a miracle! I wish I was having another baby."

Ken jumped and raised his eyebrows. "Since when?" the former Emperor asked, staring at his wife in astonishment.

"Since now," Yolei sighed.

"Yolei, we already have three kids! You said it yourself!" Ken stammered, looking extremely embarrassed.

Yolei crossed her arms and glared at him. "What if I want four kids?"

"It looks like Yolei's putting her foot down. You better get to work, Ken!" Tai snickered.

"Tai!" Sora scolded, slapping her husband's arm.

Ken blushed bright red and stared at his feet. "As much as I'd like to have another child, I don't think we could afford it," the former Emperor muttered.

Davis grinned at his best friend and let out a yelp when Noriko suddenly hit him in the chest. "Davis, I want a baby, too!" she shouted.

"What? Are all women crazy or something? You're not serious, are you?" he replied, staring at her in disbelief. "I thought you were just joking before!"

Noriko tossed her short, dark hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms. "Would I joke about something like this?"

Davis shrugged. "Is being pregnant contagious? Well, I'm ready whenever you are, but are you sure you want another kid? Our third child could end up turning out worse than the first two!"

"And whose fault would that be?" Noriko demanded, her dark eyes flashing.

Davis laughed and kissed her on the lips. "Don't look at me. It's not my fault your kids are crazy!"

"They're your kids, too!" Noriko shot back.

"Yeah, but they got all my good qualities. The rest must come from your side of the family!" he joked.

Noriko rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "Davis, if we do have another baby, you're going to be in charge of diaper duty, and I don't mean once in a while either! That'll teach you to watch what you say!"

Davis made a face and wrinkled his nose. "In that case, I think we'll have to have a girl. Baby boys have the worst aim, if you know what I mean. It's a train wreak waiting to happen. I still haven't forgotten how hard it was to change Dai's diapers. I'm still having nightmares over that!"

"Davis, you haven't changed a bit since you were a kid, you know that?" Matt said, smiling slightly.

"Yes, he has. He's even more obnoxious than he used to be!" Yolei muttered, sitting back down on the couch next to Ken.

Davis glared at her and turned to smile at Matt. "Congratulations, Matt. What took you so long? You're lucky Mimi didn't kick you out of the house for making her wait thirteen years for another kid!" he said, getting to his feet and giving the blond a warm hug.

Matt laughed and hugged him back. "Shut up, Davis," the blond murmured, his sapphire eyes sparkling with happiness.

"I think I'm more to blame than Matt is," Mimi sighed. "It took me forever to get pregnant with Ryoko. My mother was the same way, though, which explains why I'm an only child."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Matt said softly, pulling his wife into a hug. "We're having another baby now, and that's all that matters. Besides, I'm probably to blame just as much as you are."

"What did Ryoko have to say about his new sibling?" Mina asked curiously. She was sitting on the floor next to Izzy, and the two of them had their arms wrapped around each other.

"He's very excited," Mimi said softly. "I know he has always wanted a sibling, and now he finally has a chance to be a big brother."

"That's so sweet," Kari sighed. "I can't believe I'm going to have another niece or nephew."

T.K. nodded in agreement and quickly got to his feet. He wrapped his arms around Matt's shoulders and held his brother close. "Ryoko has always been able to bring a smile to your face, and now you have two reasons to smile. I'm glad," the younger blond murmured. "I always thought you'd make a great dad, and I was right."

"I had a lot of practice," Matt replied, gazing fondly at his little brother. "I've found it hard to be upset ever since I became a Digidestined. Tai and the rest of you guys showed me the meaning of true friendship, and Mimi showed me the meaning of true love. How can I be sad when there's so much good in my life?"

"You've done an amazing job with Ryoko," T.K. said softly, his sky blue eyes sparkling with affection. "He has his problems once in a while, but as a general rule he's a very happy kid. He knows his parents, friends, and family care about him, and that's something you weren't able to understand as a child. If you had had the same experiences as Ryoko when you were a kid, I think you would have been just as happy as he has been for the past thirteen years."

Matt sighed softly and rested his head against T.K.'s shoulder. "You were the one who showed me how important family really is, and I'm never going to forget that no matter how old I get."

"Good," T.K. said quietly, patting the older blond's back. He leaned around Matt's shoulder to kiss Mimi's cheek and smiled at her. "Congratulations, Mimi."

"Thank you," Mimi whispered, giving her brother-in-law a brilliant smile.

Tai hugged Mimi, as well, and slowly turned to look at Matt. "You and Mimi deserve all the happiness in the world," the former leader said softly.

Matt wrapped his arms around Tai and smiled softly at his best friend. "You told me not to give up, and you were right," he whispered in the former Digidestined leader's ear. "Now that I think about it, you're always right. When do I get to be right for once?"

Tai laughed and held the blond tightly against his chest. "Matt, you've been right about a lot of things, too, but this is one thing I'm glad I was right about. When you're happy, it makes me happy, and you know Sora and I will treat your new son or daughter as if he or she was our very own."

"He's right," Sora whispered, leaning over and kissing Matt's cheek. "I feel the same way about you and Mimi. It's so good to see you both so happy."

"Exactly," Tai murmured, smiling at Mimi who was currently being hugged by Jun and Rosa.

Matt's eyes filled with sudden emotion, and he buried his face against Tai's shoulder. "Thank you," the blond mumbled, his voice trembling slightly.

Davis gave everyone a chance to congratulate Matt and Mimi, and when the last hugs were exchanged, he waved a hand to get everyone's attention and instructed them all to take a seat.

"Alright, Davis, what's going on?" Izzy asked curiously. "Tai sounded extremely confused over the phone when he called me. I take it this meeting was your idea since we were asked to come to your house?"

Davis let out a deep sigh and nodded. He had almost forgotten about Dai because of Mimi's pregnancy, but now all of his fears concerning his son were coming back to him, and he felt like his heart was going to burst from sheer terror.

"Davis, what's wrong?" Noriko asked. She rested her head against his chest and gazed up at him with wide frightened eyes. She kept tugging nervously on her pale blue blouse, and her face was beginning to look as white as her skirt. "You wouldn't tell me when you asked me to come into the living room this morning. You just said you wanted to invite everyone over because there was something you wanted to tell us. You said you wanted to tell everyone at the same time because there would be less confusion that way. Please tell us what's going on. I think we've waited long enough."

"Noriko's right," Joe said softly from his seat on the carpet next to Jun. "Besides, we'd better get this conversation over with before Noah and the others show up."

"I had no idea what to say to everyone because T.K. wouldn't tell me anything over the phone. Thanks for keeping me in the dark, Davis!" Tai complained. The former Digidestined leader was sitting between Sora and Matt on the carpet, and there was a disapproving frown on his face.

Kari quickly got to her feet and motioned for Mimi to sit down on the loveseat next to T.K. Mimi gave the younger woman a grateful smile, and Kari sat down on the floor next to Matt. "T.K. and I have something to tell you guys about our sons, but we'll let Davis talk about Dai first."

"What about Dai?" Noriko asked sharply.

Davis turned to look at Ken and gave his best friend a sympathetic smile. "Ken, I think you're going to have to tell Yolei and the others about Sam. I have a feeling his odd behaviour is connected to what's going on with Dai and the twins."

"Sam!" Yolei shrieked. The lavender haired Digidestined flung herself at Ken and started shaking him by the shoulders. "Ken, please tell me Sam's alright," she moaned. "I could tell there was something wrong with him, but I wasn't a hundred percent sure until now. If anything ever happens to my sweet baby boy-"

Ken hugged Yolei tightly and buried his face in her purple hair. The former Emperor's cheeks were very pale. "You're right, Davis," he said quietly. "I didn't want Yolei to worry, but I can see now that I have no choice. Both Sam and Dai have been acting very strange lately, and it looks like they're not the only ones. We have to figure out what's going on with all of our children before they end up getting hurt."

"What do you mean you didn't want me to worry!" Yolei shouted, collapsing against her husband's chest. "I'm way past being worried! If you don't tell me what's going on right now I'm going to-"

"Davis, you'd better hurry up and tell us about Dai before Yolei throws a fit," Cody interrupted. "I have a feeling this has something to do with what happened at T.K.'s and Kari's house a few nights ago."

"In that case, I guess Matt and I had better tell you guys about Ryoko," Mimi said slowly.

Davis raised his eyebrows and frowned. _It looks like Matt and Mimi have discovered that Ryoko hasn't been entirely honest with them after all._

Tai glanced at Sora and managed a weak smile. "I guess you guys want to hear about Takara, too," the former leader murmured.

"Davis, T.K.'s right. I think you'd better go first," Rosa piped up, leaning against Cody's shoulder and smiling at Yolei. The Mexican Digidestined looked extremely amused about something, but she held her tongue and contented herself with a small smile instead.

Davis held Noriko tightly in his arms and began to tell the others all of his suspicions about Dai.


	70. How it All Began

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I've discovered that Wormmon's name does have the letter m twice, so I've gone back and changed all the chapters with his name in it. The next few chapters have a lot of talk, but it's all necessary, so don't worry. The action will continue eventually. Pay close attention to Veemon, Agumon, and Elecmon. Anyway, here's the next chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 70: How it All Began

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Dai, I think maybe you should go first," Veemon said cheerfully. "It sounds like you and your friends have been coming to the Digital World for quite a while now, and I think it'll be easier for me to explain what my friends and I went through twenty-five years ago if you tell me what you and the rest of your team have been up to lately."

"I agree with Veemon," Elecmon said quietly. "Why don't you start from the beginning, Daichi. How did you and your friends become Digidestined in the first place?"

Dai ignored Elecmon and turned to look at Veemon instead. The blue reptile digimon was watching Elecmon very closely, and there was a small frown on his face. Elecmon sent Veemon an approving nod, and the blue reptile digimon suddenly smiled. Obviously the two rookies had come to some sort of a decision, but Dai had no clue what it was they were debating.

_Are they trying to hide something from me and the rest of my friends?_

Dai glanced at the baby digimon and smiled in amusement. The babies had been staring curiously at him and his friends for several minutes, but apparently soccer was more interesting than humans because the little digimon had gone back to their game despite the fact that they had lost their referee.

_I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see. Gennai didn't mind leaving out some important information when he sent us that message. Why would Veemon and the rest of our parents' partners be any different?_

Dai finally nodded and smiled at Veemon who was sitting beside him. "Alright. It's a long story, but I'll do my best to make sure I don't leave anything out."

"Sounds good to me," Veemon replied.

Dai quickly told Elecmon and the others about Gennai's message and the Digivices they had received from Piximon. He went on to explain how he and his friends had gotten their digimon partners, and he gave quite a colourful account of their battles with Vampiramon and her buddies. He did his best to explain the purpose of the Spirit Chips, and he finished off his story with Centaurumon's news about the crests.

"It sounds like you guys have had quite an adventure so far," Agumon said after a brief moment of silence.

"It has been more of a nightmare than an adventure!" Ryoko muttered.

Palmon smiled at the blond and rested her cheek against his shoulder. "Your new Digivices are really pretty. I wonder why they're called D-Coders."

"We haven't actually figured that out yet, but I'm sure we will eventually," Takara replied.

"I can't believe Gennai has been captured!" Biyomon cried. "Do you think Leomon and the others will be able to find him?"

"I hope so," Dai murmured. He gently stroked Biyomon's pink wings and gave the little rookie a reassuring smile. Biyomon managed to smile back at him, but the look she sent Agumon was filled with concern.

"I still can't believe you guys are Digidestined, but I'm glad you are," Patamon said softly, leaping into the air and settling himself on top of Matty's golden head. "I bet T.K. and the others are going to be really surprised when they find out."

"I couldn't agree more, Patamon," Dai muttered.

"Let's just say we're following the footsteps of destiny," Matty said quietly. "That's what Piximon said, remember?"

"Our parents," Sam whispered. "Piximon was talking about our parents. They became Digidestined many years ago and saved the Digital World, and now we're trying to do the same thing. I think I understand now why Gennai wanted us to find out about Davis and the others on our own. The news about our parents might have distracted us from finding our partners, and if we hadn't found our digimon, Vampiramon and her buddies probably would have defeated us a long time ago. Besides, it's a lot easier for Veemon and his friends to explain what happened twenty-five years ago since they're our parents' partners and were right in the middle of what was going on back then."

"It hits a little closer to home when you're talking to a group of digimon you feel like you already know instead of a complete stranger like Gennai," Mickey said softly, gazing fondly at Patamon.

Patamon beamed at Mickey and gently stroked the older twin's cheek with one of his long ears. "You're right, Mickey. I feel like I've always known you and Matty."

"Me, too," Gatomon murmured, curling up next to Matty and resting her head on his thigh.

"Your father was that little boy I met a long time ago," Elecmon said, smiling warmly at Mickey and Patamon. "He has become a very good friend of mine, and so has Patamon."

"What was our dad doing in Primary Village?" Matty asked curiously.

Elecmon exchanged a look with Patamon and shrugged. "I think I'll let Agumon tell you about T.K. and Primary Village. Veemon and Agumon know what went on during the years your parents were in the Digital World more than I do."

"Can you believe Piximon called Dai's dad a goggle headed fool?" Ryoko snorted.

Dai leaned over Gabumon and punched Ryoko in the shoulder. "Don't make fun of my dad, Ishida! Besides, I could say a few things about your dad, so you'd better keep your mouth shut or else I'll make you wish you'd never said anything in the first place!"

"You leave my dad alone!" Ryoko shouted, his cheeks turning red with anger. "He never did anything to you!"

"You're the one who started this whole thing in the-"

"Guys, I think Piximon was actually talking about my dad," Takara interrupted, looking a little embarrassed. "Remember, my dad was the original leader of the Digidestined. Piximon said something about wishing he'd had a chance to meet the rest of the Digidestined, so I'm assuming he met the first team which was the group my dad was in charge of."

"Still, that doesn't give Ishida the right to insult my father!" Dai muttered.

"I wasn't insulting anyone!" Ryoko snapped. "You're the one who was insulting my dad! Didn't anyone ever teach you any manners?"

"Yes, Ryoko, you're a lot like your father," Gabumon sighed.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Alopemon asked curiously, looking extremely amused.

Gabumon smiled slightly and wrapped an arm around Alopemon's shoulders. "It will be a good thing eventually."

"Will you two be quiet?" Ryoko grumbled.

Dai crossed his arms and smiled innocently at the blond. "I'd like to hear you tell my mother she never taught me any manners!"

Ryoko flinched and gazed sullenly at the ground. "You're a jerk, Daichi," the blond muttered.

"Same to you!" Dai shot back.

_Even Ryoko isn't willing to face my mother's wrath! I can't believe him. He hugs me, and then he has the nerve to call me a jerk! I must be the most unlucky kid on the planet!_

"Piximon actually complimented Davis. Well...sort of. I can't believe we didn't realize he was talking about our parents a lot sooner," Takara murmured.

"Piximon thought our parents had already told us about the Digital World because he seemed really surprised when he found out we had no idea who he was," Sam said quietly. "I guess Gennai had a feeling our parents wouldn't tell us about their past adventures, but obviously he didn't pass the message onto Piximon. Piximon must have realized Gennai wanted us to discover the truth about our parents on our own because he became very secretive after he found out we were completely clueless when it came to digimon."

"Gennai knew your parents would not want to put you in any danger, and that's why he wanted you to discover the truth on your own," Hawkmon said reasonably. "Piximon must have recognized that, as well. Obviously Gennai didn't tell Piximon everything, but I guess that's not really surprising. He has always had a habit of giving out information when it suits him, and at times he can be very selective about what he reveals to us. One thing's for sure, though. I think, in the end, you six had to find out about us on your own, and I believe Gennai and Piximon, along with Leomon and the others, were able to recognize that very important fact."

"You guys seem to know Gennai very well. Who is he?" Glowmon asked curiously.

"Gennai's a young man who was turned into an old man, but he has been turned back into a young man again, only he isn't really human," Gomamon piped up. "He does look a lot like a human, but don't let his appearance fool you."

"He has helped us save the Digital World several times, and his counterparts have helped us, as well," Hawkmon explained.

Dai gaped at the digimon and shook his head. "Okay, now you've totally lost me!"

"Don't worry. I'll explain everything," Agumon replied.

"Before we explain anything, I think we need to talk about the crests first," Wormmon said quietly.

The rest of the digimon nodded in agreement, and Dai frowned. "What about the crests?" he asked slowly.

"Centaurumon wanted you guys to find the crests first before joining him in the search for Gennai, but...that doesn't make any sense," Tentomon said seriously.

Mickey frowned and pulled Halomon into his lap. "What do you mean?" the older twin asked, hugging his digimon tightly.

"How are you guys supposed to find the crests when they don't even exist anymore?" Gatomon snorted. "I think Gennai's losing his mind!"

"What do you mean they don't exist anymore?" Ryoko shouted.

Dai's heart sank, and he glanced at Agumon who was sitting next to Takara. "That's impossible. Centaurumon and Leomon told us the crests still exist, and like I said before, we think Vampiramon and her buddies have gotten their hands on them."

"I guess I'd better start from the beginning," Agumon said with a sigh. "First of all, there are a total of nine crests.They once belonged to Tai, Matt, Sora, Mimi, Izzy, Joe, T.K., Kari, and Ken. These crests were used to help us digivolve to the ultimate level, and each one had it's own special meaning. Tai's crest was called the Crest of Courage. The reason he had the Crest of Courage is because courage was and still is his strongest quality. His courage and the courage he received from his friends was what gave the crest it's power. That energy helped me to digivolve. They're a lot like the Spirit Chips. Anyway, all of the other crests worked the same way."

"Sora's crest was the Crest of Love," Biyomon said softly.

"Love and courage. That's so romantic!" Takara sighed. "My parents are awesome!"

"Joe had the Crest of Reliability," Gomamon piped up. "Good old reliable Joe. He was always there when his friends needed him."

"That sounds like Joe," Dai laughed. "What about the other six crests?"

"Izzy had the Crest of Knowledge," Tentomon said proudly.

Matty smiled slightly and rolled his eyes. "No surprise there. Izzy's a genius."

"What were my parents' crests?" Ryoko asked softly.

Palmon smiled and beamed at Ryoko. "Mimi had the Crest of Sincerity. It suited her perfectly, don't you think?"

Ryoko pulled the plant digimon into a hug and nodded. "Yes, it does," the blond said softly. "My mom's the most honest and sincere person I know. What about my dad?"

Gabumon gazed at Ryoko's face with interest. "Your father had the Crest of Friendship," the mammal digimon said quietly, his face blank.

Dai gaped at the rookie and shook his head in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? Matt Ishida had the Crest of Friendship?"

"Friendship is his strongest quality," Gabumon said solemnly.

"Yeah right!" Dai snorted.

"Shut up, Daichi!" Ryoko shouted, his sapphire eyes glittering with sudden emotion. "You don't know anything about my dad! He has been an amazing best friend to Tai, and that proves his strongest quality is friendship! I believe in my dad, and I won't let you make him look bad!"

"Ryoko's right," Takara said softly. "Matt and my dad may not have gotten along when they were younger, but things have changed since then, and they've been loyal to each other ever since. I think friendship suits Matt perfectly. The friendship he shares with my dad is proof enough for me."

Dai blushed and lowered his eyes to the ground. _Takara's right. Matt has been a great friend to Tai and the others for the past twenty-nine years or so, and Ryoko's so much like him..._

"Dai, are you alright?" Embermon asked quietly.

Dai looked up and smiled at Ryoko. "Friendship and sincerity. You know what, Ishida? Those two qualities may describe Matt and Mimi pretty well, but they also remind me a lot of someone else I know. I guess some things do run in the family, don't they?"

Ryoko's face turned pink, and he buried his face in Alopemon's fir. "Why do you always have to go and say something like that?" the blond mumbled.

Dai frowned in confusion and glanced at Veemon. "I think Ishida has gone crazy."

Veemon smiled slightly and shrugged. "I don't think Ryoko's the only one who has learned a thing or two about friendship from his dad."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Dai asked curiously.

"I'll let you know when I get to the part about armor-digivolving, but first let my friends and I continue our explanation about the crests," Veemon replied.

"T.K. had the Crest of Hope," Patamon said softly from his seat on Matty's head.

"That's right. Kari had the Crest of Light, and it played a big role in helping us stop Myotismon," Gatomon said, looking extremely pleased with herself.

"Not really. Have you forgotten about MaloMyotismon?" Gomamon smirked.

"Be quiet or I'll use you for a scratching post!" Gatomon muttered.

Sam slowly turned to look at Mickey and smiled at the older twin. "You were right, Mickey. Angels are symbols of hope and light. Your parents' crests suit them perfectly."

"They also remind me a lot of you, Mickey," Matty whispered. "You're the best brother in the world, and now I finally know why."

Mickey's eyes filled with tears, and he pulled Matty into his arms. "No, Matty. You're the best brother in the world," the older twin whispered, his amber eyes sparkling with pain and sadness. "I'm not like you, and I'm...I'm so sorry..."

"What are you talking about?" Matty asked, his voice trembling with fear.

Mickey buried his face against Matty's shoulder and shook his head. "Not now, Matty. Let Veemon and his friends finish their story about the crests first."

"Alright," Matty said slowly, glancing anxiously at Celestimon.

Celestimon gazed helplessly at the younger twin and joined Halomon in Mickey's lap. The two digimon wrapped their arms around each other, and Celestimon whispered something in Halomon's ear. Halomon did not look at all reassured, and the little rookie clung tightly to Celestimon's wings. Even Patamon and Gatomon were starting to look worried.

"Alright, so I take it the ninth crest belonged to Ken?" Dai asked, frowning suspiciously at Mickey.

"Yes," Wormmon replied. "Ken had the Crest of Kindness."

"I should have known. Kindness is the perfect crest for my dad," Sam said softly, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

Wormmon rested his head against Sam's knee and gave the raven haired Digidestined a hopeful look. "I'm glad you think so. In the end, I believe you'll be able to find forgiveness in your heart after all."

"I don't understand," Sam said slowly. "What-"

"Ken's crest is the only crest that still exists," Veemon interrupted. "After we defeated MaloMyotismon, Gennai asked Ken if he could keep the Crest of Kindness here in the Digital World. He wanted to hide it in a safe place in case it was ever needed again. Ken agreed to Gennai's request because he did not want any evil humans or digimon to get their hands on it. The other crests are gone. Tai and the rest of his team gave up the powers of their crests to create a protective barrier over the Digital World. It was the only way to stop the Powers of Darkness."

"Tai, Matt, Sora, Mimi, Izzy, Joe, Kari, and T.K. are all a part of the original Digidestined team, and all of them received a crest in order to digivolve to ultimate," Hawkmon explained. "Davis, Ken, Yolei, Cody, T.K., and Kari make up the second team of Digidestined to come to the Digital World, and they used DNA digivolving to reach the next stage of digivolution. You're probably wondering why Ken got a crest if he wasn't a part of Tai's team. The truth is, even we're still trying to figure that one out. According to Gennai, there was a team of Digidestined even before Tai's group, but we have no idea who they are. Who knows how many Digidestined teams there may have been over the years, so technically Tai's group isn't really the first Digidestined team."

"Don't forget about Rosa, Noriko, Mina, Willis, Derek, Michael, and the rest of the international Digidestined," Armadillomon added.

"I'm beyond being confused," Takara muttered.

"Willis is a Digidestined?" Dai gasped. "Sorry, Veemon, but your story is getting completely out of control here!"

"You know Willis?" Veemon said, looking surprised.

Dai crossed his arms and nodded. "He and his wife Catherine have come to Japan several times to visit our parents. They have three kids named Lily, Jayden, and Emma. Is Catherine a Digidestined, too? Apparently T.K. was the one who introduced her to Willis, and the two of them ended up falling in love with each other. At least, that's what my dad says anyway. Willis and his family live in Colorado."

"Yes, she is," Palmon replied. "Her digimon's name is Floramon."

"Forget Willis. We have more important things to worry about. Centaurumon insists the crests still exist!" Ryoko snapped. "And who is MaloMyotismon?"

Veemon glanced at Agumon and sighed. "Why don't you start by telling them about what happened with Tai's team. I'll pick up the story four years later and start off by telling them about Tai and the Digiegg of Courage. I'll finish off with MaloMyotismon, and then we can figure out what we're going to do about the crests. Sound good to you?"

Agumon gave Veemon a penetrating look and slowly nodded. "Alright. The story starts off right here on File Island. Tai and his team of Digidestined were all at summer camp when they received their Digivices twenty-nine years ago, except Kari. She was sick, but I'll get to her later. That day snow fell from the sky and the gates to the Digital World opened over Japan. Summer camp is where your parents' story starts, but File Island is where their adventure truly begins..."


	71. Second Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This will probably be the last chapter with the parents until after Dai and his friends get back to the human world. Everything's coming together!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 71: Second Thoughts

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Ken, I can't believe you didn't tell me all of this before!" Yolei shouted, collapsing against the back of the couch.

"I'm sorry, but I knew you would get really upset if I told you," Ken muttered.

Davis barely heard his best friend. He was too busy staring at Noriko. His wife's face was filled with shock, hurt, and anger, and she looked like she was going to start shouting at any moment.

"Dai lied to us," she whispered. "He skipped his soccer practice and lied to us about where he had been that day! I know I can sometimes be pretty hard on him, but deep down I've always known he's a good kid and a wonderful son. I know he sometimes gets into trouble at school, but usually it's because of some harmless prank he pulled, not because he actually did anything really terrible. I don't understand. Why did he lie to us? Sometimes he tries to get out of being grounded after he has done something wrong, but he has never actually outright lied to us before. How are we supposed to trust him again after this?"

Davis shook his head and gave her a sad smile. "I was asking myself the same question earlier."

"It's bad enough he lied about his soccer practice, but he also lied about getting hurt on the bleachers at the soccer field, and now I don't know what to think anymore!" Noriko cried. Her dark eyes filled with sudden tears, and she buried her face in her hands. "Davis, why didn't you tell me Dai got hurt a long time ago? I can't believe you lied to me and said he was sick!"

Davis shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stared silently at the floor. _I've never felt so guilty in my life. I wanted to stop Noriko from worrying about Dai, but all I've done is make her worry even more!_

"I'm sorry," he said finally. "I didn't want you to worry about him, and I guess I didn't want to accept the fact that there was a chance he wasn't being entirely honest with me. We still don't know for sure if he really lied about his injuries, but-"

"He did," Noriko whispered. "I don't know how I know for sure, but I do. I can feel it. Davis, if he didn't get those injuries from falling off the bleachers, then where did he get them from? Do you think someone might have hurt him on purpose? Oh, Davis, I'm so scared. If anything ever happens to him..."

"Dai isn't the only one who has been lying to his parents," Ken murmured. "Sam and Ryoko also lied about Dai's injuries. I'm sure of it. They were obviously covering for him, and we need to find out why."

Davis glanced anxiously at Matt and winced. The blond's face was very pale, and his eyes were as cold as ice. His lips were pressed together in a thin line, and he looked like he was going to snap at any moment.

_I can't even imagine how Matt must be feeling right about now. He has always been so proud of Ryoko, and I know how much they love each other. His son's recent behaviour must be eating him up inside._

He had told Matt about the incident on the bleachers over the phone a while ago, and the blond had been a little reluctant to believe Ryoko would lie about Dai's injuries. Apparently Matt's opinion had changed a little since then, and now the blond had no choice but to believe.

"I know Sam's hiding something from me," Ken whispered. "He admitted it a few days ago when I talked to him about his odd behaviour. He has been so quiet lately, and earlier he asked me some really strange questions about whether or not he's a good person. What do you guys think is going on with him?"

"Who knows," Joe murmured.

T.K. frowned and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Mickey and Matty told me they have a secret, and I have a feeling it's the same secret Dai, Sam, Ryoko, and Kara have. They told me they couldn't tell me their secret, but they promised me they'd let me know what was going on as soon as they were able to. Sam said almost the exact same thing to you, Ken."

"You're right," Ken said softly.

"Rina knows what their secret is, and even she won't tell us," Kari sighed. "I know Mickey and Matty are hiding something from us, but that's the least of my concerns. T.K. told me the twins have been acting a little...strange towards each other, and I'm really worried about them. They usually get along really well, but yesterday they barely said two words to each other, and they kept avoiding each other's eyes."

Matt wrapped a comforting arm around Kari's shoulders and glanced anxiously at T.K. "Don't worry, Kari, we'll find out," the blond said quietly.

"I hope so," Kari whispered.

"Me, too," T.K. murmured.

"Cody, you said Kenzo mentioned Ema when he accidentally told you about how Dai might have skipped soccer practice. Do you know what Ema has to do with any of this? She has been acting a little odd lately," Jun said slowly.

Cody frowned and shook his head. "He just said Ema was obsessed with catching Dai skipping out on soccer practice."

"That reminds me. Ema mentioned something about Dai to me a while ago," Izzy suddenly spoke up.

Davis glanced at the computer expert and raised his eyebrows. "What did she say?"

"She came over to my house with Kenzo and Taysuke a few days ago, and they were having a pretty serious conversation with Taniko in the living room," Izzy explained. "I asked them why they were up so early that morning, and then I asked them if it was because of a special occasion or anything. Ema said she'd let me know after she finds out what Dai has been up to lately, and she said she had a feeling we'd all find out eventually."

"That's right. We asked Taniko about Ema's strange comments later that evening, but our daughter wouldn't tell us anything. She just said Ema was probably getting excited over nothing," Mina added.

"Taysuke has been acting just as strange as Kara," Sora murmured. "He seemed really worried about her when she didn't show up for his soccer game."

"Yeah, I have a strange feeling he might know something about where Takara was when she skipped his game. As we all know, Tay's game and Dai's practice took place on the same day. Kara and Ryoko probably wanted to watch a little bit of Dai's practice, but after that they were supposed to come straight to my house because we were all going to walk to Tay's game together. They never showed up at the house," Tai said quietly.

"Mickey and Matty wanted to watch all of Dai's practice, and they were supposed to come straight home afterwords, but I remember they were late," Kari murmured. "Dai's practice was supposed to end before Tay's game, but Mickey and Matty had already decided they weren't going to bother with the rest of Tay's game because they would have missed most of it by the time they got there. They told Tay they'd go to his next game, and he was fine with that."

"We know Mickey and Matty didn't stop by to watch the rest of Tay's game because you guys didn't see them there, did you," T.K. said, turning to look at Tai. It was not a question.

The former Digidestined leader frowned and shook his head. "No, they definitely weren't at Tay's game."

"Exactly, so where were they after they left Dai's practice which ended before Tay's game?" Kari said quietly. "Why were they late? They shouldn't have been if they had come straight home from Dai's practice. There's only one answer I can come up with. They were never at Dai's practice in the first place, and neither was Dai because, according to Noriko, he got home late as well."

Davis nodded in agreement. "He did come home a little bit later than usual."

"Kara and Ryoko said they got held up at Dai's practice, but that's impossible," T.K. said softly. "Like Kari said, Dai's practice ended before Tay's game, which means Kara and Ryoko should have arrived at the soccer field while Tay was still playing even if they had gotten held up at Dai's practice."

"They arrived on the soccer field just as Taysuke's game was ending," Tai said quietly. "I'm pretty sure that means they weren't at Dai's practice either. It's like you said, T.K., if they had been at Dai's practice, they would have arrived at Tay's game a lot sooner, even if they had been held up."

"Sam was late coming home, too," Yolei muttered. "I can't believe he lied to me about Dai's practice!"

"Are you saying Ryoko lied to us twice?" Mimi gasped, her cinnaman eyes growing wide with shock.

Tai gave Mimi a sympathetic smile and patted her knee. "I'm really sorry, Mimi," the former leader said softly. "I know it's hard to believe, but I'm pretty sure Kara and Ryoko lied to us about Dai's practice, and I'm sure Ryoko lied to Davis and Ken about Dai's injuries, as well."

"So did Sam," Ken whispered.

"I can't believe Kara would lie like that!" Sora said in disbelief. "She's usually the most level-headed out of all of them!"

"Miya, Ami, Noah, and Nao are the only ones who haven't been acting suspicious lately," Joe muttered. "Do you guys think Ema, Taniko, Kenzo, and Taysuke know what's going on with Dai and his friends? Obviously Rina does, but what about those four?"

"That's a good question," Rosa muttered.

Davis nodded in agreement and glanced uneasily at Matt. The blond no longer looked like a block of ice. His cheeks had turned bright red, and his sapphire eyes were sparkling with hurt and anger.

"I knew Ryoko had a lot on his mind, but I thought he would tell me what was wrong eventually," Matt said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't want to force him to talk about his problems because I could tell he wasn't ready to confide in me yet. He's a lot like me that way. He usually needs some time to sort out his emotions before he feels comfortable enough to talk to other people about his feelings. He usually tells me everything, and I always do my best to help him out when he needs me. I thought he trusted me, but maybe I was wrong..."

"Matt, are you okay?" Tai asked, looking extremely concerned.

Matt turned away from Tai and shook his head. "No, I'm not okay. My son lied to me," the blond said flatly. "That isn't something I can just ignore."

"Oh, Matt," Mimi whispered, leaning over and kissing the top of her husband's golden head.

"Um...guys? There's something else I forgot to mention," T.K. said slowly. "When I was talking to Mickey and Matty, I ...um...accidentally mentioned Angemon."

"You what?" Davis shouted.

T.K. blushed and lowered his eyes to the ground. "I didn't actually say his name," the younger blond muttered. "I accidentally mentioned something about my 'guardian angel', and my sons started acting really weird after I said that. You should have seen the looks they gave me. It was almost as if they had known what I was talking about even though I hadn't actually said Angemon's name. You don't think Dai and his friends know about the Digital World, do you?"

Davis glared at his friends and sent them all suspicious looks. "Did any of you accidentally let something slip about the Digital World?"

T.K. and the others exchanged worried glances and quickly shook their heads.

"Have any of you been careless about where you've been hiding your Digivices?" Davis demanded.

"No way," Rosa replied. "You know us better then that, Davis."

"I don't have a Digivice to be showing anyone," Jun said, rolling her eyes.

"No," Ken whispered, shaking his head.

Davis turned to look at his best friend and let out a gasp. Ken's face was pure white, and his dark violet eyes were glittering with fear and horror.

"We can't let them find out about the Digital World," the raven haired Digidestined choked out. "Sam's behaviour already reminds me a lot of how I acted after my brother's death, and I will die before I let my son turn into another Emperor!"

"Oh, Ken, you don't really think Sam's going to end up becoming like you used to be...do you?" Yolei gasped in shock.

Ken buried his face in his hands and shook his head. "I don't know," he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. "Sam asked me if I thought he was a good person, and there's only one reason I can think of that explains why he would ask me something like that. Yolei, we can't let him find out about the...the Emperor."

"Why not?" Mina asked slowly.

"If Sam, Miya, and Nao find out about the Emperor, they'll hate me forever," Ken replied, his voice breaking. "They'll never be able to forgive me for what I did. I'll lose their love and their respect, and I know they'll never want to speak to me again. I can't lose my children. They're everything to me. Without them, I'm nothing."

Yolei threw her arms around Ken and hugged him tightly. "No, Ken. Our children could never hate you," she said tearfully. "They love you more than you'll ever know, and nothing is ever going to make them see you as anything other than the loving father you've always been. I'm not saying the news about you being the Emperor isn't going to upset them. I'm sure they'd feel very hurt and angry over the things you did, if they knew, but in the end, I know they'd be able to forgive you."

"Yolei's right," Davis said softly, his heart aching for his best friend. He had never seen Ken looking so upset and helpless before.

_Ken was pretty emotional after he stopped being the Emperor, but even then he wasn't as bad as he is now. I can't imagine what he must be feeling inside right at this moment. I don't know what I would do if Ami and Dai ever ended up hating me..._

Davis shuddered at the thought and quickly jumped to his feet. He sat down on the arm of the couch next to Ken and patted his best friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ken, we're not going to let Sam and the others find out about the Emperor, and if they do find out, well...we're just going to have to make sure they understand what really happened twenty-five years ago. I know Sam, Miya, and Nao will forgive you. They are your children, after all, and if we can forgive you, then there's no reason why they can't."

Ken slowly looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you," the former Emperor murmured. "You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better."

Dvais smiled and wrapped his arms around Ken in a warm hug. "What are best friends for?" he whispered.

"Maybe we should have told our kids about the Emperor and the Digital World," T.K. said softly.

"Why?" Matt said bitterly. "It's not like they've been entirely honest with us either! A few days ago Mickey and Matty were over at my house and they were acting really weird. So was Ryoko. That day I heard a strange voice coming from Ryoko's room, but when I asked him what was going on he said it was just Matty making fun of Mrs. Hanari. I bet that was just another lie to cover up the big secret he and his friends have been hiding from us!"

"Come on, Matt. You shouldn't be so hard on Ryoko," Tai said quietly.

"What are you talking about? Ryoko lied to us, Tai! That boy is grounded from now until he's eighteen!" Matt snapped.

"Matt, honey, you really need to learn not to get so worked up about things," Mimi sighed.

Davis frowned and made a face. _I definitely wouldn't want to be in Ryoko's shoes right about now!_

Unfortunately he knew exactly how Matt felt. Dai had lied to him, as well, and it was going to take some time for the pain in his heart to fade away and be replaced by a strong urge to forgive and forget.

_I thought Dai's strange behaviour would fade away eventually, but it didn't, and now it looks like I'm going to have to find out why._

"I think I have to agree with T.K.," Sora said seriously, getting everyone's attention. "Can we really blame our children for lying and keeping secrets from us when we've been doing the same thing to them since they were born?"

Davis shifted uneasily and glanced at Ken. The former Emperor's violet eyes had filled with sudden guilt, and Yolei looked liked she had been slapped across the face. A spark of emotion flickered in Matt's sapphire eyes, and the blond hid his face against Mimi's knee.

"Thanks a lot, Sora. You really know how to make someone feel guilty," Tai muttered.

_Sora's right. Maybe we shouldn't be so quick to judge..._

"What are we going to do?" Noriko whispered.

Davis gave his wife a sympathetic smile and turned to look at the others. "When Dai and the others get here, we're going to ask them what's going on, and this time we're not going to take no for an answer. I know they deserve some privacy, but I have a feeling if we don't find out what's going on soon, someone's going to get hurt. I'm not going to let our children put themselves in danger no matter what..."


	72. The Legacy of Tai Kamiya

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I've mentioned the Heighten View Terrace incident in this chapter, but I've written it as the english version of the television show explained it, not the movie. I know in the english version of the movie they made it as though the Digidestined all knew each other back then already (Joe talking to Izzy on the phone? I believe this was not the case in the original Japanese version. The dub implied they knew each other back then, not the original version) so therefore I'm sticking to the theory that they **did not **know each other back then because that was the case in the english version of the actual show. (Except Sora and Tai because they mentioned how they went to elementary school together) Again lots of talk, but it's important. Please review! I've finally got it up!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 72: The Legacy of Tai Kamiya

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Tai and his friends went back home after they defeated Apocalymon, and peace finally returned to the Digital World," Agumon said softly. "Your parents thought they'd never see us again, but they were wrong, and now I'll let Veemon tell you the rest of the story. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the crests. First I'll let Veemon tell you about the adventures that took place four years after Apocalymon was defeated and then I'll explain what happened to your parents' crests in detail. I think it'll be easier for you guys to understand why your parents gave up their crests once you've heard Veemon's story."

"You know what, Agumon? Kari knew she'd be seeing me again, and she was right," Gatomon said quietly.

"Your parents were very nice humans. I had my picture taken with them and everything," Elecmon murmured. "I did finally have a chance to meet the rest of T.K.'s friends eventually, and I'm glad."

Dai stared at Ryoko and the others in astonishment and shook his head. "I don't believe it," he said finally after a brief moment of silence. "It sounds like Tai and the others had quite an adventure when they were kids. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to face a digimon as strong as Apocalymon."

"Don't forget about the Dark Masters," Ryoko murmured, shivering slightly. "They remind me a lot of Vampiramon and her buddies."

"No kidding. I bet Piedmon and Jestermon would have been great friends if they had ever gotten a chance to meet each other!" Matty muttered.

"Can you guys believe that evil Datamon tried to hurt my mom?" Takara said, looking extremely indignant. "I'm so glad my dad was able to save her. There love story would make a great romance novel, don't you think?"

Dai groaned and rolled his eyes. "Kara, you're getting off topic. We're supposed to be talking about the crests and our parents' adventures."

"Dai, do you have even one romantic bone in your body?" Takara sighed.

Dai crossed his arms and glared at her. "Hey, I can be romantic!"

"I wish," Takara muttered.

_What's that supposed to mean?_

Dai frowned and glanced suspiciously at his female friend, but Takara refused to meet his eyes.

_I guess I'll have to ask her later. Right now I have more important things to worry about._

"Daichi, your name and the word romance do not belong in the same sentence!" Ryoko snorted, bursting into laughter.

Dai blushed and sent the blond a dirty look. "Shut up, Ishida," he muttered.

Ryoko ignored him and smiled sympathetically at Takara. "One day he'll wake up," the blond said softly.

"What?" Takara whispered, her face turning pure white.

Ryoko smiled slightly and did not reply.

"Can we please get back to what we were talking about before?" Dai snapped.

Takara and Ryoko stared silently at him, and he quickly looked away from them.

_I bet they'll end up together eventually. After all, like I said before, their parents are best friends, and Ryoko's a lot better looking then I am. She'd definitely choose him over me..._

Dai let out a small sigh and gazed sadly at his feet. He could not explain why the thought of Takara being with Ryoko bothered him so much, but that did not make the pain in his heart go away.

_If only I could find a way to get her to notice me..._

"Agumon, can I ask you a question?" Matty said slowly.

Agumon gave the younger twin a curious look and nodded. "Sure, what is it, Matty?"

Matty glanced nervously at his brother and shrugged. "Nothing really. I just have a few questions about...um...Devimon," the younger twin said softly. "What kind of a digimon was he anyway?"

"I think you'd better ask T.K. about Devimon," Patamon said quietly.

"But-"

"Patamon, you defeated Devimon and stopped him from taking over the Digital World," Mickey whispered. "I'm glad. Those Black Gears could have caused some real damage. How did you end up digivolving into Angemon?"

"I didn't really have a choice," Patamon said softly. "I had to digivolve because all of my friends were in trouble, including T.K."

"If Patamon hadn't digivolved into Angemon, Devimon would have beaten us," Gabumon said solemnly.

"Agumon, you didn't answer my question," Matty interrupted. "That battle took place on Infinity Mountain, right?"

"Yes. Infinity Mountain is located right here on File Island," Agumon replied, pointing towards a large peak in the distance. "You can see it from here."

"What happened to Angemon?" Matty snapped.

"What do you mean?" Agumon asked, sounding nervous.

"You told us what had happened during the battle earlier, but I think you left out some important details. Why won't you describe Devimon to us, and why did you make it sound as if there was a price to pay for Angemon's victory? Did something happen to him?"

"Patamon's right. You'd better ask your dad about the battle with Devimon," Agumon said softly. "It's his story, after all, and only he has the right to tell it. Let's just say DarkAngelicmon isn't the only fallen angel digimon we've had to deal with."

Mickey's amber eyes grew wide with horror, and he stared at Agumon in shock. "What are you saying?" the older twin gasped. "Are you saying that Devimon was an-"

"Ask your dad," Patamon insisted, his face a mask of sorrow.

"What about LadyDevimon?" Matty demanded.

Gatomon glanced at Patamon and made a face. "You're going to have to ask your mom about that evil witch!" the little champion muttered.

"I'm glad our parents were able to save Ogremon and Leomon from those Black Gears," Takara said softly, glancing suspiciously at Agumon. "They've helped us out a lot, and we'll always be grateful to them for protecting our partners."

"Funny, I never thought you were a big fan of Ogremon!" Sam laughed.

Takara blushed and lowered her eyes to the ground. "I'd be upset if either one of them ended up getting hurt."

"I'm so glad our parents have angel digimon," Mickey whispered. "Oh, Matty. I hope we can live up to what they did."

"Me, too," Matty said softly. "I wonder what mom and dad would think of Angelicmon and Gabrielmon. We're really lucky, Mickey. I feel special because I have Angelicmon for a partner, and I know you feel the same way about Gabrielmon."

The twins smiled at each other, but the light never reached their eyes. They were obviously worried about what Agumon had said concerning Devimon, and Dai had a feeling neither one of them was going to be able to sleep at night until they found out exactly what had happened on Infinity Mountain twenty-nine years ago.

_Could Devimon really have been an angel digimon?_

Dai shivered at the thought and quickly decided to change the subject. "Forget Devimon. What about Etemon? That digimon was a real weirdo!" he snorted. "His stupid Dark Network caused a lot of problems, and Tai's group had to fight him twice! Well, Joe and Mimi did anyway."

"Yeah, and his little buddies tried to steal Tokomon!" Matty muttered.

Patamon laughed and gave Matty a fond smile. "Don't worry, Matty. Tai and Agumon saved me, and they also saved all the Koromon who were captured, too."

"Um... Agumon? You said something about a digimon named SkullGreymon earlier. Was he an evil digimon?" Takara asked curiously.

"I'm sorry, Kara, but you're going to have to ask your dad about SkullGreymon," Agumon replied, avoiding her eyes.

Takara frowned and gave the little rookie a suspicious look. "And I thought Gennai was bad!" she muttered.

"I'll never get over Piximon. I can't believe he made them scrub his floors!" Embermon laughed.

"I'm just glad we don't have to put up with him!" Ryoko muttered.

"Piximon might have been a bit strick, but he did help them out a lot," Takara piped up. "Etemon was a bigger problem than Piximon. He tried to hurt our parents, and if my dad hadn't found his courage again after the incident with the firewall, my mom would have ended up dead."

"You're right, Kara. Piximon was trying to help your parents out and Etemon was trying to destroy them. That's the best way to tell the difference between a good digimon and a bad digimon!" Dovemon laughed.

Dai turned a smiled at Agumon. "So your ultimate form is MetalGreymon. I'm impressed. You definitely sound like my kind of digimon, Agumon."

"Really? Thanks," Agumon replied, looking a little embarrassed.

"I love the fact that Etemon and Datamon weren't exactly good buddies!" Ryoko snickered.

"Can you believe the others all got separated after Tai went back to Earth?" Sam murmured. "I can't even imagine how they must have felt when he suddenly disappeared. They would have had no clue whether he was alive or dead, and that must have been the worst feeling in the world. I'm glad time in the Digital World is the same as the human world again."

"And it's all thanks to our parents. I bet Apocalymon never stood a chance against them!" Matty laughed.

"DemiDevimon was just as bad as Apocalymon, if not worse!" Ryoko said angrily. "That little runt lied to our parents and almost made them hate each other!"

"Yeah, Joe and Matt almost stopped being friends because of what happened at Digitamamon's restaurant," Takara said softly. "Then there was the whole thing with 'Princess Mimi'."

"My mom has definitely changed a lot since then," Ryoko said softly.

"Don't forget about Izzy and Vademon," Alopemon murmured.

"I liked the part about Sora and her Crest of Love," Celestimon said, smiling softly. "I'm glad she was able to believe in herself again."

"Me, too," Takara whispered.

"I can't believe Tai and the others had the nerve to sneak into Myotismon's castle!" Dai said, changing the subject. "Now that's what I call courage!"

"They had no choice. How else were they going to get back home?" Ryoko snorted. "Still, if Tai had picked the wrong card..."

"Don't even go there!" Tentomon muttered.

"Gatomon, I can't believe you used to be evil!" Mickey gasped, his amber eyes wide with shock.

"I was lost and alone, and I was also Myotismon's slave," Gatomon said quietly. "Wizardmon made me realize the truth about myself, and I'll always be grateful to him for helping me find my way back to Kari. I started to forget about her because of Myotismon, but all of that changed when Wizardmon forced me to relive my past. All digimon and humans have the ability to turn away from darkness if they're strong enough to believe in themselves and their friends."

"You're right, Gatomon. Darkness won't affect any of us if we continue to protect each other," Wormmon said softly.

The two digimon glanced at Sam and suddenly smiled.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked nervously.

"Nothing," Gatomon replied, exchanging a significant look with Wormmon.

"I'm so glad you were able to free yourself from darkness," Mickey whispered, hugging Gatomon tightly. "You know what, Gatomon? One day Wizardmon will be reconfigured, and then you'll have a chance to renew your friendship with him."

"The same goes for Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon. Those guys were awesome," Matty said softly. "Trust me, Gatomon, there's always hope."

Gatomon's eyes filled with sudden tears, and she buried her face against Mickey's chest. "That sounds like something T.K. would say. Thanks, Matty."

Mickey started to laugh, and Matty blushed. "What's so funny?" the younger twin asked, looking a little confused.

"Matty, you really are amazing, you know that?" Mickey said softly, giving his twin a fond smile.

Matty avoided his brother's eyes and shrugged. "I could say the same thing about you, Mickey. In fact, I already did."

"I'm glad you think so anyway," Mickey mumbled, his face turning bright pink.

"I can't believe my dad was in the Convention Centre with Mimi and Sora, and they didn't even know who he was yet!" Dai laughed.

"The same goes for Cody who was on that plane that almost crashed into the ocean," Takara added, shivering slightly. "It's a good thing you were there to help him, Biyomon."

"Yeah, only I didn't know I was helping him at the time!" Biyomon laughed. "I'm glad I did though. That's what friends do. They help each other out. Joe rescued T.K. from drowning, and Tai rescued Mimi from the Convention Centre. There was a lot of rescuing going on because of Myotismon."

"No kidding!" Dai replied. "I'm glad you guys were able to bring down the fog barrier and rescue everyone in the Convention Centre. I'm sure my dad and Aunt Jun appreciated the gesture, too!"

"The best thing about the whole Myotismon incident was the prophecy," Takara sighed. "' Angels will shoot arrows of hope and light at the loved ones of those they've been sent to protect.' I don't know if I could have let someone shoot arrows at me! My dad and Uncle Matt are really brave!"

"They're really lucky, too," Ryoko murmured. "Their digimon got to digivolve all the way to the mega level!"

"Angemon and Angewomon were pretty amazing, as well," Sam said softly. "You're right, Gatomon. You did stop Myotismon, but unfortunately that wasn't enough to defeat VenomMyotismon."

"I know," Gatomon grumbled.

"I hope I can digivolve to mega one day," Embermon said softly.

"You will," Dai replied. "I can't believe Tai and the others didn't figure out that Kari was the Eight Child a lot sooner, and don't even get me started on Heighten View Terrace! Terrorist bombing, yeah right! Can you believe Tai and the others all lived there at the same time and didn't even know it until the whole Myotismon thing happened?"

"If you ask me, Aunt Kari was lucky she was sick for the first half of the adventure!" Ryoko muttered.

"I bet we could have seen the digimon fighting at Heighten View Terrace if we had been alive at the time," Mickey murmured. "The same goes for Davis, Yolei, Ken, and Cody. They probably would have seen Parrotmon and Greymon as well, if they had been there."

"The scariest part was when the Digital World appeared in the sky after we defeated VenomMyotsimon," Palmon piped up. "We knew we had to go back because all of the troubles in the Digital World were starting to affect the human world, as well!"

"If only we had known about Oikawa then..." Wormmon murmured.

Dai frowned and gave the little rookie a curious look. "Who's Oikawa?"

"We'll get to him later," Veemon replied.

"Piximon tried to save our parents from the Dark Masters," Takara said quietly. "I'm so glad he's back, and it was nice of him to warn them about Spiral Mountain."

"Whatever," Ryoko snorted.

"You know what, Mickey? Puppetmon would have been great friends with Jestermon, too," Matty muttered. "That crazy puppet tried to hurt our dad!"

"Yeah, but he didn't," Mickey whispered, his voice trembling. "Our dad and Uncle Matt exchanged some pretty harsh words because of Puppetmon, but don't worry, Matty. We're not going to let Jestermon and DarkAngelicmon do the same thing to us!"

Matty threw his arms around Mickey and hugged his brother tightly. "I've been waiting a long time to hear you say that," the younger twin mumbled, his amber eyes filling with sudden tears.

_Me, too._

Dai smiled at the Takaishi twins and turned to look at Ryoko. "Hey, what's wrong, Ishida?"

"Agumon, according to you, my dad and Tai became friends right here in the Digital World, but you never actually explained how they became friends," Ryoko said quietly, completely ignoring him. "I've heard all kinds of stories about the things they went through to become best friends, but none of those stories mentioned anything about the Digital World. What exactly -"

"Ask your dad about a digimon named Cherrymon, a dark cave, and the Crest of Friendship," Gabumon said softly. "Only he can give you the answers to your questions."

"There's more to the story, isn't there?" Ryoko whispered. "I can tell there's definitely some bad history between them. Agumon hinted as much more than once."

Gabumon stared at him for a moment and suddenly smiled. "You and Dai could learn a lot from Matt and Tai."

"What?" Ryoko snapped.

Dai felt his face turn red, and he quickly looked at the ground. _What exactly is Gabumon trying to say?_

"Don't worry, Ryoko. I know your dad will tell you everything," Gabumon said simply. "You are his son, and I know you'll eventually understand what I'm trying to say."

"That conversation Tai and his friends had with the Entity that took over Aunt Kari's body was freaky." Takara commented. "Their vital information was scanned and everything. Talk about weird. At least we know more about digimon, Gennai, and the Powers of Darkness now. I can't believe the Dark Masters attacked Gennai and his counterparts. Piedmon even tried to steal the crests and Digieggs!"

"He did get the crests," Ryoko muttered. "At least the part about Gennai being an old man makes sense now."

"I'll tell you more about Benjamin and the others later," Veemon said cheerfully.

"I'm just glad Leomon was reconfigured. He and Ogremon are a riot! They really do know each other after all!" Celestimon laughed.

"Our parents were the ones who helped Leomon digivolve and so did their Digivices," Ryoko said softly.

"I still can't believe those Numemon called Aunt Kari their queen!" Takara giggled.

"They're not the only ones who wanted her for a queen," Gatomon muttered.

"What was that?" Matty snapped.

"Nothing," Gatomon said shortly.

"I'll never get over Piedmon turning people into key chains!" Sam said, his violet eyes glittering with horror. "It's a good thing Angemon was able to digivolve into MagnaAngemon."

"You're welcome!" Patamon laughed.

"In the end, our parents were able to defeat Apocalymon without their crests," Ryoko murmured. "I wonder what's actually behind the Wall of Fire."

"Not even Gennai knows," Biyomon replied. "Apparently it's located right here on File Island, and it still exists even though Apocalymon has been defeated. It is a barrier to protect the Digital World from the Powers of Darkness."

"'File Island is where light and darkness meet, but they cannot be allowed to cross,'" Takara quoted. "That's what Leomon said earlier."

"Wise words," Elecmon murmured. "After your parents defeated Apocalymon, the Digital World was once again filled with beauty and peace. Unfortunately that peace did not last very long, and four years later the Digidestined were threatened by a new evil. This time the Powers of Darkness took shape in the body of a human. Alright, Veemon. I think it's time you explained to Dai and his friends what happened twenty-five years ago."

Veemon slowly nodded and glanced nervously at Sam. "T.K. had just moved to Odaiba four years after the defeat of Apocalymon, and he was about to start class at his new school when he crossed paths with a boy named Davis Motomiya. My story begins with the discovery of new, unique Digieggs and new Digidestined. Twenty-five years ago a human boy tried to take over the Digital World with Control Spires and Dark Rings. He was mean and cruel, and all digimon were afraid of him. The only thing we knew about him at the time was the name he had given us. He called himself the Digimon Emperor, and that is a name some digimon will never forget..."


	73. His Memory Lives On

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: In the english version, they never really said what happened to Datirimon so I've come up with my own idea for his fate after Oikawa died. Hopefully it makes sense. The same goes for Oikawa and the cards and Ken's crest. I had to add bits of my own theory to make everything flow for my plot to work. Enjoy and please review! One more chapter and then they face their parents!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 73: His Memory Lives On

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"In the end, MaloMyotismon was defeated, and Yukio Oikawa was able to help us restore the Digital World to it's former beauty. He gave up his life to give our world a future, and we will never forget him for making such a huge sacrifice. It took Digidestined from all over the world to stop MaloMyotismon, but we did it, and since then the Digital World has been filled with peace. It's amazing what a little teamwork can do, isn't it?" Veemon said softly.

"Yeah, too bad Vampiramon and her buddies had to go and ruin everything!" Dai muttered. "This world isn't going to know the meaning of the word peace again until we can find a way to defeat Vampiramon's master."

"Oikawa only gave up his life because he was going to die anyway!" Ryoko snorted. "His body had been badly damaged by MaloMyotismon, and instead of just dying, he made himself useful by using his life force to protect the Digital World. That doesn't exactly make him a hero if you ask me!"

"Well, we consider Oikawa to be a hero, and so do your parents," Hawkmon sniffed. "He was able to turn away from darkness, just like Gatomon, and I would appreciate it if you would show him a little bit of respect, Ryoko Ishida!"

"You may be right, Hawkmon, but that doesn't change the fact that, hero or not, he was still a total nutcase!" Ryoko muttered.

Hawkmon gave the blond an indignant look and angrily ruffled his feathers. "Oikawa was a Digidestined. You would do well to remember that, young man!"

"Alright!" Ryoko grumbled. "He did turn away from darkness eventually, but not until it was too late for Davis and the others to save him. Even so, I guess the fact that he helped save the Digital World has to count for something."

"Yes, it does," Takara said softly. "Oikawa did some bad things, but deep down inside he was a good person who had become a victim of the Powers of Darkness. He was also friends with Kenzo's grandfather. There's no way Hiroki Hida would have been best friends with someone who was truly evil."

"It's too bad Kenzo never got a chance to meet his grandfather," Mickey said sadly.

"What ever happened to Datirimon?" Matty asked curiously.

"Datirimon disappeared after Oikawa died," Armadillomon replied.

"As a rule, digimon never really die. Their data still exists even if they're killed in battle, and that is what allows them to be reborn right here at Primary Village. The only way a digimon can truly die is if they have a human partner. If their human partner dies, then they will die, as well," Hawkmon explained. "A digimon and his human partner share a special bond that joins them together for life. It's almost like they become a part of each other. When the human dies, that bond is broken, and the digimon has no choice but to die, as well. After all, how can you expect a digimon to keep on living when half of him has been destroyed? After his partner is gone, his data will simply disappear. We're not sure why, but that is the way it is. Luckily the Four Guardians, Gennai, and his counterparts are the only ones who know the truth, other than us partner digimon and the Digidestined. Can you imagine what would happen if all the evil digimon in the Digital World knew? Gennai told me all of this a long time ago, and it makes sense. A digimon cannot live without his or her human partner, and that's why Datirimon disappeared."

"Poor Datirimon," Takara said softly. "He waited a long time to meet his partner in the flesh, and they both ended up dying before they really had a chance to get to know each other. I can understand why, though. It must be devastating for a digimon to lose their partner."

"Yes, it is, and it's also devastating for a human to lose their digimon partner," Patamon said softly. "I can't even imagine how Oikawa must have felt to be separated from his digimon for so long. The same goes for Datirimon."

"It's too bad Oikawa had to die after living such a hard life," Dai grumbled. "Somehow that just doesn't seem fair."

"Oikawa and Datirimon are together now. I know it." Takara whispered.

"How come humans don't die when their digimon partners die?" Matty asked curiously.

"Like I said before, digimon never really die," Hawkmon replied. "Their data is reconfigured, and then they're reborn at Primary Village. How can a human die when their partner was never dead to begin with?"

"Good point," Dai laughed.

"That doesn't mean a human doesn't suffer when they're partner is killed in battle," Wormmon said seriously.

Patamon nodded in agreement and sent Wormmon a sympathetic smile. "I know exactly what you mean, Wormmon," the long eared digimon said softly.

_Why do I have a feeling they're hiding something from us?_

Dai crossed his arms and frowned at the two digimon. He was going to ask them what they were talking about, but at that moment he happened to catch a glimpse of Sam's face, and the words died in his throat. The raven haired Digidestined's eyes were filled with horror, and he looked like he was going to be sick.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Dai asked, reaching out and gently placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"The Emperor," Sam whispered, his violet eyes filling with tears. "He was a human, just like us. How could he have done all those horrible things? Veemon, you said Davis and the others defeated the Emperor, but you didn't tell us how they defeated him. What happened to him? Where is he now?"

Veemon shrugged and gave Sam a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, Sam, but I can't answer your questions."

"Why not?" Sam shouted, his face turning pink with anger.

Veemon glanced anxiously at Wormmon and slowly shook his head. "You're going to have to ask Davis and the others about the Emperor. It wouldn't be right for me to tell you what really happened back then."

"Who was he?" Sam whispered. "You never told us his real name."

"Only your parents can give you the answer to that question," Wormmon murmured.

"You're not serious, are you?" Sam said in disbelief. "You have to tell me, right now! Centaurumon said you would, and so did Elecmon! Please, Wormmon. I need to know."

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you," Wormmon said sadly. "I want to, but if I did, I'd end up betraying a very good friend of mine, and I can't do that. Veemon's right. You're going to have to ask Davis and the others about the Emperor."

"I'm glad my dad punched that wacko out when they met up with each other in the base!" Matty muttered. "Seriously, the Emperor was just as bad as Oikawa, if not worse! He even created his own creepy digimon, of all things!"

"So did Oikawa, only he created two digimon," Mickey replied. "You're right, Matty. Kimeramon was totally weird!"

Sam hugged Glowmon tightly against his chest and promptly burst into tears. "Why?" the raven haired Digidestined sobbed. "Why did Sirenmon compare me to the Digimon Emperor? I'm nothing like him! I would never have tried to take over the Digital World like he did, and there's no way I would ever have been able to bring myself to hurt any innocent digimon either! It's not fair! I'm not evil! I'm not...am I?"

"No way!" Glowmon cried, snuggling against his partner's chest. "I don't care what Sirenmon said about you! You're a good person and a good Digidestined, and nothing anyone says is ever going to change what we already know to be true! She was just trying to trick you, and the same goes for the rest of her evil buddies! Don't let them get to you, Sam. If you do, we'll never win against them!"

Dai sighed and smiled sadly at his friend. _Poor Sam. I don't understand either. Why would Sirenmon call him the Emperor? Sam's nothing like that evil jerk! If only Wormmon and the others would tell us the Emperor's real name..._

Mickey suddenly jumped to his feet and threw his arms around Sam. "I don't care what anyone else says," the older twin whispered. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You're not evil, Sam, and you never will be. You're not going to suddenly turn into another Emperor no matter what others might say about you. We love you, and we'll never stop being friends with you, no matter what."

Sam hugged Mickey tightly and buried his face against the older twin's shoulder. "You promise?" the raven haired Digidestined mumbled.

"We promise," Takara said softly.

"Definitely," Matty said firmly.

"You know what, Sam? You are a lot like the Emperor, only not in the way that you think," Wormmon said, his large eyes sparkling with sudden happiness.

"What do you mean?" Sam snapped, tightening his arms around Mickey.

"You'll find out eventually," Wormmon replied. "Oikawa, Gatomon, Noriko, and the rest of the children who ended up with Spores in their bodies were able to turn away from darkness, and so were all the digimon who were affected by Black Gears and Dark Rings or Spirals. The Emperor is no different from them. It took a bit of a miracle, but in the end, he too was able to find his way back to the light. I can't tell you any more than that. If you want to know the rest of the story, you'll have to ask your parents."

"I can't believe Noriko has a Dark Spore inside of her!" Ryoko said, changing the subject in an obvious attempt to take Sam's mind off of the Emperor.

"Actually, now that I think about it, it makes sense. No wonder she's so evil!" Dai joked. "I'm not really surprised. I've always suspected there was a reason why she's constantly out to get me all the time!"

"Dai!" Takara scolded.

Dai laughed and rolled his eyes. "I'm just joking, Kara. Still, maybe she secretly knows I'm a Digidestined, and that's why she's always trying to make my life miserable!"

"Your mom's a Digidestined, too!" Takara shot back.

"Daichi, you might be lacking in brains once in a while, but you certainly make up for it in imagination!" Ryoko laughed.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Dai replied, smiling slightly.

"I thought all the Spores were harvested by Oikawa," Mickey said, looking confused.

"Yes, but a part of the Spore still remains in Noriko and the others," Veemon replied.

"Where exactly did the Dark Spores come from?" Matty asked curiously. "We know Oikawa scanned them into Noriko and the others, but you didn't tell us where he got them from."

"That's another thing you'll have to ask your parents," Wormmon mumbled.

"Veemon, you said my dad joined the Digidestined team late. Why?" Sam asked, sniffing back tears and trying to get control of his emotions. "Was he sick like Kari was when she joined Tai's team late?"

Wormmon shrugged. "Not exactly," the little rookie replied, avoiding Sam's eyes. "You'd better ask your dad about that. He'll be able to explain why it took him a while to join us better than I can."

"Um...Veemon? What's the Dark Ocean?" Mickey asked quietly. "You mentioned it earlier, but you didn't go into detail about it."

"The World of Darkness," Gatomon murmured. "The Dark Ocean is part of the World of Darkness. It is a place where dark thoughts come to life. We sent Daemon there, and he has never returned. We don't exactly know where it is or even what it is, but it is a place where the Powers of Darkness thrive, and they won't let you go until you can find a way to overcome them."

"Did any of our parents ever go there?" Mickey asked, his amber eyes wide with fear.

"You're going to have to ask your parents about the Dark Ocean," Gatomon replied. "We think it's a place like the World of Dreams, but we're not exactly sure. Oikawa used the power from the World of Dreams to help him spread his life force over the Digital World. As Veemon said earlier, the World of Dreams makes wishes come true. I can't tell you any more about the World of Darkness. Like I said before, you're going to have to ask your parents about it. Besides, a lot of what we know is really just a bunch of guesses."

"I wonder how many worlds there are out there?" Matty said quietly. "There's one thing I don't understand. If the Dark Ocean is a separate world, why was Ken able to use his D-3 to send Daemon there? In fact, why was Ken able to open a gate to the World of Darkness in the first place?"

Sam let out a gasp of horror and turned to look at Wormmon. "What-"

"I don't know," Wormmon replied, his face turning red. "We've never been able to figure that out. The only reason we were able to go to the World of Dreams is because BlackWarGreymon sealed the gate to the Digital World over Heighten View Terrace and we ended up being sent to another world because of that. No Digivices were involved. It's hard to say."

"I still don't understand why Oikawa wasn't able to open the gate again even if BlackWarGreymon did seal it," Dai murmured.

"The cards!" Tentomon piped up. "Remember how we had to choose the right cards to open the gate and get back home when we were in Myotismon's castle? Oikawa used those same cards on his laptop at Heighten View Terrace, only he chose the Agumon card! Tai chose the Gomamon card! Maybe that's why we were sent to another world! That's my theory anyway, and I'm sticking to it!"

"That could have had something to do with it," Hawkmon replied.

"It doesn't matter if the Dark Ocean is connected to the Digital World or not," Mickey whispered. "I don't like it. It...scares me."

"Me, too," Sam mumbled.

Matty scrambled forward and gently wrapped his arms around Sam and Mickey. "I don't like it, either, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let it frighten me! I promise I'll never let it hurt either one of you," the younger twin said fiercely.

"Thanks, Matty," Sam whispered. "And we'll do the same for you."

"BlackWarGreymon was really cool," Ryoko said softly. "He's another example of a digimon who was able to turn away from darkness. The same can't be said for Daemon. That demon digimon was an evil jerk! Why did he want the Spores anyway?"

"We have no idea," Patamon replied.

"I guess we'll never know," Hawkmon murmured.

"Arukenimon and Mummymon were a joke!" Dai snorted. "I still can't believe Oikawa created them."

"Oikawa could open a gate to the Digital World, but it's defences prevented him from entering," Hawkmon explained. "In the end, he was able to enter the Digital World because he had found his innocence again."

"Actually, technically he only half entered it," Dai replied. "He died before he could make it all the way in. The Dark Spores fed off the innocence of the kids, and Oikawa was going to use that power to enter the Digital World, but the gate over Heighten View Terrace sort of ruined his plan. In the end, my mom and the others were able to enter the Digital World because they didn't let the Dark Spores consume them. Innocence is the thing that allows humans to come to the Digital World, right?"

"Yes," Wormmon replied. "The Control Spires came from the Dark Ocean and Oikawa used them to weaken the defences of the Digital World to help him enter. In the meantime, he sent Arukenimon and Mummymon to the Digital World to do his dirty work. Unfortunately his plan was really Myotismon's plan and not his own plan. The true purpose of the Spores was not to help Oikawa get to the Digital World. Myotismon used them to bring himself back to life. He needed them in order to be reborn, so the Control Spires are technically his fault as well, not the Emperor's or Oikawa's."

"Couldn't he have waited to be reborn at Primary Village as a better digimon like everyone else?" Ryoko snorted.

"The process of reconfiguration works a little differently with really evil digimon, though we're not exactly sure how or why." Tentomon replied. "So far, other than Myotismon, none of the evil digimon we've fought have caused us trouble again."

"See? Oikawa wasn't really evil. Myotismon was controlling him!" Takara said quietly.

"Whatever!" Ryoko muttered. "I'm glad that's all over and done with!"

"Armor-digivolving sounds really cool," Embermon said cheerfully.

"I think it's really neet how Davis, Cody, and Yolei got to inherit the powers of the crests from Matt and the others," Takara said softly. "Does that mean the Crest of Courage and the Crest of Friendship would both glow for Davis?"

"Maybe, you never know," Veemon replied. "See, Dai? Ryoko's father isn't the only one who knows a thing or two about friendship, and you do remind me a lot of Davis..."

"Whatever," Dai mumbled, avoiding Ryoko's eyes. He could feel the blond watching him, and it was making him nervous.

"I never knew you and Ryoko had so much in common!" Matty laughed.

"Shut up!" Dai muttered, his face turning pink. He glanced at Ryoko out of the corners of his eyes and realized the blond's face had also turned the same colour as Biyomon's feathers.

"What happened to the Digieggs?" Mickey asked.

"I don't know," Veemon replied. "They might still be in your parents' D-Terminals. That's where they were fifteen years ago. I'm guessing that's where they are now unless something has happened since then."

"Why didn't my dad and the others get crests?" Dai asked curiously.

"No clue. You'll have to ask Gennai for an answer to that question," Armadillomon said with a shrug. "I think it has something to do with what Azulongmon said during the whole incident with the Destiny Stones."

"I'm glad our mom and dad got to be on both teams," Matty said, turning to smile at his twin. "They got to use crests, and they got to armor-digivolve."

"Don't forget about DNA digivolving!" Mickey added. "And I'm also glad Uncle Tai and the others still got to help out. Matty, can you believe our parents were in the city where we found our digimon? Our mom was the one who saved Andromon."

"I know what you mean," Matty murmured. "It's weird, but it's also really cool. We stood in some of the same spots where they stood twenty-five years ago."

"I can't believe my dad and T.K. came after Kari together despite the fact that they were finding it difficult to agree on anything!" Dai grinned. "I knew my dad used to like her, but I didn't realize he'd spent so much time risking his life in the Digiworld to help her! Both him and T.K. were crazy!"

"Hey, both of them were in love. What do you expect?" Takara shot back. "You think that's weird. Don't even get me started on my mom and Matt!"

"Now that's weird!" Ryoko laughed. "Besides, T.K. and Davis would have done the same thing for any of their friends."

"I can't believe the Emperor captured you, Agumon!" Embermon said, looking confused. "You mentioned something about SkullGreymon again. What was that about?"

"Nothing," Agumon mumbled, ignoring the look Takara gave him.

"Michael and his digimon were a great help. He comes to Japan to visit our parents every once in a while with his wife and kids," Mickey said softly. "I'll never be able to look at him the same way again after this, and the same goes for Willis. In fact, I feel that way about our parents and the rest of the Digidestined, too!"

"The whole thing with Wizardmon being a ghost was creepy. He really needs to get himself reconfigured, and what is the 'Golden Radiance?' You never did tell us," Matty piped up. "And what was that about...um...Devimon returning?"

"Ask your parents," Patamon said with a sigh.

Matty glared at the little rookie and did not reply.

"Do you think Wizardmon will come back soon?" Takara said hopefully.

"Some digimon take longer to be reborn at Primary Village than others," Tentomon said seriously. "The ghost of Wizardmon was actually Wizardmon's data which had not yet been reconfigured. That's why he didn't have a solid form. At least, that's what Gennai says anyway."

"Where did my dad get the Crest of Kindness from anyway?" Sam whispered.

Wormmon hesitated, and Dai rolled his eyes. "Alright, we get it. We're supposed to ask our parents!"

"Davis and his team were lucky," Takara said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Their digimon got to digivolve to champion, and they got to armor-digivolve, as well!"

"They also got to DNA digivolve," Matty added.

"DNA digivolving is cool, but I don't know if I like the idea of digivolving with one person," Dai said slowly.

The others all stared at him, and he blushed.

"What do you mean?" Mickey asked.

Dai shrugged and avoided their eyes. "All of you guys are my friends. I'd want to DNA digivolve with all of you, not just one of you," he mumbled.

Takara suddenly hugged him tightly, and he felt his face turn red. "Oh, Dai, you're such a sweetheart," she said softly.

Dai buried his face in her hair and did not reply.

"Daichi, you stupid idiot! Why do you always make me want to-" Ryoko suddenly broke off in the middle of his sentence and quickly lowered his eyes to the ground.

Dai lifted his head and frowned at Ryoko. _What was that all about?_

"Veemon, do you think our parents would still be able to DNA digivolve even though Gatomon got her tail ring back?" Matty asked, looking amused.

Veemon shrugged. "I don't think so, but you never know. Remember, digivolving comes from the heart, and that is where it's true power lies. Anything's possible."

"Why did our parents have to stop the Emperor's base from exploding, and why did they need Ken's crest to do it?" Mickey asked quietly. "His crest didn't work. Paildramon had to detroy the reactor and the base. They also glimpsed a doorway to the World of Darkness. What-"

"I can't say," Veemon replied. "There's only one thing I can tell you. Gennai was able to recover Ken's crest from the ruins of the base, and after MaloMyotismon was defeated, he asked Ken if he could keep it in a safe place here in the Digital World. Like I said before, Ken agreed to Gennai's request. Your parents will have to explain the rest of the story about the Emperor's base."

"Forget the Emperor's base. What about Arukenimon's Control Spire digimon? Talk about scary, and don't even get me started on the trap she set in Giga House! She and Mummymon would have made a great couple!" Ryoko snorted.

"At least BlackWarGreymon was able to resist her in the end!" Takara cheered.

"I still can't get over what happened to Yolei in Kyoto!" Mickey said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "At least we know more about the Four Guardians now. The Digital World really is a shadow world of earth."

"Our parents saved Azulongmon," Matty whispered. "That's why Tai and the others had to give up their crests. The four Guardians needed them in order to restore their power and to protect the Digital World. Those Dark Masters really did cause a lot of trouble, didn't they?"

"So did the Destiny Stones!" Mickey laughed. "Our mom and dad broke the seal that kept Azulongmon trapped. That's pretty amazing."

"Those Control Spires tried to steal his power, too! He seems to have a lot of problems when it comes to people trying to take his power away!" Dai snorted. "First the Dark Masters, then the Control Spires-"

"He's also the Keeper of the Spheres of Hope and Light," Ryoko said quietly. "That counts for something, Daichi."

"I know you guys are going to ask us about the Digicores since your D-Coders came from one, but we'll let Gennai explain what they are. All I can say is that they're very powerful, and one of them helped Tai and the others digivolve to the ultimate level again. It also helped Paildramon digivolve to his mega form." Veemon added. "Alright, Agumon. I think you'd better finish the story about the crests."

"Okay, I'll also finish up with what Veemon said about Benjamin and the others who, as you all know, helped us destroy Control Spires that were scattered all over the world. As Veemon said earlier, the Dark Masters, with I suspect the help of Apocalymon, captured Azulongmon and the other three Guardians, and that is the very reason why your parents had to give up their crests..."


	74. Only One Choice

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This is the last chapter to take place in Primary Village! In the next one they're going to meet up with their parents, and it's going to be quite the meeting. Oh and this chapter starts out with a new POV! Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 74: Only One Choice

_Miya Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Miya Ichijouji quickly headed towards the elementary school where Nao and Rina were enrolled, and she smiled when she spotted her youngest brother sitting on the front lawn next to Rina. The two of them were talking quietly to one another, and they did not appear to be aware of their surroundings at all.

_I wonder why they look so serious. Little kids don't exactly have that much to worry about, do they? I know I didn't when I was their age._

"Rina! Nao! Over here!" she called out.

Nao looked up at her in surprise and frowned. "Hey, Miya. What are you doing here?"

"Mom left a note for me in the principal's office earlier today. It said I was supposed to come pick you and Rina up because we're all going over to Davis' and Noriko's house for supper this evening."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Rina said cheerfully. "How come my parents didn't come pick me up? They're the ones who usually do. Either that or my brothers come and get me."

Miya shrugged and reached out to take Rina's right hand. "Your brothers are hanging out with Sam and the rest of their friends, and I'm guessing your parents wanted to get to Davis' house early. I know my parents did. At least that's what my mom wrote in her note."

"That explains why you're here," Nao said softly, reaching out and taking her other hand. "You usually try to avoid picking me up as much as possible!"

"Hey! I'm a busy woman, you know!" she replied, leading them across the street. "I have lots of things to do with my time, even if Mom and Dad don't think so!"

"Don't worry, Nao, your big sister still loves you even if she doesn't want to waste her precious time picking you up!" Rina giggled.

Miya rolled her eyes and smiled slightly. "Hey, what were you two talking about back there anyway?"

Nao looked up at her with his big, blue eyes and frowned. "Rina has a secret, but she won't tell me what it is."

"It's not my secret!" Rina shot back. "It's Mickey's and Matty's secret, and I promised them I wouldn't say a word to anyone unless they told me I could!"

Miya raised her eyebrows and sent Rina a suspicious look. _I wonder if the twin's secret has anything to do with Dai being injured. I don't believe he fell off the bleachers for a second! Maybe their secret has something to do with Sam. He has been acting really weird lately, and so has my dad, for that matter._

"I take it you're not going to tell me what their secret is either, are you."

"No way," Rina replied.

"Miya! There you are! We've been looking all over for you!"

Miya looked up at the sound of Ami's voice and smiled when she spotted her best friend standing on the sidewalk with Noah, Ema, Taysuke, Kenzo, and Taniko. Luckily Noah's friend Shina was nowhere in sight.

_Maybe I shouldn't have pulled that stunt with the flowers at the convenience store earlier..._

"Hi, guys!" Rina said cheerfully, waving to Noah and the others.

Noah picked Rina up and smiled at her. "Hey, Rina. How are you doing?"

"I'm great!" Rina giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling back at him.

"Hey, Miya, how come you're picking up Nao and Rina? Don't you usually try to avoid picking up your younger brother?" Ema snorted.

Miya glared at the younger girl and turned to smile at Noah. "We're all going over to Ami's house for supper today. My mom left me a note. She told me to pick up Nao and Rina. I'm supposed to bring them over to Davis' and Noriko's place."

"Really?" Ami replied, frowning in confusion. "My parents never said anything to me about a big dinner."

"I bet all of our parents left us notes about it," Taysuke said reasonably. "Come on. Let's get going. I want to talk to Kara."

"Why?" Ema asked suspiciously.

Taysuke blushed and quickly looked at the ground. "No reason," he mumbled.

"Tay, is there something you're not telling us?" Taniko asked slowly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Taysuke mumbled, sounding extremely nervous.

"Mickey and Matty have a secret, and Rina knows what it is!" Miya announced. "I personally think it has something to do with why Dai and his friends have been acting so strange lately. What do you guys think?"

Ami and the others slowly turned to look at Rina, and the youngest Takaishi's face turned bright pink. "I promised my brothers I wouldn't tell anyone their secret," she mumbled, hiding her face against Noah's shoulder.

"Does their secret have something to do with Dai?" Ema demanded, her dark eyes flashing.

Rina gave the older girl a weak smile and shrugged. "Maybe..."

"It involves Sam, Dai, Kara, and Ryoko," Nao said seriously.

"Nao! You weren't supposed to say anything!" Rina squealed. "See? It's a good thing I didn't tell you their secret!"

"Ami, I don't think Dai got injured on the bleachers," Miya said softly.

Ami hugged herself and finally nodded. "I know what you mean. I've been having second thoughts about that, too."

"What's this about Dai being injured?" Noah asked sharply, his dark eyes filling with concern.

Miya quickly told the others about the conversation she and Ami had overheard when they had been trying to eavesdrop on Dai, Davis, her dad, and a few of Dai's friends several days ago. She finished her explanation with a few helpful comments from Ami, and the others stared at her in shock.

"Unfortunately we couldn't hear everything they were saying because they kept raising and lowering their voices," Ami said quietly.

"All of them skipped Dai's practice, including Dai!" Taysuke whispered.

Noah's eyes grew wide with shock, and he almost dropped Rina in surprise. "How did you know Dai skipped soccer practice?" he asked, staring at Taysuke in astonishment.

"I knew it!" Ema shouted triumphantly. "See, Noah? I was right all along! I can't believe you were hiding the truth from me all this time! How did you find out? Did Dai tell you?"

Miya stared at Noah in amusement and shook her head. "Somehow I get the feeling you weren't supposed to tell us that!"

"Dai told me I wasn't supposed to tell his parents, and I promised him I wouldn't tell Ema either," Noah mumbled, avoiding her eyes.

"Hey!" Ema snapped. "Thanks a lot, Noah!"

"How did you know Dai skipped practice?" Kenzo asked, turning to frown at Taysuke.

"Kara admitted she never went to Dai's practice, and neither did Ryoko. It wasn't too hard to fit the rest of the puzzle pieces together after my sister finally told me her secret. It's obvious, isn't it? None of them were at Dai's practice, and that includes Dai. Noah just confirmed what I had already suspected. I bet Mickey's and Matty's secret is the reason why they all skipped Dai's practice and my game. All of them have been acting strange lately, and I think it's because they all have the same secret."

"If only we could figure out what it is they're hiding from us," Taniko muttered.

"I can't say!" Rina wailed.

"Kara didn't actually tell me I wasn't supposed to say anything, but I know she was expecting me to keep her secret," Taysuke mumbled. "Now she'll never trust me again."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me all of this earlier! What kind of a friend are you?" Ema shrieked.

"She told me she missed my game because she was doing something really important, and I believe her," Taysuke said softly.

"Dai's never going to forgive me for blurting out his secret," Noah mumbled, looking guilty.

"This kind of thing always happens when people try to keep secrets from each other," Miya murmured.

Ema suddenly started off down the street, and Miya quickly followed the younger girl. "Where are you going?" she demanded.

"Dai's house!" Ema snapped back. "We're going to find out what's going on with him and his friends once and for all!"

"Oh no!" Rina moaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Dai lied to my parents!" Ami gasped, looking shocked.

Miya hurried after Ema with the others and frowned. For the first time in her life, she actually agreed with Noah's younger sister. They had to find out what was going on with Dai and his friends before something really terrible happened.

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"The only way to beat the Powers of Darkness was to give up the crests. They broke the seals the Dark Masters and Apocalymon had placed around the Four Guardians, and they created a barrier over the Digital World which allowed peace and beauty to return back to the land. You see, the Digital World was still trying to rebuild itself after Spiral Mountain and Apocalymon, and we helped the process along a bit, if you know what I mean. As you all know, Kari's and T.K.'s crests were the ones that broke Azulongmon's seal. As a result, Tai's team was unable to digivolve to ultimate, but several years later, the Digicore was able to help us out with that problem," Agumon said softly. "Anyway, now you all know what happened during the years between the defeat of Apocalymon and the rise of the Emperor."

"We were so happy to see our partners again, and in that moment we knew we'd never truly be separated from them forever no matter how many times the gates closed," Patamon said cheerfully.

"I don't understand something. Tai and the others were able to digivolve to ultimate without their crests when they fought Apocalymon, so why weren't they able to do the same thing when they gave up their crests to help the Four Guardians?" Takara asked, looking confused.

"It's hard to say," Gatomon replied. "Nothing in the Digital World is set in stone. Like we said before, the true power of the crests comes from the heart. Maybe we just didn't try hard enough to digivolve to ultimate without the crests, or maybe it's because our partners willingly gave up their power, and that's why we were unable to digivolve without them. That wasn't the case with Apocalymon. He destroyed our partners' crests, which were later remade by Gennai and his counterparts. Our partners didn't give up their power that time. Who knows. I think the answer to your question is one of those things that will always remain a mystery."

"I have a question. Where are Benjamin and the others?" Ryoko snapped, looking indignant. "They're Gennai's counterparts! They're suppose to be helping us, especially considering the fact that one of their friends has been captured! I can't believe they call themselves the Watchers of the Digiworld. What a joke!"

"I know Benjamin and the others would help you if they could," Biyomon said slowly. "They have the same goals Gennai has. All they want is for the Digital World to remain a peaceful place. I bet they're working with Leomon and the others to find Gennai. They obviously know he has been captured, and they probably want to find him so he can help you. My guess is they wanted to meet up with you guys, but I bet Leomon would have put a stop to that. He needs Benjamin and the others to help him find Gennai, and he probably told them you guys were doing just fine on your own. He would be right in saying so, too. You guys have made it this far, and I know you'll be able to beat Vampiramon's master."

"Vampiramon and her friends sound really nasty, but don't worry, we'll help you stop them!" Patamon added.

"Benjamin and the others are awesome. They helped Digidestined from all over the world to bring down Control Spires!" Matty said enthusiastically.

"Maybe you think so, but I don't!" Ryoko snorted.

"You know what was really cool?" Dai said softly. "Omnimon. When you think about it, Matt and Tai got to DNA digivolve, too. That's so cool."

"Yeah," Ryoko whispered.

Dai stared at the blond for a moment, and Ryoko gazed back at him.

"What?" Ryoko mumbled, looking embarrassed.

Dai smiled softly at his friend and shrugged. "Nothing."

_I wonder if Ryoko and I will ever be that close..._

"The whole thing with Diaboromon was weird," Takara sighed. "I'm glad that disaster worked out in the end. You know what, guys? Leomon, Andromon, and the rest of the digimon who became friends with our parents played a huge roll in helping them save the Digital World. I hope we get to meet all of them someday."

"Me, too," Mickey murmured.

"Guys, we have to talk about the crests," Embermon interrupted.

"Do you understand now why we keep saying the crests don't exist anymore?" Agumon asked.

Dai frowned and slowly shook his head. "No, they do," he said quietly. "I know it. Gennai told Centaurumon the crests still exist. Both Leomon and Centaurumon insist that they've gone missing, and we have to find them. Gennai obviously saw the crests before they were stolen. He must have. How else would he have known they'd gone missing in the first place? If Gennai says the crests still exist, then who are we to argue against what must be the truth? I believe him, and I won't give up the search until we find each and every one of them!"

Veemon glanced at the other digimon and slowly nodded. "You're right, Dai. They must still exist. Why else would Gennai send you on a mission to look for them? Maybe they've been brought back somehow."

"It's a good thing Centaurumon had the sense to send you to us," Hawkmon said with dignity. "Well, Daichi Motomiya, I think my friends and I will be able to help you out."

"The crests did belong to our partners, and we can help you find them!" Patamon said, sounding excited. "We'll stick by you guys no matter what happens, and we'll even help you stop Vampiramon and her evil friends."

"The Digital World is counting on all of us, and that means we all have to help out," Gabumon added.

Dai suddenly smiled and pulled Veemon into a hug. "I understand now," he said softly. "Centaurumon wanted us to find you guys because he knew you would be able to tell us about our parents. We need you guys and our parents in order to find the crests otherwise we won't be able to digivolve to the next level."

"The fate of the Digital World is in the hands of all Digidestined," Elecmon murmured.

"You're right, Elecmon. We won't be able to find the Spirit Chips without our parents because, like Dai just said, I have a feeling they're the key to finding the crests," Mickey said quietly.

"You guys are going to tell your parents the truth, aren't you?" Palmon asked nervously.

Dai felt a stab of terror in his heart, and he slowly turned to look at his friends. They stared back at him with fear and sadness in their eyes, but one by one they slowly nodded.

Dai swallowed hard and reluctantly turned towards Palmon. "I don't think we really have a choice anymore. We need their help. If we don't tell them what's going on, the entire Digital World will be doomed."

"I still don't understand. Why didn't they tell you about us?" Biyomon asked, looking extremely hurt.

"I guess we'll find out," Ryoko muttered.

"I bet they just wanted to protect us," Kara whispered.

"We'll see," Dai said shortly. "Actually, I guess I'm not really that surprised. We've been doing the exact same thing. Have any of us bothered to tell them about the Digital World?"

"Good point," Matty muttered, his cheeks turning pink with guilt. "I hadn't even thought of that!"

Dai smiled softly at his friends and turned to look at Veemon again. "Veemon, can I ask you a favour?"

"Sure. Anything."

"My friends and I have to get back to the real world now, but I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. I think it'll be easier for us to tell our parents what's going on if one of you guys are there to help us explain the situation."

"Really? You mean I get to see Davis again?" Veemon gasped, his whole face lighting up.

"That's right," Dai replied.

"Can I come to?" Patamon asked hopefully.

"Me, too!" Gomamon piped up.

Dai raised his hands and motioned for all of the digimon to be quiet. "I'd love to take you all, but I think that will only make things way too chaotic. One digimon is enough for now. The rest of you guys will get to see you partners soon enough. I promise."

"Alright," Biyomon sighed. "I just hope Sora and the others don't take too long to show up. It has been so long since we've seen them."

"It was nice meeting you guys. We'll see you soon, okay?" Takara said softly.

"Okay. Good luck!" Agumon replied.

"Call us if you need us!" Gomamon added.

"The Digital World is in good hands," Elecmon said softly.

Embermon grinned and elbowed Veemon in the stomache. "Come on, I'll race you to the gate!"

"You're on!"

The two digimon took of, and Dai rolled his eyes. "Hey, wait up!"

Naturally they completely ignored him.

"We want to be in the race, too!" Celestimon cried, fluttering after Embermon with Halomon beside him.

"Don't forget about me!" Dovemon giggled.

"And me!" Glowmon laughed, leaping out of Sam's arms and fluttering after the others.

Alopemon merely let out a snort and continued to walk next to Ryoko with his nose in the air.

_I hope I'm making the right decision by bringing Veemon back with us..._

Dai waved goodbye to Agumon and the others, including the baby digimon, and winced at the look on Sam's face. The raven haired Digidestined had been very quiet ever since Veemon had told them about the Emperor, and it did not look like he was going to be happy again anytime soon.

_Poor Sam. If only there was something we could do to help him..._

Dai glanced at his friends, who were still waving to Agumon and the other digimon, and he felt a shiver race down his spine. He did not know what was going to happen next, but there was one thing he was definitely sure of. Their parents were going to kill them.


	75. Past and Present Collide

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: And the truth comes out! I'll be updating MBFG next, just to let you all know. Enjoy the new chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 75: Past and Present Collide

_Jestermon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Jestermon peeked around the corner of a bright orange building and grinned when he caught sight of his prey.

_They are fools if they think they can escape from me!_

The Digidestined were sitting on the grass near the edge of a soccer field, and it looked like they were having a very serious conversation with a large group of digimon. Unfortunately he could not hear what they were saying because they were too far away from him, and there was no way he was going to get any closer to them without being seen.

"Those Digidestined are nothing but trouble!" he muttered to himself.

He glanced at his enemies again and jumped when he realized they had gotten to their feet and were heading away from the soccer field towards the nearest gate.

"They're leaving!" BlackWidowmon hissed in his ear.

Jestermon rolled his eyes and turned to look at the spider digimon who was hovering next to him. "I can see that," he said dryly. "The Fool has eyes, you know."

"Yes, if only he had a brain as well, but I suppose that's one thing we're just going to have to settle without!" BlackWidowmon said sarcastically. "Those digimon are their parents' partners! Do you know what that means? They know about the crests!"

Jestermon made a face at her and crossed his arms. "Not necessarily. The Digidestined might know about the crests, but that doesn't mean they know we have them!"

"Don't be stupid!" BlackWidowmon snapped. "Of course they know we have them! Leomon or one of the others must have told the Digidestined about the missing crests, and now the little brats know exactly what they are because of their parents' partners! Besides, can you think of anyone else who would want to steal the crests? I didn't think so. We're the first group of digimon they'll think of, and that means our master is at risk."

"Well, we're not going to let them get anywhere near our master, are we?" Jestermon shot back.

_BlackWidowmon is an idiot if she thinks I'm going to let the Digidestined get away with trying to steal the crests back from us. I'll kill them all first before I let that happen!_

At that moment one of the Digidestined shouted something about the Spirit Chips, and Jestermon looked up in surprise.

"They know about the Spirit Chips, too! Now what are we going to do?" BlackWidowmon complained.

Jestermon watched the Digidestined disappear from sight with a twisted smile on his face and shrugged. "You worry too much, you know that?" he said, grinning at his companion. "We'll figure something out eventually, but in the meantime let the games begin!"

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ryoko Ishida stood on the sidewalk in front of the Motomiya residence with his friends and glanced anxiously over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. He was still in shock over the news about his parents, but that was nothing compared to the amount of fear he felt at the thought of how they would react when they finally found out the truth.

_My parents are never going to trust me again after this. I wish I had known they were Digidestined a long time ago. If I had, I wouldn't have hesitated to tell them my secret. In fact, I would have said something to them after my first trip to the Digital World. Why have they kept silent all these years?_

He felt a sudden stab of pain in his heart and gazed at his feet. His parents had been lying to him ever since the day he was born, and now he did not know what to think anymore. He loved his mom and dad, but they had hurt him, and he did not know if he was going to be able to forgive them after everything he had been through.

_Our parents should have been helping us, but instead we've had to face Vampiramon and her buddies all alone..._

"Well? Aren't we going to go inside? We can't stand out here forever, you know," Takara sighed.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm going to see Davis again! It has been a long time since I've been in the human world!" DemiVeemon said, sticking his head out of Dai's backpack and gazing eagerly around at the landscape.

"Will you keep your voice down?" Dai groaned. "And I thought DemiEmbermon was bad!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't help it. I haven't been this excited in years!"

"Hey, DemiVeemon, I bet Davis is going to be really happy to see you again," DemiEmbermon piped up. The little digimon was huddled next to DemiVeemon in Dai's backpack, and there was a big smile on his face.

"Can we come out now?" Goldmon whispered from Matty's backpack.

"No, you guys had better keep quiet and stay out of sight until we've had a chance to talk to our parents," Matty replied. "In the end, I suppose it doesn't really matter either way, but I still think we should let them get used to the fact that their kids are Digidestined before they have to deal with digimon being in the human world again."

"Do you guys still think we should tell them?" Sam whispered, his dark blue eyes sparkling with tears. "They lied to us. How are we supposed to be able to trust them again?"

Ryoko gently wrapped his arm around his raven haired friend and sighed. "Daichi's right. We don't have a choice anymore. The Digital World is counting on us, and our parents are the only ones who can help us find the crests."

"Come on, guys. Let's get inside before our parents start to wonder where we are," Dai said after a brief moment of silence.

Ryoko followed the others up the driveway, and they crept quietly towards the house. He felt an overwhelming desire to run as far away from his parents as possible, but instead he clenched his hands into fists and held his ground.

_I will find out why they lied to me, no matter what..._

"Dai, stop staring at the door and open it already!" Matty urged. "You're starting to make me nervous!"

Dai took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "Alright, are you guys ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be," Mickey replied, trying to smile and failing miserably.

Dai cautiously opened the door, and they were immediately assaulted by the youngest member of the Kido family. "Dai!" Ema shrieked, grabbing her cousin's arm and dragging him into the house. "You skipped your soccer practice, and you know it! You're going to be in so much trouble when your parents find out!"

Ryoko rolled his eyes and followed the others into the kitchen. Dai had told him about Ema's suspicions earlier, and he had been living with a guilty conscience ever since. Technically he was part of the reason why Ema had accused Dai of skipping soccer practice in the first place because he had been absent from Taysuke's game.

_Ema knows the truth even if she doesn't actually realize it yet. I wonder what she'll think of the Digital World? I guess it doesn't really matter anymore whether or not she knows Dai skipped practice. She's going to find out about the Digital World eventually, and so are Noah and the others. How can we stop them from discovering the truth when we're going to be telling our parents everything in a matter of minutes? It's not like we can kick them out of the house or anything!_

"Ema, will you shut up?" Dai hissed, glancing anxiously towards the living room.

Ryoko's heart leaped into his throat, and he swallowed hard. He could hear voices coming from the living room, and it did not take a genius to figure out who they belonged to.

_I know we have to tell our parents about the Digital World, but that doesn't mean I want Ema to be the one who gives us away!_

"Daichi, do something," he whispered in the goggle headed leader's ear.

Dai pulled his younger cousin as far away from the kitchen door as possible and gave her a dirty look. "Are you still going on about that? When are you finally going to give it up?"

Ema was about to reply when Noah, Ami, and Miya suddenly burst into the room and halted at the sight of Dai and his female cousin glaring daggers at each other. Taysuke, Kenzo, Taniko, Nao and Rina were right on the older kids' heels, and they too stopped at the look of anger on Dai's face.

"Ema, will you keep your mouth shut before our parents come running in here and demand to know what's going on?" Ami snapped.

"Ryoko, you're here!" Rina squealed, scrambling forward and throwing her arms around him. "Aunt Mimi told me she's going to have another baby. You must be really excited. I know I am."

Ryoko smiled softly at his little cousin and gently lifted her into his arms. He rested his cheek against her chestnut hair and hugged her tightly. "Yes, I am," he replied, kissing her cheek. "I've always wanted to be a big brother."

Rina snuggled against his chest and nodded. "I know, and I've always wanted another cousin. Hey, Ryoko? You and Tay have always been like brothers to me. It's like I have four brothers instead of just two, and Kara's like my big sister."

"I'm glad you think so," he replied, giving her a fond smile. He had almost forgotten about his new sibling, but Rina's words made him remember how happy he had been before meeting Veemon and the others in the Digital World, and the ice around his heart melted a little. Maybe he would be able to forgive his parents after all.

"Congratulations, Ryoko. You're a lucky kid," Noah said, giving him a warm smile. "I hope you don't end up with a sister like Ema!"

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" Ema shouted.

Ryoko laughed and smiled shyly at the older boy. "Thanks, Noah," he mumbled, feeling extremely embarrassed. He was not used to being the centre of attention when it came to his friends, and it made him feel slightly nervous. Unlike his parents, he did not enjoy being in the spotlight and had absolutely no desire to be famous. The media followed him around enough already, and they were constantly taking his picture. It drove him nuts and made him wish his parents had never been famous either.

"Oh, Ryoko, I'm so happy for you!" Ami giggled, scrambling forward and throwing her arms around him, nearly crushing Rina.

Ryoko felt his cheeks turn red, and he buried his face in the older girl's short, dark hair. He had always thought Ami was really pretty, but he would die before he would ever admit it to anyone, especially Dai. "Thanks, Ami," he replied, giving her a hesitant smile.

"I hope it's a boy," Taysuke said cheerfully.

"No way!" Taniko sniffed. "We need another girl to even the odds a bit."

Miya glanced at Ami and started to giggle. "I don't think Ami cares either way as long as she has an excuse to hug-"

"Shut up, Miya!" Ami shouted, blushing furiously.

Ryoko glanced between the two of them and frowned. _Girls are really confusing. Well, except Kara. She couldn't be any more obvious, but Dai still doesn't have a clue! I wonder what it's going to take to make him realize how much Kara likes him..._

"Sam, what's wrong?" Nao suddenly cried.

Ryoko turned towards his raven haired friend and sighed. Sam had collapsed into a chair at the table, and his face was buried in his hands. His shoulders were trembling, and he looked like he was going to burst into tears again at any moment. Maybe he already had.

_Poor Sam. I wish we could help him, but I think this is something he has to deal with on his own. Hopefully our support will be enough to make him realize what a great person he is. He'll never be another Emperor. I know it, and all the evil digimon in the Digiworld aren't going to be enough to convince me otherwise._

"Sam, are you okay?" Nao asked, his dark blue eyes growing wide with terror.

Sam shook his head and did not reply.

Miya sat down next to her eldest brother and gently wrapped her arms around him. "Come on, Sam. We want to help. You know you can tell us anything."

"Please?" Nao whispered, leaning forward and burying his face against Sam's shoulder.

"You can't help me," Sam replied, his words lacking any emotion. His face was completely void of expression, and he seemed dull and lifeless. It was almost as if he had given up and was ready to become the next Digimon Emperor if that was indeed the path fate had chosen for him.

"Sam, what am I going to have to say to make you finally believe me?" Mickey sighed, looking troubled.

Sam refused to reply. Apparently the raven haired Digidestined did not feel like talking to anyone at the moment and was content to be alone with his miserable thoughts.

"Dai, you'd better tell me why you skipped soccer practice, right now!" Ema shouted, abruptly changing the subject.

Miya glared at the younger girl and patted Sam's back. "Honestly, Ema, could you be any more of an insensitive jerk?"

"I know you skipped practice!" Ema said angrily, ignoring Miya and glaring fiercely at Dai. "Don't try to deny it! Both Noah and Taysuke said you did, and I'll believe them over you!"

Dai's mouth fell open in shock, and he turned to look at Noah. "You promised you wouldn't tell," the goggle headed leader said quietly, his dark eyes sparkling with sudden hurt.

"I knew it!" Ema cried triumphantly.

"You're not nice at all, Ema!" Rina shouted.

Noah slowly came forward and put a hand on Dai's arm. "I'm really sorry, Dai," he said softly, his cheeks turning red with guilt. "I never meant to say anything. It just sort of slipped out when Tay mentioned something about you skipping soccer practice. I hadn't realized he had gotten so close to the truth, and I blurted your secret out without thinking. I hope you'll be able to forgive me. I was shocked by how much he knew, and I spoke without even realizing what I was saying."

Dai shrugged and finally nodded. "Alright, I forgive you," the goggle headed leader said slowly. "I know you would never give away any of my secrets on purpose."

"Thanks," Noah replied, looking a little relieved.

Ryoko set Rina on the ground and glared angrily at Dai. "You never once mentioned anything about Noah to us! Why didn't you tell us you told him the truth about your soccer practice?"

"I thought you trusted us!" Matty said, sounding very disappointed. "Thanks for being honest, Dai!"

Dai blushed and stared at his hands. "I was going to tell all of you about Noah, but I forgot. News flash, guys, I've had more important things to worry about over the past week, if you know what I mean!"

"True," Takara said thoughtfully. "Don't worry, Dai, we're not mad. Just ignore Ryoko. Hey, Ema? You mentioned Tay earlier, as well. What was that all about?"

Taysuke shuffled his feet and avoided Takara's eyes. "It was easy to figure out the rest of the story after you told me you and Ryoko had never been to Dai's practice. I realized Dai must have skipped his practice, as well, and I accidentally said something in front of the others without meaning to. I hope you're not mad. I know you were expecting me to keep your secret, and I totally blew it."

"None of you were at Dai's practice," Kenzo said simply. "That includes Sam and the twins."

"You're right, Kenzo." Takara placed a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder and sighed. "Don't worry about it, Tay. It doesn't really matter anymore whether Ema and the others know or not."

"Why not?" Taysuke asked, frowning in confusion.

Takara glanced towards the living room and winced. "You'll see."

Ryoko was about to tell her not to be so obvious when his father and Davis suddenly walked through the very door that Kara had been staring at only seconds before. The words died in his throat, and he quickly backed as far away from his father as the room would allow. His heart was pounding with fear, and he felt sick to his stomach. All he wanted to do was run away from his dad as fast as possible, but he knew that was not an option. His parents had lied to him by pretending the Digital World did not exist, and he was not going to sink to the same level.

_They lied to me, but they're still my parents, and I love them. What am I going to do? They're going to be so disappointed in me..._

"Hey, Dad. Hey, Davis," he managed to say, giving them a false smile.

"Where have you been?" his father snapped.

Ryoko blinked in surprise and bit his lip. "I...I've been hanging out with my friends, remember?" he faltered.

"Well, you're late," his father said coldly. "Noriko wanted to start supper an hour ago, but she couldn't because she had no idea how long it would take for you guys to get here. Hopefully all of you will be a bit more responsible in the future, but considering what has been going on lately, I highly doubt it!"

Ryoko's mouth fell open, and he stared at his father in shock. His dad had never acted so cold towards him before, and the sudden change in his father's attitude left him speechless. He glanced at the others and realized they too were staring at his dad in astonishment.

_What's wrong with him? He can't know I'm a Digidestined already...can he? _

Ryoko's eyes filled with sudden tears, and he quickly looked at the floor. "You never told me I had to be here at a certain time," he mumbled.

His father's eyebrows narrowed into an angry frown. "I didn't ask you to talk back to me either!"

"Matt, calm down," Davis said quietly, placing a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. "Why don't you let Tai and I do the talking? Isn't that what all of us agreed to earlier?"

Ryoko's heart sank, and he slowly looked up at Davis. "What's going on?"

"Ryoko, why don't you and the others come into the living room, and I'll explain everything," the former Digidestined leader said, giving him a sympathetic smile.

Ryoko let out a gasp, and he found himself clutching Dai's shirt. He buried his face against the goggle headed leader's shoulder without thinking and shivered. He could feel his dad's icy, blue eyes on the back of his head, and it made him want to burst into tears.

"Don't worry, Ishida, we've got your back," Dai said softly in his ear.

"Thanks," he whispered back. He felt Ami's arms go around his waist, and he turned to look at her in surprise.

"I don't know what's going on, Ryoko, but I have a feeling everything's going to be okay," she said seriously. "Don't give up yet. You know Dai won't."

Davis suddenly laughed and shook his head. "Ryoko, I don't know what it is about you, but you seemed to have cast some sort of a spell over my kids! I never realized you had such a hold over them. Imagine that. If Tai knew about this..."

Ryoko smiled sadly at the former Digidestined leader and pulled away from the Motomiya siblings. _If only I could believe that as much as you do, Davis..._

"Dad!" Ami squealed, her dark eyes growing wide with horror. "Why do you have to embarrass me all the time?"

"What do you mean you?" Dai asked suspiciously.

Ami blushed and avoided her brother's eyes. "Nothing," she mumbled.

"Sorry, Dai, but you know I'm right!" Davis laughed.

"No way!" Dai shouted, his face turning bright red. The goggle headed leader took off his backpack and threw it onto the table, but unfortunately it was still partially open, and Ryoko watched in horror as DemiEmbermon popped out of the opening in the bag and flew straight into Davis' hands.

"Look!" Miya shrieked, her eyes growing wide with fear. "What is that thing!"

_Dai, you idiot! This wasn't how things were supposed to go!_

"Uh oh..." Dai managed to say.

"Hi, Dai's dad!" DemiEmbermon said cheerfully, gazing up at Davis with a happy smile on his face.

Davis took one look at the little digimon in his arms and slowly sagged against the wall. "Matt," the former Digidestined leader said weakly, "you'd better tell Tai and the others to get in here."


	76. Questions, Answers, and More Questions

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, this will be my last update this week, and with the holiday coming up it'll be a few days before my next one. (Canadian/British holiday) I'll try my best to do two next week, but it may be one. I'll have to see. Anyway, this chapter is a bit short, but there's lots to cover, and I want to make sure I don't leave anyone or anything out. Poor Ken...that's all I have to say...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 76: Questions, Answers, and More Questions

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Davis stared at the bright red digimon in his arms and shook his head in disbelief. He had been open to the fact that Dai and the others might have found out about the Digital World, but nothing could have prepared him for the little in-training digimon who was gazing up at him with big, green eyes.

"Who...are you?" he managed to choke out.

"I'm DemiEmbermon!" the little digimon replied, his emerald eyes sparkling with excitement. "I'm Dai's digimon partner! He's a great human, and his dog likes me, too. Do you think we could eat supper now? I'm really hungry."

"Thanks a lot, DemiEmbermon! I knew you were going to get me into trouble!" Dai groaned.

Davis slowly turned to look at Matt and realized the blond was staring back at him. "Matt-"

Matt held up his hand for silence and gazed at DemiEmbermon as if he had never seen a digimon before. The blond's face was very pale, and he looked like he was in shock.

Davis frowned and gave his friend an anxious look. "Matt, are you okay?"

"Your digimon partner?" Matt asked, his sapphire eyes coming to rest on Dai's face. "DemiEmbermon is your digimon partner?"

Dai flinched and avoided Matt's eyes. "Um...yes. I met him in the Digital World about a week ago."

Davis stared at his son in shock and almost lost his grip on DemiEmbermon. All of a sudden everything was starting to make sense. His son, and his son's friends, had started acting really strange around the same time DemiEmbermon had come into the picture. In fact, he was pretty sure he could pinpoint the exact day his son and the others had made their first trip to the Digital World. It was the day Dai had decided to skip his soccer practice.

_I can't believe it. My son is a Digidestined, and so are his friends! Ryoko and the others have to be, as well. Dai would never go to the Digital World by himself, and that would explain why Kara and Ryoko were absent from Taysuke's soccer game. It also explains Sam and the twins. Those three were late for supper that day, as well, and now I know why. The secret our kids have been keeping from us is the same secret we've been keeping from them. They've been to the Digital World, and they have digimon partners. They're Digidestined, and I have a feeling they know exactly what happened to my friends and I twenty-five years ago. Why else would Dai be calmly speaking to Matt and myself about digimon as if we're already supposed to know what he's talking about?_

"You know about us, don't you," he sighed, gazing into his son's dark eyes.

Dai lifted his chin and slowly nodded. "Yes, we know. Actually, we just found out. My friends and I were in Primary Village this afternoon, and a digimon named Elecmon helped us out. You remember Elecmon, don't you, Matt?"

Matt's eyes began to sparkle with anger, and his face turned an unpleasant shade of red. "Daichi, you and your friends had better get into the living room, right now! And yes, Noah, I'm talking to you, too, so don't give me that look! Ryoko and his friends aren't the only ones who have been keeping secrets from us. All of you have a lot of explaining to do!"

"What do you mean us?" Ami shouted, glaring angrily at Matt. She pointed at DemiEmbermon and stared at the little digimon in amazement. "I've never seen that thing before in my life! What is it?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it talked!" Taniko gasped.

Rina rolled her bright blue eyes and scrambled into Mickey's arms. "You guys are dumb! It's a digimon! What does it look like?"

Davis glanced at Rina and smiled slightly. _I was right. Mickey and Matty told Rina about the Digital World, and that's the secret she has been keeping for them!_

"Rina!" Mickey smiled in amusement and held his little sister tightly in his arms. "You don't exactly know that much about digimon either!"

"I know more than they do!"

"Still..."

Rina wrapped her arms around Mickey's neck and gave him a brilliant smile. "Don't worry, Mickey. I never told anyone your secret, unlike some people!"

"Hey! It's not like I told the others Dai skipped practice on purpose!" Taysuke said defensively.

Matty grinned and wrapped an arm around his younger cousin's shoulders. "It's okay, Tay. There aren't any secrets left anymore, and I have a feeling we're all going to be in trouble no matter what we say from now on!"

"Only you would find this situation humorous," Mickey said, giving his twin a fond smile.

Davis gently stroked DemiEmbermon's head and glanced anxiously at Matt. The blond looked like he was ready to explode.

_Dai and the others had better get into the living room before Matt really gets angry, but first there's something I need to know for certain..._

"Dai, your friends are Digidestined, too, aren't they," he said seriously, stepping forward and placing a hand on his son's shoulder. He held DemiEmbermon tightly in his left arm and gazed into Dai's dark eyes. His son was obviously trying to avoid having to look at him, but he was not going to let the new leader of the Digidestined get off that easily.

_He has to be the new leader. After all, he has the goggles..._

Dai finally looked at him and nodded. "Yes. Ryoko, Kara, Sam, and the twins are all Digidestined, too."

"That's right," Takara piped up, stepping forward and clutching the back of Dai's bright red shirt.

"I thought so. You would never have gone to the Digital World by yourself. You're my son, Dai, and I know you have more sense than that in spite of what Yolei says about me and my obvious lack of brains!"

Dai laughed and sent him a very hesitant smile. "Trust me, Dad, Yolei has no idea what she's talking about!"

_I don't need to yell at my son. Matt has always been kind enough to do that job for me!_

"Dai, you and your friends might as well come into the living room and tell us what's going on," he said after a tense moment of silence. "Now that I think about it, this room isn't big enough to to hold us all."

"Dai, your mom's going to murder you!" Ema smirked.

"Shut up, Ema! You're nothing but a-"

"We told all of you to get into the living room, now move it!" Matt snapped, interrupting Dai in the middle of what had to have been a rather nasty insult directed at Ema. "I'm not going to repeat myself again, and no more jokes, Matty! You and your friends are in serious trouble, do you understand me?"

"Why? It's not like you and your friends ever bothered to tell us about the Digital World!" Ryoko shouted.

Matt glared at his son and pointed towards the kitchen door. "I mean it, Ryoko," he said coldly. "Get your butt in there right now or you can forget about hanging out with your friends for at least a month! Do I make myself clear?"

The entire room went quiet again, and Davis winced at the expression on Ryoko's face. The golden haired Digidestined looked like he had been hit in the face.

"Well?" Matt demanded.

"Fine, but we're not the only ones who have a lot of explaining to do!" Ryoko snapped back. The blond pushed past his father and stalked into the living room with his head held high and tears in his eyes.

Matt's blue gaze sparkled with sudden hurt, and Davis sent his friend a sympathetic smile. He did not think he would ever forget the expression that had been on Matt's face when Dai had announced Ryoko was a Digidestined.

_I know exactly how you feel, Matt. Our children are never going to forgive us for keeping the Digital World a secret from them. Sora was right. We should have told them..._

He had never seen Matt and Ryoko fight before, and it made his heart ache with sadness.

_What if Dai and I end up like that?_

"What is this Digital World you guys keep talking about, and what is a Digidestined? I'm really confused. What kind of secrets have you guys been keeping from us all these years?" Noah asked quietly. "Obviously Dai and his friends know what you're talking about, but the rest of us don't. What's going on?"

"I guess this means we're not going to be having supper any time soon," DemiEmbermon said, looking extremely disappointed.

Davis gave the little digimon a sympathetic hug and handed him back to Dai. "Don't worry, little guy, we'll get you something to eat eventually. Trust me, I haven't forgotten how large a digimon's appetite can be!"

DemiEmbermon's spirits lifted immediately, and the little digimon beamed at him. "Thanks, Davis. Dai's lucky to have a dad like you."

"Why do digimon have a habit of saying the most embarrassing things at the worst possible moments?" Dai groaned.

Davis glanced at his son and turned to smile softly at DemiEmbermon. "Thanks, I'm glad you think so. A digimon's opinion is not something to be taken lightly. They have this ability to see the good in everyone, and they're great judges of character. That's the best compliment I've ever received from anyone, human or digimon."

"You're welcome!"

"Excuse me while I go dig myself a hole to crawl into and never come out of!" Dai grumbled.

"Uncle Davis..."

Davis turned towards his nephew and sighed. "Don't worry, Noah, Dai and I will explain everything. Come on, guys, let's go into the living room."

"No! I'm not going to go in there if we're just going to get yelled at!" Rina cried, and promptly burst into tears.

Matt made his way over to Mickey's side and gently took Rina in his arms. "It's alright, sweetheart, no one's going to yell at you," the blond murmured, giving his niece a comforting hug.

"No, but you're all going to yell at us!" Matty complained.

Matt raised his golden eyebrows and frowned. "I think there's a reason why everyone calls you Matty, after all. Now for the last time, everyone in the living room or I might have to start yelling again!"

Davis was about to follow the others when he noticed Sam was not making any effort to leave the kitchen. The raven haired boy remained in his seat at the table with his face in his hands, and his shoulders were trembling badly.

Davis felt his heart leap into his throat, and he almost threw up right on the table. _Oh no. Sam knows about our past. Does that mean he knows about Ken, too?_

"Sam, are you coming?" he asked quietly.

Sam slowly lifted his head and wrapped his arms around himself. "I don't want to go in there. I don't want to know!" the raven haired boy said tearfully.

"Oh, Sam!" Mickey gasped, his amber eyes glittering with pain and sadness. The older twin had paused at the door with Nao and Miya, and all three of them were gazing anxiously at Sam.

Davis glanced frantically at Matt, and the blond stared back at him in horror.

_Sam can't know about Ken, can he?_

"Come on, Sam." Davis gently pulled his best friend's son out of the chair and lead the raven haired boy towards the door. He entered the living room with his arms around the younger Digidestined and turned to see Ryoko sitting on the loveseat between Mimi and T.K. The blond's face was hidden against his mother's shoulder, and his hands were clenched into fists.

"Ryoko, what's wrong?" Mimi gasped, wrapping her arms protectively around her son. "Why won't you say anything?"

T.K. gently rubbed his nephew's back in a soothing gesture and frowned. "Davis, Matt, what's going on? What was all the yelling about?"

"Sam, are you okay?" Yolei shrieked, leaping up and throwing her arms around her son. "What is it, honey? Why are you so upset?"

Sam shook his head and started to cry.

Davis quickly let go of the raven haired boy before Yolei could trample him and spotted Dai and the rest of the kids huddling against the wall. Rina was still sobbing into Matt's shoulder, and her tears created a wet patch on the blond's navy blue, long-sleeved shirt.

"Yurina Takaishi! What has gotten into you?" Kari gasped, staring at her daughter in astonishment.

"Sam," Ken whispered, his violet eyes sparkling with fear. He looked like he wanted to hug his son as tightly as he could, but he made no attempt to move from his seat on the couch.

"Have all of you gone completely crazy? Somebody better say something and quick!" Tai shouted over the noise.

Davis pulled Dai towards the centre of the room and motioned for Takara and the others to move closer, as well. "Show them," he said quietly, gazing directly into his son's eyes.

"Show us what?" Noriko asked, glancing suspiciously at Dai.

Dai had been hiding DemiEmbermon behind his back, and after a brief hesitation, he slowly held the little digimon out at arm's-length. "This is DemiEmbermon," the new leader of the Digidestined announced. "He's my digimon partner."

At those words, Ken promptly ran out of the living room and threw up in the kitchen sink.


	77. In the Valley of the Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm back with another chapter! I actually like the chapter that comes after this one better, (which is already written and will be posted hopefully next week) but this one is definitely important. I'll be updating MBFG next because it's coming to an end soon, and that way I'll be able to focus on this story without worrying about poor Matt, and poor Tai, and...wait a sec. I'm worrying about them in this one, too! Anyway, enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 77: In the Valley of the Shadow

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Ken, are you okay?"

Ken rinsed his mouth out with water from the tap and leaned against the kitchen counter for support. He had never felt so dizzy in his life, and it was all he could do not to start throwing up again. His whole world was falling apart right in front of him, and he did not know what to do about it.

_Sam knows about the Digital World, and that can mean only one thing. He knows about the Emperor, and he's never going to forgive me..._

"Ken?"

Ken slowly opened his eyes and turned to stare at his best friend. Davis was leaning against the door to the living room, and there was a sad smile on the former Digidestined leader's face.

"Ken, talk to me. I know what you're thinking, but you shouldn't get upset until you've had a chance to talk to Sam. It might not be as bad as you think."

Ken felt his eyes begin to sting with hot tears, and he shook his head. "No, Davis, it's worse than I could have ever imagined. Did you see the look on Sam's face? My worst nightmare is coming true, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. My kids are going to hate me for the rest of their lives. I've lost them forever..."

"Maybe not."

"Davis, your son is a Digidestined, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out the rest of the story," Ken said flatly, gazing miserably at the floor. He felt his friend's arms go around him, and he buried his face against the former Digidestined leader's shoulder.

"I guess I'm not the only one who has figured out the truth," Davis said quietly.

Ken flinched and glanced anxiously towards the living room. "Sam and the rest of Dai's friends have to be Digidestined, as well. That's the secret they've been keeping from us, isn't it?"

Davis sighed and finally nodded. "Yeah, I came to the same conclusion earlier, and I was right. Dai told me he's a Digidestined, and so are his friends. Besides, it's the only explanation that makes sense. How else could Dai have a digimon partner?"

"Where...are the rest of their partners?" Ken whispered.

Davis smiled at him and shrugged. "That's what I intend to find out. Somehow I don't think Sam and the others are carrying books in their backpacks, if you know what I mean. Come on, let's head back to the living room before our kids start to get really suspicious of us."

Ken quickly backed away from the former leader and shook his head.

"Why not?" Davis asked, frowning in confusion.

Ken leaned against the counter again and buried his face in his hands. "Sam," he whispered. "He's never going to forgive me for lying to him, and he's never going to forgive me for being the Emperor either. How am I going to be able to face him again after this, and what about Nao and Miya? Sam's going to tell them about the Emperor, and then they'll hate me, too!"

"Ken, Sam is your son. He loves you, and I know he'll eventually understand why you became a victim of the Powers of Darkness in the first place if you just give him time," Davis said firmly. "Besides, I don't think Sam knows the whole story yet."

_What's that supposed to mean? Did Sam say something to Davis about the Emperor earlier?_

Ken slowly looked up and gazed at his friend in horror. His whole body was trembling with fear, and he felt like he was going to be sick again. "Davis, did...did Sam mention the Emperor?"

Davis frowned and stared at the floor. There was a thoughtful expression on the former Digidestined leader's face, but it was quickly replaced by a small smile. "No, he didn't."

"What-"

"Sam didn't say a word about the Emperor. Ken, your son is upset about something, but I don't think it has anything to do with you. At least, I don't think it does. Not yet anyway. I asked him to come into the living room with us, but he said he didn't want to because he's afraid to find out what's going on. He said he didn't want to know. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Ken took a deep breath and shook his head. It was hard for him to think straight because he could not stop himself from imagining what life was going to be like without his kids. They would still be with him, but they would not love him, and that was something he knew he could never endure.

_How will I be able to stand seeing the looks of hatred in their eyes every time they glance in my direction? I can't do it, and I don't want to try. I knew something like this was going to happen eventually, and now I'm going to pay for all the horrible things I did as the Digimon Emperor..._

"No, Davis, I have no idea what you're going on about," he said dully, feeling defeated. "Please, enlighten me."

Davis rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Ken, you're supposed to be the genius here, not me! Do you remember what I just said? Sam knows about the Digimon Emperor, but he doesn't know about you! You saw him a few minutes ago. He was crying, and I think it's because of the Emperor, but if that's the case then why wasn't he shouting and screaming at you? He never even looked in your direction! Don't you get it? Sam doesn't know the Emperor's true identity!"

Ken's mouth dropped open, and he stared at his friend in astonishment. "Impossible!" he gasped. "Sam has to know! It's obvious my son and his friends are aware of the fact that they're not the only humans out there with digimon partners. Dai talked about DemiEmbermon as if he expected us to understand what was going on right away. They know we're Digidestined, which means they know about the Emperor. How could they not know?"

"Good question. I'm not sure, but I know I'm right," Davis said quietly. "Come on, Ken, let's go talk to Dai and the others. I want to know how they became Digidestined in the first place."

Ken frowned and reluctantly allowed Davis to pull him towards the door. "Sam has to know about my past. Why else would he be upset about the Digimon Emperor?"

Davis avoided his eyes and shrugged. "The Emperor did some pretty terrible things. Can you blame your son for being upset?"

_No, I guess I can't. Sam has always been a sensitive person. The things I did as the Emperor are enough to make anyone upset._

"I'm sorry, Ken. I didn't mean to make you feel bad," Davis said quickly, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know we don't hold your actions against you. I forgave you a long time ago, and the same goes for the rest of our friends."

Ken stared at the former Digidestined leader for a moment and managed a sad smile. "I know, Davis. The Emperor's true identity doesn't matter. At least, not when it comes to Kimeramon, the Control Spires, and all the other horrible things I did. Sam would have been upset about those things no matter whose brilliant idea it was to try and take over the Digital World."

"Exactly!" Davis laughed, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement. "Who knows? Maybe Sam isn't even upset about the Digimon Emperor. That was only my first guess, and I could be way off."

Ken felt a small spark of hope in his heart and managed a weak smile. _Maybe Sam doesn't hate me after all..._

"Ken! Honey, are you okay?"

Ken jumped at the sound of his wife's voice and realized Davis had somehow managed to drag him back into the living room without him realizing it. "I'm fine," he mumbled.

"No, you're not!" Yolei handed their son over to Rosa and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Her eyes were glittering with tears, and she looked like she was going to start crying at any moment. "Oh, Ken, he doesn't know. He can't know!" she whispered in his ear. "What are we going to do?"

Ken glanced over her shoulder and stared silently at his son. Sam's whole body was trembling in Rosa's arms, and he was sniffing back tears.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Miya gasped, coming over to his side and placing a hand on his arm.

Ken wrapped his arms around his daughter and buried his face in her long, dark hair. _Sam hates me. I know it..._

"Dad?"

Ken looked up in surprise and realized his son was watching him closely. Sam sounded extremely upset, but his eyes were filled with curiosity instead of hatred.

_Does he know, or not?_

"Sam...I..."

Sam slowly came towards him, and he felt his son's arms go around his waist. "Dad, why are you so upset?"

_I can't believe it! He doesn't know I'm the Emperor! Davis was right!_

Ken almost sobbed in relief and hugged his son as tightly as he could. "Sam, I love you and your siblings so much," he choked out, resting his cheek against his son's raven head.

"Mommy, has Daddy gone crazy?" Nao asked, tugging on Yolei's skirt.

Yolei started to laugh through her tears, and she lifted Nao into her arms. "Not yet, honey. I think I'll go crazy before Daddy does!"

"Dad, say something. You're scaring me," Sam mumbled into his chest.

Ken gently ruffled his son's hair and avoided Yolei's eyes. He could feel his wife watching him, and he was pretty sure he knew exactly what she was thinking.

_How am I going to stop Sam from finding out about the Digimon Emperor? He doesn't know about me yet, but that could change real quick. I bet he has tons of questions about the Emperor, and there's no way I can answer them without causing a lot of damage. I know I should tell him the truth, but I can't. I love all three of my children, and there's no way I can risk losing any of them. They're one of the reasons why I've tried so hard to put my past behind me, and I won't jeopardize my relationship with them. Somehow Yolei, Davis, and the rest of my friends are just going to have to accept that and help me keep my secret. I guess the past never really stays in the past. Somehow it always comes back to haunt you at the worst possible moments..._

He had always had a feeling his happiness would not last, and now it looked like he was finally going to pay for every single crime he had ever committed...

"Dad-"

"Don't worry, Sam," he said quietly. "As long as you and your siblings are here with me, I'll be just fine."

_I'm sure Sam knows about the Emperor, and that's why he's upset. Unfortunately he's going to be even more upset when he finds out the Emperor's true identity..._

"Oh, Ken," Kari said sadly.

Ken looked up and realized his friends were all staring at their kids in astonishment and sending him sympathetic looks. Apparently they understood because no one said a word about the Emperor.

"Come on, Ken, let's sit down," Yolei urged.

Ken reluctantly sat down on the couch between Miya and Sam, and Yolei sat down on Sam's other side. Nao scrambled into his lap, and he gently stroked his younger son's lavender hair. He could feel the warmth of Nao's small body in his arms, and it gave him strength. He would not lose his kids no matter what anyone said about the Emperor.

_Besides, I'm not going to let Sam find out, no matter what!_

"Thanks, Rosa," he said, giving the Mexican Digidestined a shaky smile. "You, too, Cody."

Rosa and her husband had given up their seats on the couch, and the two of them were currently making themselves comfortable on the floor next to Noriko's armchair instead. "You're welcome," Rosa replied.

"Impossible," Izzy gasped, staring at DemiEmbermon with his mouth hanging open. "The gates to the Digital World are closed!"

"Not anymore," Mickey said softly, sitting down on the floor next to his mother.

Matty plopped down next to Mickey and made a face at the goggle headed leader. "You better start talking, Dai. You're the one who got us into this mess in the first place!"

"Hey, you guys didn't have to come to the computer room with me!"

"Oh sure, blame us!" Ryoko snapped.

"Besides, you told me to come!" Matty grumbled.

"The computer room?" Cody asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Daichi, Matty's right. You'd better start talking," Tai said quietly, staring at DemiEmbermon with a frown on his face.

Sora had a hand clapped over her mouth, and she was gazing at the little digimon with fear in her eyes. Mimi looked like she was ready to faint, and T.K. appeared unable to decide whether or not he should be angry, shocked, upset, or amused. Jun was obviously trying not to laugh, and Mina had a stunned expression on her face.

Ken shook his head and managed a small smile. The rest of his friends weren't doing much better. Izzy's brain had gone into overdrive, and Kari had her face hidden in her hands. Cody and Rosa were staring at one another in disbelief, and Noriko looked like she was going to burst into tears. Matt's face was very pale, and his eyes were sparkling with emotion. He was sitting on the ground with Rina in his lap, and his head was resting against Mimi's knee. Every so often he would reach up and squeeze his wife's hand in a comforting gesture and send her an anxious look. He was obviously worried about her, and the baby, and for some reason he kept avoiding Ryoko's eyes.

_Oh, Matt. I know you're angry, but you can't let Ryoko drift away from you. If you do, you'll regret it for the rest of your life..._

"This must be some sort of a nightmare," Joe muttered to himself, his face a mask of shock.

"I wish," Yolei moaned, bursting into tears and sobbing all over Sam.

Davis was the only one who appeared the least bit calm, and Ken could not help admiring his friend's composure.

_I wish I had even a quarter of his strength. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so helpless..._

"Well, Dai? Aren't you going to say something? I think you've caused enough trouble already," Ema smirked.

Dai ignored his cousin and let out a loud sigh. "Alright. Dad, do you remember Gennai?"

Davis sat down on the floor next to Cody and smiled slightly. "How could I forget?"

"Well, according to him, Ryoko, Kara, Sam, Mickey, Matty, and myself are the new Digidestined. Everyone keeps saying I'm the new leader, so I guess it must be true," Dai mumbled, staring at his feet.

Tai glanced at Kara, who had sat down next to Sora with Taysuke, and sighed. "I should have known."

"No," Sora moaned, hugging her daughter tightly.

"Why?" Yolei wailed.

Kari and T.K. merely stared at their twin boys in shock and did not say a word.

"Ryoko, why didn't you say something?" Mimi said tearfully, holding her son tightly in her arms.

Ryoko bit his lip and did not reply.

"Daichi Motomiya, you're in so much trouble I can't even think up a suitable punishment!" Noriko cried.

"Dai, please continue," Davis said gently.

Dai slowly nodded and hugged DemiEmbermon tightly against his chest. "I'm going to tell you guys everything, but first I want all of you to meet the rest of our digimon partners and a friend who has agreed to help me explain what is going on. He says I have to be the new leader because I have the goggles, and I guess I finally understand what that means."

"Yes, I think you do," Davis replied, a sudden smile coming to his face.

Dai turned to gaze at his friends and grinned at each and every one of them. "Well, guys? What are you waiting for? It's time our parents got a chance to meet DemiEmbermon's friends."


	78. Digimon Allies

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: You're going to see more of the parents' POVs once I get into the search for the crests. Those POVs will include Yolei, Izzy, Jun, Mina, Ami, (yes the kids, as well)and others who have yet to have a chapter in their POV. Enjoy the new update!

Chapter 78: Digimon Allies

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Your...partners?" Yolei gasped, sitting up and staring at Sam in shock.

Davis rolled his eyes and sent the lavender haired Digidestined an impatient look. "Yes, Yolei, their digimon partners. They are Digidestined, remember? How do you expect them to fight evil in the Digital World without any digimon to help them?"

Yolei blushed and glared at him. "I know that, Davis! It's just...um..."

"Dai just said DemiEmbermon was his partner. Have you forgotten already?"

"Will you be quiet and let our kids do the talking?" Yolei snapped, kissing Sam's cheek and brushing tears out of her eyes.

Davis smiled in amusement and shrugged. "Alright, who wants to go first?"

"I will," Takara said quietly, glancing nervously at her parents. The female Digidestined slowly opened her backpack and pulled out a small in-training digimon with pale skin, tiny wings, and large, violet eyes. The little bird glanced anxiously at DemiEmbermon and managed a weak smile. "Hello, everyone."

"This is Fluttermon," Takara mumbled, avoiding her mother's eyes. "Her rookie form is Dovemon."

Sora's eyes filled with tears, and she started to laugh. "Kara, your digimon reminds me so much of-"

"Biyomon," Takara whispered, her hazel eyes sparkling with emotion. She gently placed Fluttermon in her mother's arms, and Sora hugged the little digimon tightly against her chest.

"Hello, Sora. I like you. You're really nice," Fluttermon said softly.

Sora smiled and rested her cheek against the digimon's small wings. "I like you, too, Fluttermon. You're beautiful, you know that?"

Fluttermon blushed and buried her face against Sora's neck. "Really, you think so?"

"Definitely."

"You know about Biyomon?" Tai asked, staring at his daughter in surprise.

Takara sighed and nodded. "Yes, and I know about Agumon, too."

"Great, is there anything you don't know?" Tai sighed, his dark eyes coming to rest on Ken's pale face.

"Actually, now that you mention it, there are a lot of things we don't know, and I'm not leaving this room until we get some answers!" Ryoko snapped.

"Ryoko!" Mimi scolded, her cinnamon eyes narrowing into a frown.

Matt lowered his gaze to the ground and did not say a word.

That was the first time the golden haired Digidestined had spoken since entering the living room, and his words were not exactly encouraging, to say the least.

Davis turned to look at his best friend and frowned. Ken was staring at Ryoko with wide, frightened eyes, and there was an anxious expression on his face.

_Ken's obviously worried about Sam and the whole thing with the Emperor, and I have a feeling he's going to make sure Ryoko's wish never comes true. I can tell Sam doesn't know the Emperor's true identity yet, and Ken definitely wants to keep it that way. If Sam knew, he would not be hanging around his father and acting as if his dad is one of the most important people in the world to him._

"Don't worry, Dad, everything's going to be okay," Sam said tearfully, snuggling against his father's side.

Ken rested his cheek against the top of Sam's raven head and did not reply. He looked like he was at a loss for words.

"You're a great digimon, Fluttermon," Tai said, taking the little digimon in his arms. "I know you'll do everything you can to protect my little girl."

"Dad," Takara sighed, giving her father a fond smile.

Tai laughed and stroked Fluttermon's small wings. "I'm right, aren't I, Fluttermon?"

"Oh yes!" Fluttermon gasped. "I'll never let anyone hurt Kara!"

"See?" Tai handed Fluttermon over to Taysuke and gave his wife a comforting hug.

"Wow! You're so cool!" Taysuke said, gazing in awe at the little digimon in his arms. "Um...I still have no idea what you are, though."

"That's okay! I wanted to meet you earlier, but Kara wouldn't let me."

"Fluttermon!"

"What?" Fluttermon asked, giving her partner a curious look.

Taysuke laughed and tickled Fluttermon's wings. "See, Kara? You should have told me about the Digital World a lot sooner!"

"Oh, be quiet!" Kara grumbled, elbowing her brother in the ribs.

Davis grinned and turned his attention to Mickey and Matty. "What about you two? Let's see your digimon partners."

The twins glanced at each other and quickly opened their backpacks.

"This is Palelymon," Mickey said nervously, holding out a digimon with pale skin, fluffy ears, and bright blue eyes.

Matty's digimon looked exactly the same, only his partner had golden skin and green eyes.

"They look like twins!" Kenzo gasped.

Taniko nodded in agreement. "They're just like Mickey and Matty!"

Matty blushed bright red and stared at his feet. "My partner's name is Goldmon. His rookie form is Celestimon."

"My partner's rookie form is Halomon," Mickey said, glancing shyly at his parents. "They're angels."

"What?" T.K. whispered, gazing at the older twin in shock.

Matty stood up and dropped Goldmon into his dad's arms. "Our digimon are angels, just like Angemon and Angewomon," the younger twin said quietly, gazing into his father's sparkling, blue eyes.

"It's true," Goldmon piped up. "You know what, T.K.? Mickey and Matty are the best partners ever, and we'll always protect them, no matter what."

"We already have," Palelymon said seriously.

T.K. hugged Goldmon tightly and avoided Matty's eyes. "Did you know...before?"

"About your 'guardian angel'?" Matty smiled slightly and shook his head. "No, Mickey and I only found out about Angemon and Angewomon when we were at Primary Village this afternoon. The thought of you being a Digidestined had crossed our minds earlier, but I don't think either one of us really believed it until now. If only we had taken your words more seriously. You should be careful what you say, Dad!"

T.K. quickly scrambled out of his seat and pulled Matty into a hug. "Matty, you and Mickey have great digimon. I can't even tell you how relieved I am to know that you and your brother have your own guardian angels to watch over you and keep you safe."

"Thanks," Matty mumbled, sitting back down on the floor again and pulling his dad down beside him.

Kari took Palelymon in her arms, and tears began to slide down her cheeks. "My sweet angels," she whispered, leaning over and kissing Mickey's and Matty's foreheads.

The twins smiled shyly at each other, and Matty started to laugh. "Hey, I thought I was the black sheep, remember?"

"Matty, I don't care how often you get into trouble. You will always be my angel, and the same goes for Mickey and Rina," Kari said seriously, her amber eyes sparkling with love and affection.

Matty threw his arms around his mother and hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Mom," the younger twin mumbled, his voice trembling with emotion.

"I feel the same way, Matty," T.K. said quietly. "I never thought you and your brother would become Digidestined, but a part of me always believed you would have gotten angel digimon if you had been in our place. I'm glad I was right."

"You are absolutely adorable," Kari murmured, cuddling Palelymon against her cheek.

"What about me?" Goldmon asked hopefully.

Kari laughed and kissed the golden digimon's fluffy ears. "So are you."

"They're so cute, aren't they?" Rina giggled, scrambling out of Matt's arms and throwing herself at Palelymon. Apparently the youngest member of the Takaishi family had forgotten the fact that she was supposed to be upset.

"Why does everyone keep calling them cute?" Matty groaned.

"Hello, look at them!" Ami shot back.

Dai grinned and sent Matty an apologetic look. "Sorry, Matty, but I think you've lost this round."

Ami whispered something in her brother's ear, and the Motomiya siblings started laughing.

"Will you two shut up?" Matty complained. "Besides, I bet girls think all digimon are cute!"

"Are you kidding? Ogremon is definitely not cute!" Takara giggled.

"No, but I am!" Goldmon said happily.

Matty gave his digimon a dirty look and sighed. "Thanks a lot, Goldmon. You're really helping me out here, you know that?"

"Ogremon!" Joe groaned, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

"Mom? Dad? I'm glad I have an angel digimon, and I know Matty feels the exact same way," Mickey said, gazing into his parents' eyes.

T.K. pulled Mickey into his arms and kissed his son's golden hair. "Thank you, Mickey. That means a lot to me."

"Me, too," Kari said quietly. "Goldmon and Palelymon are a reflection of you and Matty. I think that's why they look so much alike."

"We know," Matty replied, avoiding his twin's eyes. "They're so different from one another, but they still share a special connection."

Mickey's eyes filled with tears, and he pulled his brother into his arms. "Just like us. Matty-"

Matty gently pushed his twin away and shook his head. "Not now, Mickey. We'll talk later, okay? We have more important things to worry about right now."

Mickey hesitated and finally nodded. "Okay," the older twin said, his voice meek and filled with sorrow.

Davis glanced uneasily at T.K. and Kari and made a face. _What was that all about?_

T.K. and Kari stared at each other and wrapped their arms around their sons. The fear in their eyes was unmistakable. They, too, believed their twin boys had some issues that needed to be dealt with, and the sooner the better.

"I want an angel, too!" Rina pouted.

Kari raised her eyebrows and gave her daughter a look. "Don't even think about it! We have enough problems to deal with at the moment!"

"Mickey and Matty told you about the Digital World, didn't they," T.K. said, frowning at his daughter.

Rina's face turned pink, and she nodded. "Yes. I told you Goldmon and Palelymon would protect them, didn't I?"

"So that's what you were trying to say earlier. I can't believe I didn't figure it out! Of course! I should have known!"

T.K. smiled in amusement and gave Rina a kiss on the cheek. "I must be getting old or something. You did tell me that, and you were right."

Rina climbed into her mother's lap and pulled Palelymon into a tight hug. "I know," she said smugly.

"Palelymon, you mentioned something about how you and Goldmon have already protected my sons from danger. What did you mean by that?" Kari asked hesitantly, her face a mask of fear.

Matty blushed furiously and clung tightly to the sleeve of his twin's shirt. "Not now, Mom. I think it's time we gave Ryoko a chance to introduce his digimon partner."

Ryoko glared at Matty and reluctantly pulled his digimon out of his backpack. "This is Iramon," the blond said shortly, holding out his partner. "He becomes Alopemon, a fox digimon."

Mimi stared at the pale blue digimon in her son's arms and burst into tears. "Oh, Matt, look! Doesn't he remind you of Gabumon?"

Matt slowly got to his feet and sat down next to Ryoko in the spot where T.K. had been sitting earlier. The blond's eyes were glued to Iramon, and there was a strange expression on his face.

"Please don't be mad at Ryoko," Iramon said sadly, gazing into Matt's clear blue eyes. "He never meant to hurt you."

"Be quiet, Iramon! I don't need you getting involved in this, too!" Ryoko said sharply, his sapphire eyes flashing with anger.

Matt reached out a trembling hand and gently stroked Iramon's furry head. "Can I hold him?"

Ryoko's mouth fell open, and he stared at his father in astonishment. For a moment the blond looked like he was going to say no, but after a brief hesitation, he shoved Iramon into his dad's arms.

"Ryoko's mad, but he still loves you," Iramon said urgently.

Ryoko's face turned red, and he gave his digimon a sour look. "Don't you ever listen to anything I say?"

"See?" Iramon whispered.

Matt's face crumpled into a look of despair, and he quickly handed the little digimon over to Mimi.

"You're the perfect digimon for my son," Mimi said, smiling tearfully at the little digimon in her arms. "You will keep him safe, won't you?"

"Of course. He's my partner. I would never let anything bad happen to him."

"Are you sure?"

"Alright, enough!" Ryoko shouted. "Sam, it's your turn."

Matt opened his mouth and quickly closed it again. The blond's eyes were burning with emotion, and he kept staring at Iramon as if he desperately wanted to hold the little digimon in his arms again. It was the same look he kept giving Ryoko everytime he allowed himself a moment to focus on his son.

Sam jumped, clearly startled, and silently opened his backpack. He pulled out a green digimon with violet eyes and sniffed back a fresh load of tears. "This is Glimmermon. His rookie form is Glowmon. He's an insect digimon who resembles a firefly."

"You have a digimon like your dad," Yolei whispered, gazing deeply into Ken's dark blue eyes.

The former Emperor's face turned a nasty shade of green, and he sagged against the back of the couch in defeat. "I'm sorry, Sam," he choked out. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault..."

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, his voice trembling with fear. "Dad, I'm glad I have a digimon like you. Is that a bad thing?"

"No," Yolei said firmly, her eyes never leaving Ken's face. "It's definitely a good thing."

_Poor Ken. He really believes Sam might turn into another Emperor. He was already afraid of that happening before he even knew Sam was a Digidestined. I can't imagine how he must be feeling right now, especially considering the fact that Sam is so much like him, more so now than ever..._

Somehow Ken managed to smile, and Davis sent his best friend an encouraging look.

"Oh, Glimmermon, please don't let anything happen to my son!" Yolei moaned, giving the little digimon a squeeze.

Glimmermon beamed at Yolei and snuggled against her cheek. "Don't worry, Yolei, nothing is going to happen to Sam as long as I'm around."

"You're not scary at all!" Nao said, gazing at the little digimon with wide eyes.

Glimmermon hopped into Nao's lap and smiled up at the youngest member of the Ichijouji family. "No way. Good digimon are never scary."

Nao hugged Glimmermon tightly and gave Sam a shy smile. "I like him, Sam. He's really nice and friendly."

"He's so sweet!" Miya giggled, leaning down and giving the little digimon a big kiss. "I can't believe I thought you were a little monster."

"We're not monsters!" Iramon muttered, sounding extremely offended.

"Let's not get into that arguement again!" Dai laughed.

"You're nice, too, Miya," Glimmermon said softly.

Ken lifted Glimmermon into his arms and gazed directly into the digimon's eyes. "Please, Glimmermon, protect my son. Keep him safe, and don't ever let him give into darkness, no matter what."

Glimmermon must have realized how important his answer was to Ken because he met the former Emperor's eyes and nodded solemnly. "I promise. I won't let you down, Ken. I know I won't."

Ken's eyes filled with tears, and he gave the little digimon a fierce hug. "Thank you, Glimmermon. I'll be in your debt forever."

"Dad, what's going on?" Sam gasped.

"Nothing, Sam. Everything's fine."

"Ken, we want to believe you, but it's hard," Mickey sighed.

Ken blushed and quickly looked away from the older twin. Apparently the former Emperor did not know what to say to that.

"What about DemiEmbermon?" Ami asked, changing the subject. "I'm guessing he's some sort of a reptile digimon."

Dai grinned and handed DemiEmbermon over to his sister. "That's right. My digimon's rookie form is Embermon. He's awesome, isn't he?"

"Hello, Ami!" DemiEmbermon said cheerfully. "Dai might get mad at you sometimes, but he still thinks you're the best sister ever."

"That's it! From now on I'm taping your mouth shut so you can't embarrass me anymore!" Dai shouted, giving his digimon a sharp poke.

Ami laughed and gave DemiEmbermon a tight squeeze. "I'll let you in on a secret, DemiEmbermon. Dai's pretty cool for a little brother."

"He's also a great cousin," Noah added, tickling DemiEmbermon's ears. "Dai, I don't know what you mean by rookie form, but Embermon sounds just as cool as DemiEmbermon."

"You're lucky, Dai. I'm so jealous of you right now," Ami sighed. "I wish I had a digimon."

"Great, now everyone's embarrassing me!" Dai moaned.

Ema took DemiEmbermon in her arms and frowned. "Hey! How come Dai gets a digimon and I don't?"

"Somehow I don't think Dai had a choice," Kenzo muttered, stroking DemiEmbermon's head.

Ema handed the little digimon over to Noriko, and Davis grinned at the look on his wife's face.

"DemiEmbermon, you are also grounded for helping my son sneak into the Digital World behind my back!" Noriko scolded.

DemiEmbermon's ears drooped, and he let out a sigh of defeat. "I was afraid you were going to say that!"

"But, I'm not grounded," Dai said, looking confused.

"You are now!" Noriko shouted.

"Dad!"

Davis pulled DemiEmbermon into his arms and shrugged. "Sorry, Dai. Your mother makes the rules around here. I just follow them. If I didn't, she'd kicked me out on the street!"

"Davis! You're sleeping on the couch tonight!" Noriko sniffed, giving him a reproachful look.

"The gates!" Izzy muttered to himself. "Why didn't I check the gates?"

"Calm down, honey, everyone makes mistakes," Mina said reasonably.

"But I'm supposed to be the genius around here! I mean, other than Ken, of course," Izzy protested.

Taniko rolled her dark eyes and started to giggle. "Sorry, Dad, but you can be seriously clueless sometimes!"

"Dad?"

Davis glanced at his son and realized Dai was avoiding his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Actually, do you remember what I said earlier? We've brought another digimon to the human world with us, and he's really anxious to see you again."

Davis frowned and gave his son a suspicious look. "What do you mean again?" he asked, handing DemiEmbermon back to Noriko.

Something leaped out of Dai's backpack, and Davis let out a gasp when the thing landed directly into his lap.

"Davis, I've missed you so much! Do you think I could have some supper, too? DemiEmbermon isn't the only hungry digimon around here! It's great to see you again. You look older than I remember, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It has been a long time. I almost thought Dai was you! He looks a lot like you did at that age, don't you agree?"

Davis stared at the little digimon sitting in his lap and felt his throat close up. It had been fifteen years since he had last seen his digimon partner, and a part of him had started to believe he would never see the little reptile digimon again. Now he realized just how wrong he had been. Dai had given him a miracle, and that miracle was DemiVeemon, his digimon partner.


	79. Gennai's Gift

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter done. Just so you know, I'm going to be pretty busy over the next few months, so if you don't see an update from me for a while it's not because I've given up on any of my stories. It's just lack of time, but as usual, I will do my best to update as often as I can. (Trust me, I'm not going to quit on this story. I've gotten very attached to my characters and their families, and there's no way I'm going to give up on them now!)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 79: Gennai's Gift

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Davis, what's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me?" DemiVeemon asked, his large eyes growing wide with fear and his forehead wrinkling in confusion. "I wanted to say something earlier, but you were talking to Dai, and I figured it was probably better if I stayed out of the way until your son and his friends had a chance to tell you about their digimon. Besides, I wanted to surprise you."

Davis raised his eyebrows, and DemiVeemon gave him a sheepish look. "Dai and the others told me to keep quiet because they wanted to tell you their secret without any of us digimon interfering. I think they feel guilty about lying to you, and that's why they thought it would be better to break the news to you about the Digital World first before bringing me into the picture."

"Same with us," Goldmon added. "They wanted all of you to get used to the idea of new Digidestined before having to deal with digimon being in the human world again."

"They also wanted you to get comfortable with the fact that it's your kids who are the new Digidestined," Palelymon said quietly, giving Kari a nervous smile and hiding his face against Rina's stomach.

"I knew I should have left you in my backpack," Dai muttered, glaring at DemiVeemon.

Davis wrapped his arms around his partner and squeezed his eyes shut. "Of course I'm happy to see you," he whispered, hugging the little digimon tightly against his cheek. "I've missed you so much. What have you been doing all this time?"

DemiVeemon snuggled against him and sighed. "Eating, sleeping, and hanging out with my friends. You know, the usual. It isn't as much fun without you, though."

"I know what you mean. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever get a chance to see you again. Life just isn't the same without you by my side."

"Don't wait so long next time, okay?" DemiVeemon said softly in his ear.

Davis let out a shaky laugh and shook his head. "I'm sorry, DemiVeemon, but I didn't have a choice. The gates..."

"I know. It's okay. Don't worry about it. We're together now, and I know we won't have to wait another fifteen years to see each other again the next time the gate closes."

"How can you be so sure?" Davis asked, his voice trembling with sudden emotion.

DemiVeemon smiled up at him and shrugged. "It's just this feeling I have. I can't really explain it, but it's a good feeling, and that's why I know I'm right."

Davis gave his partner a fierce hug and shook his head in disbelief. He still could not believe he was holding DemiVeemon in his arms after spending fifteen years without his digimon partner by his side. He felt a sudden strong surge of affection for his partner and smiled. Their reunion was even more special because DemiVeemon was obviously very fond of Dai, and Davis truly believed his digimon would protect his son and keep the new leader of the Digidestined safe from danger.

_I can't believe he's really here. I've been waiting forever for this moment, and it's even better than anything I could have ever imagined. I wonder if Dai realizes how lucky he is to have a digimon partner..._

"Well, at least someone's happy," Takara laughed, giving DemiVeemon a fond look.

Davis set DemiVeemon on the ground beside him and pulled Dai into his arms. "Thank you," he whispered, hugging his son as tightly as he could.

Dai smiled and hugged him back. "You're welcome. I thought you'd be happy to see him. I feel the same way about DemiEmbermon."

"Thanks, Dai. You're the best partner ever!" DemiEmbermon said happily, making himself comfortable in Noriko's arms.

"You too, Davis," DemiVeemon piped up.

Davis stroked his partner's small head and smiled at the little digimon. "I can't even tell you how glad I am to see you. This moment makes up for everything. Well...almost."

"Great, you had to add that last part in, didn't you," Dai complained.

_I'm sorry, Dai, but you still have a lot of explaining to do. I love you, but you haven't been honest with me lately, and I just hope I can find a way to trust you again. I bet you probably feel the same way about me, too..._

"Davis, don't be too hard on him," DemiVeemon said urgently, climbing into his lap. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"He's right. Look, Dad, I know I'm a huge disappointment, but you and Mom aren't exactly innocent in all of this either," Dai mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

Noriko's eyes filled with tears, and she quickly scrambled out of the chair she had been sitting in and threw her arms around her son. "Daichi Motomiya, you're not a disappointment to me or your father, and I don't ever want to hear you say that again! Oh, honey, I love you so much. I know I can be strick sometimes, but it's because I worry about you and your sister, and I just want what's best for both of you. Oh, why did the two of you have to be so much like your father!"

Davis rescued DemiEmbermon from Noriko's lap and gave her an offended look. "Hey, it could be worse. They could have ended up like Jun!"

"Grow up, Davis, we're supposed to be talking about the digimon!" Jun shot back.

Dai grinned at his aunt and turned to look at his cousin. "Sorry, Aunt Jun, but considering who your daughter is...well...that's not exactly encouraging, is it. Right, Ema?"

"You're going to wish you'd never said that!" Ema threatened, her dark eyes narrowing into angry slits.

"Don't worry, Aunt Jun, Ema's ten times worse than you are!" Ami joked.

Jun rolled her eyes and frowned at Ema. "Honey, keep your comments to yourself from now on, and quit trying to make your cousin angry. We have enough problems to worry about at the moment without you attempting to make things worse."

"Mom, I can't believe you're taking his side!" Ema shouted. "He's the one who ran off to the Digital World without telling his parents, not me!"

"Let's just ignore the fact that you would have done the same thing if you had been in Dai's place!" Noah snorted, tugging on one of his sister's short, spiky pigtails.

"Mom, we're a lot like you, too, you know," Ami said softly, kissing her mother's cheek.

Noriko wrapped her arms around her daughter and managed a weak smile. "I know, and that scares me more than everything else combined."

"Mom, the Dark Spore is never going to affect you again. You're free, and so are we," Dai said quietly.

Noriko froze and stared at her son in shock. "You know about the...the spore?"

Ken let out a loud gasp, and Davis glanced anxiously at his best friend. The former Emperor's eyes were glittering with fear, and there was a terrified expression on his face. He looked like he wanted to run out of the room, but apparently the sympathy in Sam's eyes affected him very deeply because he stayed in his seat and hugged his son tightly against his chest.

Sam was not gazing at Noriko with fear and disgust in his eyes. He looked sad, and his face was filled with compassion. Obviously he felt bad for Dai's mother, and his expression clearly stated he wished there was something he could do for her.

_Does Sam know his father was also a victim of the Dark Spore? That's impossible, or is it? They know about Noriko, why not Ken?_

"My friends and I know you were one of Oikawa's victims, but that doesn't mean we know everything," Dai mumbled, avoiding his mother's eyes. "Where did the spores come from anyway?"

Davis let out a sigh of relief and sent his best friend a sympathetic smile. Ken's face had gained back a little bit of colour, and he no longer looked like a frightened child. Unfortunately he still appeared to be a little bit uneasy, though, because he kept glancing nervously at Yolei and fiddling with the sleeve of Nao's shirt.

_Don't worry, Ken. Sam doesn't know about your spore. I know that for a fact because Dai has given me all the proof I need. How can our children know you were a victim of the original spore when they don't even know where the one inside Noriko came from?_

"Thank you, honey. Your words mean a lot to me," Noriko said tearfully, kissing Dai's cheek.

Dai stared at her for a moment and frowned. "Did you really mean what you said before?"

_I don't get it. How can he not know?_

Davis smiled and gently ruffled his son's hair. "Dai, we've always been proud of you. In fact, we're more proud of you now than we have ever been before."

Dai blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "I know. Um...Mom? I'm sorry I made you upset."

"Don't worry, sweetie, I'm fine."

"What's a Dark Spore?" Ami asked curiously.

Dai made a face and took DemiEmbermon in his arms. "I'll explain later."

"Things worked out okay after all!" Sam murmured, his dark blue eyes sparkling with sudden happiness.

Ken stroked his son's raven hair, and Davis raised his eyebrows. The former Emperor's gaze was filled with hope.

_Sam was able to forgive Noriko. Hopefully that means he'll be able to forgive his dad, too._

"How?" Yolei gasped, gazing at DemiVeemon in astonishment.

Ryoko shifted uneasily in his seat and sighed. "We met Veemon and the rest of your digimon partners when we were at Primary Village this afternoon. Centaurumon was the one who told us to look for them, and Elecmon helped us find them. It was all Gennai's idea. He constantly has us running in circles."

"Did...did you see Gabumon?" Matt choked out, his sapphire eyes burning with emotion.

Ryoko avoided his dad's gaze and slowly nodded. "He...he told me I'm a lot like you."

Matt threw his arms around Ryoko and buried his face in his son's golden hair. The two of them clung tightly to each other for a moment, and Ryoko squeezed his eyes shut. "He misses you, Dad."

Matt hesitated and gently kissed his son's forehead. "I miss him, too."

"What about Palmon?" Mimi asked quietly.

Ryoko blushed furiously and quickly squirmed out of his father's arms. He gave his mother a rather weak smile and shrugged. "I told her you were having another baby, and she's really happy for you."

"Oh, Palmon!" Mimi said tearfully, her cinnamon eyes sparkling with joy and happiness. "Ryoko, honey, do you...do you think I'll get to see her again?"

"Yes, you will," Ryoko said simply. "The gates to the Digital World are open again, and that means you can see her whenever you want. Don't worry, Mom, you and Palmon are going to be together again very soon. I promise."

"Ryoko-"

"The same goes for you, Dad," Ryoko mumbled, avoiding his father's eyes. "Did you honestly believe you'd never see Gabumon again?"

Matt gently brushed a stray strand of golden hair out of Ryoko's eyes and managed a shaky smile. "Ryoko, when I'm with you, I can believe anything."

"Me, too," Mimi whispered, smiling softly at her son. The rosy haired Digidestined did not appear to be aware of the tension between Matt and Ryoko, and Davis had a feeling that was probably a good thing.

_At least they're not shouting at each other anymore. I guess that's a good sign._

"We saw Patamon and Gatomon. They can't wait to see you guys again," Mickey said shyly, glancing nervously at his parents.

T.K. gently ruffled the older twin's golden hair, his bright blue eyes sparkling with happiness. "We feel the exact same way, Mickey."

"I'm so glad Gatomon hasn't forgotten me," Kari whispered. "I should have known I'd see her again. After all, I was right the first time, so why not this time, too?"

"If there's one thing I've learned over the past few days, it's never doubt your digimon!" Matty laughed.

Takara turned to look at her parents, and she gave them a hesitant smile. "Biyomon and Agumon are amazing."

"I feel like I've been waiting forever for this moment," Sora said tearfully, leaning over and kissing her daughter's cheek. "Thank you, Kara. I'm still upset, but I think we might be able to work things out."

Tai nodded in agreement and smiled softly at his daughter. "Agumon has never once let me down, and I know he'll do everything he can to protect you. I feel better just knowing you've met him."

"You'll see him again, Dad, and Mom will see Biyomon soon, too," Takara said firmly.

Tai pulled his daughter into his arms and gently kissed her cheek. "I know. I'm so proud of you, Kara. You would have made a great leader anyday."

"Okay, now I'm really confused," Taysuke muttered.

"Tai's right, Kara. You have more courage than all of the guys on my soccer team put together!" Dai added, sending the female Digidestined a warm smile.

Takara blushed and avoided the goggle headed leader's eyes. "Thanks, Dai. You're the best."

"Well, I'm glad you think so anyway," Dai replied, glancing pointly in Ryoko's direction.

Davis smiled and studied Takara's pink face. _Is it just me or does Tai's daughter have feelings for my son? Well, one thing's for sure, she definitely has good taste! Naturally Dai's completely clueless, but that's okay. I'm sure he'll wake up in a couple of years, and if Takara still feels the same way about him when she's older then there might be a good chance they can share something special. Until then, I have more important things to focus on._

"Oh, Sam, you've met Wormmon and Hawkmon?" Yolei choked out, her eyes growing wide with shock.

Sam rested his cheek against his dad's shoulder and managed a half-hearted nod. "Hawkmon's great, and Wormmon's really nice. I like them both a lot, and I think they like me, too."

"Of course they do," Yolei murmured, giving her son a tight squeeze. "I miss Hawkmon so much. It'll be great to see him again."

"Wormmon," Ken whispered, his violet eyes sparkling with emotion.

"Dad? Um...are you sure you're okay?"

Ken smiled softly at his son and let out a small sigh. "I am now, Sam. Wormmon will be able to help me. In fact, I think he already has."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked curiously.

"Nothing, Sam, don't worry about it."

Davis pulled DemiVeemon into his arms and gave the former Emperor a brilliant smile. He knew exactly what Ken meant.

_Wormmon didn't tell Sam about the Digimon Emperor! If he had, Sam would've already known about Ken's past!_

"I hope you're right," Sam mumbled into his dad's shoulder.

_Sam will forgive Ken. He has to..._

"We also met Gomamon, Armadillomon, and Tentomon," Dai added. "According to DemiVeemon, Punimon went to visit Meramon and Gotsumon."

"You know about my partner, too?" Noriko gasped.

Dai nodded and gave his mother a warm smile. "DemiVeemon told us a lot about the international Digidestined and all the kids who had spores scanned into them."

"Oh, Meramon," Mina whispered.

Izzy kissed his wife's cheek and sighed. "Life just isn't the same without Tentomon."

"He called us clones!" Mickey and Matty shouted, their amber eyes sparkling with anger.

Izzy stared at the twins for a moment and promptly burst into laughter.

"I bet Gotsumon's really anxious to see me," Rosa said, nodding her head for emphasis.

Cody hugged his wife and laughed. "I bet Armadillomon's taking a nap right this very moment!"

"Gomamon's probably really lonely without me, even if he won't admit it," Joe muttered to himself.

"Oh, Punimon, I knew we'd see each other again!" Noriko said tearfully.

"The others wanted to come with, too, but Dai wouldn't let them," DemiEmbermon interrupted. "Don't worry, though, you guys will see your partners eventually. The only reason Dai didn't bring them with is because he didn't want things to get too crazy."

Davis held DemiVeemon tightly in his arms and turned to look at his son. "Dai, you brought DemiVeemon here to help you explain what's going on. You know what that means, don't you?"

Dai blushed and nodded. "Yeah, it means I'd better start talking. Alright. You see, everything was fine until one of the computers in the computer room started acting funny just over a week ago. That's when we knew there was something strange going on. Our adventure begins with a message from Gennai and a visit from a friend of yours named Piximon..."


	80. Matt's Worst Nightmare

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter! I will be switching out of Davis' POV eventually once all the talk is finished. Next chapter we finish up with Ryoko and head to Mickey and Matty. I might only get one update up next week, but we'll see if I can pull off a miracle! I cried my eyes out when I wrote the parts with Ryoko and Matt. On that note, please enjoy! And as always, please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 80: Matt's Worst Nightmare

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"According to Gennai, we need the crests in order to digivolve to the next level, and you guys are the only ones who can help us find them," Dai said urgently. "I know it's hard to believe, but everything I've said is true. The crests still exist, and if we don't get them back from whoever stole them, the entire Digital World will be doomed."

"Daichi's right," Ryoko sighed, his sapphire eyes narrowing into a frown. "Centaurumon said the Spirit Chips won't work unless they've been fused together with the crests. I guess we shouldn't really be surprised. The Digital World always has to make things more complicated than necessary. It's like some sort of rule or something."

"That's for sure. Centaurumon also said we won't be able to find the Spirit Chips without the crests, and that's another reason why we have to get our hands on them as soon as possible. We think Vampiramon and her buddies might have stolen them, but the good news is we still have our D-Coders," Matty said quietly, reaching out and gently placing his yellow Digivice in T.K.'s hands. "Apparently the crests aren't enough. We also need our D-Coders in order to find the Spirit Chips, and I have a feeling Vampiramon and the others may have realized that, too. Why else would they be trying to steal our Digivices all the time?"

"They have to know about the Spirit Chips," Takara said slowly. "No other explanation makes sense, and that would explain why they stole the crests."

"If, in fact, they were the ones who stole the crests in the first place," Jun muttered.

"Dai and his friends have done a great job of keeping Vampiramon and her buddies from covering the Digital World in darkness," DemiVeemon said enthusiastically. "You agree with me, don't you, Davis?"

Davis sat in stunned silence and gazed at Dai and the rest of the new Digidestined in horror. After a brief hesitation, he reached out a trembling hand and pulled up his son's shirt. Dai's back and chest looked a lot better than they had a few days ago, but there was still enough evidence for Noriko and the others to make out exactly what BlackWidowmon had done.

"You told your father you got injured on the bleachers at the soccer field! Oh, Dai, how could you have lied to us like that?" Noriko sobbed. She pulled the goggle headed leader into a hug and gently ran her hand over the bruises on his back. There were tears running down her face, and she looked like she was just barely hanging onto her sanity. Unfortunately Davis had a feeling things were only going to get worse, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Noriko already had enough things to worry about. She did not need him causing her even more stress.

"Mom-"

"Oh, my poor baby! You could have died! When I get my hands on that evil spider digimon she's going to wish she'd never-"

"Mom, I'm fine!" Dai interrupted, looking embarrassed. "Listen, I'm sorry I lied to you and Dad, but I didn't want you guys to worry about me. Besides, I didn't know the two of you were Digidestined back then, and I thought you would try to stop me from going to the Digital World if you knew about DemiEmbermon. Seriously, if you guys had bothered to tell me about your past a long time ago, I wouldn't have tried to stop you from finding out about BlackWidowmon and Vampiramon in the first place!"

"Yeah right!" Ema snorted. "If you had known Uncle Davis and Aunt Noriko were Digidestined before you got that message from Gennai, I bet you would have tried even harder to stop them from discovering your secret because they would have had even more reasons to prevent you from going to the Digital World!"

Dai blushed and quickly stared at his hands. "Um...yeah...I hadn't even thought of that."

"Why do you think we're so upset?" Noriko cried, gazing tearfully at the yellow bruises on Dai's chest. "We know how dangerous the Digital World can be, and that's why we're angry you didn't tell us you and your friends were Digidestined a long time ago! Oh, Dai, I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you. Vampiramon would have killed you if Dovemon hadn't digivolved to Ibismon, and don't even get me started on BlackWidowmon again!"

Dai quickly scrambled away from his mom and yanked his shirt back down. "I'm fine, Mom. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a little kid anymore."

"You don't look fine to me!" Jun gasped, her dark eyes growing wide with horror.

Ami nodded in agreement and gave her brother a tight hug. "Dai, you're such an idiot!" she said tearfully. "Mom's right. You could have died! What would I do without you in my life? I wouldn't have anyone to boss around anymore, and you know I care about you even if I don't always act like I do."

Davis dragged his eyes away from his son and turned to look at the others. His friends were staring at Dai with expressions of pure terror on their faces, and he had a feeling he knew exactly what they were thinking. Ken and the others were obviously worried about Dai, but they were also worried about their own children, as well. Mickey, Matty, Takara, Ryoko, and Sam had all been in danger at one time or another, thanks to Vampiramon and her buddies, but so far the five of them had managed to escape without getting hurt. Unfortunately there were still plenty of chances for someone to end up getting seriously injured, or worse, in the future, and he wanted to make sure that did not happen.

_How am I going to stop my son and his friends from putting themselves in danger? I know they'll always be there to help each other out when things get tough, but sooner or later their luck is going to run out, and then we're all going to end up suffering..._

"Well, at least you guys don't have to worry about whether or not your kids are keeping secrets from you anymore," DemiVeemon said weakly.

"There aren't any more secrets, Dad," Dai said quietly, his deep brown eyes sparkling with sudden anger. "DemiVeemon and I didn't leave anything out, but the same can't be said for you and your friends. Oh, by the way, I didn't tell you I fell off the bleachers. Sam and Ryoko were the ones who came up with that brilliant idea!"

"If you hadn't acted like such an idiot, we wouldn't have had to lie for you in the first place!" Ryoko snapped. "You're lucky Ken caught you when he did otherwise you would have ended up falling flat on your face! Honestly, Daichi, you couldn't have been more obvious if you'd tried!"

Davis wrapped his arms around Dai and turned to gaze at Ryoko. "You saved my son," he whispered. "I...I don't know what to say..."

Ryoko's face turned bright red, and the blond stared at his feet. "Daichi's my friend. I had to save him."

_No, Ryoko. You didn't have to save my son's life, but you did because you care about him more than you will ever admit. I know it doesn't always seem like it, but Dai feels the same way about you, and one day I hope you'll realize that. Besides, I think my daughter has a crush on you, and it'll be a lot easier for me to keep an eye on her if the guy she's chasing is close friends with her brother! It'll also be a lot easier for me to keep an eye on you and those Ishida/Tachikawa good looks you've inherited!_

"You only became friends with me because you had to?" Dai said flatly.

"I didn't say that! Quit twisting my words around!" Ryoko snapped, his sapphire eyes glittering with anger.

Dai crossed his arms and glared at the blond. "You only saved me because you had to? What kind of an answer is that?"

"You know what I mean," Ryoko mumbled, looking embarrassed.

Davis got to his feet and headed towards the loveseat where Ryoko was sitting with his parents. He pulled the blond into a tight hug, and after several minutes of silence he managed to find his voice. "Thank you for everything, and don't worry. Dai cares about you more than you think," he said softly in the golden haired Digidestined's ear.

"How do you know?" Ryoko mumbled.

"Trust me, I know."

"Will you guys be quiet already?" Dai shouted. "I know you're talking about me."

"What's going on?" Matt asked quietly, his voice trembling with obvious fear.

Davis gave his blond friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder and shrugged. "Nothing important."

_I can't believe Matt still doesn't know about Dai and Ryoko. How can he not see what's going on between them? I know Ryoko usually tries to avoid having a conversation with Dai when his parents are around, but that's still no excuse. Matt and Mimi should have realized the truth by now, especially considering the way Ryoko was acting a few minutes ago._

"Ryoko's not the only one who saved Dai's life," Noriko said tearfully, scrambling forward and throwing her arms around Takara. "Oh, Kara, thank you for saving my baby. Vampiramon would have killed him if Dovemon hadn't digivolved."

"I'd never let anything bad happen to Dai," Fluttermon said firmly.

Noriko managed a shaky laugh and hugged the little digimon tightly in her arms. "I know. You're amazing, Fluttermon, and so are you, Kara."

Takara's face turned pink, and she gently kissed Noriko's cheek. "Thank you. I know Dai gets himself into trouble a lot, but I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. My friends and I will always be around to make sure he stays in one piece!"

"Hey, I'm not that bad! Thanks a lot, Kara!"

Davis laughed and slowly pulled away from Ryoko. He sat down on the floor next to Matty and pulled the younger twin into a hug. "You, too, Matty. BlackWidowmon would have killed Dai if you hadn't been there to help him."

Matty beamed at him and sent Dai a warm smile. "I wanted to save him."

"Sure, make me look bad!" Ryoko muttered, his face turning pink with guilt.

"Ryoko, what are you talking about?" Matt said sharply, looking uneasy.

_I wonder if Ryoko will ever tell his parents the truth..._

"You guys were a great help, too," Noriko said softly, her dark eyes coming to rest on Mickey and Sam. Both boys blushed and smiled shyly at her in return.

Davis nodded in agreement and leaned over to give Kara a kiss on the cheek. "Let's not forget about the digimon. They're the real heroes."

"Our job is to protect our human partners," Iramon said seriously. "We will not fail Gennai, and we will not fail our friends either."

Davis stroked the little digimon's blue fir and quickly got to his feet. He made his way back over to his wife's side and wrapped his trembling arms around Dai. "I know. Thank you, Iramon. I needed to hear that. You, too, DemiEmbermon. Thank you for protecting my son."

"You're welcome!" DemiEmbermon replied, beaming at the praise.

Dai rolled his eyes and smiled slightly. "You worry too much, Dad."

_How can I not? I love you so much, and I'd never forgive myself if anything ever happened to you. After all, I've been keeping the Digital World a secret from you for years. If you had ended up dying, it would have been all my fault for not warning you about the danger that comes with being a Digidestined._

"Ryoko, you saved Dai, and I'm not saying what you did was wrong, but do you realize how many times you came within an inch of losing your life?" Matt snapped, his cold, blue eyes glittering with emotion.

Ryoko glared at his father and leaped angrily to his feet. "I can't believe you, Dad! Daichi could have died! If you think I'm just going to stand back and do nothing when my friends are in danger, think again! You have the Crest of Friendship! I thought you would understand, but obviously you don't!"

"That's more like it," Dai said, nodding his head in satisfaction.

Mimi's eyes filled with bright tears, and she shook her head in denial. "Oh, Ryoko, you're the one who doesn't understand. If you knew the truth-"

"What truth? What are you talking about?" Ryoko shouted. "Haven't the two of you kept enough secrets from me already?"

"Don't you dare talk to your mother like that!" Matt snapped, his sapphire eyes blazing with sudden anger. "You might think you can get away with that kind of behaviour around me, but you know very well your mother doesn't need any extra stress right now. She has enough problems to deal with at the moment, thanks to you, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't keep trying to make things worse!"

Ryoko froze and stared at his dad as if he had never seen the man before. "Excuse me for being such an inconvenience," the blond said quietly, his sapphire eyes sparkling with sudden tears. "I never realized you considered me to be nothing but a nuisance before. Why didn't you just leave me on the steps of an orphanage somewhere right from the beginning, and then you never would have had to worry about me ruining your life all the time!"

Mimi let out a gasp of horror, and Matt's mouth dropped open in utter shock. The two of them stared at Ryoko in disbelief, but the golden haired Digidestined refused to look at them.

"Ryoko!" Mickey gasped, his amber eyes growing dark with sadness and despair. "Oh, Ryoko, you know your parents love you more than anything else in the world. You're not an inconvenience to them, and you never will be! Please don't say things like that. I know you don't want to hurt your mom and dad, but if you keep accusing them of things that aren't true, you're not only going to end up hurting them, you're going to end up hurting yourself, too."

Davis winced at the looks on Matt's and Mimi's faces and glanced anxiously at Tai. If the original Digidestined leader did not do something quick, Matt and Ryoko were never going to speak to each other again.

_Poor Matt, and Mimi, too. They look like they've been struck by lightning or something._

Words could not even begin to describe the expression on the former musician's face. Losing Ryoko was Matt's worst nightmare, and it was obvious his son's accusations against him were eating him up inside.

_Quick, Tai! Do something!_

Tai suddenly jumped to his feet, and Davis blinked in surprise. It was almost as if the original Digidestined leader had read his mind.

_I hope he knows what he's doing..._

Tai pulled Ryoko into his arms and gazed calmly at Matt over the boy's golden head. "Matt, listen to me. It's obvious you're upset, but you and I both know Ryoko did the right thing. You care about Dai a lot, and I know you're proud of Ryoko for putting his own life on the line to save a friend. Besides, everything your son has learned about friendship he has learned from you and Mimi. Gabumon's right. Your son is a lot like you. I know because you would have done the same for me if I had been in Dai's place. In fact, you already have. Have you forgotten so quickly? I know it was twenty-nine years ago, but I still remember, and I won't let you forget what it means to be the Child of Friendship."

"I haven't forgotten," Matt whispered, gazing directly into the former Digidestined leader's dark eyes.

Ryoko wrapped his arms around Tai's waist and glared angrily at his father. "Then why are you acting like I've done something wrong?"

"Because I love you, and I don't want you to die!"

Ryoko stared silently at his father and promptly burst into tears. Without a word, he scrambled out of Tai's arms and collapsed against his dad's chest in a sobbing heap.

"Ryoko, I think you're the one who needs to listen to me, not the other way around," Iramon said sadly.

Matt held his son tightly in his arms and hid his face against the golden haired Digidestined's shoulder. There were tears in the former musician's eyes, and the look he gave Ryoko was filled with nothing but love and affection.

"I'm sorry," Ryoko sobbed, his tear stained cheek coming to rest against the top of his dad's head. "I didn't mean what I said before. I love you and Mom, and I know you guys love me, too."

"No," Matt choked out, his sapphire eyes glittering with pain and sadness. "No, Ryoko. I'm the one who's sorry. I should have told you everything right from the beginning. Besides, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Mimi threw her arms around her son and gently kissed his cheek. "Sweetheart, your father and I waited a long time to have you. Do you honestly believe we would have given you up?"

"No," Ryoko said quickly.

Mimi's cinnamon eyes sparkled with fierce determination, and she slowly wiped a fresh load of tears off her cheeks. "Your father and I would die before we would ever let anyone take you away from us."

"You will never be an inconvenience to me," Matt whispered, gazing deeply into his son's sapphire eyes. "Ryoko, you're the main reason why I gave up a chance to be the lead singer of one of the most popular bands in the world. You're everything to me. I've always put you first, and I always will. I love you more than you'll ever know, and even though I might get angry sometimes that doesn't mean I've stopped caring about you. You know that, don't you?"

Ryoko wrapped his arms around his dad's neck and smiled through his tears. "I do now."

"Ryoko, I might be having another baby, but that doesn't mean we've forgotten about you," Mimi said softly. "You and your sibling both have your own special places in our hearts, and that's the way it's always going to be. Trust me, honey, no one's ever going to take your place."

Ryoko kissed his mother's cheek and smiled fondly at her stomach. "Mom, I want to have a sibling, and I know you and dad will love both of us equally. I was never worried about that. I was upset because I thought you guys were going to be really disappointed in me. I...I really am sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you before about the Digital World. Do...do you think you could forgive me?"

"Of course we can forgive you," Mimi said quietly. "Do...um...do you think you could forgive us for keeping such a huge secret from you?"

Ryoko squeezed her hand and snuggled against his dad's chest. "I think so, but-"

"I'm scared, Ryoko," Matt choked out, his voice trembling with emotion. "BlackWidowmon and Crystalmon could have killed you. Why do you think we didn't tell you about the Digital World in the first place? We were trying to protect you. My friends and I all agreed our kids were probably never going to become Digidestined, but despite common sense a small part of us still believed there was a slim chance you and your friends would end up having digimon partners of your own. We didn't want any of you to put yourselves in danger, and I guess we figured that was less likely to happen if we kept the Digital World a secret. After all, how could any of you be attacked by digimon if you didn't even know the Digital World existed? Besides, the gates were closed, and the chances of some digimon attacking the human world again were slim to none. I realize now what a huge mistake we made. If anything we put you guys in even more danger. I'm so sorry, Ryoko. If Crystalmon had killed you, it would have been all my fault..."

"And mine," Mimi whispered.

Iramon snuggled against Mimi's stomach and shook his head. "No way. Besides, I'll never let anything happen to Ryoko. He'll always be safe with me."

Matt lifted Iramon into his arms and smiled through his tears. "Iramon, can you promise me you'll always protect my son?"

Iramon lifted his chin and nodded. "I will protect him with my life, and you know Palmon and Gabumon will, too."

"You're right. Thank you, Iramon. Your words mean a lot to me."

"Does that mean you're not going to yell at us anymore?" Matty asked hopefully.

Matt gently handed Ryoko over to his wife and sat down on the floor next to Matty. He pulled his twin nephews into a hug and held them tightly against his chest. "Thank you, Mickey," he whispered softly in the older twin's ear. "You saved my son. I'll never be able to repay you for what you've done."

Mickey blushed and smiled shyly at his uncle. "You don't have to thank me. Ryoko's like a second brother to me. I'd never let anything bad happen to him."

"Yeah, haven't you heard? We've officially adopted him as our triplet," Matty said solemnly.

Matt burst into laughter and gave his nephews a fond smile. "I love you both. No wonder my little brother's so proud of you."

Davis glanced at T.K. and frowned. The twin's father did not appear to be listening to the conversation at all. Instead he was gazing at his sons with a look of horror on his face, and his hands were clenched into fists. He looked like he had spotted some horrible apparition hovering above his sons' heads, but unfortunately it was a demon only he could see.

_Oh no. DarkAngelicmon..._

Davis glanced nervously at Matt and realized the former musician was shaking his head and gazing sadly at T.K.

_It looks like I'm not the only one who's worried about T.K..._

T.K. had finally told him about Devimon after they had managed to repair their friendship many years ago, and he had felt nothing but sympathy for his blond friend ever since. He knew exactly what T.K. was thinking, and it made his blood run cold. DarkAngelicmon was a lot like Devimon, and if they did not do something soon Mickey, Matty, and Sam were all going to end up suffering at the hands of yet another fallen angel...

_Poor T.K. I bet he blames himself for what's happening to Mickey and Matty..._

"Thank you for saving my son, Palelymon," Matt said quietly, glancing nervously at T.K.

"You're welcome. Don't worry, Matt, Ryoko's safe with us!"

Matt nodded and turned to look at Dai. "My son would have died if you hadn't stopped Crystalmon. I want to thank you, but I don't think I can find the words to express how grateful I am. Ryoko's not the only one who carries a part of me with him. You do, too, just like your dad, and I hope you'll always remember how important friendship really is. Tai has never once given up on me, and I hope you'll do the same for my son."

Davis stared at the former musician in shock and shook his head in disbelief. _Maybe Matt suspects something after all..._

Dai's face turned bright red, and he gave Matt a small smile. "Don't worry, I won't."

"What?" Ryoko gasped, his sapphire eyes growing wide with shock.

Matt pulled the goggle headed leader into a hug and nodded. "You're just like your dad, Dai. You're too stubborn for your own good, but sometimes that's the only way to make things happen."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Tai said dryly. "Seriously, Dai, how do you think I managed to sucker Matt into being my best friend?"

"You wish!" Matt snorted.

The two of them smiled at each other, and Davis sent the former musician a dirty look.

_Thanks a lot, Matt! What about Yolei? She's way worse than I am when it comes to being stubborn!_

"Um...Ryoko? I'm glad you're okay, and thanks for saving Dai," Ami said shyly.

Ryoko's cheeks turned bright red, and he smiled back at her. "You're welcome."

_Yeah, I'm definitely going to have to watch those two!_

Dai glanced hopefully in Ryoko's direction, but the blond refused to meet his eyes. Obviously the golden haired Digidestined did not understand what Dai had been trying to say earlier because he looked confused.

"Um...Dad? Can I ask you something?"

Matt turned to look at his son and frowned. "What is it?"

Ryoko hesitated, and after a brief moment of silence he managed to lift his head. "Dad, Gabumon was the one who told me to ask you about a digimon named Cherrymon, and he also mentioned something about a dark cave. Will...will you answer my questions? Please, Dad? I don't want there to be any more secrets between us. I...I need to know the truth."

"Ryoko..."

Ryoko gazed directly into his dad's eyes and slowly lifted his chin. "Your friendship with Tai started in the Digital World, and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the Crest of Friendship. Tell me, Dad. I think it's time I learned exactly what your crest is all about..."


	81. The Prince of Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm going to apologize ahead of time for what happens with Matt and Ryoko in this chapter. I know some of you will be disappointed, but I feel now isn't the right time for their conversation, and I want it to be just between the two of them. It will happen eventually. I promise. Same with the Emperor. Sam will find out about Ken's past, but...well...Ken isn't going to be the one who tells him. Anyway, I won't be able to update for the first two weeks of July, just to let you know, but I'll be back as soon as I can be. Oh, and of course this will be up as soon as document manager decides to behave itself. (if you're wondering about my late post.) Also, I'm probably only going to get one update this week, but I will try to do one more. Thanks. See you all in two weeks! (and hopefully one more before then!)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 81: The Prince of Darkness

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Matt's face turned an interesting shade of red, and Davis quickly bowed his head to hide the sympathetic smile on his face. He had been wondering when Ryoko was finally going to ask the former musician about Cherrymon and the dark cave, and now that the moment had come, he was finding it difficult not to feel sorry for his golden-haired friend.

_Obviously there are still a lot of things our children don't know about us, and it's only a matter of time before they all start asking questions. How are they going to handle the news about SkullGreymon and Devimon, and what about the Emperor? They will find out about Ken's past eventually, no matter how hard we try to hide the truth, and when they do they're going to be really upset, especially Sam. Our kids deserve to know the truth, but if we tell them exactly what happened twenty-five years ago, it'll only cause even more problems, and right now we have to focus on stopping Vampiramon and her buddies from taking over the Digital World. I have no idea what we're going to do anymore, and what about the Dark Ocean? How are we ever going to bring ourselves to tell them about the World of Darkness?_

"Dad-"

"Not now, Ryoko," Matt mumbled, sitting back down on the couch and avoiding his son's eyes. "I'll um...tell you when we're alone, okay?"

Ryoko slipped his arms around his father's waist and rested his tear-stained cheek against the former musician's shoulder. "Promise?"

"I promise."

"Yeah right. You're just saying that."

Matt held his son tightly in his arms and gently placed his hand against the back of the golden-haired Digidestined's head. "Ryoko, I want to tell you because I know you'll understand, but I think it's something you and I need to discuss on our own without any other distractions. You understand, don't you?"

"Um...I think so." Ryoko gazed curiously at his father, and his big, blue eyes filled with sudden hope. "So...um...it'll be just between us?"

"Just between us."

"Can I tell the others?"

Matt managed a shaky smile and nodded. "Yes, but first I want you all to myself when I tell you."

Ryoko's whole face lit up, and he beamed at his father. "Okay, um...Dad? Just so you know, I...um...I'll always love you no matter what you tell me."

"I know," Matt whispered, his sapphire eyes glittering with love and affection. "I feel the same way about you."

Davis grinned at his golden-haired friend and turned to look at Ken. The former Emperor was gazing at Matt and Ryoko with tears in his eyes, and there was a smile on his face. He looked like he was finally starting to believe there was a chance for Sam and himself after all.

_Don't worry, Ken. I know Sam feels the exact same way Ryoko feels, and he'll continue to love you no matter what you tell him._

"Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you," Mimi said tearfully, leaning over Ryoko and giving her husband a gentle kiss on the lips. "You're a good father, Matt, and I know you know it. Parents always fight with their kids once in a while, and I'm glad you and Ryoko are working things out."

Matt kissed her back and gave his wife a loving smile. "Thanks, Mimi."

"Hey, not in front of me!" Ryoko complained, his face turning pink with embarrassment.

Davis stared at Mimi with his mouth hanging open and shook his head in disbelief. _Wow, she's taking this a lot better than I thought she would! I guess she noticed the tension between Matt and Ryoko after all._

"I'm sorry I made you worry," Matt said quietly, gazing deeply into his wife's eyes.

Mimi kissed her son's golden hair and gave Matt's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't be. I was never worried. I know how much you love Ryoko, and I know nothing's ever going to change that."

"You got that right!" Matt said firmly.

"Mom!" Ryoko groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"Don't worry, he's happy!" Iramon laughed.

"So am I. I'm glad you're okay, Ryoko," Taysuke said shyly.

Ryoko gave the younger boy a warm smile and shrugged. "Don't worry, Tay, your sister and the rest of my friends have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. They'll never let anything happen to me."

"Aw, thanks, Ryoko. We love you, too," Matty grinned, trying his best to keep a straight face and failing miserably.

Ryoko blushed and glared at his cousin. "Shut up, Matty, or I'll have to hurt you!"

"I'd like to see you try it!" Matty shot back. "You don't want to make Mickey angry, do you? He's scary when he's angry!"

"Hey, don't get me involved in this," Mickey said, looking amused.

Matty crossed his arms and gave his twin an exasperated look. "Mickey, you're supposed to be sticking up for me!"

"So much for that idea!" Ryoko smirked.

"Mickey!"

"Ryoko, don't even think about it," Mickey said, his amber eyes narrowing into a frown.

Matty sent Ryoko a dirty look and made a face at his twin. "Well, it's about time! Took you long enough already!"

Mickey gave his brother a sympathetic smile and shrugged. "Sorry, but you were the one who started this whole thing in the first place!"

Both Mickey and Matty burst out laughing, and Ryoko sent them a very suspicious look.

"Twins," the golden-haired Digidestined muttered, a small smile slipping across his face.

"Makiya Takaishi! How can you joke around at a time like this?" Kari cried, her amber eyes glittering with tears. "Jestermon dropped you off a building! If Celestimon hadn't digivolved, you...you..."

Mickey's angelic face filled with despair, and he wrapped his arms around his mother's neck. "Mom, I'm okay. Please don't cry. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to scare you or Dad."

"Mom, if you think I'm ever going to let anyone hurt Mickey forget it," Matty said firmly.

"Us, too!" Palelymon and Goldmon both cried.

"Mickey's my partner, and there's no way I'm going to let Jestermon come anywhere near him!" Palelymon said fiercely.

"Yeah, I feel the same way! Mickey's like my second partner, and I'm not going to let Palelymon and Matty down by failing to protect someone who's close to them and me!" Goldmon shouted.

Mickey held the two little digimon tightly in his arms and smiled fondly at them. "Thanks, guys."

"Matty, you...you saved him! Oh, honey, I love you so much. I'm so proud of you. You really are a wonderful brother and a great friend," Kari sobbed, reaching out and pulling the younger twin into a hug. "Thank you for everything, sweetheart."

"Mom, be careful! You're squishing him!" Mickey laughed. The older twin pulled his brother out of Kari's arms and gave his mother a warm smile. "I told you, I'm fine, and the same goes for Matty. You know I would have done the same for him if he had been in my place."

"I know, sweetheart. Trust me, I know."

"See? I told you Mickey's the best brother in the whole world," Matty said confidently.

Kari laughed and reached out to stroke Goldmon's and Palelymon's heads. "You two are incredible. Thank you, Goldmon. You saved my son's life. I'll never forget what you've done, and I'm sure you're a very handsome angel digimon. You, too, Palelymon."

"Mom!" Matty shouted in horror.

Rina giggled, and Kari rolled her eyes. "Well, what do you expect? I have two very handsome boys. It's only fitting their digimon would reflect that, as well."

Mickey and Matty turned identical shades of red, and their digimon smiled shyly at Kari.

"Mickey and Matty are lucky to have a mom like you," Palelymon said happily.

"You don't have to thank me, Kari. Palelymon and I will always protect your sons no matter who tries to hurt them," Goldmon said softly.

Rina scrambled forward and threw her arms around Mickey's neck. She hid her face against his shoulder and hugged him as tightly as her small arms would allow. "I never realized the Digital World was such a scary place. I'm glad you and your friends are keeping each other safe. You and Matty are great brothers, and I don't want either one of you to die."

"No one's going to die, Rina," Mickey said quietly, kissing his little sister's cheek.

"You promise?"

"We promise," Matty replied.

Rina brushed away her sudden tears and pulled Matty into her arms with Mickey. She hugged both of her brothers as tightly as she could and smiled up at them. "Okay then. I'm not scared anymore. You guys always keep your promises, and I know Goldmon and Palelymon will protect you. The same goes for DemiEmbermon and the rest of the digimon. They'll keep Dai and the others safe. I know they will."

"I love you three so much," Kari whispered, smiling fondly at her children.

Unfortunately her happiness did not last very long because T.K. chose that moment to speak, and his words froze everybody in the room.

"What about DarkAngelicmon?"

_Poor T.K. It's like Devimon all over again, only this time it's even worse because DarkAngelicmon wants Mickey and Matty, and I'm pretty sure he has something planned for Sam, as well. T.K. probably feels like his worst nightmare is coming true. He was devastated when he lost Angemon, and I can't even imagine how he would feel if he ever lost his sons..._

"Dad, are you okay?" Mickey asked anxiously.

T.K. pulled the older twin into his arms and did not say a word. Instead he buried his face in his son's golden hair and held the boy tightly against his chest.

"T.K., I'm so sorry," Kari whispered, reaching out and placing a hand against her husband's pale cheek. "Honey, I know what you're thinking, but we can't give up yet. You're free of him forever, and soon Mickey and Matty will be free of DarkAngelicmon, as well. I mean it, T.K. We're not going to let him hurt our sons, and you know our friends will help us in any way they can."

Matt sat down next to T.K. and wrapped his arms around his brother's shoulders. "Kari's right. There's no way I'm going to let that creep come anywhere near my nephews, and I'm not going to let him hurt you or Kari either. I'd like to see him try it!"

"Hey, they're my nephews, too!" Tai complained.

Matt rolled his sapphire eyes and sent the original Digidestined leader an impatient look. "Alright, our nephews. Are you happy?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am." Tai put a hand on Kari's shoulder and gave his sister a reassuring smile. "I'm not going to let DarkAngelicmon cause you or T.K. any pain, and that means I'm going to make sure he doesn't even think about trying to hurt my nephews!"

"Our nephews!" Matt grumbled.

Kari gave her brother a hug and managed a weak smile. "I know, Tai. Thank you. You, too, Matt."

"Don't forget about us!" Dai piped up, gesturing at Sam, Ryoko, Kara, and himself. "We'll never let anything happen to Mickey and Matty, and sooner or later DarkAngelicmon's going to find that out the hard way!"

"My friends and I might not be Digidestined, but that doesn't mean we can't help out, too," Noah said quietly, gazing directly into T.K.'s eyes.

"Hey, what about me?" Taniko shouted.

"And me," Kenzo said seriously.

Ema glared at Noah and crossed her arms. "We're all going to keep the twins safe, and we're not going to let DarkAngelicmon get his hands on Sam either!"

"You got that right!" Taysuke said firmly.

Davis nodded in agreement and smiled softly at the former Emperor. "Ema's right, Ken. Sam's safe with us, and you know he always will be."

Ken held his son protectively against his chest and ran a hand across his eyes. "Thanks, Davis. That means a lot to me, but I feel like I ask too much of you and the others already..."

"No, Ken, sometimes I think you don't ask enough," T.K. said quietly, his bright blue eyes travelling over the former Emperor's face. "We've stuck by your side for the past twenty-five years because we care, and we'll make sure DarkAngelicmon never gets a chance to hurt your son or my sons."

"It's okay, Ken. My fellow digimon and I will protect Sam and his friends. We haven't let them down yet, and I know we never will," Glimmermon said shyly.

Ken stroked the top of Glimmermon's head and sent T.K. a rather hesitant smile. "Thanks, T.K. I...um...feel a lot better now. I know you and the others will do your best to protect my kids as much as you can, and that makes everything seem a little less scary."

"Everything?" T.K. whispered, his eyes never leaving Ken's face.

The former Emperor blushed and pressed his cheek against Sam's forehead. "Almost everything," he whispered, avoiding the blond's eyes.

_Yeah, everything but the truth about the Emperor..._

"Dad, you're not making any sense, you know that?" Sam mumbled, glancing suspiciously at T.K. "What are you guys talking about anyway?"

Ken exchanged a quick look with Yolei and shrugged. "It's not important, Sam."

"Oh, Sam, what if that evil angel tries to...to...kill you?" Yolei gasped, her eyes shining with sudden tears.

Sam smiled softly at his mother and shook his head. "DarkAngelicmon's not going to hurt me, Mom. Mickey won't let him."

"I won't!" Mickey said stubbornly.

Ken slowly turned to look at T.K. and gazed directly into the blond's eyes. "He...he really means it, doesn't he?"

T.K. gently placed his hand against Mickey's cheek and smiled sadly at his son. "Yes, Ken, he means it."

"Thank you, Mickey," Ken whispered, his face turning pink. His words sounded awkward, but the look he sent T.K. was filled with fierce hope and determination. It was not always easy for the former Emperor to express his emotions, but in most cases he did not have to. The look in his eyes was enough for anyone to figure out exactly what he was thinking.

"Dad, I'm sorry about what happened with Jestermon," Mickey mumbled, gazing nervously into his father's eyes.

T.K. managed a shaky smile and rested his hand against the back of Mickey's golden head. "Don't be. You're alive, and that's all I care about."

"Matty promised me he would look out for me, and I promised him the same thing. Nothing's going to happen to us as long as we have our friends and each other," Mickey insisted.

Matty beamed at the older twin and nodded. "You read my mind, Mickey!"

_Why won't Mickey and Matty talk about DarkAngelicmon? It's almost as if they're purposely avoiding the subject, and the same goes for T.K. I thought he wanted to ask his sons about the fallen angel. At least, that's the impression I got earlier. I guess he must have changed his mind. _

Davis studied his friend's face for a moment and frowned. T.K. was the one who had brought DarkAngelicmon up in the first place, and now the blond looked like he wished he had never said anything.

_I bet T.K. would rather face Devimon again instead of DarkAngelicmon. I would feel the same way if I were him. Devimon tried to hurt him, but I know for a fact he'd rather have a fallen angel digimon coming after him instead of his children..._

"Matty, I'm so proud of you right now," T.K. whispered, reaching out and pulling the younger twin into his arms. "Angelicmon saved Mickey's life, and it's all because of you. If you hadn't helped Celestimon digivolve, Mickey would not be here. I love both of you so much. The two of you have done a lot to help each other and your friends, and I'll never be able to thank either one of you enough for what you've done."

"Dad, we need to breath!" Matty replied, his amber eyes sparkling with amusement. The younger twin's cheek was squished against Mickey's forehead, and the two of them were trying their best not to elbow each other in the ribs. Apparently T.K. did not even notice because he pulled his sons even closer and held them tightly against his chest.

"T.K., I know it's hard, but we have to talk about DarkAngelicmon," Kari said quietly, avoiding her husband's eyes.

T.K. let out a sigh and finally nodded. "I know, Kari. I want to, but...I..."

"What's going on?" Matty asked suspiciously.

T.K. frowned and gently stroked the younger twin's hair. "Matty, is DarkAngelicmon the reason why you and Mickey have been acting so strange lately?"

"What?" Mickey gasped, his amber eyes growing wide with shock.

Matty's face turned bright red, and he sent his brother a frantic look. "What are you talking about?" the younger twin asked, avoiding his father's eyes.

T.K. smiled sadly at his sons and shook his head. "Matty, your mother and I aren't blind. We can tell there's something going on between you and Mickey."

"It is kind of obvious," Sam added, his face a mask of sorrow and confusion.

"What are you talking about? Matty and I are just fine!" Mickey said sharply before his brother could respond.

T.K. froze, and his bright blue eyes slowly widened in horror. "DarkAngelicmon. Mickey, did...did he hurt you? Tell me right now! If that evil digimon has touched even one hair on your head, I swear-"

"Dad, stop! Mickey's fine!" Matty interrupted. "Physically he's fine, and so am I. That's not the problem."

"I don't understand. Mickey, Dai said you met up with DarkAngelicmon earlier when you were with-"

"No, Dad. You just don't get it! None of you do!" Mickey shouted, his amber eyes filling with sudden tears. "Why am I the only one who has figured out the truth?"

"Please don't get angry, Mickey. We just want to help you," Takara said tearfully.

Ryoko nodded in agreement and glanced uneasily at his cousin. "Why won't you tell us what's wrong? We just want to make sure you're okay."

"He's right, Mickey. How do you expect us to help you if you keep hiding things from us?" Dai said slowly.

_What is he so upset about?_

Mickey's face was very pale, and he kept avoiding his brother's eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something, but apparently he was having trouble putting his emotions into words because he refused to speak to anyone.

"Oh, honey, please don't push us away," Kari said sadly.

Sam scrambled off the couch and sat down on the floor next to his golden haired friend. He wrapped his arms around Mickey's shoulders and let out a soft sigh. "Mickey, you've helped me a lot over the past few days, and I want to return the favour. Please tell me what's wrong. If you don't and something happens to you, I'll never be able to forgive myself for not trying hard enough to get you to open up to me."

"Don't be scared, Mickey. I don't like it when you're scared. It makes me scared," Rina said softly.

Matty gazed silently at his twin and did not say a word.

"Mickey, what did DarkAngelicmon do to you?" T.K. whispered, his arms tightening around Mickey's shoulders.

"Nothing!" Mickey shouted at the top of his lungs. "He didn't do anything to me! Why is it so hard for you to understand what I'm trying to say? I know you're worried about me, but I'm not the one you should be worried about! DarkAngelicmon doesn't want me! He never did! The human he really wants is the one person he knows he can use to cut my soul in half and rip my heart into pieces! Do you understand now? Stop worrying about me, Dad! He doesn't want me! He wants Matty!"


	82. Out of Reach

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm back! Sorry about the wait. Okay, there are three more chapters (counting this one) and then everyone gets out of the living room. The next chapter's in Ken's POV, and then back to Daichi. I'm sorry if it's getting a bit boring, but a story needs the meat or it won't make sense. I'll get back to the action soon, and then Glowmon will digivolve. Please enjoy the new (and short, unfortunately) chapter. There are a lot more to come!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 82: Out of Reach

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Davis stared at the older twin with is mouth hanging open and slowly shook his head in disbelief. "Mickey, how..."

"I know," Mickey said stubbornly, his amber eyes glittering with emotion. "He wants Matty, and he won't leave us alone until he gets exactly what he wants."

"Mickey, you don't know that for sure," Matty protested. "I know he wants to fight my digimon, but-"

"Stop it, Matty! You know I'm right! You don't understand because you weren't there! He wouldn't stop talking about you when Sam and I ran into him in the forest, and he kept bringing you into the conversation."

"Matty, your brother's right," Sam said quietly, getting up and sitting back down on the couch. "Now that I think about it, DarkAngelicmon did seem rather interested in you."

T.K. gazed at Sam in horror and wrapped his arms protectively around Matty's smaller body. "Are...are you sure?"

"That's impossible," Matty interrupted. "Mickey and Sam are the ones-"

"No, Matty," Mickey whispered, gazing tearfully into his brother's eyes, "I'm not the one he's after. He wants you, and Sam, but most of all he wants to use you to hurt me!"

Matty scrambled out of his father's arms and reached out a hand towards his brother, but Mickey quickly pushed the younger twin away. "No, I don't want to talk about it anymore. Please just leave me alone!"

"Okay, if that's what you really want," Matty said quietly, his voice trembling with pain and sadness.

Kari pulled the younger twin into a comforting hug and sent Mickey a sympathetic smile. "Honey, your brother wants to help you, and so do the rest of us. I know you don't want to hurt anyone, but if you keep pushing people away-"

"If Matty wants to help me he can start by staying away from DarkAngelicmon!" Mickey shouted.

Matty flinched at the anger in his brother's voice, and Sam threw one of the blue pillows from the couch straight at Mickey's head.

"Stop being an idiot, Mickey!" the raven-haired Digidestined snapped. "DarkAngelicmon's not going to hurt me, or Matty, and you know it! We're not going to give up, and we know you'll be there when we need you. Why are you acting as if DarkAngelicmon has already won? He won't win, Mickey! You won't let him!"

"Stop!" Rina sobbed into Matty's arm. "Please stop yelling! I don't want all of you to hate each other!"

Ryoko lifted the sobbing girl into his arms and gave Mickey a sad smile. "Mickey, I'm the one who's supposed to be causing problems, not you."

"Maybe we should talk about something else," Takara said nervously.

Mickey hung his head and made a point of avoiding Ryoko's sapphire eyes. "Why don't any of you believe me?"

"We do," Sam said softly. "At least, I do."

"And you know I do, too," Dai said simply.

T.K. slipped his arms around Mickey's shoulders and gently stroked the older twin's golden hair. "Mickey, look what DarkAngelicmon is doing to you. I know he's the reason why you and Matty have been avoiding each other at home, and I can't just sit here and watch the two of you hurt each other over and over again. If you don't let Matty help you, you're going to regret it, and the same goes for Sam and the rest of your friends."

"But-"

"I'm not going to let DarkAngelicmon come anywhere near you or Matty ever again. Do you understand me?" T.K. snapped.

Mickey blinked in surprise, and his eyes filled with tears again. "Dad, you don't-"

"Yes, he does, Mickey," Matt interrupted, gazing directly into T.K.'s eyes. "Your father understands better than anyone else, and I think you should listen to him. He understands how you feel about DarkAngelicmon, and Matty, and so do I. Remember, your dad also has a brother, and his brother worried about him just as much as you worry about Matty."

T.K. let go of his son, and without a word he wrapped his arms around Matt and buried his face against his brother's shoulder.

"It must be tough being a human," Palelymon said solemnly.

"Matt-"

"They're going to be fine," Matt murmured softly in his brother's ear.

"He's right," Mimi said, leaning over and kissing the back of her husband's golden head. "Sora and I are never going to let anything happen to our nephews."

Sora nodded in agreement, and the two women smiled at each other. They were both very happy about the fact that they shared the same niece and nephews, and neither of them were ever going to let an evil digimon hurt anyone they cared about.

"T.K., Palelymon and I are not going to let DarkAngelicmon come after either one of your sons. It doesn't matter which one he wants," Goldmon said urgently.

T.K. took a deep breath and slowly nodded. He pulled Mickey into his arms again and gently rubbed his son's back, but the older twin refused to be comforted.

"I don't want to lose anyone," Mickey said tearfully.

Matty's amber eyes filled with sympathy, but he made no attempt to reach out to his brother. "Mickey, you're not going to lose me, and you're not going to lose any of our friends either."

"You don't know that for sure!" Mickey snapped, his face turning red with sudden anger. "You're like...like Dai, Matty! You're always getting yourself into trouble, and one of these days it's going to get you killed."

"Hey, what kind of a leader do you think I am?" Dai shouted, looking extremely insulted.

Matty's eyes began to sparkle with tears, and he stared at his brother in shock. "You told me I'm a good person even though I get into trouble sometimes. You said it didn't matter. Why-"

"It does matter when you're being stalked by an evil digimon who wants to kill you! He will try to hurt you eventually, and I have a feeling it's going to be sooner rather than later. If you think I'm going to let him take you away from me, forget it, Matty. I will die before I ever let that happen."

Matty grabbed his brother by the shirt and pulled the older twin towards him. He leaned forward until their foreheads were touching and gazed directly into Mickey's eyes. "Mickey, I know you better than you know yourself, and I can tell you're hiding something from me. What are you afraid of? Please tell me the truth. There's something else. I can feel it, and you know you're a terrible liar. You might as well-"

"You're wrong, Matty. There...there's nothing else," Mickey mumbled, his cheeks turning bright pink. The older twin jerked away from his brother and scrambled back into the safety of his dad's arms. Every so often he would sneak a peek at the younger twin before hiding his face against his father's shoulder again.

"Fine, don't tell me," Matty said flatly, his amber eyes burning with emotion. "It doesn't matter anyway. I will find out eventually. I always do."

T.K. and Kari gazed helplessly at each other and slowly shook their heads. Their sons had never acted so hostile towards each other before, and it was obvious neither one of them had a clue what to do.

_Matty's right. Mickey's definitely hiding something, and I have a feeling it involves DarkAngelicmon. I wonder what he's not telling us..._

"Um...why does DarkAngelicmon want Matty?" Miya asked, frowning in confusion.

"I have no idea. The only thing I know for sure is the fact that he wants to use Matty to hurt me," Mickey muttered.

Ami raised her eyebrows and sent Mickey a nervous smile. "I guess that means he does want you, too, but whatever he has planned for Matty and Sam is different from what he has planned for you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me as long as Matty is safe," Mickey replied, his amber eyes flashing with determination.

"Dad, who was Devimon, and what's the Dark Ocean?" Matty asked quietly, gazing directly into his father's eyes.

T.K.'s face turned pure white, and he pressed his cheek against Mickey's forehead. "Matty, I...not now, okay? We have other things we need to talk-"

"We know Devimon has something to do with you," Matty snapped. "Patamon couldn't have been more obvious if he'd tried! Did you really think we wouldn't ask you about your evil digimon buddy and the Dark Ocean?"

"Please, Dad?" Mickey whispered. "You have to tell us. I have a feeling your story might be connected to what's going on with DarkAngelicmon, and I know we're going to need your help to defeat him. You keep telling me not to push my friends and family away, but you're doing the same thing! The only way you can help me is by giving me some answers. What happened to you when you were a Digidestined? If you don't tell us, Matty might not survive."

"No, Mickey, you're the one who's going to end up dying because you always want to protect everyone!" Matty cried, his amber eyes filling with tears again.

"Dad, um...did you ever go to the Dark Ocean?" Mickey asked, ignoring his brother.

"You did, didn't you!" Matty snapped.

"Matty, your father's not the only one who has had to deal with the Dark Ocean," Kari said gently.

"But-"

"Like Gatomon said, the Dark Ocean is a place where dark thoughts come to life," T.K. whispered, gazing at the ceiling without really seeing it. "There was a lighthouse. It shone with black light. It's always the same. The World of Darkness is full of evil and if you're not strong enough to fight it it will swallow your soul, and you'll become nothing but a shadow of what you once were."

Matty stared at his father with his mouth hanging open, and Davis shivered. He had never been to the Dark Ocean, but that did not mean he was unable to understand what T.K. was talking about. MaloMyotismon had given him a glimpse of what the Digital World would look like if it was ever covered in darkness, and he was going to make sure that did not happen no matter how long it took to defeat Vampiramon and her buddies.

_Don't worry, T.K., we're going to make sure Mickey, Matty, and Sam never find out exactly what the World of Darkness is like. They're strong, and I know Dai will keep them safe. He didn't become the leader of the Digidestined by accident, and he's going to show everyone exactly why he was chosen to lead his team to victory in the first place._

"Dark...thoughts?" Mickey gasped, his eyes growing wide with horror. "Dad-"

"We'll talk later," T.K. interrupted, avoiding his son's eyes.

Matty shook his head and glared at his father. "No way, Dad! We want answers now!"

"Matty, I really don't think now is a good time," Kari said quietly.

"Mom, I can't believe you're-"

"Alright, but you guys had better tell us what's going on before it's too late," Mickey interrupted, his voice trembling with emotion. "Oh, and we want to know about LadyDevimon, too."

"Of course you do," Kari sighed.

Matty crossed his arms and gave his brother a dirty look. "Maybe you should take your own advice, Mickey. If you think I'm going to let you off the hook that easily, forget it! We'll talk later, and hopefully you'll have managed to come to your senses by then!"

"Not likely!" Ryoko muttered.

Mickey blushed furiously and quickly turned his back on his brother and cousin. Obviously he did not want to talk to his twin about DarkAngelicmon, but it did not look as if Matty was giving him a choice anymore.

Davis turned to look at T.K., and he gave his blond friend a reassuring smile. "T.K., we'll defeat DarkAngelicmon."

"He's right," Tai said quietly, his dark eyes coming to rest on T.K.'s face. "You were able to stop Devimon, and with our help, your sons will put an end to DarkAngelicmon's reign of terror, as well."

"You'd better be right because my son is not a trophy!" T.K. snapped. He wrapped his arms around Matty and held his son tightly against his chest, but Matty did not appear to notice. The younger twin looked like he was in shock, and Davis had a feeling it was because of what T.K. had said about the Dark Ocean.

"Well, I guess there's no use asking you about SkullGreymon," Takara sighed, turning to face her father.

Sora glanced anxiously at her husband, and Tai avoided his daughter's eyes. "Um...maybe some other time," the original Digidestined leader mumbled, looking embarrassed.

Taysuke frowned and stared at his family in confusion. "Who's SkullGreymon?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Takara muttered.

Both Tai and Sora pretended not to hear their daughter, and Davis rolled his eyes. Takara was not about to give up that easily, and sooner or later Tai was going to have to tell her exactly what had happened to Agumon, whether he wanted to or not.

"No!" Sam cried desperately, his voice trembling with sudden fear. The raven-haired Digidestined gazed deeply into his father's eyes and clung tightly to the former Emperor's black, short-sleeved sportshirt. "Dad, I can't wait anymore. I have to know now! Wormmon wouldn't tell me anything, but I know you can give me some answers. Your digimon partner and his friends were the ones who told us to ask you and the others about the Emperor and the Dark Ocean in the first place! If you don't tell me right now, I'm going to go crazy! Please, Dad? Who was the Digimon Emperor, and why does everyone keep comparing me to him?"


	83. The Passing of the Torch

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, like I said before, one more chapter after this and then they're out of the living room. Oh, and Sam's definitely going to find out about the Emperor's true identity, but Ken isn't the one who's going to tell him. Poor Sam is going to find out the hard way...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 83: The Passing of the Torch

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ken leaned against the back of the couch and gazed helplessly at his son. He wanted to comfort Sam, but he did not know what to say.

_If I tell him the truth, he'll never speak to me again, but if I keep the Emperor's identity a secret, I may end up losing him anyway. Poor Sam. No wonder he's so upset. He really believes the Emperor was an evil person, and now he's afraid he might be evil, too. This is all Spritemon's fault! If Sirenmon hadn't started comparing my son to the Emperor, he never would have started asking me all those questions in the first place. In fact, he probably never would have taken an interest in the Emperor at all if Vampiramon's buddies hadn't decided to torment him about my past just for fun. They'll pay for what they've done to my son, especially DarkAngelicmon. I know he wants to hurt Sam, but I have a feeling he wants to hurt me, too..._

"Dad, why won't you say anything?" Sam wailed, his dark blue eyes sparkling with emotion.

Ken glanced anxiously at his wife, but Yolei just sighed and shook her head. Obviously she did not have a clue what to do, and he felt the exact same way. There was only one thing he was sure of. He was probably going to have to tell his son about the Emperor eventually, but today was not going to be that day. They had other things to worry about, and he did not want Sam to be thinking about the Emperor when his son was supposed to be focusing on stopping Vampiramon and her buddies from taking over the Digital World. A mistake like that could be deadly, and he was going to do everything he could to make sure his son stayed out of trouble.

_I have a feeling Sam and the others aren't the only ones who know what happened twenty-five years ago. Unlike Sam, Vampiramon and her friends know the truth, and I'm not going to let them ruin the relationship I have with my son! I don't want Sam to find out about the Emperor at all, but if there is no other option then I'm going to make sure I'm the one who tells him. There's no way I'm going to let some evil digimon give my son a twisted version of the truth!_

He did not want anyone else around when Sam finally found out his secret because he did not think he could live with the humiliation of being hated by his own son. How could he let his friends witness what was bound to be an unpleasant conversation filled with heartache? That was the main reason why he was unable to answer his son's questions at the moment, but despite common sense he had a horrible feeling he was just trying to make excuses for himself.

_Sam's going to find out the truth eventually, with or without your help, and you know it! Why don't you just answer his questions before it's too late?_

Unfortunately his heart could not agree with his mind, and in the end his heart won out.

"Dad-"

"We'll talk later," he whispered softly in his son's ear. He knew his voice sounded shaky, but he was more concerned with the fact that his heart felt like it was going to explode. He had never been so frightened in his life, and the pain he knew he was causing Sam made him shift uncomfortably in his seat. He did not want to hurt his son, but he knew he had no other choice. His kids were his whole life, and he knew he would not be able to survive without them.

"No, you can't do this to me!" Sam sobbed against his chest. "I need to know the truth, and you and your friends are the only ones who can help me."

_I'm sorry, Sam. I'm sorry I'm such a terrible father..._

"I'm scared, Daddy," Nao whimpered, his small arms curling around Yolei's neck. The younger boy had scrambled onto his mother's lap in order to avoid being crushed by his older brother, and the look he sent Sam was filled with pure terror.

_So am I, Nao. So am I..._

"Dad-"

"The Emperor's the reason why you asked me if I thought you were a good person a few days ago, right?"

Sam slowly nodded, and Ken squeezed his eyes shut. All of a sudden his son's strange behaviour was starting to make sense, and the truth about what was really going on made him feel sick to his stomach again.

"Please, Dad? You have to tell me," Sam said tearfully.

Ken held his son tightly in his arms and swallowed a painful lump in his throat. "I love you, Sam. I know you're scared, but you really don't have anything to worry about. We'll talk when we have a chance to be alone together, okay?"

"Don't worry, sweetheart, your dad and I know you're going to be just fine," Yolei said firmly. She gave their son a quick kiss on the cheek, but Sam refused to be comforted.

"Why? Why can't you guys tell me now?"

"Good question," T.K. said quietly.

Ken blushed and quickly turned away from the golden-haired Digidestined. T.K. had become a good friend of his over the years, but despite the strength of their relationship he still could not help feeling a little bit surprised when the blond would suddenly treat him as if he were the most important person on the planet. T.K.'s children were exactly the same way. Sam was obviously very fond of Mickey, and he was glad his son had chosen to put his faith in someone who deserved it. Matty certainly seemed to approve of Mickey's close friendship with Sam, and that was definitely not something to be taken lightly. Then again, Matty had a tendency to approve of everything Mickey did, so it was a good thing the older twin had turned out to be such a good role model for his brother.

"Well? Aren't you going to answer me?" T.K. asked, his bright blue eyes growing dark and cloudy.

Ken knew his friend was not going to stop questioning him until he came up with an answer, but luckily Davis saved him before he could open his mouth and blurt out something incredibly stupid.

"You're one to talk!" the former leader snorted, sounding extremely amused.

T.K.'s face turned pink, and Ken smiled when he realized his blond friend was making a vain attempt to ignore the curious looks Rina and the twins were sending Davis.

_T.K. knows exactly how I feel. I'll have to remember to thank Davis later. My best friend's right. Sam has nothing to fear. If I can turn away from being the Emperor then there's no reason why my son won't be able to prove he's stronger than the darkness, as well. Sam's going to be okay. I know he is, and I'm glad Mickey and the others are going to do everything they can to help him out._

He could feel T.K. watching him closely, and looking up, he gave the blond a small smile. He knew exactly why Sam wanted to be good friends with Mickey because he felt the exact same way about a certain golden-haired Digidestined who held the Crest of Hope.

"Dad? Please tell me as soon as possible. I don't think I can wait much longer," Sam whispered desperately in his ear.

_I would if I didn't love you so much._

Ken rested his cheek against his son's raven head and glanced nervously at his best friend. He could tell Davis was disappointed in him for not telling his son about the Emperor, but that was the least of his concerns. Right now he had more important things to worry about.

"Sam's not the only one who wants to know what's going on," Miya said shortly.

Ken stroked his son's dark hair and sent his wife a frantic look. Sam felt almost fragile in his arms, and the haunted look in his son's eyes made him shiver. _I wonder how Miya will feel when she finds out the truth..._

"No one's going to hurt you, sweetie," Yolei said tearfully, her hand coming to rest against Sam's pale cheek. "I'll take on DarkAngelicmon myself if I have to!"

Ken shook his head and started to laugh. She would do it, too, and probably succeed. That was one of the things he loved best about her.

"I won't be the same person again until I know," Sam said dully.

_Then I can't win either way. Your heart is still with you at the moment, but if I tell you the truth then you'll definitely never be the same person again..._

Ken cradled his son's smaller body against his chest and held the boy as tightly as he could. Sam had gone limp in his arms, and he felt like he was holding on to an empty shell. "You know what, Sam? I wish I could be as strong as you are, but I think that's one thing you definitely got from your mom. We'll talk eventually, but first we have to figure out what we're going to do about Vampiramon and her buddies."

"You mean...you guys aren't going to try and stop us from going to the Digital World?" Dai gasped, his dark eyes growing wide with shock.

Davis gently took Dai's face in his hands and gazed deeply into his son's eyes. "No, Dai, I don't think we could stop any of you from going, even if we wanted to. My friends and I risked our lives to save the Digital World, and we're not going to let our efforts go to waste. You and your friends were chosen to be Digidestined for a reason, and if we try to stop you from helping your digimon friends then we would be turning our backs on everything we have ever believed in. I always had a feeling there was a reason why I felt so strongly about giving you those goggles, and now I know I made the right decision. You will be a good leader, Dai, but you're not fighting this battle all by yourself. Your friends are here to give you guidance and support, and it would be an insult to them if you refused to listen to their advice. You might not be the smartest or the most level-headed Digidestined, but that's what your friends are here for. They contribute to the team by lending you their greatest strengths, and you give them what you do best. Motivation. I believe in you, and so do your friends."

"That was so beautiful!" Yolei sobbed into her younger son's lavender hair.

Davis shrugged and started to laugh. "Wow, I think that's the most useful thing I've ever said in my entire life!"

"There's a first time for everything!" Tai joked.

"Hey! I don't see you coming up with any good advice!"

Dai rolled his eyes and gave his father a big hug. "Thanks, Dad. We won't let you guys down. I promise."

"Be careful," Mimi whispered, "and don't forget we're always here if you need some help."

"Well, like my friends and I said before, we're going to need you guys in order to find the crests, so now might be a good time for a little bit of advice," Dai replied, looking a little sheepish.

"Where's my laptop? I know it's around here somewhere! I did bring it with me, didn't I?"

Ken turned towards the computer expert and managed a weak smile. Izzy was glancing frantically around the room for his computer, and he looked like he was about to panic.

"It's right here, honey," Mina replied, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement. She pointed at Izzy's laptop, which was sitting on the edge of the coffee table, and the computer expert quickly grabbed it.

"Dad, you're such a nerd!" Taniko giggled.

Izzy ignored his daughter and proceeded to tap away at the keyboard on his laptop at a rather alarming pace.

"We really are sorry we didn't tell you guys the truth a lot sooner," Kari said softly, looking extremely guilty.

Dai smiled at her and quickly shook his head. "Don't worry about it. All of you are forgiven. Besides, we were keeping secrets from you guys, too, and that makes us even."

"Dai's right. We're sorry about lying to you and going to the Digital World behind your backs," Takara said meekly.

Tai laughed and gave his daughter a warm hug. "If you guys can forgive us then there's no reason why we can't forgive you, too."

"Really?" Ryoko gasped.

Matt sat back down on the couch and gently ruffled his son's hair. "Yes, Ryoko, I could never stay mad at you, even if I wanted to."

"Same here," Ryoko replied, his sapphire eyes sparkling with happiness. "Besides, if you want to know the truth, this is technically all Piximon's fault. He's the one who dragged us all into the Digital World in the first place!"

"Yeah, it's not like I skipped soccer practice on purpose!" Dai laughed. "That was all Piximon's fault, too!"

"Like Dai would ever skip anything that has to do with soccer by choice!" Matty snorted.

T.K. raised his eyebrows and gave the younger twin a curious look. "You were hiding Goldmon in your backpack the day I accidentally mentioned Angemon, weren't you?"

"Um...yes, but Mickey was hiding Palelymon in his backpack, too, so it wasn't just me!"

"Matty!"

Ken smiled at the expression on Mickey's face, and he gave the older twin a sympathetic smile. _Don't worry, Mickey. Your parents will love you no matter what you do, and the same goes for Matty. Have you forgotten your mother's words already?_

"Of course! I should have known!" T.K. muttered to himself.

"I guess that means you and your cousins were hiding a bunch of digimon in your room when I came upstairs to talk to you a few days ago," Matt said dryly, his sapphire eyes coming to rest on his son's guilty face.

Ryoko blushed and slowly nodded. "Goldmon and Palelymon were hiding under the bed. I didn't meet up with Iramon until later."

Ken barely heard Ryoko. He was too busy watching Izzy. "Um...Izzy? What are you doing?"

Izzy looked up from his computer and beamed at everyone. "This is going to sound a little strange, but I actually agree with Dai. I think Vampiramon and her gang of evil digimon have our crests, and they're not going to give them back without a fight."

"Don't tell me you've come up with an elaborate plan to steal the crests back from Vampiramon already!" Davis said, his mouth falling open in surprise.

Izzy nodded and smiled at the image of the gate to the Digital World on his laptop. The computer expert was in his element, and no one was going to steer him off course until his plan was fully formed and the first three steps had already been carried out.

"What kind of a crazy plan have you come up with this time?" Sora asked suspiciously.

Matt crossed his arms and glared at Izzy. "If it involves putting our children in danger, forget it!"

"Actually, Tai was the one who put us in danger all the time, not me!"

"Hey!" Tai shouted.

Izzy ignored the original Digidestined leader and smiled at Sora. "Don't worry. Dai and his friends are going to get our crests back, and we're going to help them just like we helped Davis and the others when they became Digidestined. Vampiramon might think she's strong enough to defeat Dai and his friends now, but with a little bit of teamwork we're going to show her exactly why MaloMyotismon never stood a chance against the power of the Digidestined. Vampiramon had better watch out. Dai and his friends are extremely powerful, and their digimon are definitely a force to be reckoned with. If my plan works, Dai and the others will be able to reach the next level of digivolution in no time, but first let's concentrate on getting the crests..."


	84. Izzy's Theory

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter done! The next chapter will be in Mickey's POV (and someone elses) so watch out for it!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 84: Izzy's Theory

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Daichi Motomiya glanced suspiciously at Izzy and held DemiEmbermon tightly against his chest. "Izzy, how are we supposed to get our hands on the crests when we don't even know where they are? They could be anywhere, and don't forget, the Digital World is a huge place. We could be searching forever for them!"

"That's where you're wrong, Dai!"

"What do you mean?" Noah asked curiously.

Izzy gave the older boy a reassuring smile and frowned thoughtfully at his laptop. "Dai, I think I might know where Vampiramon and her buddies are hiding, but I need your help. Do you remember which direction they would always leave in whenever you guys defeated their servants in battle?"

Dai glanced at Ryoko and raised his eyebrows when he realized the blond was gazing back at him. "Any ideas?"

Ryoko shrugged and turned to look at his twin cousins. "What about you guys?"

"No clue," the twins said simultaneously.

Sam nodded in agreement and sighed. "We were too busy making sure everyone was okay to notice."

"Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure Spritemon was heading west when she flew away from us after Whamon threatened her," Takara said, her hazel eyes sparkling with sudden excitement.

Ryoko nodded in agreement and smiled at the female Digidestined. "You're right, Kara! The same goes for Vampiramon! She was also heading west when she turned into a bat and flew out of the forest!"

"Exactly!" Izzy shouted triumphantly. "They were headed west! You know what that means, don't you? Vampiramon and her buddies are hiding out in the Western Hemisphere!"

Dai's mouth fell open, and he stared at Izzy in astonishment. The computer expert was right. Vampiramon and her buddies had to be in the Western Hemisphere. It was the only explanation that made sense. It also explained why none of the digimon in the Eastern or Southern Hemispheres had ever seen Vampiramon's master, and it explained why the group of dark digimon were rarely spotted on File Island unless they were causing mischief.

_Why didn't I see it before? We've never been to the Western Hemisphere, and that's why we've never come face-to-face with Vampiramon's master. Ryoko's right. I really need to use my head before I rush into things and start jumping to conclusions all the time. Still...there's one thing I don't understand. Why hasn't Vampiramon's master confronted us yet? What exactly is he waiting for? Maybe he wants to get his hands on the D-Coders before he destroys us..._

"Great job!" Matt said, gazing proudly at Kara and Ryoko. "Izzy doesn't get impressed very often!"

"Thanks," Ryoko mumbled, his face turning bright pink.

Izzy quickly pulled up a map of the Digital World on his laptop and pointed at a huge land mass located in the Western Hemisphere. "That's the continent of Cyber. I know because I've been studying maps of the Digital World for many years. It's under the protection of Baihumon. He's the guardian of the Western Hemisphere."

"That's right. Andromon told us quite a bit about the four hemispheres, but he never mentioned all the names of the digimon who are in charge of protecting them," Sam said quietly. "The only one he mentioned was Azulongmon."

"We've only ever dealt with Azulongmon in person," Izzy explained. "He's in charge of protecting the Eastern Hemisphere. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the Four Guardians are similar to the four gods or spirits mentioned in an old Kyoto legend."

"Yeah, Veemon told us all about what happened to Yolei in Kyoto," Fluttermon said enthusiastically.

Izzy smiled at the little digimon and gave his laptop a rather impatient look. "Davis, go get your D-3."

"Why?"

Dai grinned at the startled expression on his dad's face and exchanged an amused look with DemiVeemon.

"I'll get it, and I'll get mine, too," Noriko sighed.

_I wonder if she has forgotten about the fact that I'm supposed to be grounded..._

He sent his mother an anxious look, but she never even glanced in his direction.

_Well, I guess I'm safe. For now anyway..._

"Izzy, why do you want my dad's D-3?" Ami asked, frowning in confusion.

"Any Digivice would do, but the rest of us didn't bring ours with, and I need something to compare the D-Coders to. Davis' and Noriko's Digivices will work perfectly. After all, I never thought I'd be needing mine since I haven't used it in fifteen years!"

"Sorry," Palelymon said, giving Izzy an apologetic look.

Izzy dismissed the little digimon's words with a wave of his hand and began to type something out on his laptop. "Dai, can I borrow your D-Coder for a minute?"

"Why?"

"Well, I'm hoping I can figure out exactly how it works, and I'm interested to see if it has any functions that the original Digivices and D-3s would be unable to perform."

Dai sent the computer expert a suspicious look and glanced apprehensively at his father.

"It's alright," his dad said, giving him an encouraging smile. "Izzy knows what he's doing."

"I'm not going to break it, if that's what you're worried about," Izzy added, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement.

Dai glared at the computer expert and promptly handed over his D-Coder. "You'd better not!"

"Fascinating," Izzy muttered to himself, turning the Digivice over in his hands. "I wonder why Gennai called them D-Coders."

"We were wondering the same thing," Mickey replied. The older twin handed his orange D-Coder over to his mother and glanced shyly at his twin, but Matty never even looked in his brother's direction. Instead the younger twin huddled against his father's side, and Dai suddenly realized the two of them were gazing curiously at the yellow D-Coder in T.K.'s hands. Matty's father had set his son's Digivice on the small table beside the loveseat a while ago, and it had ended up being forgotten after the conversation had turned to DarkAngelicmon. Obviously Matty had not forgotten about it, though, because he had motioned for his dad to pick it up as soon as Izzy had mentioned Davis' and Noriko's Digivices.

"They're beautiful," Kari said softly, gently running her hands over the shiny white and orange surface of Mickey's D-Coder.

T.K. nodded in agreement and turned to look at Izzy. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure I'll come up with something."

"Here you go, Izzy. It's been a long time since we've used them. We've had them hidden away for so long I almost forgot where they were!" Noriko laughed, coming into the room with a smile on her face.

Dai gazed at the D-3s in his mother's hands and smiled slightly. "They remind me a lot of our D-Coders."

"They are quite similar, aren't they?" Izzy replied. "Their shapes are slightly different, and the arrangement of the colours and buttons on the D-Coders is rather unique, but other than that they're pretty much in agreement with the basic design of the original Digivice. Wait until you see my Digivice. Noriko, could you hand me Davis' D-3?"

Dai smiled at the way his mother quickly handed over his father's D-3 without a second thought and jumped when she suddenly came towards him.

"Here, sweetie. Do you want to take a look at it?" she asked quietly.

_I guess she's not mad at me after all. Either that or she has forgotten I'm supposed to be grounded again!_

He gently took his mother's D-3 in his hands and studied its red and white surface. It did look a bit like a D-Coder, and it was definitely recognizable as a Digivice, but there were quite a few differences, as well. His D-Coder was red down both sides, instead of just one, and the screen was a little bit bigger. It also had a red rim around the screen, and unlike his mother's D-3, the entire Digivice itself was actually more red than white. His mon's and dad's Digivices were the final proof he needed to convince himself that his parents were really Digidestined and at that moment he felt truly proud to be their son.

"What's this?" Matt asked, interrupting his thoughts.

He looked up in surprise and realized the former musician was pointing at a slim, horizontal hole which was located at the top and towards the back of Ryoko's sapphire Digivice. He glanced anxiously at his own D-Coder and let out a gasp when he realized his Digivice also had a hole in it which was the exact same shape and size as the one on Ryoko's D-Coder.

_Why didn't I see it before?_

Izzy frowned at the red D-Coder in his hand and let out a frustrated sigh. "I have no idea. It looks like something is supposed to go there, but what? It's almost as if the D-Coders are missing something..."

"Maybe that's where the Spirit Chips are supposed to go!" DemiVeemon said enthusiastically.

Izzy's whole face lit up, and he beamed at the little digimon. "I bet you're right, DemiVeemon. That would be the most logical explanation."

"Hey, Izzy? Our Digivices were able to decode that message Gennai left on the computer for us. Do you think that might have something to do with why our Digivices are called D-Coders?" Ryoko asked, his bright blue eyes sparkling with sudden excitement.

Izzy blinked in surprise and slowly nodded. "Yes, that could have something to do with it. Your Digivices are special in the sense that they can decode the computer language of the Digital World, which is very different from any computer code I've ever seen. Some of it is similar to stuff I've delt with before, but most of it even I still have trouble understanding despite the fact that I've been studying the Digital World for years. Still...I think there's more to the name than just being able to understand computer code."

"Yeah, I think so, too," Ryoko said firmly.

Mimi kissed her son's cheek and smiled at the golden-haired Digidestined. "Well, it's a start anyway. Great job, sweetheart. Who says Izzy has all the brains around here?"

"Izzy does, that's who!" Matt said dryly, lightly running his fingers over Ryoko's D-Coder. He gave his son an affectionate smile and gently ruffled the younger blond's golden hair. "You're going to be an amazing Digidestined, Ryoko."

"I could have told you that!" Iramon snorted.

Ryoko beamed at his partner and cuddled the little digimon against his chest. "And you're going to be an awesome partner, Iramon. No, wait. Forget I said that. You already are."

"That's for sure!" Matt laughed, handing Ryoko's Digivice over to Mimi so she could have a look at it.

Ryoko smiled rather shyly at his parents and proceeded to ignore all the grins the others were sending his way.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see if our suspicions about the D-Coders are actually true or not," Takara said with a resigned sigh.

_Great. I hate waiting, and in my opinion we've been sitting around long enough already. I'm definitely ready for some action. I wonder what kind of plan Izzy has in store for us._

"Izzy, aren't you going to tell us how we're going to get the crests back?" Joe asked, looking extremely uneasy. "You know I love hearing your theories on anything that has to do with the Digital World, but right now I think we have to focus on what's really important, and that means we have to come up with a safe way to steal our crests back from Vampiramon. You do have a plan, don't you?"

_You read my mind, Joe! Now I just hope Izzy's plan actually works._

Izzy scratched his head and managed a sheepish smile. "Right. I did say that, didn't I? Sorry about that. I tend to get a little carried away sometimes."

"What do you mean sometimes?" Taniko snorted, poking her father in the ribs. "More like all the time!"

"Honey, your father's trying to think. You know how frustrated he gets when he loses his train of thought," Mina scolded.

Izzy quickly turned back to his laptop and pointed at the Western Hemisphere again. "Where was I? Oh, yes. Like I said before, our crests are in there somewhere, and we have to find out exactly where they are as soon as possible."

"And how exactly are we supposed to find them?" Matty demanded.

Izzy wrapped his arm around his daughter and gave the younger twin a reassuring smile. "That's the easy part. Our crests are connected to our Digivices."

"What do you mean by that?" Ami asked.

"It's simple really. My crest will start glowing as soon as I come anywhere near it, and vice versa. If I get anywhere near my crest, my Digivice will start to react. The two are connected."

Dai frowned and made a face at the computer expert. "So all we have to do is get near the crests and you guys will be able to locate them for us?"

"Exactly. You're catching on a lot quicker than your father and Tai ever did!"

"Hey, everyone's still in one piece, aren't they?" Tai shouted, shaking Takara's D-Coder in Izzy's face. "I guess I wasn't such a bad leader after all!"

Izzy gave the original Digidestined leader a soothing pat on the shoulder and shrugged. "I never said you were."

"You sure know how to jump to conclusions, Tai," Matt snorted.

"Alright, Izzy, who's going to go to the Digital World with Sam and the others?" Yolei interrupted.

"Anyone but Mimi," Matt and Tai said firmly at the exact same time.

Mimi let out a soft sigh and gazed fondly back at the two men who were staring at her with concern in their eyes. "I knew you guys were going to say that."

"I'm sorry, Mimi, but the Digital World is a dangerous place, and you could end up getting hurt and so could our new baby. I know you would never forgive yourself if that ever happened," Matt said quietly.

Mimi slowly nodded and leaned over her son to give the former musician a quick kiss. "I know, but..."

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll bring Palmon back with me tomorrow. I promise," Ryoko said, giving his mother a warm hug.

Mimi's eyes filled with tears, and she buried her face in her son's golden hair. "Thanks, sweetie. I can't wait to see her."

Izzy glanced around the room for a moment, and a small smile slipped across his face. "I think Ken, T.K., and Davis should go with. Both Ken and T.K. have crests, and that means they'll be able to find out where Vampiramon and the others are hiding. I'm going to send Davis along, too, because I know he'll complain if I don't."

"Darn right, Izzy! My son gets to learn from the best!"

"What are you talking about, Davis? Tai's not going with!" Matt smirked.

Dai laughed at the expression on his father's face and turned to look at Izzy. "What do we do after we find the crests?"

"Well, hopefully Leomon and the others will have found Gennai by then. Centaurumon made a good point earlier. Gennai's information won't help us if we don't have the tools needed to find the Spirit Chips. The crests and the D-Coders aren't going to be enough. We need Gennai, as well, because I have a feeling he's the only one who might know where the Spirit Chips are. If Benjamin and the others knew, they would have told you already. I have no doubt the D-Coders will react to the Spirit Chips, when we get close enough for them to pick up the signal, but it'll take us forever to find the things without an idea as to which continent they're on. We could be wandering around the Digital World for months without finding anything. Unlike with the Spirit Chips, at least we know which continent the crests are on. That's better than nothing!"

"Alright, so first we find the Spirit Chips and then we help Leomon and the others find Gennai?" Takara asked.

"Yes, if Leomon hasn't found Gennai already," Izzy corrected.

Yolei crossed her arms and glared at the computer expert. "What about the rest of us, Izzy?"

"Relax, Yolei. We'll take turns going to the Digital World. No one's going to get left out."

"No one except me," Mimi sighed.

"Besides, Dai and the others have already proven they're more than capable of looking after the Digital World without us hovering over their shoulders all the time. We have to trust them. If we don't, the Digital World won't stand a chance against Vampiramon and her buddies."

"But-"

"We'll help them, Yolei, and we'll definitely be giving them a lot of advice, but in the end they're going to be the ones who save the Digital World. We're not here to order them around. We're here to guide them, and that's exactly what we're going to do."

"I guess we finally know how you guys felt when Davis became the new leader," Cody laughed.

Tai shrugged and smiled at the younger man. "It doesn't matter. Once a Digidestined, always a Digidestined. That's what counts."

"Tentomon's at Primary Village, right?" Izzy suddenly blurted.

Dai raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"You know what, Dai? I bet Gennai and the crests are in the exact same place. We might end up heading in the same direction Leomon and his friends are heading in. I hope they've come to the same conclusion as I have about the Western Hemisphere. Is Tentomon near the gate?"

"I'm not sure. The gate we went through was quite a distance away from Primary Village."

Izzy tapped something out on the keyboard, and Dai jumped in surprise when Tentomon's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, Tentomon," Izzy said softly.

Tentomon let out a gasp and fluttered closer to the screen. "Izzy, is that you?"

Izzy nodded and smiled fondly at his digimon. "I've missed you. How are you doing?"

Tentomon sniffed back his tears and sent the computer expert an affectionate look. "Great now that I can finally see you again. I take it Dai and his friends told you their secret?"

"Yes. Where are Agumon and the others?"

"Sleeping. They're right here next to me. Playing soccer with a bunch of baby digimon can really tire a rookie out! We followed Dai and the others after they left because we wanted to be close by in case you guys needed us."

"Thanks, buddy. Hey, Tentomon? Could you do me a favour? I think I know where the crests might be, but we need Patamon's and Wormmon's help. Could you tell them to meet Dai and the others in the Western Hemisphere tomorrow? Tell them to wait for Dai at the gate closest to the shore. They'll probably be able to catch a ride with Whamon. I doubt he's managed to catch up with Leomon yet since Gennai had him stationed in the Southern Hemisphere. That's a big ocean to cross. Make sure you tell Patamon and Wormmon to let Whamon know we think Gennai's somewhere on Cyber. He can pass the message on to Leomon."

"Do you really think the crests are in the Western Hemisphere?" Tentomon asked, looking surprised.

Izzy nodded and gave his digimon a reassuring smile. "I'll see you soon, okay? Don't forget to pass on my message."

"I won't."

Yolei shoved Izzy out of the way and glared at Tentomon. "Make sure you tell Hawkmon and the others we'll meet up with them as soon as we can, alright?"

Tentomon sent Yolei a rather frightened look and quickly nodded. "I will."

"Bye, Tentomon!" DemiVeemon said cheerfully.

"Bye, DemiVeemon. Um...Izzy? I'm glad you guys aren't mad at Dai and his friends."

"No way," Izzy said firmly. "All of us Digidestined stick together. You know that as well as I do. I'll see you later, Tentomon. Have a good nap."

"Bye, Izzy."

The screen went black, and Izzy slowly got to his feet. "I think it's time we all had some dinner. Besides, there's not much more we can do today. The crests will just have to wait until tomorrow afternoon. I know some of you guys will still be at work then, but anyone who wants to join in the fun can meet us here tomorrow. We'll use Davis' and Noriko's computer. It's much more convenient than the computer at the school."

"I'll say!" Glimmermon laughed.

"I'll be there," Noah said firmly.

"Hey! I'm coming, too!" Ema shouted.

"Good," Izzy replied. "The more support, the better. I know my plan isn't as well thought out as some of my others have been, but it's a start. As for the Spirit Chips, I think I might know how to get them, but I'll wait until we find Gennai before I tell you my theory. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, honey. You're doing a great job," Mina said, sending her husband an encouraging look.

"Um...Tai? Are you sure you don't mind sitting this one out?" Ken asked, glancing nervously at the original Digidestined leader.

Tai smiled slightly and shook his head. "Matt and I will have our chance. Look after Kara for me, will you?"

"We will," Davis replied, giving the original Digidestined leader a warm smile.

"Men," Yolei sniffed. "Honestly, Izzy, women are much more dependable, you know!"

"Yes, of course," Izzy replied, smiling in amusement. "Everyone ready to eat?"

"I was ready a long time ago!" DemiEmbermon complained.

Noriko raised her arms to get everyone's attention and pointed towards the kitchen. "All of you out the side door. We'll eat in the backyard as soon as it's ready. I don't want you messing up my kitchen. I swear you're all like a bunch of disobedient toddlers!"

"She means us, not the kids," Tai whispered in Matt's ear.

Dai grinned and quickly followed his father towards the door, but Izzy stopped him and handed him his D-Coder and his father's D-3. "Here, Dai. If you and your dad don't mind, I'd like to study both Digivices again when I have more time to focus on figuring out the differences between them."

"Sure. Anytime."

He handed the blue D-3 over to his father and the two of them exchanged a smile. He felt a lot more hopeful than he had a few hours ago, and he could tell the rest of his friends felt the exact same way. Even Sam was smiling, but most of all he was glad about the fact that his parents had decided to forgive him. They would find the crests, and Gennai, no matter how hard Vampiramon tried to stop them, and if her master was hiding out in the Western Hemisphere, as well, then they would stop him, too.


	85. The Hand of Evil

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, in this chapter Mickey mentions a dream Matty had when the two of them were six. If you'd like to know more about this dream then please read (if you haven't already) my one-shot fic called 'Inner Glow' which focuses on Matty's dream. This topic hasn't come up yet, (I'm surprised it hasn't) but I will also get around to explaining Ryoko's 'girly' name for all the hard core Japanese fans before someone decides to tell me I'm an idiot. (I'm not. I'm well aware of the conflict with his name) Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 85: The Hand of Evil

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Mickey huddled under his deep green blankets and gazed miserably at the dark ceiling in his bedroom. He had been trying to fall asleep for over four hours now, but so far he had been unsuccessful. All he could think about was DarkAngelicmon and what that evil angel was planning to do to his brother and his friends, and he had a feeling his thoughts were going to end up driving him crazy before the night was over.

"Mickey, are you still thinking about DarkAngelicmon?"

Mickey gave his little digimon a weak smile and shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I can't help it. He scares me, and ...I..."

"You're worried about Matty, aren't you," Palelymon said quietly, his fluffy ears drooping with concern.

Mickey glanced at his brother's bed and realized his eyes were stinging with tears. "I can't help it, Palelymon. He just doesn't understand. What am I going to do? How am I going to make him realize just how dangerous DarkAngelicmon really is?"

Palelymon let out a sigh and shook his head. "I don't know, Mickey, but I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. Goldmon and I will protect him."

_Maybe, but what if DarkAngelicmon's too powerful for both you and Goldmon combined? I know DemiEmbermon and the others will help you, too, but they're not going to be able to stop him either if he gets Vampiramon and her buddies to help him._

"Mickey, Patamon and Gatomon will watch out for Matty, as well. We all will, and you know your mom and dad won't let anything happen to him. Trust me. He's going to be just fine."

Mickey pressed his cheek against his digimon's fluffy ears and squeezed his eyes shut. He was glad his parents were helping them out, but unfortunately he did not think even they would be able to stop DarkAngelicmon. At least they weren't angry at him anymore, and he was no longer upset with them. He finally understood why they had not told him about the Digital World, and that made all the difference in the world.

_I probably wouldn't have told my kids either, if I were them._

"Mickey, are you going to be okay?"

_No, Palelymon. I won't be okay until I know for sure Matty's safe._

Matty suddenly let out a soft sigh, and Mickey turned to gaze silently at his twin's back. He could hear the steady rhythm of his brother's deep breaths, and the sound made his heart ache with sadness. How could he protect his brother and his friends if he did not even know exactly what DarkAngelicmon was planning to do to them?

"Mickey, where are you going?"

Mickey pulled the little digimon into his arms and quickly scrambled out of his bed. He glanced at Matty's bed, which was only a few steps away from him, and after a brief hesitation he slowly moved forward and sat down beside his brother's sleeping form. He leaned back against the headboard with a sigh and set Palelymon on the bed next to Goldmon. Matty's partner mumbled something in his sleep, and Mickey smiled fondly at the two digimon.

"Mickey, I'm really worried about you," Palelymon mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open.

_It must be nice being a digimon. They never have trouble getting to sleep._

"I'm fine, Palelymon. Why don't you curl up next to Goldmon and get some rest? You're going to need it in order to digivolve tomorrow."

"Only if you get some rest, too," Palelymon said stubbornly. The little digimon settled himself on Goldmon's pillow and wrapped his fluffy ears around his fellow angel. Goldmon never even woke up, and soon both digimon were fast asleep.

_I'm sorry, Palelymon. I know I should listen to your advice, but there's no way I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. How can I when I can't stop thinking about DarkAngelicmon?_

Matty suddenly shifted restlessly in his sleep, and Mickey gently placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "You're upset because of me, aren't you."

Matty, of course, did not answer, and Mickey could not help letting out a small sigh of relief. He wanted to talk to his twin about DarkAngelicmon, but he was afraid his brother would not take him seriously, and that was why he had refused to say anything earlier.

_Matty's never going to believe me. I know he won't. He'll just think I'm overreacting. Why can't he see how much danger he's in?_

"Matty, do you remember that dream you had when we were only six?" he said softly to his brother's back. Matty was facing away from him so he could not see his brother's expression, but that did not stop him from saying what was on his mind. He had to speak to Matty, even though his twin could not hear him, because he knew he would go crazy if he kept silent. As much as he did not want to admit it, he was actually glad Matty was still asleep because that way he would not have to answer any unwanted questions. "You told me something was chasing you in your dream. Do you remember how scared you were? I bet Mom and Dad have forgotten, but I haven't. I...I think the monster in your dream was DarkAngelicmon. That would explain why you were alone and surrounded by darkness, and it also explains why you were so scared. You have to believe me, Matty. You had that dream for a reason, and if you ignore all the warnings then DarkAngelicmon will hurt you. Do you honestly know how much you mean to me? I know I wasn't being very nice to you earlier, but it's because I care about you, and I'm terrified you're going to end up dying. What would I do without you in my life?"

Matty rolled over onto his stomach, and Mickey gently pulled the green blankets over his twin's shoulders. He hugged one of his brother's pillows tightly against his chest and managed a tearful smile. "Dai would be lost without you, you know. You understand him better than anyone else in our group, and he needs you to help him realize what a great friendship he could have with Ryoko if he'd quit being so stubborn all the time. Your friends need you, Matty. Look at Sam. He needs all the support he can get right now, and so does Ryoko. Then there's Kara. She needs you, too, and so do our parents and Rina. There are so many people out there who love you, and you just don't seem to get it. How can you be so blind?"

Matty's golden eyebrows narrowed into a frown, and a soft sound of distress escaped the younger twin's lips.

Mickey shifted closer to his brother for warmth, and after a painful moment of silence he managed a shaky laugh. "Besides, I need you to help me save Sam because I don't think I can do it alone."

"No! Go away! Leave my friends alone!" Matty suddenly mumbled in his sleep.

_Poor Matty. He must be having a nightmare about DarkAngelicmon again. I guess we were chosen to be Digidestined right from the very beginning. Why else would Matty have dreamed about an evil digimon long before he'd even had a chance to go to the Digital World?_

Mickey leaned over and wrapped his arms protectively around his brother's back. He rested his cheek against his twin's shoulder blade and a soft sob escaped his mouth before he had a chance to suppress it. "Do you really want to know the truth? Do you really want to know why I'm so scared? He wants to turn you evil, Matty. He...he wants to make you like him, and I can't even warn you because I know you won't believe me. Now do you understand why I'm so upset? I bet you anything he thinks he can use you to his advantage because Angelicmon's your partner. I know what he's planning to do. At least...I think I do. He's going to try and manipulate you with the Powers of Darkness, and in the end his efforts are going to kill you. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

He felt Matty's whole body begin to relax, and he managed a relieved smile when he realized his twin's nightmare must have ended.

_Don't worry, Matty, I won't let him hurt you, and I won't let him hurt Sam either._

He knew his mom and dad would help him keep his brother safe, but even their efforts would be useless unless Matty decided to take DarkAngelicmon seriously.

_Please believe me, Matty. I know you're stronger than DarkAngelicmon, but you won't stand a chance against him unless you listen to me._

He leaned back against the headboard again and stuffed one of Matty's pillows behind his back to make himself more comfortable. He felt cold, but he did not dare move from his position on the bed. He was determined to watch over his brother's sleeping form all night if he had to because you could never be too sure when, or where, an evil digimon would show up, and he knew digimon were more than capable of causing trouble in the real world. A shiver raced down his spine, but the warmth of Matty's shoulder resting against his thigh made him feel slightly better than he had when he had first come over to his brother's side. He would not let anyone hurt his twin, and he would not let anyone hurt Sam either, especially DarkAngelicmon.

_I might not be as brave as Dai, but I'll do my best to protect you and Sam, and I'll make sure DarkAngelicmon ends up regretting his decision to come after two people I care about. When I'm through with him, he's going to wish he'd never heard the name Makiya Takaishi, and you know what else, Matty? My name is one thing he's never going to forget, and neither will the rest of Vampiramon's evil buddies!_

Matty suddenly smiled in his sleep, and Mickey gently wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders. He did not know if Matty could hear him or not, but a part of him felt comforted by the fact that there was a chance his twin had somehow managed to pick up on what he was saying.

_Maybe he does understand. I hope so. Then again, that might not be such a good thing after all. The truth might put him in even more danger. Great, now I'm starting to confuse myself. Maybe I should follow Palelymon's example and get some sleep otherwise I'll never be able to function properly tomorrow._

He fought desperately to keep his eyes open, but in the end his weariness overcame him and he drifted off into a deep sleep.

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Hey, handsome, Jestermon told me you wanted to speak to me, and I must say, you've definitely caught my interest. Well? Don't just stand there grinning at me like a fool. You'd better tell me what's going on or I might start to lose my interest!"

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly at the two digimon who had just stepped into the dark, narrow corridor. The tunnel they were currently standing in led to the dungeons, which were several feet below ground. The air was damp and musty, and he wrinkled his nose at the smell of mould growing along the bases of the stone walls. The smell was even worse in the actual dungeons themselves where Gennai had been relocated after yet another attempt to stop them from finding out about the Spirit Chips. Thankfully he did not have to stay down there very long because he had had enough sense, unlike others, to post a guard on that insufferable Digidestined lover.

"Well? Shame on you to keep a girl waiting! I have other things to do with my time, you know!"

DarkAngelicmon glanced at the female digimon, who stood next to Jestermon, and gave her a warm smile. "Welcome, Luciamon. It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough, obviously," she replied, her pale blue eyes dancing with amusement.

Jestermon muttered something under his breath and glared at the female angel, but he did not bother to voice his opinion.

DarkAngelicmon ignored the fool and waved his hand towards the dungeons. "Actually, I require your assistance. Gennai has been very uncooperative, and you know how much I dislike having to waste a lot of time dragging information out of my enemies. Usually I can be very persuasive, but he's stubborn, which means I'm going to have to alter my plans a little. I have Devidramon and SkullSatamon watching over him, but you know how tricky he can be. He'll find a way to escape if we don't watch him closely."

"You want me to help guard Gennai?" Luciamon asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

DarkAngelicmon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "No. I have plenty of other guards to watch Gennai. This place is swarming with useless digimon who need to be stationed somewhere in the fort in order to protect our master."

He glared at a group of Bakemon hovering nearby, and the trio immediately stopped arguing and floated off down the hallway at a speed he had not known they were capable of.

"Okay, now I'm interested. What exactly do you want me to do?"

DarkAngelicmon smiled at the female digimon and tugged lightly on one of her large, feathery wings. "I want you to help me capture the Digidestined."

"Are you out of your mind?" Jestermon exploded, his ruby eyes glittering with anger. "We have to destroy them, and you know it, angel boy! When I get my hands on that Mickey kid he's-"

DarkAngelicmon slammed his fellow digimon up against the stone wall and gazed calmly into the fool's angry, red eyes. "No, you won't," he said coldly. "Makiya and Masato Takaishi belong to _me_, and I won't have you threatening Daichi and the others either. They are more important than you think, and our master will not be pleased if you end up ruining my plans. You don't want to face his wrath, do you?"

Jestermon winced and gazed sullenly at the floor. "What about Vampiramon? She's not going to be very happy with you, you know."

"Vampiramon has her own orders from our master, and so do the rest of us, but every leader needs a sidekick. I'm just helping her out a little. Don't worry, my friend, she knows what's going on."

"Are you sure?" Jestermon asked doubtfully.

DarkAngelicmon sighed and shook his head in amusement. _He really is a fool. As much as he hates Vampiramon, he's still willing to follow her. I guess I shouldn't really be surprised, although my job would certainly be a lot easier if I wasn't surrounded by complete idiots._

"Can we destroy them after our master is through with them?" Jestermon said hopefully.

DarkAngelicmon patted the fool's shoulder and nodded. "That's the plan, but only if our master is satisfied with our performance. Think of it as being a reward."

"What do you mean Mickey and Matty belong to you?" Luciamon asked curiously.

Jestermon glanced at her in surprise, and she winked at the fool. "Oh, I know all about the Digidestined. Who doesn't? Word of them has even spread to the Northern Hemisphere already."

"Stupid humans," Jestermon grumbled.

DarkAngelicmon stepped away from the fool and wrapped his arm around Luciamon's slim waist. "Let's just say our master has plans for all the Digidestined, not just Mickey and Matty."

"Don't you mean you?" Jestermon muttered, looking extremely suspicious.

DarkAngelicmon ignored the fool and quickly led Luciamon away from the dungeons. They past a group of loitering Vilemon, who immediately snapped to attention and pretended to make it look like they were doing something useful, before heading up a set of rough stone steps.

"Alright, handsome, how exactly are we going to capture the Digidestined?" Luciamon asked, straightening her skimpy toga. She seemed pleased by the fact that Jestermon had been left behind to vent his anger on the guards, and the look of anticipation on her face made him smile.

"It's simple, really. Why don't we find someplace more private to talk and I'll tell you exactly how we're going to get our hands on the Digidestined and the Spirit Chips. While I'm at it, I might as well tell you what I have in store for that pathetic excuse for a human, Ken Ichijouji..."


	86. The Battle Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, I only have two chapters left for MBGF so I'll being doing them next week. That means I won't get back to this story till after that, but at least then my other story will be out of the way then. Here's the new chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 86: The Battle Begins

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Sam Ichijouji slowly headed down the sidewalk towards the Motomiya residence and frowned when he spotted Matty and Ryoko walking ahead of him. "Hey, guys! Wait up!"

"I thought we were all supposed to meet at Dai's locker after school," Glimmermon whispered from his backpack.

"So did I. Come on, we'd better find out what's going on."

"Okay. I hope Noriko gives us a snack before we have to face Vampiramon and her evil buddies. I can't fight on an empty stomach, you know."

Sam rolled his eyes and quickly hurried towards his friends who were waiting for him to catch up. "You had something to eat already."

"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to try, does it?"

"Sorry, Glimmermon. I think you're out of luck today. We're already late, and you know how impatient Davis and Noriko can be. Maybe next time, okay?"

"Alright," Glimmermon sighed.

Sam skidded to a stop next to Matty and raised his eyebrows at the angry look on Ryoko's handsome face. "What are you guys doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet at Dai's locker."

"Yeah, too bad Dai didn't bother to show up!" Ryoko snapped, looking extremely irritated.

"Besides, we could say the same thing about you. How come you're not at Dai's locker?" Matty grumbled.

Sam blushed and sent the younger twin an apologetic look. "Sorry. I had to make a quick stop at the library. I did get to Dai's locker eventually, but I was late so I figured you guys must have left without me."

"Yeah, we waited for twenty minutes but Ryoko and I were the only ones who showed up. You don't know where Dai and Kara are, do you?"

Sam was about to answer, but someone suddenly shouted his name, and he turned to see Dai and Takara racing towards them.

"Don't worry, Daichi, take your time. You're already late!" Ryoko said sarcastically.

Dai came to a stop next to the golden-haired Digidestined and managed a weak smile. "Sorry about that. Mrs. Hanari tried to give me a detention for talking to myself in the hallway. Can you believe her? She's such a witch. Luckily Kara showed up, and somehow she managed to convince our lovely teacher to let me go. Thanks a lot, Kara. I owe you one."

"You're welcome," Kara mumbled, her face turning bright pink.

Ryoko started to laugh, and Dai rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Ishida. I wasn't actually talking to myself. I was talking to DemiEmbermon, obviously."

"I didn't say anything. Wait a minute. You were talking to DemiEmbermon? She didn't see him, did she?" Ryoko asked sharply, his sapphire eyes turning into angry slits.

"How stupid do you think I am? DemiEmbermon was in my backpack. Mrs. Hanari never suspected a thing."

Ryoko looked like he was ready to protest, but Takara quickly cut him off. "Come on, guys, we don't have time for an argument. We're late enough as it is already. Let's get going. If we don't hurry up, Izzy's going to start to wonder what happened to us."

Sam was about to follow the others down the sidewalk when he suddenly realized there was someone missing. "Um...where's Mickey?"

They all turned to look at Matty, but the younger twin merely shrugged and lowered his troubled eyes to the ground.

"Matty, we can't go to the Digital World without him," Takara said gently.

Sam studied the younger twin's pale face and felt a stab of fear in his heart. _What happened between them last night? All of us got home really late yesterday. It's not like they had that much time to talk. I know because I never even got a chance to talk to my father..._

"I'm not sure," Matty finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "He might be at Noriko's bookstore. He always goes there when he wants to be alone."

"Well then what are we standing around here for? Let's go find him," Ryoko said shortly.

They started down the street towards Noriko's bookstore, and Sam wrapped his arm around Matty's slumped shoulders. "Has Mickey been avoiding you?"

A faint smile slipped across Matty's face, and the younger twin shrugged his shoulders. "I'd say that's a definite yes after what happened this morning."

"Why? What happened?"

Matty sighed softly and shook his head. "It's a long story. Listen, I don't want to talk about Mickey right now. I want to talk about you. How are you holding up?"

Sam turned away from the golden-haired Digidestined and gazed up at the cloudy sky. He had managed to calm down quite a bit since yesterday evening, but the fear inside of him still remained, and it was stronger than ever. He had made one last attempt to get his father to tell him about the Emperor, after they had gotten home last night, but his dad had told him to go to bed and get some sleep. It had been after eleven when they had finally left Davis' and Noriko's house. The next morning he had awakened from a restless sleep filled with nightmares only to discover that his dad had left the house before he had even opened his eyes. There was only one explanation for his father's strange behaviour. The man was avoiding him, and that made him feel even worse than he had before. Currently the only thing keeping him sane was Mickey's unwavering belief that he was not evil...

_My father knows the Emperor's true identity. They all do. Wormmon said so. Besides, why else would they be acting so secretive? I just don't understand. Why won't they tell me the truth? I wonder if the Emperor used to be their friend. That would explain why they're reluctant to talk about him._

"Sam?"

"I'm fine, Matty. Actually I'm more worried about Mickey than I am about the Emperor, and I'm worried about you, too. Did you guys have a chance to ask your parents about Devimon and the Dark Ocean?"

Matty wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "No. My parents made us all go to bed as soon as we got home."

"Same here. What about this morning?"

"They spent most of their time trying to get Rina ready for school. She's always grumpy in the morning if she doesn't get enough sleep. Mickey and I were sort of left to fend for ourselves."

"I know what you mean. My dad didn't say anything to me either. Actually, he spent most of the night shouting at me to go to bed because Taysuke and I stayed up for hours talking about the Digital World!" Takara giggled. "What about you, Ryoko?"

Ryoko lowered his sapphire eyes to the ground and slowly shook his head. "My dad hasn't said anything yet, but I know he will. He always keeps his promises. I think he just needs some time to sort out exactly what he wants to say to me."

"That sounds like Matt," Dai agreed. "Come on. My mom probably hasn't left the bookstore yet. She'll be able to tell us if Mickey came here or not."

They spotted Noriko's bookstore up ahead, and the five of them quickly hurried towards the familiar brown building. Noriko spotted them as soon as they entered, and she sent them a disapproving look. "Dai, aren't you and your friends supposed to be going to the Digital World? Your father and the others are waiting for you back at the house, you know."

"We know," DemiEmbermon said cheerfully, poking his head out of Dai's backpack. "There's only one problem. We don't know where Mickey is."

A sad smile slipped across Noriko's face, and she nodded towards the back of the store. "You'll find him sitting in a chair next to the fireplace. He seems a lot more quiet than usual. I hope he's not too upset about DarkAngelicmon. I'm worried about him, but he's a fighter. Don't worry, Matty, I'm sure he's going to be fine. We'll keep an eye on him, and you know my son and the rest of your friends will, too."

"I know," Matty said, giving her a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Noriko stepped out from behind one of the two cash registers, which were placed on a long wooden counter next to the door, and motioned them towards the back of the room. "Go on. You'd better hurry up or Izzy will throw a fit. I'll meet you guys back at the house as soon as Imoko shows up. That girl has got to be the laziest person I've ever hired. Well, what are you all waiting for? Mickey could do with a little bit of cheering up."

"On no! There goes my snack!" Glimmermon moaned.

Sam followed the others towards the electric fireplace at the back of the store and smiled at the rows of books on either side of him. He had no trouble understanding why Mickey spent so much time checking out the selection of books Noriko sold in her store. The place was quite small, but it was comfortable and had a cozy feel to it. The room was lit by crystal chandeliers hanging above the tall, wooden bookshelves, and there were several dark brown, comfy looking chairs spaced around the room. The carpet was a deep burgundy colour, and the ceilings were unusually high for such a small building.

"This place is so cool!" Goldmon gasped, wriggling out of the opening in Matty's backpack and gazing at the ceiling in awe.

"Anyone see Mickey yet?" Ryoko asked.

Sam pointed to a head of golden hair, which was resting on the arm of one of the chairs in front of the fireplace and sighed. "He's right there."

The back of the store was elevated a little higher than the front of the building, so they had to climb three steps in order to reach the chairs that were placed in a half-circle around the fireplace. The area looked sort of like a small stage, and the back walls were lined with several bookshelves.

"Hey, Mickey," Takara said softly.

Mickey jumped at the sound of her voice and almost dropped the book he had been flipping through. He turned towards them with a guilty look on his face and managed a weak smile. "Hey, guys."

"How come you didn't meet us at Dai's locker?" Takara asked.

"Mickey just wanted some time alone," Palelymon said softly from his seat on his partner's lap. Luckily there was no one else in the bookstore at the moment so the little digimon went unnoticed.

Ryoko snorted, and Mickey's face turned pink. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make us all late."

"Don't worry about it," Ryoko replied, his expression softening into a smile. "Daichi never bothered to meet us at his locker either."

"That was entirely Mrs. Hanari's fault," Dai piped up in an effort to defend himself.

Sam ignored the goggle-headed leader. Instead he turned to look at Matty and frowned when he realized the younger twin was gazing at Mickey with the strangest expression on his face. Mickey must have sensed the younger twin's gaze on him because he turned bright red in the face and made a point of avoiding Matty's eyes.

_I wonder what happened between them this morning. Mickey's obviously embarrassed about something, but I have no idea what Matty might have done to make him act so self-conscious. Somehow I don't think I'm ever going to understand those two._

"Are you coming?" Matty asked politely, the barest hint of a smile slipping across his handsome face. "The Digital World won't wait forever, you know."

Mickey muttered something under his breath and quickly scrambled to his feet. Sam had no clue what the older twin had said, but Matty must have had some idea because the younger twin raised his eyebrows and smiled in amusement.

They made their way back towards the front of the store, and Noriko gave them a warm smile. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, we'll see you later," Mickey said quietly.

Noriko gave the older twin a quick, reassuring hug and gently kissed Dai's cheek. "I'll see you guys as soon as you get back, okay? Please be careful."

"We will," Fluttermon said happily, poking her head out of Takara's backpack and beaming at everyone.

They made it to the Motomiya residence in record time and nearly ran over Shadow in their haste to reach the computer.

"Dai, you're back!" DemiVeemon cheered.

"And you're also late," Izzy scolded, attempting to keep DemiVeemon away from the computer and failing miserably.

Ryoko shrugged and gave Dai a cool look. "It's Daichi's fault, as usual."

"Actually, it was more Mickey's fault this time," Matty said, sending his brother a sly smile.

T.K. and Kari raised their eyebrows, and Mickey promptly turned away from them and proceeded to ignore his twin.

Sam glanced around the small room and smiled when he realized the place was crowded. Noriko had turned one of the smaller bedrooms into an office because she had needed a place to do her paperwork for the store. Even Davis reluctantly used it when he needed to do paperwork for his noodle cart business, and Ami and Dai were constantly using the computer for their homework. The forest-green walls were lined with bookshelves, a filing cabinet, two desks, and several family photos, and the cream-coloured carpet was littered with school books which clearly belonged to Ami. It was a nice room, but the best part about it was the fact that it was perfect for travelling to the Digital World.

"Are you all ready?" Izzy asked, turning around in his chair to smile at them.

"They'd better be!" Ema snorted.

Sam rolled his eyes and exchanged a smile with Miya. Kari, Noah, Izzy, Taniko, Miya, Nao, Rina, Mimi, Taysuke, Ema, Ami, and his mother had come to see them off, and he was grateful for their support. Unfortunately the others were not able to make it because of work and other plans, but he knew they were there with them in spirit.

"Of course we're ready, right, Dai?" Davis said, grinning at his son.

"We're as ready as we'll ever be," T.K. sighed.

Sam glanced anxiously at his father, but his dad refused to look at him.

_I can't believe my own father's trying to avoid me. Please, Dad, tell me what's wrong. Why are you so afraid to tell me about the Emperor? I just want to help you..._

"Are you kidding me? I'm more than ready!" Dai laughed, depositing Shadow in Noah's arms and heading towards the computer.

"Alright then, you guys know what to do. Remember, Gennai might be in the same place as the crests, but we'll let Leomon and the others focus on getting him while you guys focus on the crests. Make sure Whamon gets my message otherwise Gennai might get lost in the shuffle. You can meet up with Leomon and the others later, okay? Vampiramon and her buddies will have even more confusion to deal with if we're hitting them from two different angles. I'll be monitoring your progress through the computer, so if you need any help just give us a shout okay?" Izzy said, his dark eyes sparkling with excitement. "Your Digivices are connected to the computer, and I must admit that makes my job a lot easier. As soon as you arrive in the Digital World colourful dots representing your D-3s and D-Coders will appear on my screen, which means I'll be able to follow your path just by watching the map on the computer. We'll be with you guys the whole time. I've done my part, now the rest is up to you guys. And, Dai? Whatever you do, don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Hey! Since when have I ever done anything stupid?" Dai shouted, looking annoyed.

"Would you like that alphabetically, chronologically, or in order of stupidity?" Ryoko smirked.

Mimi crossed her arms and frowned at her son. "Ryoko, that wasn't very nice."

"Yeah, don't even start," Davis warned, grabbing Dai's arm before his son could hit Ryoko in the face.

Ryoko turned bright pink and sent his mother an apologetic look. "Sorry, Mom."

"Yeah, right!" Dai snorted.

Mimi slipped her arms around Ryoko and kissed the golden-haired Digidestined's forehead. "Be careful, sweetie. I love you."

"I love you, too, and I'll bring back Palmon, just like I promised."

"I know. By the way, your dad told me to tell you you'd better come back in one piece or you're grounded for the rest of your life!"

Ryoko started to laugh, and he gave his mother a warm smile. "Don't worry. That's exactly what I intend to do."

"Stay safe," Kari whispered, giving both her sons a quick hug.

"Yeah, go kick some evil digimon butt!" Taysuke cheered. "Oh, and, Davis? My mom and dad told me to remind you to make sure you look after Kara."

"I will," Davis replied, looking surprised and pleased that Tai and Sora would trust him with such a huge responsibility.

Sam bit his lip and turned towards his mother. He opened his mouth to say something and was immediately pulled into a tight hug.

"Oh, Sam. I love you so much. Stay strong, okay? I know you'll get through this otherwise you wouldn't be your father's son."

Sam glanced shyly at his dad, and to his complete surprise his dad actually smiled back at him.

"Don't come back until you've turned Vampiramon into a pile of data!" Ema said cheerfully.

Noah laughed and reached out to ruffle Dai's hair. "Good luck, Dai, but I don't really think you'll need it."

Apparently Shadow agreed with Noah because the puppy began to lick Dai's face with enthusiasm.

"Have fun!" Rina giggled.

Sam felt someone tug on his sleeve and he glanced down to see his little brother gazing up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"What's wrong, Nao?" he asked, leaning down and placing his hands on his brother's thin shoulders.

Nao's eyes filled with tears, and Sam felt the youger boy's small arms wrap around his neck.

"Nao-"

"Please don't die, Sam," Nao whispered sadly in his ear. "I don't want to lose my big brother like Daddy did."

Sam felt his own eyes begin to sting with tears, and he hugged his little brother as tightly as he could. "Don't worry, Nao, I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Miya was standing close enough to hear what they were saying, and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight squeeze. "Good, because we're going to hold you to that promise. Right, Nao?"

"Right."

"Hey, Dai, you'd better not disappoint us!" Ami said, grinning at her brother.

Dai sent his sister a sour look, and Taniko waved her hands to get everyone's attention. "You guys had better get moving. My dad and I will keep things under control here. You guys focus on stopping DarkAngelicmon and the rest of our new evil buddies, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Izzy said, beaming at his daughter who was sitting beside him at the computer.

"Well, Dai? Would you like to do the honours?" T.K. asked, waving his hand towards the computer.

Izzy and Taniko quickly scrambled out of their seats, and Sam reluctantly stepped up beside the others who already had their Digivices out.

"Alright, guys! Here we go!" Dai shouted, pointing his D-Coder at the gate on the screen. "Take us to Patamon and Wormmon in the Western Hemisphere! Digiport open!"

Sam managed one more fearful look at his father before he was blinded by the light from the computer and swept through the gate.


	87. Crest Hunting

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: There will be a battle in the next chapter, but I will also tell you Glowmon won't digivolve until the big crest battle. Now, I have family coming up from the U.S. so I won't have much time the rest of this week to write. I've decided I'm going to put up the first chapter for my new story since it's short and won't take me long to write. I'm not going to say what it's about. Read it to find out! (when it's up) Please review! Oh, and Candlemon normally digivolves to Wizardmon, but he can digivolve to Meramon (which makes more sense in my opinion) which you'll see with Mina's digimon.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 87: Crest Hunting

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Masato Takaishi tumbled out of the gate, and a grunt of pain escaped his mouth before he could suppress it. Unfortunately Ken had ended up landing heavily on top of him, and as a result his ribs felt like they had been crushed into pieces. "Ouch! Dai, I think we should let the adults go through the gate first next time!"

"You won't hear any arguments from me on that point!" Dai groaned, glaring at T.K. who had almost flattened him. "The next time one of us opens the gate, you adults can be the lucky ones who end up on the bottom of the pile."

"Thanks. That's very kind of you," Davis replied, rolling his eyes at his son.

"I'm sorry, Matty. Are you alright?" Ken asked, his voice full of concern.

Matty allowed Sam's father to help him to his feet and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Um...where are we?"

"The Western Hemisphere," his own father replied. "This is the spot where Izzy told us to meet Patamon and Wormmon. I don't see them anywhere, do you?"

Celestimon fluttered into the sky and pointed eagerly towards the ocean. "There they are! Oh, Agumon and the others are with them, too, and so is Whamon!"

Matty took off towards the shore before his father could stop him and skidded to a halt in front of Whamon's large head. "Hey, guys! We didn't expect to see all of you here!"

"Patamon, you came!" Celestimon cheered, fluttering around the other rookie's head with excitement.

Patamon beamed at his fellow digimon, and Matty watched as the little rookie leaped off of Whamon's back and flew directly into his father's arms.

"T.K., I've missed you so much! I was really worried when you didn't come to visit me for so long, but the gates are open again, and now you can come and see me whenever you want. You will come and see me often, won't you?"

"Of course he will," Matty replied before his father could utter a sound. "If you want, Patamon, you could come back to the human world with us and that way you could spend as much time with my dad as you want."

"Really?" Patamon asked, turning to gaze hopefully at his partner.

Matty stared into his father's eyes for a moment and smiled when his dad gave him a grateful look.

"Of course, Patamon. I've missed you, too. You have no idea how much."

Patamon cuddled against his partner's chest and let out a happy sigh. "Yes, I do. I've missed you just as much as you've missed me, if not more. You look different, but a lot of time has passed by, hasn't it. Mickey and Matty are proof of that. I really like them, T.K. They're nice, and their digimon are just like me!"

"And me!" Gatomon added, leaping off of Whamon's back and coming to join them. "Hey, T.K. How's Kari doing?"

"Great. She misses you, though, but you'll be seeing her soon."

"Patamon's right, you know. Mickey and Matty are great humans."

"Thanks," Mickey mumbled, his face turning a rosy shade of pink.

Matty could not help smiling at his brother's embarrassment, but he did not attempt to tease his twin like he normally would have. After what had happened earlier that morning, he did not think his brother was in the mood for jokes.

"I know what you mean, Gatomon. I couldn't have asked for two better sons."

Matty realized his father was gazing fondly at him and his twin, and he felt his own face turn a bright shade of red. "Dad, you're embarrassing us in front of the digimon!"

T.K. started to laugh, and Matty smiled as his father cuddled Patamon against his chest. "I'm glad you love them as much as I do. Don't worry, Patamon, I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on."

"Me, too," Patamon sighed, settling himself on his partner's head and making himself comfortable.

"Ken!" Wormmon gasped, a hint of fear in his voice. The little rookie jumped off Whamon's back and hurried over to his partner's side at a speed he did not look capable of achieving.

Ken lifted the little digimon into his arms and buried his face in his partner's soft, green skin.

"Ken, I...didn't...I never said a word," Wormmon insisted, gazing anxiously into his partner's eyes.

Ken stroked his digimon's small head and managed a bitter smile. "I know, Wormmon. Thank you. It's good to see you again. I...um...I really need you right now."

"I know," Wormmon said sadly. "Don't worry, Ken, we're together again, and we're both going to help Sam."

"Really? Well, if that's the case then neither one of you has been doing a good job of it!" Sam said sarcastically.

"Sam, that wasn't very nice," Glowmon said sternly, fluttering anxiously around his partner's head.

Ken lowered his eyes to the ground and did not say a word. It was obvious he agreed with Sam, but that only made things worse instead of better.

"Agumon, what are you doing here?" Davis asked curiously, bending down so he could look the little rookie directly in the eyes.

Agumon smiled at him and nodded towards Gabumon and the others. "We've decided we're going to help Whamon and his friends find Gennai. You don't think Izzy will mind, do you?"

"No way. Actually, that's a great idea!" Takara said enthusiastically. "We could use the help. Hey, Whamon? Did Patamon and Wormmon tell you we think Vampiramon and her buddies are hiding out right here on Cyber?"

Whamon nodded his large head and waited patiently for Gabumon and the others to slide off his back. "Yes, that's why I thought it would be a good idea if Agumon and his friends came with me. First I have to find Leomon and the rest of my digimon friends, and then we'll follow your trail. I think Benjamin and the others must have come to the same conclusion because last I heard they, along with Leomon and the others, were heading for the Western Hemisphere. We'll look for Gennai as soon as we find them, and then we'll meet up with you guys, or the other way around. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," Dai replied, nodding his head with approval. "You guys be careful."

"You, too," Biyomon said anxiously.

"I'll see you later, Gabumon," Ryoko murmured, wrapping his arms around the digimon's furry head.

Gabumon glanced at Alopemon, before turning back to Ryoko, and smiled. "Say hi to your dad for me."

"I will."

Gatomon leaped into T.K.'s arms and wrapped her tail around his waist with affection. "T.K., will you tell Kari I want to meet Rina?"

"Of course," T.K. replied, looking amused. "Rina's going to love you."

"That's for sure," Veemon muttered.

"Oh, go choke on a furball!" Gatomon snapped.

"But...I don't get furballs."

Matty suddenly noticed three digimon he had never seen before and stared at them in surprise. "Hey, who are you guys?"

The rock digimon standing closest to him smiled and executed a polite bow. "I'm Rosa's partner, Gotsumon."

"And I'm Mina's digimon, Candlemon. My champion form is Meramon," the candle digimon added.

"What about you?" Dai asked, turning to the last digimon.

The penguin digimon jumped in surprise and gave Dai a hesitant look. "My name's Penguinmon. I'm the rookie form of Noriko's digimon. Veemon told me you were my partner's son."

"That's right. It's nice to meet you Penguinmon. Are you guys going with Whamon, too?"

Dai gently stroked the rookie's short wings, and Penguinmon beamed up at the goggle-headed leader. "Of course. There's no way I'm going to let Noriko down!"

"That's the spirit!" Dovemon laughed.

T.K. gave Takara's partner a warm smile and turned to look at Whamon. "You guys had better get going. We'll meet up with you soon, okay?"

"Wait!" Ryoko suddenly cried.

Matty glanced impatiently at his cousin and raised his eyebrows at the stubborn look on the other boy's face.

"What's wrong, Ryoko?" Mickey asked, his amber eyes growing dark with concern.

Ryoko wrapped his arms protectively around Palmon and glared defiantly at Davis and Daichi. "Palmon's coming with us."

"Now what's gotten into you? You're wasting our time," Dai said, clearly irritated as a result of Ryoko's sudden interruption.

"I promised my mom I would bring Palmon back with us, and I'm not going to break my promise!"

"Really? You mean I get to see Mimi?" Palmon gasped, her whole face lighting up.

Dai turned to look at his father, but Davis merely shrugged and patted his son's shoulder. "It's your call. What do you think we should do about Palmon?"

Dai glanced at the angry expression on Ryoko's face and sighed. "Alright, I guess she can come with, but make sure you keep an eye on her. She can't digivolve without Mimi, and I don't want Vampiramon and her buddies to take advantage of that."

Ryoko had been all ready to protest, but at Dai's words he quickly closed his mouth and stared at the goggle-headed leader in surprise.

"I can't digivolve either," Glowmon said sadly, his glowing belly flickering with sorrow.

Sam gave his little digimon a fierce hug and shook his head in denial. "You'll digivolve soon, Glowmon, and when you do you'll be a great champion."

"He's right, Glowmon," Ken said quietly.

The little rookie cheered up instantly and beamed at both Ken and his partner. "I'll do my best."

"Thanks, Dai. I can't wait to see Mimi. I guess it'll be hard for her to come to the Digital World because of the new baby," Palmon said seriously.

Ryoko stroked the petals on her head and nodded. "That's why I'm going to bring you to her. Come on, let's go find the crests."

"Good luck!" Whamon said.

Gatomon gave T.K. an affectionate squeeze, and the group of digimon quickly headed back towards Whamon.

"Don't get yourselves killed!" Gomamon called cheerfully as the whale digimon began to swin off down the shoreline.

"And tell Yolei to quit threatening Tentomon!" Hawkmon shouted, his words clearly directed at Ken.

Ken laughed and waved in acknowledgement. "I will...at the risk of getting a few threats myself!"

"Thank you," Tentomon called out with obvious relief.

Armadillomon waved his tail at them, and after a few more hurried shouts the whale digimon disappeared beyond their sight.

"Now what do we do?" Halomon asked curiously, his bright blue eyes travelling over Mickey's pale face.

"We start walking!" Davis and Daichi replied at the exact same time. The two of them stared at each other for a moment and promptly burst into laughter.

"That's it?" Ryoko snapped, clearly disgusted.

"Well, that's what we've done every other time, and let's face it, Ryoko, we don't have to go looking for trouble. Why should we when trouble always finds us first?" Sam said glumly.

"Too true," Alopemon muttered.

Ken placed a hesitant hand on his son's shoulder and turned slowly to look at Dai. "You're right, Dai. I think we're just going to have to keep walking until T.K. and I can pick up the signals for our crests."

"We'll find them. Come on, everyone. Let's go hunt some crests!" Patamon said cheerfully.

They started off in silence, and Matty found himself walking at the back of the group with Sam, Glowmon, and Celestimon. Dai, Davis, Ken, and Takara walked at the front of the group with their digimon, and Ryoko, Palmon, his father, his twin, and their digimon walked in the middle. Mickey kept glancing shyly back at him, but he turned his face away and pretended not to notice.

_Why doesn't he just tell me what's really bugging him instead of making it look like he doesn't care what's going on anymore. I know he wants to tell me. I can feel it. Why else would he have acted so strange this morning?_

"Matty, will you please tell me what's going on between you and Mickey?" Sam whispered in his ear, interrupting his thoughts.

Matty realized his friend was watching Mickey closely and smiled in amusement. "What do you mean?"

"Like you need to ask. Mickey's obviously avoiding you for a reason. What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything to him. He did it to himself."

Sam stared at him, and Glowmon started giggling loudly.

"Matty, if you don't tell me what happened earlier this morning-"

"Alright, alright! Keep your voice down, would you?"

"Why?"

"Because I don't want Mickey to overhear us."

"Matty..."

Matty glanced nervously at his twin and pulled Sam closer to his side. "I woke up this morning and found Mickey sleeping on the edge of my bed. I think he must have been watching over me because he was sort of propped up against the headboard. He must have sensed my gaze on him because he suddenly woke up and stared at me as if he couldn't remember where he was. When he realized I was watching him he turned all red in the face and practically fell of the bed in an effort to get away from me. I _know _he was watching over me while I was sleeping, and you can probably guess why, too."

"Mickey's really worried about you," Sam sighed.

"I know, and he shouldn't be. Nothing's going to happen to me. He wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the morning, you know, and he's been avoiding me ever since."

"You're upset about that, aren't you."

Matty gave his friend a startled look and managed a weak laugh. "When Mickey and I were younger and one of us had a nightmare, we used to hide under the blankets together and talk about it until we fell asleep, but Mickey hasn't come to me like that in a long time, until now. Why is he so afraid to tell me what's going on when it's obvious he wants my support?"

They both turned to look at Mickey and smiled at the shy expression on the older twin's face. Mickey had handed Halomon over to his father, and T.K. was currently admiring the little digimon who was blushing furiously at being the centre of attention. Alopemon had also gotten a lot of attention from T.K., but that little rookie seemed more pleased than anything else.

"Oh, don't forget about me!" Celestimon gasped, fluttering over to Halomon as fast as his small wings could carry him. Matty laughed and turned to look at Davis who was gushing over Embermon. Ken was stroking Dovemon's white head, but Matty did not fail to notice the way the raven-haired Digidestined kept glancing back at his son.

"Um...Sam, I think your dad wants to talk to you."

"Then he can come back here and tell me what's going on because I'm not going up there!" Sam said stubbornly.

Matty was about to answer when Ken suddenly let out a gasp and came to an abrupt halt. T.K. ended up stumbling into Ken's back, and Matty watched his father put a hand on the raven-haired Digidestined's shoulder to steady himself.

"Ken, what's wrong?"

"T.K., look at your D-3!" Ken gasped, holding up his own Digivice for emphasis.

T.K. obediently held up his D-3, and a slight smile slipped across his face. Both Digivices were glowing.


	88. Rescue Team

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter! Now, Falconmon (a digimon in this chapter) is not to be confused with Falcomon, a rookie who already exists. Falconmon is an ultimate I created, and a different digimon. I thought I'd say something to avoid confusion. Now, I looked back and realized I didn't explain Ryoko's name. I'd forgotten that I'd mentioned I would, but I hadn't actually done it yet. So, Ryoko. His name means 'child of Ryo' , and yes, because of the 'ko' female ending on his name it is a female name. I chose it because I think it makes a better boy's name than a girl's name, and I wanted something different. Besides, names in North America that were once considered only a 'boy's' or a 'girl's' name have developed into names for both. I'll be the first to do it for a Japanese name. I did know all of this before I chose the name. (three years ago now) when I started this fic, so it was not an error. Just to make things clear. Now, onto the new chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 88: Rescue Team

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ryoko frowned at the D-3 in his uncle's hand and turned to gaze at the scenery around him. They had left the sandy shore behind them several minutes ago only to find themselves travelling down a well-worn path that appeared to be following the edges of a thick, dark forest. The tall trees were located on their right, and on their left the ground seemed to stretch for miles without encountering any unusual or interesting landmarks. The most unsettling thing of all was the fact that, with the exception of their partners, there was not a single digimon in sight. The only thing the Western Hemisphere had to offer at the moment was a large, open valley which was completely deserted.

_This place feels...empty. I wonder if it's because the digimon who live here are hiding from Vampiramon and her evil buddies. I know I'd want to stay out of their way if I was a digimon who lived in the Western Hemisphere._

"The crests must be around here somewhere," Dai said, glancing impatiently at the forest.

"Yeah, but how do we know that for sure?" Matty complained. "It's too bad the D-3s can't tell us which direction they're in."

Mickey nodded in agreement and reached down to stroke Halomon's ears. "That's one good thing about the D-Coders. They were able to lead us directly to our digimon because the arrows told us exactly where to go."

"Come on, guys, we can't give up now," Celestimon said urgently.

Ken sighed and glanced helplessly at T.K. "Now what?"

"How about a break?" Veemon suggested.

"Already?" Alopemon snorted. "You're even lazier than Embermon!"

Embermon elbowed the little fox digimon in the ribs and rolled his bright green eyes. "Like partner, like digimon. Right, Alopemon?"

"That's for sure!" Dovemon muttered.

Alopemon stuck his nose in the air and promptly stalked away from the grinning trio, his icy blue gaze flashing with anger.

T.K. studied his D-3 for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Mickey asked.

T.K. smiled at his son and gently pulled the older twin against his side. "I don't think it's going to be that hard to find the crests after all."

"What do you mean?" Ken asked, looking confused.

"The light coming from my D-3 is very faint. That means the crests must still be a good distance away from us. All we have to do is follow the light. The closer we get to the crests, the stronger the glow coming from our D-3s will become."

"Really? I never knew that," Ken said quietly.

T.K. nodded sympathetically and placed a hand on the raven-haired Digidestined's arm. "It doesn't matter, Ken. It took a lot of pain and suffering, but you found yours eventually. That's all that matters."

"What?" Sam gasped, his dark blue eyes growing wide with horror.

"Nothing," T.K. said quickly, avoiding Sam's eyes. "Come on. Let's keep going."

Ryoko lifted and indignant Alopemon into his arms and sent Embermon a dirty look before turning his attention to Ken.

_He's hiding something, and Uncle T.K. knows what it is. I wonder how long Sam's going to be able to handle being kept in the dark about the Emperor..._

"Dad-"

"Come on," Ken said shortly, giving Sam a gentle push to get him moving.

They started down the path again, and Ryoko found himself walking next to Dai. "We have to do something about Sam."

Dai wrinkled his nose and let out a frustrated sigh. "I know, but what?"

"There's nothing we can do," Embermon grumbled. The little rookie was walking next to Dai at a brisk pace, and his emerald eyes were focused on the back of Sam's head. Apparently Sam did not sense Embermon's gaze on him because he continued to stare straight ahead and refused to leave his father's side. "Ken's the only one who can help him now."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, if I were you," Davis interrupted, glancing over his shoulder to smile at them.

Dai made a face at his father's back and glared impatiently at the ground. "What about Mickey?"

"What about him?" Alopemon asked.

Ryoko set his partner on the ground next to Palmon and turned to look at Mickey and Matty who were bringing up the rear. Somehow the twins had ended up walking side by side, and every so often they would glance at each other when they thought the other one wasn't looking. Each time their eyes met both of them would jump in surprise and quickly look away again.

"Not exactly encouraging, is it," Dai muttered.

Ryoko turned his back on his cousins and frowned at the goggle-headed leader. "I know what you mean. I wish..."

"What?"

"I don't know. I just wish there was something we could do for them."

"Me, too."

Ryoko gasped at the sudden feel of Dai's hand on his shoulder, and he slowly looked up at his goggle-headed friend.

"Don't worry, Ryoko, we'll find a way to help them. We always do."

"Spoken like a true Digidestined!" Palmon said cheerfully.

Ryoko was about to answer when the sound of someone screaming captured his attention. It was very faint, almost as if the cry had purposely been muffled by a hand or a gag, but the fear he sensed in that voice caused a shiver to race down his spine. "Daichi, did you hear that?"

Dai stared at him and slowly shook his head. "Hear what?"

"I heard someone screaming."

"Really? I didn't hear anything," Alopemon said slowly.

"What's going on?" Takara asked, turning around to look at them. "Why did you guys stop walking?"

"Ishida says he heard someone screaming."

Ryoko suddenly found himself surrounded by his friends, and he gave the goggle-headed leader a dirty look. "I didn't ask you to tell the whole world, did I?"

"Well then why did you bother bringing it up if you didn't want anyone else to know?"

"Do you ever actually listen to yourself because you sound like an-"

"Ryoko, are you sure you're not just imagining things?" Matty asked, his eyes glittering with amusement.

Even Mickey looked skeptical.

_Why are they staring at me like I've gone crazy or something? I know what I heard. Someone was definitely screaming, and we have to help them!_

"I don't hear anything," Ken said quietly, glancing nervously at the forest. "Maybe it was just the wind you heard. You'd think we'd hear the sound again if someone were really-"

"I'm not imagining things! Someone's in trouble, and if we don't do something they're going to get hurt!"

"We're did the sound come from?" T.K. asked, his hand tightening on his Digivice.

Ryoko stared at his uncle in surprise, and his spirits lifted immediately. "You mean...you believe me?"

T.K. pulled him close and gently ruffled his hair. "Of course I believe you. You're not the kind of person who makes up stories just to cause trouble."

"No, that would be Dai!" Celestimon said cheerfully.

"Keep your opinions to yourself," Dai grumbled, poking the little rookie in the stomach.

Celestimon promptly burst into giggles and cuddled his face against Matty's neck.

"Don't worry, Ryoko, I believe you, too," Palmon said loyally.

Ryoko pressed his cheek against his uncle's chest and frowned at the landscape. "I think it came from the forest, but I'm not really sure."

"If you think I'm going to go wandering through that forest, forget it!" Sam snapped. "The last time we were surrounded by trees I got stuck having a chat with DarkAngelicmon, and I don't know about you guys but I'd rather not meet up with him again, thank you very much!"

"Sam!" Ken scolded, glancing uneasily at the forest.

"Sam, DarkAngelicmon isn't anywhere near us," Matty said, looking extremely impatient. "Patamon, Celestimon, and Halomon would know if he was."

"Only if he was practically on top of us!"

"DarkAngelicmon's not here. Whatever Ryoko heard has nothing to do with him," Patamon said firmly. The little rookie stroked his partner's cheek with one of his long ears, and T.K. smiled up at him.

"Thanks, Patamon. We could all use a little bit of reassuring right now."

"DarkAngelicmon might not be here, but someone else is," Halomon said slowly, his sapphire eyes flicking calmly towards the forest.

Mickey's face turned pale, and he pulled Matty behind him, away from the forest. "What do you mean?"

Halomon was about to answer when the air was split by an ear-piercing scream.

_I knew it! Someone really is in trouble. What are we going to do?_

Ryoko felt his uncle stiffen in his arms, and the two of them glanced frantically at Dai.

"Embermon, you and the others had better digivolve right away!" Dai said sharply, his dark eyes surveying the forest with suspicion.

"It's not fair! I want to help, too!" Glowmon cried.

"You're not the only one," Palmon muttered.

"You got it, Dai! Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

"Dovemon digivolve to, Ibismon!"

"Don't forget about me! Celestimon digivolve to, Angelicmon!"

"Halomon digivolve to, Gabrielmon!"

"My turn! Alopemon digivolve to, Tirimon!"

"You remember what to do?" Davis asked, looking down at his partner.

"Just watch me, Davis! Veemon digivolve to, ExVeemon!"

"Your turn, Wormmon!" Ken shouted, holding out his D-3. "Are you ready?"

"For you, Ken? Always. Wormmon digivolve to, Stingmon!"

"Oh, Sam! I want to be just like him!" Glowmon gasped, gazing up at the large champion in awe.

"Come on, T.K., let's help out, too! Patamon digivolve to, Angemon!"

Ryoko huddled next to Mickey and glared angrily at the forest, but his cousin did not even notice him. The older twin and his brother were too busy gawking at Angemon to waste time paying attention to anything else.

"Follow me!" Dragermon shouted, leaping into the air and diving towards the forest.

Another high-pitched scream broke the silence, and Ryoko spotted a sudden flurry of activity near the edge of the forest. Something darted out of the trees, and Ryoko gasped when he realized it was a beautiful female digimon who seemed to be running for her life.

_I wonder what she's running from._

"Look!" Matty cried, pointing at the fleeing digimon. "She's an angel!"

Ryoko took a second look and nodded in agreement. The female angel had long, blond hair, pale blue eyes, pale skin, and eight, white wings. She was dressed in a two-piece toga, which showed off her midriff, and large, gold bracelets circled her wrists and ankles. There were strange markings all over her body, including her left cheek, which resembled tattoos, and two, large feathery ears stuck out of the top of her head. At the moment she looked absolutely terrified, and she kept glancing over her shoulder as if checking to see how much distance she had put between herself and her attackers.

"Why doesn't she just fly away from whoever's chasing her?" Takara asked, frowning in confusion.

"Maybe the digimon who are attacking her can fly, too," Davis suggested. "If that's the case then she wouldn't have much of an advantage over them. They could snatch her out of the sky faster than I could say Digi-Armor Energize!"

"You're right. In that case it probably would make more sense to run. At least that way she'd have the trees for protection."

As if on cue, two digimon burst out of the forest and tackled the female angel to the ground.

"Who are those two digimon?" Ken gasped.

Ryoko held out his D-Coder and brightened when the screen lit up with the information he needed. "The one on the left is Vulturemon, and the one on the right is Falconmon. Vulturemon's a champion level virus type digimon, and his special attacks are Vulture's Eye, and Wing Turmoil. Falconmon's an ultimate level data type digimon, and his special attacks are Feather Tornado and Dual Lasers."

"And the fun begins," Davis muttered. "We'd better get ExVeemon and the others to take them out before they end up hurting that poor angel digimon."

"Sounds good to me," Dai replied. "Dragermon, you guys know what to do!"

"Leave her alone, you flying beasts!" Gabrielmon shouted, darting forward and hovering protectively over the smaller angel. "Holy Sceptre!"

Falconmon dived under the blast and came up beneath Gabrielmon before he had a chance to fly out of the way. The angel digimon was knocked to the side, but luckily Angelicmon was hovering close enough to take his place.

"Celestial Star!" Matty's partner shouted, holding out his hand and shooting the bright yellow blast at Falconmon's stomach. The bird digimon tumbled backwards, and Ibismon landed a good solid kick on his beak. She fluttered out of his way to avoid his large wings and pointed her fist at his back. "Emerald Flare!"

The green blast sent Falconmon spinning towards the ground, and he landed on his back with a loud crash.

"Too easy," Ibismon snorted.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Angemon said quietly, diving out of the sky and hovering beside her. "Something doesn't feel right. Where's Vampiramon, and what about Jestermon and the others? Shouldn't one of them be here to supervise this battle?"

"No time to worry about that now. Our new evil buddy is starting to wake up," Angelicmon interrupted, pulling on Angemon's wing to get his attention.

The female angel sprawled on the ground below them let out a moan and covered her face with her hands. "Oh, please help me! I don't want to become one of Vampiramon's servants!"

"What do you think she means by that?" Matty asked, frowning in confusion.

T.K. wrapped his arm protectively around the younger twin's shoulders and shook his head. "I have no idea, but somehow I get the feeling we're going to find out. Angemon, you'd better get her out of there before Falconmon has another chance to grab her!"

"Dragermon, you and the others keep Vulturemon occupied while Ibismon and the angels deal with Falconmon!" Dai shouted.

"No problem," Stingmon replied, diving over ExVeemon's head and landing an elbow right in Vulturemon's right eye.

Somehow Falconmon managed to get into the air again, but he did not get very far before he was intercepted by Ibismon and Gabrielmon.

"I don't think so, buddy! Feather Darts!" Ibismon shouted.

"Holy Sceptre!"

The pink feathers slammed into Falconmon's body and were followed by a blinding orange blast.

The large bird digimon barely seemed to notice. Instead of falling to the ground, he turned his black eyes on Angemon and Angelicmon and swerved towards them. "You will die for interfering with our orders! Dual Lasers!"

Angelicmon managed to stop their descent and they hovered several feet below Falconmon, their wings beating in unison.

"Listen, Angemon. Ibismon, Gabrielmon, and I will take care of Falconmon. You concentrate on getting our new friend to safety, alright?"

Angemon stared at Angelicmon for a moment and smiled slightly. "Alright, be careful."

"You're not going anywhere!" Falconmon snarled, diving out of the sky towards them.

"Hand of Fate!" Angemon shouted, hitting Falconmon in the face with his blast. Angelicmon threw his spear at the bird digimon, and it ripped through Falconmon's left wing. Luckily Ibismon and Gabrielmon were close enough to stop the evil ultimate from making any more attempts to get his hands on his prey, and that gave Angemon the perfect opportunity to fly the female digimon to safety.

"You'd better go help the others," Angemon said, nudging his fellow angel in the ribs.

After a brief hesitation, Angelicmon reluctantly joined Ibismon and Gabrielmon, and Angemon quickly fluttered towards the ground. He scooped the female angel into his arms, and without a word he quickly flew out of the battle before Falconmon could try to intercept him.

"Bring her here, Angemon!" T.K. called out, waving his hand to get his digimon's attention.

Angemon gently set the female angel on the ground in front of T.K., and she gave her rescuer a grateful smile. "Thank you for saving me. I thought they were going to capture me for sure."

Angemon smiled at her and gently squeezed her hand. "You're welcome. Look after her, T.K. I better get back to the others before someone gets hurt."

"Alright, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Which isn't much," Angemon muttered, leaping into the air and heading for Falconmon.

"Are you alright?" Palmon gasped, giving the female angel a sympathetic look.

Ryoko smiled slightly and shook his head. Unlike Angemon and the others, the female angel was rather short for a digimon. Even standing she would only just barely reach T.K.'s chin.

"Now I am," she said quietly, her blue eyes shining with relief.

Mickey shyly placed his hand on her arm and gave her a warm smile. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

The female angel fluttered her eyelashes at Mickey and gently brushed her fingers against his cheek. There was a curious expression on her face, and the look in her eyes suggested she found Mickey's angelic features to be rather fascinating.

"You're a human," she said softly after a brief moment of silence.

Mickey blushed and slowly nodded. "That's right."

"Obviously," Matty snorted, clearly amused by the female angel's sudden interest in his brother. "So, what's your name?"

The female angel fluttered her wings and beamed at them. "My name is Luciamon."


	89. Celestial Guide

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I guess I should explain Luciamon a bit. Basically she is a female version of Lucemon, just as there are Angemon and Angewomon. There is also a female version of Angelicmon which I've created named Angellamon, but she has yet to appear in any story. Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 89: Celestial Guide

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Takara smiled at the embarrassed look on Mickey's face and wrapped her arm around Luciamon's shoulders. The female digimon had lowered herself to the ground earlier, in an effort to catch her breath, and the look she cast over her shoulder was filled with fear. "I hope your digimon don't end up getting hurt because of me."

"Don't worry, they'll be fine," Matty said confidently, giving the angel a reassuring smile. "So your name's Luciamon?"

Luciamon beamed at him and nodded. "That's right. Please, allow me to formally introduce myself. I'm a rookie level vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Hand of Judgement, Lunar Force, and Trinity Wraiths."

"Are you serious? You're a lot bigger than any rookie I've ever seen!" Dai said slowly.

"Yes, well, Gatomon's not exactly your average champion either, is she!"

Takara's mouth fell open, and she stared at Luciamon in astonishment. "You know about Gatomon?"

Luciamon smiled at her and nodded. "Who doesn't know about the Digidestined? You guys have caused quite a stir here in the Digital World, and I'm not just talking about your team, Kara. There isn't a digimon alive who doesn't know about humans. Leomon, Agumon, and the others have made sure of that!"

"Well, that puts us in our place!" T.K. laughed. "There's still one thing I don't understand. Why are those two digimon chasing you?"

Luciamon was about to answer, but before she could open her mouth they were interrupted by a loud cry. Vulturemon had managed to hit Stingmon in the back with one of his attacks, and the champion digimon fell to the ground. Tirimon just barely managed to get out of the way before Stingmon could flatten him, and Takara groaned as the insect digimon landed on his stomach with a loud crash.

"Stingmon, be careful!" Ken gasped, clinging tightly to his son for support. "Someone help him!"

"I don't think so!" Vulturemon snarled, diving under ExVeemon and focusing his gaze on the insect digimon below him. "Vulture's Eye!"

The red blast hurtled towards the ground, but ExVeemon was quicker. The reptile digimon managed to grab Stingmon under the arms, and he lifted his DNA partner to safety before the blast could make contact with its intended target.

"Thanks, buddy," Stingmon said, giving his fellow digimon a pat on the back.

ExVeemon nodded and they both turned to look at Dragermon.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting bored with this fight!" Tirimon growled. "Let's hurry up and finish this!"

"What do you think, Dragermon?" ExVeemon shouted.

"I think I'm going to have to agree with Tirimon. Let's send this flying nuisance back to Primary Village! Dragon Fire Spin!"

A large blast of fire shot out of Dragermon's mouth, and the flickering tornado slammed into Vulturemon's body. The evil champion's wings burst into flame, and he dropped dangerously close to the ground.

Tirimon quickly leaped forward and aimed his attack towards the sky. "Arctic Blast!"

A shower of snow and ice engulfed Vulturemon's body, and the flames spreading through his feathers abruptly went out. The evil champion hit the ground in front of Tirimon and glared at the arctic digimon. "You won't get away with this! Vampiramon will find a way to destroy all of you, and then the Digital World will be ours!"

"Not if we can help it! Vee-Laser!" ExVeemon shouted, aiming his blast towards the ground. The attack hit Vulturemon in the face, and Stingmon used that opportunity to finish the job.

"Have a nice trip! Spiking Strike!"

Stingmon plunged his stinger right into Vulturemon's heart, and the evil digimon disappeared in an explosion of colourful sparks.

"That's one down and one more to go!" ExVeemon said, looking very pleased with himself.

"Hey, Dragermon, a little help over here would be nice!" Ibismon shouted, ducking to avoid one of Falconmon's large wings.

"Right. Sorry, I almost forgot! Dragon Fire Spin!"

Falconmon flew above the attack and swooped towards Ibismon and the other angel digimon. He came to a stop about five feet in front of them and spread his wings out as far as they would stretch. "Feather Tornado!"

Ibismon and the angels were surrounded by a storm of feathers, and the force of the wind swirling around them sent the four digimon tumbling out of the sky in a tangle of arms, legs, and wings. The group hit the ground with enough force to cause a small earthquake, and Takara flinched.

"Angelicmon! Are you okay?" Matty cried, clinging to his father's arm in fear.

"Oh, no. This is all my fault!" Luciamon moaned.

Mickey looked like he was going to be sick, but somehow he managed not to throw up and hid his face against his brother's shoulder instead.

"Come on, Angemon, you have to get up!" T.K. shouted, his face turning pure white.

_What if Ibismon's really hurt?_

_"_Oh, Sam, we have to help them!" Glowmon cried.

"But how?" Ryoko gasped, his arms tightening around Palmon's neck.

Takara turned away from the battle and jumped when she suddenly felt Dai's arms go around her shoulders. "Dai, what are we-"

"Don't worry, Kara," he said quietly in her ear. "Dragermon, ExVeemon, and the others will help them."

Takara felt her cheeks turn red, and she buried her face against his neck. "I know. Thanks, Dai."

"I'm getting really tired of being knocked out of the air all the time!" Ibismon groaned, sitting up and brushing long, green hair out of her emerald eyes.

Angemon, who was sprawled on the ground beneath her, winced and nodded in agreement.

"Are you ready to surrender?" Falconmon smirked. His black eyes were focused warily on Dragermon, but the triumphant look on his face was directed at Ibismon.

"Never!" Angelicmon snapped, leaping up and pulling Gabrielmon to his feet. "Celestial Star!"

The blast clipped one of Falconmon's wings and sent him spinning towards ExVeemon.

Ibismon and Angemon were on their feet in an instant, and on Angelicmon's signal the four digimon launched themselves into the sky again.

"Everyone at once!" Dragermon shouted, swooping towards ExVeemon and motioning for Stingmon to follow him. "Dragon Fire Spin!"

"Vee-Laser!"

"Spiking Strike!"

"Our turn!" Angemon shouted. "Hand of Fate!"

"Holy Sceptre!"

"Celestial Star!"

"Cyclone Fury!"

The sky became filled with colourful blasts, and Falconmon disappeared in a huge explosion. The ultimate level digimon crashed to the ground in a ball of energy, and Tirimon had the honour of finishing the job.

"Winter Inferno!"

The arctic digimon leaped at Falconmon and slashed the bird with his tail. Falconmon disappeared in an icy blue blast, and by the time the light died away even his data had disintegrated into nothing but a memory.

"Yes, you guys did it! Score one for the good guys!" Matty cheered, pumping his fists into the air and nearly hitting poor Mickey in the nose.

Dragermon and the others quickly hurried towards them, and Takara threw her arms around her digimon in a tight hug. "You were amazing, Ibismon!"

"Well, I'm glad you think so anyway. I'm still trying to figure out how I could have let myself get knocked to the ground like that!"

Takara laughed and buried her face against her digimon's pink stomach. "Forget it. You were awesome."

"See? I told you everything would work out," Dai said softly in her ear.

Takara slowly turned towards him and gently squeezed his hand. "And you were right, as usual."

"Are you okay, Angemon?" T.K. asked, looking concerned.

Angemon wrapped his arms around T.K.'s shoulders and gave his partner a tight squeeze. "I'm fine, T.K. What about you, Luciamon?"

Luciamon placed a gentle hand on Angemon's arm and nodded. "I've never been better. Listen, I...um...I'm sorry about all the trouble I've caused."

"Don't worry about it," Ryoko said quickly, giving her a warm smile. "We were happy to help."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Luciamon's pale blue eyes filled with tears, and she promptly threw her arms around Ryoko in a spontaneous hug. "Oh, thank you. I never knew humans could be so nice. No wonder Vampiramon doesn't like you guys very much!"

"You know about Vampiramon?" Sam asked, looking surprised.

Luciamon nodded vigorously and rested her cheek against the top of Ryoko's golden head. "Every digimon in the Western Hemisphere knows Vampiramon and her gang of evil digimon are after the Digidestined. They're not exactly secretive about it, if you know what I mean. Why do you think I'm so glad to see you guys? Vampiramon might think you're all easy prey, but I know better. You will defeat her, won't you?"

Davis smiled in amusement and shrugged. "Well we're sure going to try."

"That's the best news I've heard all day," Luciamon sighed, giving Ryoko a tight squeeze.

The golden-haired Digidestined blushed and glared at Dai as if daring him to say something.

Takara frowned in confusion and tugged on Luciamon's arm. "Why were those two digimon trying to capture you anyway? You never had a chance to tell us earlier."

Luciamon's face fell, and she abruptly let go of Ryoko. "I think you guys had better sit down. It's kind of a long story."

Since most of them were already seated it was merely a matter of getting comfortable, and within seconds everyone was ready and willing to listen.

Takara settled herself between Ibismon and her Uncle T.K., and after a moment of thoughtful silence she turned her attention to Luciamon. "Did those digimon work for Vampiramon?"

Luciamon glanced at Gabrielmon on her left and slowly nodded. "Vampiramon and her gang of evil buddies are always sending their servants after digimon in the Western Hemisphere. I think they're trying to recruit more digimon to help protect their master and guard Gennai. Why do you think the Western Hemisphere seems so deserted? It's because most of the digimon here have gone into hiding to aviod being captured and turned into slaves. That's probably what happened to Vulturemon and Falconmon. Vampiramon has ways of getting digimon to obey her, you know, and none of them are pleasant."

"That makes sense. I thought the Western Hemisphere appeared to be rather...empty," Ryoko said, scratching Tirimon gently behind the ears. The large champion's head was resting in Ryoko's lap, and he looked like he was asleep.

"You probably would have been better off going into hiding, too," Ken said seriously, his uneasy gaze coming to rest on Luciamon.

The female angel giggled and ran her fingers through her golden hair. "You're right, but I've always been a rebel. You would be, too, if you were stuck running for your life all the time! The good news is Vampiramon and her evil buddies never come on any of their recruiting trips. None of us would stand a chance if they did. I guess it's because they have more important things to do so they just leave that part of their job up to their flunkies. If you ask me, evil digimon can be really lazy sometimes."

"Well, Angemon, it looks like you've finally gotten an answer to your question," Angelicmon said, smiling across the circle at T.K.'s digimon.

Angemon smiled back at him and nodded. "Yes, and for once it's not an answer that only leads to more questions!"

"Luciamon...do you know who Vampiramon's master is?" Sam asked, clutching Glowmon tightly against his chest.

Luciamon sent the raven-haired Digidestined a sympathetic look and shook her head. "No, I've never seen him, but I've definitely heard about him. From what I've heard he doesn't sound like a very nice digimon. How can he be when he's got his servants brainwashing innocent digimon so they'll go along with his plan to take over the Digital World? That's one of the tricks Vampiramon likes to use all the time."

Mickey shivered and tightened his hold on one of Gabrielmon's gold and white wings. The older twin had been sitting with his cheek pillowed against his partner's shoulder, but at Luciamon's words he straightened up and gazed at her with fear in his eyes. "How did you know Gennai was captured?"

Luciamon flinched and wrapped her arms around herself. "I know because I saw Vampiramon dragging him into the old castle she and her friends are using as a base. They call it their fort, and I can see why. It's become more of a fort than anything else these days. It even looks like one since they've got their guards hanging around the perimeter and leaning over the castle walls."

"Do you know anything about the crests?" Matty asked eagerly, his amber eyes beginning to sparkle with excitement.

Takara let out a gasp and felt her uncle's arm go around her in a comforting hug. She gave him a grateful smile and turned to gaze anxiously at Luciamon. _Could she really know where the crests are?_

Luciamon gazed thoughtfully at the sky for a moment and wrinkled her tiny nose. "I'd heard the crests were stolen. You know what? I bet they're in the same place where Gennai is! Obviously Vampiramon must have stolen them. Who else would have had the nerve? Yes, I'm sure of it! They must be in the castle where Vampiramon's master is!"

"Do you think you could tell us where it is?" Dai asked, his dark eyes flashing with determination. "Obviously you've seen their base before otherwise you wouldn't have known where Gennai was. How about it? Do you mind helping us out a little bit?"

Luciamon raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly. "Not at all. It's the least I can do after everything you guys have done for me, only I'm not going to tell you where it is."

"Why not?" ExVeemon demanded.

"Because, I'm going to make your jobs easier by taking you right to it."


	90. Within the Castle Walls

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: How's this for a fast update! What is DarkAngelicmon planning? Well, you sort of get to know!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 90: Within the Castle Walls

_Spritemon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Spritemon fluttered up the main set of stairs in the old castle her master was using as a fort and entered the nearest room on the right-hand side of the stone corridor. She halted at the sight of DarkAngelicmon standing over the Crest of Courage, and her lips twitched into a small smile. The fallen angel was gazing at the misty screen hovering against the wall, and there was an odd sparkle in his bright green eyes. He looked pleased at the sight of the Digidestined hanging onto Luciamon's every word, and judging by the way the female angel had captured their attention it was obvious they had no trouble believing every single lie she had managed to create in order to get them to follow her.

_It is a good plan. Luciamon's going to bring the Digidestined right to our doorstep and then we'll be able to do with them as we please. I wonder what Vampiramon will say when she finds out what DarkAngelicmon has been planning behind her back. I guess it doesn't really matter. Our master approves, and his opinion is the only one that counts. Still, I can't wait to see the look on Vampiramon's face when she finds out DarkAngelicmon has been ignoring her orders!_

Spritemon crossed her arms and made a face. Although she did not want to admit it, it looked as if DarkAngelicmon's plan was working perfectly. It was certainly better than anything Vampiramon could have come up with.

"Spritemon, how nice of you to join me. I take it you've come to find out whether or not my brilliant plan has been a success? Well, see for yourself, my fairy friend. Now do you believe me when I say I know what I'm doing?"

Spritemon slowly entered the room and gave him a dirty look. "I wasn't the one who doubted you. I might not always agree with your plans, but I know you have more sense than Vampiramon, even if Jestermon and BlackWidowmon don't think so. They're the ones who doubted you, not me."

"True enough. I'm glad you've finally decided to see things my way."

"For now. What are you doing anyway?"

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows and waved his hand at the screen. "What does it look like I'm doing? I knew they'd trust Luciamon. She doesn't look very threatening, does she. You'd think they would have learned by now that appearances can be deceiving. Oh well. Their foolishness will work to our advantage. Luciamon's going to lead them right into our trap. With Gennai and the Digidestined as our prisoners, we'll be able to find the Spirit Chips in no time."

"Yes, and we'll not only have Daichi and his friends, we'll also have Davis, T.K., and the former Emperor. That's quite a nice little group, isn't it."

DarkAngelicmon beamed at the misty screen in front of him and nodded. "I do believe I've outdone myself with this plan. Poor Sam. He won't even look his father in the eyes. What a shame. He deserves to know about the Emperor more than anyone else, wouldn't you say?"

Spritemon fluttered over to his side and let out a snort. "Why did I have a feeling you were going to say that? What about Mickey and Matty? You seem very interested in them."

DarkAngelicmon's eyes slid over to Mickey's face, and he smiled, his green eyes sparkling with excitement. The older twin's cheek was resting against Gabrielmon's shoulder, and his twin was sitting on his other side. Matty was gazing anxiously at his brother, but Mickey refused to look at him. The younger twin finally lost his patience, and leaning over he whispered something softly in his brother's ear. At first Mickey did not respond, but then he suddenly smiled and pulled the younger twin against him in a gentle hug before quickly turning away again.

"The seeds of doubt have been planted, I see."

DarkAngelicmon laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you could say that. They're strong, but I can be patient. It's only a matter of time before I have them both in the palm of my hand."

"You can have them as long as I get to teach little Takara Kamiya a lesson. She'll pay for ruining my plans!"

"I'm sure I can arrange something, but first we need her in order to fulfill our master's plans. Patience is a virtue, my friend. You would do well to remember that."

"Did our master go with Vampiramon and the others?"

"Yes, he has gone with Jestermon, BlackWidowmon, and Vampiramon to keep an eye on Leomon and his friends. They're still a good distance away from us, but with Agumon and his fellow rookie digimon joining up with them our situation could become dangerous. Our master wants to stop them from reaching the castle so we can deal with the Digidestined without any outside interference."

Spritemon poked him in the arm and made a face at the Crest of Courage. "Let me guess, he put you in charge of capturing the Digidestined?"

"Of course."

"Why am I not surprised? I take it Vampiramon doesn't even know what's going on, does she."

"True, but I couldn't very well tell Jestermon that, could I? He'd go straight to Vampiramon and so would BlackWidowmon. Our master will tell them what's going on when it suits him and not a minute before. Besides, Vampiramon knows not to disobey our master's orders. The amount of information she has been given is enough to stop her from accidentally ruining our plans."

"And why am I the only one other than Luciamon and our master who gets to know the details of your little plan?"

"Because you're the only one who seems to understand why we need the Digidestined alive in order to find the Spirit Chips," DarkAngelicmon said shortly. "You haven't had a change of heart, have you? You seemed quite willing to go along with my plans once I explained them to you earlier."

"No, I haven't changed my mind, but that's only because I think your way is a lot more fun, and as long as I get Takara in the end, I'm happy."

"Good. Don't worry, Spritemon. The Digidestined will be in our hands sooner than you think."

Spritemon was about to answer when the misty screen suddenly turned black and disappeared. "Hey, what's going on?"

DarkAngelicmon glanced at the crests surrounding the spot where the screen had been and smiled slightly. "It looks like the Digidestined have gained control of the crests."

Spritemon gazed suspiciously at him and crossed her arms. "What do you mean?"

"The crests only respond to those humans who have the ability to use at least one of the nine traits that were chosen to protect the Digital World. Our master has found a way to use that power to his advantage."

"Okay, and what does that have to do with anything?"

"The crests are linked to the hearts of the humans who control their power, and that bond is what gave our screen the ability to see the Digidestined. Daichi Motomiya and his friends have the powers of the crests running through their veins as a result of the relationship they share with their parents. T.K.'s and Ken's Digivices have already started glowing. You know what that means, don't you?"

"They must be getting close to us, but if what you say is true then why aren't the D-Coders responding to the crests?"

"They will eventually. Daichi and his friends aren't the original holders of the crests, so the link isn't as strong. It will take their Digivices a little longer to pick up the signal of whichever crest or crests they are connected to."

"What about Davis and the other two? Yolei and Cody?"

"The crests will respond to them, as well. When the powers of the crests were given up to protect the Digital World, Azulongmon, Gennai, and the rest of their little gang had some of that power stored away in order to create the Digi-eggs, and that same power, the power of the crests, will be used to give life to the Spirit Chips. Do you understand now? Davis Motomiya and his friends are also connected to the crests, and therefore they, too, will eventually be able to pick up the signal."

"So like with Dai and the others the connection isn't as strong as it is with the original Digidestined, right?"

"Exactly. Gennai did not tell Centaurumon everything, and as a result Daichi and his friends are missing some valuable information. It's information we can use to our advantage."

"Wait. There's one thing I don't understand. You said the crests only glow for the humans so why are they glowing for us?"

DarkAngelicmon ran his fingers over the Crest of Courage and gave her a disappointed look. "They aren't. Haven't you heard a word of what I've said? The powers of the crests can still be used even if the Digidestined aren't close enough for the crests and Digivices to pick up each other's signals. They will still glow because they're linked to the humans who use their power, but the only time they can glow at such a distance is when the crests are working together in harmony towards the same goal. The barrier used to protect the Digital World is a perfect example."

"Right, so Joe's crest, for example, will still glow even though there's no one around who is directly connected to its power."

"Yes."

"Well, I guess we now know why Dai and the others were chosen to be Digidestined."

"They were chosen for the same reason Davis and the others were chosen. The last two groups of Digidestined were drafted because they have the ability to use the powers of the original Digidestined. They all have something in common with Tai and Kari, but even to this day Gennai and the others still don't know exactly what that is."

Spritemon fluttered her wings and gave him a dirty look. "Where did you learn all of this?"

"Gennai, of course," DarkAngelicmon said, looking amused. "The Digidestined are close enough now to control the powers of their crests, and that's why our screen disappeared. The crests are waiting for them, and they will no longer unknowingly aide us in our plans. It's only a matter of time before our friends get here, and when they do we'll be ready for them."

"How can you say that? We have no idea when they're going to arrive. The screen's not working, remember?"

DarkAngelicmon slowly walked towards the wall and placed his hand on the Crest of Hope. "I wouldn't worry too much about that, if I were you. Luciamon will let us know in her own way."

"She'd better or our master's never going to put you in charge of anything ever again!"

"The crests can become corrupted," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, almost to himself. "The Spirit Chips, as well. That is the only way we can get them to respond to us, and once they're covered in darkness their power will belong to our master. Remember that, Spritemon. The Digidestined will be ours and the Digital World will fall under our control. You'll see."

Spritemon stuck her tongue out at the Crest of Courage and kicked the stone pedestal. "If you say so. Sometimes you make absolutely no sense, you know that? I thought you wanted the Digidestined to trust you. How do you plan to get them to be your little friends when they're going to end up in the dungeons? That'll stop them from trusting you real quick."

"No it won't. You'll see."

"Whatever. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go make sure the guards are doing their job."

Without waiting for an answer she turned and fluttered out of the room.

_Taniko Izumi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Do you guys think they'll be okay?" Mimi asked nervously.

Taniko Izumi pulled her eyes away from the computer screen and turned around in her seat to give Ryoko's mother a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mimi, they'll be okay."

_At least I hope so. I don't know why I'm worrying so much. My dad always knows what he's doing, but still..._

"Their dots aren't moving," Noah said quietly, pointing at the screen. "Do you think they might have run into some trouble?"

Taniko glanced nervously at her father, and her dark eyebrows rose in surprise when she realized he was frowning at the screen. "What's up, Dad?"

Her father turned to look at her, and he shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows. They could be trying to figure out where to go or maybe they've run into a digimon who has some information that could help them find the crests. It's hard to say."

"It's not fair. I wish I could be saving the Digital World with them," Ema grumbled.

Taniko nodded in agreement and leaned over to give her friend a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "I know how you feel, Ema."

"Me, too," Taysuke sighed, running a hand through his carrot-coloured hair.

Yolei glared angrily at the computer screen and clung tightly to her daughter's arm. "Ken had better be looking after Sam!"

"I'm sure he is," Kari replied, hiding a smile.

Taniko exchanged a look with her dad and slowly shook her head. She did not know why she felt so uneasy all of a sudden, but for some reason, no matter how much she tried to tell herself she was being silly, she could not shake the feeling that something wasn't right...


	91. Digital Connections

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: the next chapter will be longer, and that's when this part of the story will really start moving.

Chapter 91: Digital Connections

_T.K. Takaishi_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

T.K. Takaishi slowly looked up and stared at the female angel in surprise. "You mean...you can take us directly to the place where Vampiramon and her evil buddies are keeping Gennai and our crests captive?"

Luciamon beamed at him and nodded. "That's right. It's still pretty far away from us on foot, but if you guys fly there on Dragermon you'll arrive on Vampiramon's doorstep in no time at all."

"What do you think, Dragermon?" Dai asked, glancing up at his partner.

Dragermon lowered his large head and gently nuzzled Dai's cheek. "I think that's a great idea. There's only one problem. How are we going to get inside without the guards spotting us?"

"Oh, that'll be easy," Luciamon said mysteriously, her pale blue eyes sparkling in the sunshine. "I've been watching the place, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to sneak you guys in without anyone noticing. What do you say?"

"I say let's do it," Matty piped up. "We'll never have a better opportunity to get the crests back."

T.K. frowned at his son and slowly shook his head. He wanted to find the crests just as much as everyone else, but for some reason he had an uneasy feeling about Luciamon's plan.

_Something doesn't feel right, but it's not like we have any other options. It's just...Luciamon's plan seems a little bit too easy. Can we really just walk into Vampiramon's base and get the crests back without having to fight our way through a bunch of guards? I find that very hard to believe._

"We must be cautious," Angemon suddenly murmured in his ear. "Do not let your guard down or we will end up fighting for our lives."

T.K. gently stroked one of his partner's feathery wings and glanced uneasily at Mickey's pale face. Angemon must have had similar thoughts because the angel looked a bit skeptical, and he was not the only one. Mickey also appeared to be a bit nervous about agreeing to go along with Luciamon's plan.

"Matty, don't you think we should come up with a plan first before we go rushing off to fight Vampiramon without any idea of what we're doing?" the older twin asked anxiously.

T.K. watched his sons exchange one of their signature twin looks, and after a moment of tense silence Matty let out a soft sigh.

"Yea, I guess you're right. Sorry, Mickey. I tend to get carried away sometimes, don't I."

"Yes, you do," Mickey replied, smiling softly at his brother.

_Even when they're fighting they still take time to show each other they care. Maybe their situation isn't so hopeless after all. At least that would be the case if DarkAngelicmon would just leave them alone._

He believed Mickey was right about DarkAngelicmon wanting to come after Matty, but he also believed Matty was right, too. He did not know why he felt so sure, but for some reason he just knew the fallen angel wanted both of his sons, and he would do everything in his power to make sure that sorry excuse for an angel digimon did not follow in the footsteps of Devimon.

_Devimon tried to kill me and my partner, and I'm not going to let DarkAngelicmon try to do the same thing to my sons! LadyDevimon was no better. She tried to hurt Kari and Angewomon, and that's another reason why we have to be careful. Evil digimon have a lot of followers. How do we know the digimon guarding the castle are the only ones we need to worry about?_

"T.K., Mickey and Matty are safe with us. They have strong partners, and you know I will do my best to protect them and their digimon," Angemon said quietly, glancing quickly at the others to make sure no one could overhear what they were saying. "DarkAngelicmon will succeed no more than Devimon did. You have the Crest of Hope. If there was ever a time in your life when you really needed to believe in not only yourself but your family and your friends as well then now is that time. Mickey and Matty carry a small part of you and Kari with them, and the same goes for their digimon. The powers of hope and light will triumph over evil, just as they always have, and DarkAngelicmon will find himself suffering the same fate as many dark digimon before him. Have hope, T.K. In the end you will see I am right."

T.K.'s mouth fell open, and he stared at his digimon in astonishment. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"I am your partner," Angemon said simply. "I always know what you're thinking."

T.K. slowly nodded and glanced uneasily at Ken. "What about Sam?"

"Sam will be fine. How can he let himself become corrupted by darkness with friends like Mickey and Matty? I know what Ken's afraid of, but he has no reason to be scared. Sam will never become another Digimon Emperor. There is too much good in his life for him to ever give in to darkness."

"You're right. Thanks, Angemon, I feel much better now. I take it you approve of Angelicmon and Gabrielmon?"

Angemon sent the two angel digimon an admiring look and smiled when both of them jumped and glanced self-consciously at the ground. Now that they were no longer in battle the two new angel digimon appeared to have lost some of their nerve and grown a bit shy around the more experienced angel.

"They're brave digimon, but more importantly they're perfect for Mickey and Matty."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Angemon suddenly pulled a long, white feather out of his right wing and held it out with a smile on his face. "Here. Take it."

T.K. slowly curled his fingers around it and held it tightly against his chest. "Why?" he asked, feeling confused.

Angemon gently placed a hand against his cheek and pointed at the feather. "I am always here with you, T.K. We will fight together and save your sons."

T.K. was about to answer when his nephew's loud voice suddenly interrupted him before he had a chance to say a single word.

"No way, Daichi! You're not going anywhere without me!"

"Look, Ishida, if you care that much about me, why don't you just say so already?" Dai snapped, his cheeks turning pink with anger.

Ryoko blushed bright red and glared at the goggle-headed leader. "You're an idiot, Daichi. I don't-"

"Really, if I'm such an idiot then why are you still here? No one forced you to go along with my plans, and yet you still followed them anyway! If anyone's an idiot around here it's you!"

Ryoko grabbed Dai by the shirt and tried to punch the goggle-headed leader in the stomach, but Davis managed to get between the two of them and kept a firm grip on Ryoko's arm. "Will you two cut it out? If I have to break up one more fight then I'm sending both of you back to Izzy! Do you understand me?"

Dai glanced impatiently at his father and sent Ryoko a dirty look. "See, Dad? I told you Ishida's the one who's always picking fights, but Mom always blames me! Well, now you know the truth. Wait until Matt finds out his precious little boy isn't the perfect model son after all!"

"I am going to have grey hair before I'm forty," Davis muttered, shaking his head.

"Now you know how Yolei felt when you would fight with T.K.!" Ken said, smiling slightly.

T.K. raised his eyebrows and glanced at the former Digidestined leader, and Davis smiled back at him.

"Hey, T.K., we were never as bad as Ryoko and Dai, were we?"

"Of course not. Our disagreements were handled with a lot more maturity. Wouldn't you agree, Davis?"

Matty snorted loudly, and Mickey started to laugh.

"As if we would ever believe that, Uncle T.K.!" Takara giggled.

T.K. gave his niece an affectionate hug and turned to look at Ryoko. "Sorry, I must have missed something. Why are you angry at Dai?"

Ryoko gave Dai a murderous look and opened his mouth to say something, but Davis quickly clapped a hand over the blond's lips and made a face. "And Yolei tells me I never pay attention. Dai thinks we should split up when we get inside the castle because the guards will be more likely to spot us if we stroll through their base in a large group, but Ryoko doesn't agree."

"Of course I don't agree!" Ryoko exploded, his blue eyes flashing. "What if we end up losing someone?"

"You should be flattered!" Dai shouted. "I chose you to be one of the group leaders, didn't I?"

T.K. glanced between the two younger Digidestined and slowly turned to look at Davis. "What do you think? I don't like the idea of splitting up, but sometimes we don't have a choice."

"Well...we would have more of a chance of finding the crests if we weren't all looking in the same place at once."

"You can't be serious!" Ryoko gasped, tugging anxiously on the former leader's arm.

Davis gently ruffled Ryoko's golden hair and shrugged. "It's just a thought. What do you suggest we do?"

"Come on, Ishida, we're waiting," Dai smirked.

"At least I'm willing to use my brain instead of rushing into danger all the time!"

"You really are a jerk, you know that?" Dai shouted.

"They so obviously care about each other. Why do boys always have to be so stubborn all the time?" Takara muttered.

T.K. hid a smile and motioned for his nephew to join him. "Come here, Ryoko, before Davis goes through with his threat and sends you back to Izzy."

Ryoko quickly hurried over to him, and he wrapped his arms around the younger Digidestined's trembling shoulders. "Quit trying to add fuel to the fire, alright?"

"Stupid Dai. He just doesn't understand," Ryoko mumbled against his chest.

T.K. gently stroked his nephew's golden hair and nodded. "I know. That's why you have to make him understand."

He felt Ryoko stiffen in his arms, and the boy slowly looked up at him. "You...know?"

"Ryoko, I think Dai might be the only person who doesn't know. Even your mother and father look like they've finally clued into what's going on. I know you probably won't believe me when I say this, but Dai cares just as much as you do. In fact, I believe he might understand more than we think he does."

Ryoko sighed softly and snuggled closer to him. "Thanks, Uncle T.K., I'll keep that in mind."

"Look," Dai said finally, after a brief moment of silence, "why don't we at least take a look at the castle and then we can decide what to do from there. Dragermon will have no trouble carrying all of us, and once we've had a chance to study the place it'll be easier for us to come up with a plan that doesn't involve as many risks. What do you guys think?"

"I think that's a great idea," Sam said firmly. "We should get going before Vampiramon has a chance to capture any more innocent digimon."

"Well, that only took forever. You humans have very bad tempers!" Luciamon giggled. "Are we ready to go?"

They all quickly scrambled onto Dragermon, and following Luciamon's directions the large champion flew off over the forest. Angemon and the other flying digimon followed behind them, and T.K. made himself comfortable next to his slightly older son. "Hey, Mickey, how are you feeling?"

Mickey smiled shyly at him and snuggled against his side. "I'm okay. Angemon's a really amazing digimon. I think Gabrielmon's slightly in awe of him."

"I guess I'm not the only one who noticed. Angemon will be happy to know you like him so much. What does Matty think?"

Mickey glanced at his brother, who was talking quietly to Kara, and his smile faded. "Matty thinks he's really cool. Dad...I..."

T.K. sighed and held his son close. "Mickey, you know your mother and I would never let anything happen to Matty. We'll keep him safe. I promise."

"You won't break your promise...will you?"

"Never."

T.K. suddenly realized he was still holding Angemon's feather in his hand, and he held it out to his son. "Here, Mickey, I want you to keep this."

"Really? But...why?" Mickey gasped, gazing at the feather as if it were a fragile piece of glass capable of breaking at the slightest touch.

T.K. placed the feather in his son's hand and gently kissed the older twin's forehead. "Consider it a little piece of hope from me to you."

_Not that you really need it. Matty has more than enough for both of you._

"ExVeemon is awesome!" Dai said enthusiastically, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced over his son's golden head and smiled at the goggle-headed leader who was beaming at ExVeemon.

"I know," Davis said, gazing proudly at his digimon.

ExVeemon flew over to Dai's side and ruffled the goggle-headed leader's hair.

Dai grinned at the digimon and turned to look at Sam. "Hey, Sam, what do you think of Stingmon?"

Sam glanced at his dad's digimon, and his whole face lit up in a bright smile. "He's a great digimon. I can see why Glowmon wants to be just like him."

"Do _you _want me to be like him?" Glowmon asked quietly.

Sam glanced over his shoulder at his father, who was sitting behind him, and slowly nodded. "Yes, Glowmon, I think I would like that."

Ken leaned forward and hugged his son tightly. The former Emperor never said a word, but the look on his face showed clearly just how much Sam's words had affected him.

"We're getting closer," Luciamon called out, waving her hand to get their attention.

"I wonder if DarkAngelicmon will be inside," Mickey mumbled. The older twin pressed Angemon's feather against his cheek and gazed silently at the serious look on his brother's face.

Matty whispered something in Takara's ear and frowned at Mickey, his amber eyes growing dark and stormy.

T.K. was about to answer, but at that moment he happened to look down and a gasp escaped his mouth when he realized Mickey's Digivice was glowing. "Mickey, look at your D-Coder!"

Mickey held it up, and T.K. realized the colour of the light coming from its surface was alternating between yellow, orange, and pink.

"Look, mine's glowing, too!" Matty cried, holding up his D-Coder, which was flashing pink and yellow.

The twins were not the only ones whose Digivices had started to glow. Dai, Ryoko, Sam, and Kara were all holding glowing Digivices, but the biggest surprise was the D-3 Davis held in his hand. Although the former leader had never had a crest, his Digivice had started to glow, as well.


	92. Luciamon's Discovery

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter. This one reveals their master plan to get into the castle!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 92: Luciamon's Discovery

_Davis Motomiya_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Davis stared at his D-3 in astonishment and held it up for the others so they could get a better view of its glowing surface. "I hope one of you guys can tell me what's going on here because I'm totally lost."

"You're not the only one," Alopemon grumbled.

Tirimon had reverted back to his rookie form because he could not fly, and although he seemed a little annoyed at being the only one other than Palmon and Glowmon who could not soar along side Dragermon, he was quite content to curl up in Ryoko's lap and catch a quick nap.

_Well, he would have been taking a nap if I hadn't opened my big mouth!_

"I'm confused. Davis doesn't have a crest and neither do Dai and the others. How can their Digivices possibly be glowing?" Palmon asked, shaking her head and making herself comfortable next to Ryoko's side.

T.K. frowned at his own Digivice and shrugged. "I have no idea. What do you think, Ken?"

"I'm sorry, T.K., but I'm just as confused as you are. Maybe one of us should e-mail Izzy and let him know what's going on. He might be able to figure it out."

Sam suddenly sat up straight and turned to gaze curiously at T.K. "What ever happened to the Digi-eggs?"

T.K. studied Sam's face for a moment and slowly pulled out his D-Terminal. "Actually, that's a good question, Sam. We still had our Digi-eggs even after the gates to the Digital World closed, but one day they suddenly just disappeared. In fact, it happened the year Mickey, Matty, Dai, Ryoko, Kara, and you yourself were born. I never really thought about it until now. Strangely enough we still have our D-Terminals even though we don't have the eggs they were originally meant to store. That was the whole purpose of them in the first place."

"You're not serious, are you?" Angemon asked, fluttering over to T.K.'s side and keeping pace with Dragermon. "Veemon, myself, and the others just assumed all of you still had them. How could they have just disappeared like that?"

"I don't know, but I would sure like to find out."

"Well, the fact that it happened after the gates closed explains why we didn't know," Palmon commented.

"I can't believe it! They're really gone?" Dai gasped.

Davis opened his D-Terminal and held it out to his son. "See for yourself."

The place where his Digi-eggs had once been stored no longer showed the images of two small eggs. Instead they found themselves staring at a blank screen.

"Great, what else could go wrong?" Dai muttered.

"Do you think it's just a coincidence the Digi-eggs disappeared the year Mickey and his friends were born?" Gabrielmon asked quietly, landing lightly on Dragermon's back and crouching next to T.K.

T.K.'s golden eyebrows narrowed into a frown, and he slowly shook his head. "No, Gabrielmon, I don't. It must have happened for a reason."

"Yes, if only we knew why."

"We'll find out eventually," T.K. replied, patting the angel digimon's arm.

Gabrielmon nodded before leaping back into the air again, but the look on his face suggested he had his doubts.

"None of this explains why all of our Digivices are glowing," Takara sniffed, waving her green D-Coder impatiently in the air. "It can't be because of the Spirit Chips. Centaurumon said we need the crests in order to find and use them."

Davis nodded in agreement and grinned at the female Digidestined. "Well, maybe Gennai will know."

"He'd better because I'm tired of waiting for answers!" Matty said sourly. The younger Digidestined was clearly in a lousy mood, and not even Mickey's sympathetic smile was enough to cheer him up.

"We're here!" Luciamon sang out, gesturing ahead of the forest below them. Davis was pretty sure it was the same forest Luciamon had run out of earlier, and he shook his head in disbelief. _This forest must stretch for miles across the Western Hemisphere. I hope Luciamon didn't have to run the whole length of it from her attackers!_

"This way," Luciamon instructed, pointing towards the edge of the forest. "We're going to have to land in the trees otherwise the guards will spot us. Don't worry, you'll have an awesome view of the castle, and it'll give you a chance to make up your minds about what to do next."

"Let's go," Stingmon said shortly.

Dragermon landed them neatly at the edge of the forest, and Davis helped Takara drop to the ground. They joined the others in a group around Luciamon behind a large clump of bushes, and the female angel pointed to a huge castle nestled at the base of a rocky cliff. It had been built out of grey stone, and its tall structure looked very menacing, but the most fearful thing about it came in the form of a large group of digimon who were patrolling the castle walls.

"There is no way we're going to make it in there without getting caught!" Sam gasped, gazing wide-eyed at the two DarkTyrannomon who were guarding the doors.

_He's right. Our digimon are strong, but they're not strong enough to take on that many digimon at once!_

"Actually, Sam, the castle isn't as impenetrable as it seems," Luciamon giggled, interrupting his thoughts.

"You're kidding, right?" Matty snorted, moving unconsciously closer to Mickey for reassurance.

Luciamon shook her head and pointed to a group of Vilemon who were patrolling the left side of the castle. It was the side they had the best view of since they were looking at the fort on an angle. "That wall is how we're going to get inside the castle. One day when I was spying on the fort, I was able to distract the Vilemon long enough to get right up to the castle wall. I put my hand up against the stone to catch my breath, and would you believe it? My hand went right through the structure! I tested the rest of the wall, but there was only that one spot where I could walk right through the stone and step right into the castle. I set a rock about the size of my hand in front of the spot so I wouldn't forget where it was. All we need to do is cause a diversion to distract the guards long enough for us to get inside. It really isn't going to be as hard as it looks, you know. Now are you guys willing to go along with my plan?"

T.K.'s whole face lit up, and he beamed at the female angel. "Weak spots! The castle has weak spots! You're brilliant, Luciamon!"

"T.K., what are you talking about?" Davis asked, frowning in confusion.

_Does he really think Luciamon can get us inside?_

"Davis, did Tai ever tell you about the time when Sora was captured by a digimon named Datamon?"

Davis glanced at his son, whose dark eyes were beginning to sparkle with excitement, and nodded slowly. "Tai blamed himself for what had happened because he'd been afraid to go back through the firewall. He was scared, but somehow he managed to find his courage again, and after that he was able to rescue Sora. Why do you ask?"

"Do you remember what Izzy had discovered about Etemon's pyramid?" T.K. asked, ignoring his question.

"Of course, he-" Davis broke off and started to smile. "You're kidding, right?"

T.K. laughed and quickly shook his head. "I've never been more serious in my life! All we have to do is find the weak points in order to make our way through the castle without getting caught, and Luciamon just happens to know where the first weak point is!"

"We'll have the crests back before Vampiramon even knows they've gone missing!" Matty cheered. "Agumon told us all about Etemon's pyramid and what happened to Aunt Sora. I can't wait to see the look on DarkAngelicmon's face when he finds out we stole the crests back right out from under his nose!"

"And you had the nerve to tell me to be careful!" Dai muttered.

Matty blushed and gave the goggle-headed leader a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Dai. I know we have to be careful, but it does feel good to finally be getting somewhere, doesn't it?"

"No!" Ryoko snapped. "Vampiramon's master is in there somewhere, and he's probably a lot stronger than DarkAngelicmon and the others combined! Besides, we don't even know for sure if the crests are in the castle. I know the glow coming from our Digivices has increased, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. This isn't a time for jokes, so keep your eyes open and pay attention."

Everyone fell silent, and Davis winced at the sudden tension Ryoko's words had caused. The golden-haired Digidestined was right. They could be walking into a death trap.

"I know that," Matty finally mumbled, glaring at his cousin and avoiding Mickey's eyes.

"You'd better," Mickey said sharply.

"Look, Matty, just...stay safe, okay?" Ryoko said in a softer tone.

Matty placed a hand on his cousin's shoulder and nodded. "I will."

Davis rolled his eyes at the group of arguing Vilemon and sighed. "There's only one problem. How are we going to find the rest of the weak points?"

"Good question," T.K. muttered, gazing uneasily at his sons.

Dai's face fell, and Davis wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders.

"Somehow we need to get this information back to Izzy," Ken said slowly.

"Maybe our D-Coders can help with that," Takara suggested.

Matty beamed at her and nodded. "It's worth a shot. Let's see what else these things can do!"

The younger twin held out his yellow D-Coder and pointed it at the castle. At first nothing happened, but then it let out a sudden loud beep and started to glow even brighter than when it had first started reacting to something in the Western Hemisphere. An image of the castle began to scan slowly onto the screen, and after the data had finished processing Matty hit several buttons on his D-Coder before one worked to his satisfaction. "See?" the younger twin said, holding out his Digivice for everyone to study.

A tiny window had popped up on the screen, and the message said: _Sending data._

_"_Way to go, Matty!" Dai cheered. "How much do you want to bet that information is being sent to Izzy right now!"

T.K. nodded in agreement and ruffled Matty's hair. "Your new D-Coders are turning out to be very useful. Now that Izzy's got the information on the structure of Vampiramon's base he can help us find the weak points. I better send him an e-mail and let him know what's going on."

"Does that mean we don't have to split up now?" Ryoko asked, glancing hopefully at his uncle.

Davis shook his head and motioned for ExVeemon to join him. "It wouldn't do us any good to split up. The guards won't spot us no matter how large our numbers are if we follow the weak points. Besides, if everything goes according to plan we won't need to look for the crests. Izzy might be able to lead us right to them. If that's the case then it would be pointless for us to split up."

For some reason Luciamon looked disappointed, but the frustrated expression on her face was quickly replaced with a smile. "Well, we might not have to split up yet, but you never know what could happen in the castle. Are we ready to steal some crests back?"

T.K. closed his D-Terminal with a snap and nodded. "Let's go."

_Izzy Izumi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Hey, Izzy, what's that?" Yolei asked, pointing at the screen.

Izzy glanced over Taniko's shoulder and frowned at the new window covering his map of the Digital World. It said: _Incoming message._ A moment later the image of a large structure filled the screen, and it was followed quickly by an e-mail from T.K. The e-mail said:

_Izzy,_

_We think we've found out where the crests are! Matty scanned this image of the castle where we're pretty sure Vampiramon and her buddies are keeping our crests captive with his D-Coder, and somehow he was able to send the data to you. (We hope!) I know this is going to sound crazy, but we need you to help us find the weak points in the castle like you did with Etemon's pyramid. Luciamon (a new friend of ours we rescued from some of Vampiramon's flunkies) already knows where the first one is. Do you think you could find the rest? The crests have to be in there because my Digivice and Ken's, as well, have started reacting to something in the castle. I'm pretty sure that's where the signals are coming from because the strength of the light coming from my D-3 is stronger here than anywhere else, but there's one thing I don't understand. My sons' D-Coders have started reacting to something, too, and the same goes for Dai and the rest of their friends. Davis' D-3 is also reacting, but I'm not sure if their Digivices are reacting to something in the castle, as well, because none of the D-Coders or Davis' D-3 are reacting as strongly as my Digivice and Ken's Digivice. If you have an explanation we'd love to hear it! We haven't seen Leomon and his friends yet, but Agumon and the others have gone to join them so hopefully we'll hear from them soon. We're standing by for your instructions. Thanks!_

_T.K._

_P.S. We know Gennai's definitely in the castle!_

"Alright!" Noah cheered. "Way to go, Matty! The crests have to be inside Vampiramon's castle, and now Dai and the others have a perfect chance to get their hands on them!"

"So, Izzy, do you have any doubts about the New Digidestined team?" Miya asked, looking amused.

Izzy smiled at her and shook his head. "No way. They're using their heads and being responsible. I can't believe Matty was able to send me a map of the castle. What a brilliant idea! Those D-Coders really are powerful. They have so many functions! I must have a closer look at them as soon as possible."

"I guess some things never change!" Mimi giggled, rolling her eyes.

Izzy ignored the rosy-haired Digidestined and began to type out a message on the computer which he promptly sent to T.K.'s D-Terminal. "I can't believe T.K. remembered Etemon's pyramid! That was quite a long time ago."

"It's a good thing he did otherwise they probably wouldn't have had a clue how to get inside the castle," Yolei sniffed.

"You've got a point there."

"No kidding!" Ema snorted. "So, Izzy, what's the plan?"

_Lucky for me I've already got one worked out!_

He quickly pointed to a red stationary dot on the 3-D image Matty had sent him and beamed at the others. "That little light is the first weak point which Luciamon discovered, and hopefully it'll allow Dai and the others to get inside the castle without being noticed. Once they've gotten past the first line of guards they'll have to turn down two more hallways before they get to the next weak point. I'm going to take them on the shortest route possible to get them to the crests."

"But how do you know for sure the crests are in there?" Taniko asked slowly. "T.K.'s D-3 might be reacting to something near the castle instead of something inside it."

Izzy studied the skeptical look on his daughter's face and smiled slightly. "You know what, Taniko? I think you take after me more than you think you do!"

"What do you mean?"

Izzy pulled her into a hug and gently kissed her cheek. "You'll find out eventually. Just promise me you'll never stop asking questions, alright?"

"Alright," Taniko replied, hugging him back and looking extremely confused.

_I almost wish Vademon would have had a chance to meet Taniko. She would have been more than a match for him!_

Izzy gazed proudly at his daughter for a moment before turning his attention back to the computer screen. "There's a room on the fifth floor next to the main staircase filled with glowing dots. Nine dots, to be exact."

"Nine dots representing nine crests," Ami said quietly.

Izzy nodded in agreement and frowned at the monitor. "The main staircase leads all the way to the top floor of the castle, but I don't want Dai and the others getting anywhere near it because Vampiramon's probably posted tons of guards on every single landing. There's no way she would have left any of the castle's seven floors unguarded. "It'll be easier for Davis, T.K., Ken, and the kids to fight or sneak around the digimon guarding the back staircases because the back ones aren't out in the open like the main staircase, and the narrow corridors will prevent any of Vampiramon's servants from ambushing them before they have a chance to turn the situation around to their advantage."

"Bad guys never like to play by the rules," Rina said solemnly.

"What about Gennai?" Noah asked hesitantly.

Izzy sighed and placed a hand on the dark-haired boy's shoulder. "There's only one place he could be. Vampiramon must have thrown him in the dungeons which are located underground. I wish we knew where Leomon was. I'm glad Agumon and the others are helping them, but I'm still worried."

"What if Leomon and the others show up and accidentally end up ruining T.K.'s plan to sneak into the castle?" Ami gasped.

"They won't. Actually a diversion would help more than hinder us right now."

"Dad, I know that look on your face. What's wrong?" Taniko demanded, her eyebrows narrowing into a frown.

Izzy wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders and managed a weak smile. "If Leomon doesn't show up soon, Dai and the others might have to rescue Gennai as well as the crests. I'll tell you one thing. If they do run into Gennai on their way through the castle they'd better make sure he comes with them. I really don't want to have to lead them all the way to the dungeons."

"I guess everything will depend on whether or not Leomon shows up and they can find the crests before Vampiramon realizes what's going on," Ema grumbled. "They won't be able to rescue Gennai if they get caught."

"Shouldn't they rescue Gennai first?" Ami asked slowly. "He's more important than any crests."

"Not according to Centaurumon!" Taysuke laughed.

Izzy gave Dai's sister a reassuring smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, Ami, Gennai would never forgive us if we didn't rescue the crests first!"

"He's right, you know," Mimi said cheerfully, wrapping her arms around Ami in a tight squeeze. "Gennai has always been a little bit wacky. I wouldn't worry about him too much, if I were you. He knows how to take care of himself. Besides, Vampiramon and the others won't hurt him."

"Why not?" Nao asked shyly.

Izzy stared at Mimi in surprise and started to laugh. "Because they need Gennai just as much as we do! I can't believe I never even thought of that!"

"You're too smart for your own good sometimes," Mimi sniffed.

"This is just like old times!" Kari laughed.

"I know. We're saving the world, Tai and the rest of our leaders are giving orders, and Izzy's running the whole operation. Good times," Mimi said happily.

Izzy crossed his arms and gave the rosy-haired Digidestined a stern look. "I haven't finished explaining my plan, you know."

"Oh, sorry. Go ahead."

Izzy suppressed a sigh and waved his hand at the computer screen. "Like I said before, the computer can pick up the signals coming from the Digivices, and it can also pick up the signals coming from the crests. After all, the computers are linked to both worlds, and that's why we can use them as a convenient way to travel to the Digital World. They can also pick up digital information from the Digiworld like the signals coming from the crests and Digivices. The crests have appeared on the map of Vampiramon's castle, and the Digivices have appeared on my map of the Digital World. Once Dai and the others enter the castle, the dots representing their Digivices will show us exactly where they are in relation to the crests. All we have to do is watch them move through the castle and guide them in the right direction. We'll always know where they are at all times."

"It's like we're right with them," Kari said softly.

"Um...Izzy? Why are the D-Coders and Davis' D-3 responding to the crests?" Miya asked curiously.

Izzy shrugged and gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm not sure, but I'll do my best to come up with some sort of an explanation. Besides, like T.K. said, how can we be sure the other Digivices are responding to something in the castle? Whatever they're reacting to could be outside of Vampiramon's base."

_I wonder if...unless..._

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ema demanded, raising her voice to get everyone's attention. "Come on, Izzy, let's put your plan into action. We've got some crests to find!"


	93. In Enemy Territory

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: It's like a light bulb clicked on over my head or something because I've just had huge inspiration for this fic. You'll see what I mean as the story continues!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 93: In Enemy Territory

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Excuse me, guys, but shouldn't we wait for some instructions from Izzy first?" Takara said dryly.

Daichi Motomiya came to an abrupt stop and grinned sheepishly at his female friend. "You're right. Hey, T.K., has Izzy sent you an e-mail yet?"

"Not yet, but he will as soon as he comes up with a plan. Sorry, Kara. I guess I was getting a little ahead of myself, wasn't I."

"That's okay. We're all a little excited, and a little nervous, too, I think." Takara laughed.

_Including me._

Daichi smiled at his own eagerness to get inside the castle and glanced over Mickey's shoulder at the D-Terminal in T.K.'s hands. "Well, what's he waiting for? I thought he was supposed to be a genius. Shouldn't he have come up with a plan by now?"

"Even geniuses need a little time to think," Ken replied, a faint smile slipping across his handsome face.

Dai rolled his eyes and was about to come up with a creative retort when T.K.'s D-Terminal suddenly let off a loud beep. "Don't those things ever shut up?"

"Don't worry, Dai, the guards are too far away from us to be able to hear anything," T.K. said, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's an e-mail from Izzy." The e-mail said:

_T.K.,_

_Brilliant idea! I couldn't have thought of a better one myself! Now listen closely. I've got the image of the castle on my screen. I'm positive the crests can be found on the fifth floor in a room next to the main staircase. It's going to be dangerous, and that's why I'm going to use the shortest route possible to get you guys there. Make sure you avoid the guards as much as you can. If they do spot you, you're going to have to get rid of them before they can let Vampiramon know you've gotten inside the castle. Don't worry, I've already got an escape plan ready in case things don't work out. Hopefully you won't have to use it! We'll be watching over you at all times so just follow my lead. I'm glad Tentomon and the other digimon have joined up with Leomon and the others, but I'm still worried. I, too, have no idea why they haven't shown up yet. If they don't come soon you guys will have to rescue Gennai, but we'll worry about that after we've found the crests. He's probably in the dungeons, but if you do see him make sure he goes with you even if you have to tie him up and drag him along by the back of his robe! Good luck, and whatever you do, please be careful!_

_Izzy_

_P.S. You were great, Matty!_

"You heard the genius, let's get moving!" Matty joked.

"Good job, Matty. Izzy doesn't get impressed very often!" T.K. laughed, gazing proudly at his son.

Matty blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "It was just an idea."

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Ryoko snorted.

Dai elbowed the golden-haired Digidestined in the ribs and frowned at the castle. "We still have to figure out how we're going to distract the guards long enough to get inside."

"That's the easy part," Luciamon said confidently. "Hey, Ibismon, do you mind helping us out a little bit?"

Ibismon smiled at the female angel and shook her head. "Not at all. What do you want me to do?"

"First we have to get closer to the castle, and then I'll let you know. Come on, guys, follow me."

Dai quickly joined his father and Takara at the front of the group, and Luciamon gave them a reassuring smile. "Stay close to me. We'll have to be careful. Vampiramon probably has guards watching for anything suspicious."

Dai and the others stuck close to the edge of the forest and slowly made their way towards the castle. The trees ended about fifty feet away from the Vilemon who were patrolling the left wall, and as a result they had a perfect place to hide while they studied their surroundings.

"What have we gotten ourselves in to?" Takara muttered, gazing nervously at the castle.

Dai hesitated and slowly took her hand. "It's okay. I won't let anything happen to you or any of our other friends."

"I know, and I'll do the same for you, okay?"

"Sounds good to me."

Takara blushed and gently squeezed his hand. "I'm worried about Leomon and the others. Where could they be?"

_I wish I knew. If only Agumon could have found a way to contact us and let us know what's going on. Kara looks about as scared as I feel. If only there was something I could do to make her feel better..._

"Do you think they're okay?"

Dai wrapped his arms around his female friend and rested his cheek against her shiny hair. "I'm sure they're fine, and don't worry about Gennai. He won't get left behind. You heard what Izzy said. Someone will rescue our elusive friend."

Takara slipped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him. "Thanks, Dai. I feel much better now."

Dai nodded and held her tightly in his arms. He knew he should probably let go of her, but since she did not make any objections regarding his close proximity he chose to remain exactly where he was. He liked being able to hug her. It felt...nice.

"I think Kara needs rescuing more than Gennai does!"

Dai jumped at the sound of his father's voice and felt his face turn red. "Dad!"

"What?" his father asked innocently.

Dai glared at the former Digidestined leader and quickly pulled away from his female friend. "Will you please stop embarrassing me all the time?"

"That's what parents are for, Dai!"

Dai sent his father a dirty look and glanced anxiously at Takara, but surprisingly she did not look the least bit upset. In fact, the expression on her face was filled with surprise, and there was a faint blush on her cheeks.

_Thanks a lot, Dad! She's probably never going to want to come anywhere near me ever again! Unless..._

"Now what?" Alopemon asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Dai frowned and pointed at the little imp-like digimon. "Who are they exactly? Luciamon called them Vilemon."

"She's right, they are Vilemon," T.K. replied. "They're champion level virus type digimon. They may be small, but appearances can be deceiving. Trust me, they're a lot tougher than they look."

"I bet we could beat them easily," Dragermon muttered.

"You heard what Izzy said. We have to be as inconspicuous as possible," Sam said sternly, shaking his finger at the large dragon digimon.

"Fine, but that doesn't mean we have to like it," ExVeemon grumbled.

"Besides, I told you guys already, we don't have to fight in order to get inside," Luciamon giggled. "Ibismon, do you see that large cliff hanging slightly over the castle?"

"Obviously. How can anyone miss it? It's huge!"

"Well, if you can hit it with one of your attacks it might cause a big enough distraction for us to get past the guards. What do you think? You have a lot of green on you so the trees will hide you from view. Am I brilliant, or what? Oh, and, Dragermon, you'd better turn back into your rookie form. You're too big. One of the guards will definitely spot you if you go flying towards the castle in plain sight. Besides, there's no way you'll be able to fit through the weak point in your current form."

Dai nodded in agreement and smiled at Ibismon. "Are you ready?"

Ibismon fluttered her wings and winked at him. "I'm always ready."

"Be careful," Takara whispered.

Ibismon crouched behind a large clump of bushes and waited in silence. As soon as the Vilemon were looking the other way, she leaped into the air and sent her green blast flying into the cliffside. At first nothing happened, but then a shower of rocks began to rain down on the left-hand side of the castle. The Vilemon went flying in all directions trying desperately to avoid getting hit on their heads by large boulders.

"Now!" Luciamon whispered.

Dai burst out of the forest and sprinted towards the castle as fast as his legs could carry him. He reached the stone wall a split second before the others, and Luciamon stumbled into him. "The weak point is right here," the female angel whispered, pointing at a rock on the ground.

"Alright, everyone inside." Without hesitation Dai ran straight through the wall and almost tripped in surprise at how easily he had been able to enter the castle. The others quickly appeared behind him, and a sudden shout coming from outside made them freeze in their tracks. It was one of the two dinosaur digimon, and his voice sounded like it was coming from the spot where they had been standing less than a minute ago.

"What are you fools doing over here?"

Dai glanced at the weak point and jumped in surprise when he realized he could actually see the dinosaur digimon and a group of Vilemon standing less than a foot away from him, but for some reason the dark digimon could not see him or his friends.

_Weird._

"I think it has something to do with our Digivices," T.K. whispered, as if reading his mind. "Those Gazimon couldn't see Tai twenty-nine years ago either, and yet we could see them."

"There was another rock slide," one of the Vilemon complained. "This place is dangerous. How many times do I have to say it? One of these days we're all going to be buried alive!"

"Who builds a castle in a deep valley beneath a cliff anyways?" a second Vilemon muttered.

The first Vilemon nodded in agreement and made a face. "I don't know why the boss didn't pick a safer place to carry out his evil plans!"

The dinosaur digimon merely grunted and stomped back to the front of the castle to maintain watch.

Dai let out a sigh of relief and tugged on Luciamon's right wing. "They've had rock slides here before?"

"Of course. That's why I chose to use a rock slide as a way to get inside the castle. I knew they would never suspect anything out of the ordinary."

"Good idea," Palmon said enthusiastically.

"That was still a little too close for comfort," Mickey mumbled, gazing nervously down the narrow corridor. "Let's hurry up and find the crests. The less time we spend in here, the better."

Another e-mail suddenly popped up on T.K.'s D-Terminal, and Dai took a quick look at it. It said:

_T.K.,_

_Great, you guys are in! I'm not even going to ask how you managed it. Step one has gone off without a hitch, and that means it's time for step two. The next weak point will lead you to a set of stairs you have to ascend in order to reach the second floor. All you have to do is keep heading down the hallway you're currently in until you reach a dead end. Then I want you to turn left and make another left as soon as you've gone about twenty feet down the next hallway. It will also lead you to a dead end. That's the weak point which leads to the stairs. You'd better get moving. We have no idea what Vampiramon's master is capable of, and that worries me. Remember, keep your eyes open and pay attention to what's going on around you._

_Izzy_

Dai took a deep breath and slowly lifted his chin. "Alright, guys, let's get this over with."

_Spritemon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Spritemon was about to tell DarkAngelicmon she did not think SkullSatamon was a suitable guard for Gennai when a faint rumbling noise caught her attention. She was standing in the dungeons next to the fallen angel, and the sound made her glance warily at the ceiling. "What was that?"

DarkAngelicmon leaned against the bars of Gennai's cell and shrugged his shoulders. "Probably another rock slide. We do seem to have a lot of them, don't we? I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"It'd better not be. Luciamon should be getting here soon, right?"

"I guess that depends on how long they've been sitting around talking. Now what in the name of Hades has got you so bent out of shape this time?"

Spritemon crossed her arms and glared at him. "SkullSatamon! He's a useless digimon! The Digidestined would flatten him if they showed up right now and made an attempt to rescue Gennai! He's also lazy. I've seen him sleeping on the job when he's supposed to be watching our prisoner. If you ask me, I'd say we're lucky Gennai hasn't escaped already!"

"Hey!" SkullSatamon growled, jumping angrily to his feet.

DarkAngelicmon placed a restraining hand on the digimon's shoulder and glanced casually at Devidramon. The large, winged digimon was watching them all warily, and there was an angry expression on his face.

"The Digidestined aren't going to be getting anywhere near Gennai. Luciamon's bringing them directly to me, remember?"

"Maybe, but what if our little friend here trys to escape? You need decent guards to keep an eye on him."

"SkullSatamon and Devidramon will do well enough, I think. Come, Spritemon, we have to prepare ourselves for Luciamon's arrival. You don't want to miss all the fun, do you?"

Spritemon reluctantly took the arm he offered her and frowned at the man sitting quietly in his cell.

Gennai had not said a word through the whole exchange, but there was a strange glint in his eyes, and she could have sworn she saw a small smile slip across his face before quickly disappearing.

_What's he so happy about, and why do I have a feeling he knows something we don't? Impossible. I'm getting as jumpy as a Digidestined! What would Vampiramon say if she knew?_

Spritemon winced at the thought and quickly dragged DarkAngelicmon out of the dungeons. The fallen angel looked surprised, but she pretended not to notice. She could not explain it, but for some reason she had an uneasy feeling something was going to go wrong, and being around Gennai had only made her wonder even more if things were going to go as well as DarkAngelicmon seemed to think they would.

_I hope they do because if they don't someone's going to have to explain what went wrong to our master..._


	94. Her Master's Army

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter with a new POV! Just a little note about my story Trinity, I've started the next chapter, but it's not done yet, and I'm not sure when it's going to be updated. I might have to postpone it for a little bit because I'm working some crazy hours over the next couple of weeks, so I may only get up one update a week for a while. They'll probably be for FTFOD. I haven't given up on Trinity, and I will get back to it as soon as I can.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 94: Her Master's Army

_Ami Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ami Motomiya glanced nervously at her best friend, but Miya was gazing at the computer screen, and as a result the raven-haired girl did not notice the expression on her face. The two of them were clinging tightly to each other, and although the contact was somewhat comforting, it did nothing to ease the fear in her heart.

_I hope our little brothers are alright. I know I haven't always been nice to Dai, but if anything ever happened to him..._

"Look, Izzy! T.K. just sent you another email!" Noah said, tugging on the computer expert's arm to get his attention. "You'd better check and see what it says."

Ami waited anxiously for Izzy to pull the message up on the screen and let out a sigh of relief when she read the words T.K. had written. The message said:

_You were right, Izzy!_

_The crests are definitely in here, and you must be right about their location, as well. The light coming from my D-3 has intensified, and I'm sure it happened as soon as we entered the castle. Ken's D-3 is also glowing brighter, and the same goes for Davis and the kids, though once again their Digivices aren't glowing as strongly as mine or Ken's. Do you think maybe their Digivices could be reacting to the crests, as well? You never answered my question earlier. I don't know how that's possible, but it's the only explanation that makes sense. Let me know what you think. By the way, Luciamon came up with the idea of a rock slide to get us into the castle. Why didn't you come up with a brilliant plan to get us inside? Are you losing your touch? (I'm kidding! Really, I am!) They've had rock slides here before so none of the guards noticed anything out of the ordinary. We're on our way to the next weak point._

_T.K._

"Dad, you're not really losing your touch, are you?" Taniko grinned.

Izzy sent the offending email a dirty look and crossed his arms. "Of course not! I just...forgot they needed a diversion in order to get inside."

"Right," Ema snorted.

They watched the little coloured dots begin to move down the hallway, and Ami frowned. _I hope Dai and Ryoko are getting along._

Unlike her darling little brother, she was quite fond of Ryoko. He could be very sweet when he wanted to be, and his smile made her feel weak in the knees. In fact, she was starting to wonder if maybe she did have feelings for the golden-haired Digidestined, after all. Miya certainly seemed to think she did, and she was pretty sure her cousin Noah thought so, as well, but she would die of embarrassment if her brother and Ema ever found out.

_Then again, I think Dai might be hiding his own secret about Ryoko._

Dai was constantly griping about the golden-haired Digidestined, but she was pretty sure his attitude towards the blond was just an act. She had seen the way he would glance at Ryoko when he thought the golden-haired Digidestined wasn't looking, and the expression on his face was always sad and filled with regret. Obviously it bothered him that his friendship with Ryoko was anything but solid, but as usual he was too stubborn to admit it.

_What Dai really needs is _two_ best friends, not just one, and I don't think there's anyone out there other than Ryoko who would be suitable enough to stand next to Matty in that position. I know my brother, and I know he's not satisfied. As much as he cares about Matty, I know that's not enough for Dai. Not because there's anything wrong with Matty, he's a great friend to Dai, it's because Dai's the type of person who recognizes that best friends have to be people who are special, and sometimes there can be more than one person who fits that description. Best friends can't be just anyone, nor does it mean you have to settle for one. Both Matty and Ryoko are important because they both offer something unique to Dai, which the other may not be able to offer. There's just one difference between Matty and Ryoko. Matty has always had Mickey by his side, but Ryoko hasn't had anyone, and I think that's why Matty hasn't outright objected to the idea of Ryoko and Dai becoming closer friends. At the moment it looks like he's willing to step aside and do his best to help his cousin. He recognizes the powerful connection that Dai and Ryoko seem to share. At least...I hope he does. Ryoko needs Dai every bit as much as Matty, and Dai...he needs both of them.  
_

She knew what it felt like to have the perfect best friend, and she wanted her little brother to know what it felt like, too. Only in Dai's case, she wanted him to share the experience with more than just one person, making it that much more special.

"Are you okay?" Miya whispered in her ear.

Ami suddenly realized her best friend had been watching her closely, and she gave the other girl a tight hug. "I'm fine, Miya, but thanks for asking."

"No problem. Are you worried about Dai just as much as I'm worried about Sam?"

"Yes, but at least you have Noah here to comfort you. I'm not so lucky."

Miya blushed and let out a sigh of relief when Noah did not look in their direction. "Well, I'm sure Ryoko would love to comfort you if he was here!"

"Miya!"

"You really like him, don't you?"

Ami hid her face against her friend's shoulder and shrugged. "I guess so. There, I said it. Now when are you going to admit you like my cousin?"

"Oh, alright! I do like him, but obviously he cares about Shina more than he cares about me!"

"No, he doesn't, but you'll find that out soon enough."

Miya's mouth fell open, but Ami quickly turned her attention back to the computer screen before her friend could respond. Although she would never admit it to anyone, she wanted Dai and Ryoko to become friends because her brother was a good judge of character, and she did not think she wanted to fall for someone he truly despised.

"I hope Sam's okay," Nao said quietly, his small arms going around his mother's waist.

Rina patted her friend's shoulder and beamed at him. "He's fine, Nao, and so are Mickey and Matty."

"What if they get caught?" Yolei moaned.

"They won't," Kari said firmly. "Right, Izzy?"

Izzy gave her an encouraging smile and nodded. "They'll be okay. They have my help, remember?"

"Just...be careful, Dad," Taniko said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

Taniko frowned and shook her head. "I don't know, but...something doesn't feel right."

Ami stared at the younger girl and slowly nodded in agreement. She, too, had a horrible feeling Dai and the others weren't going to make it to the crests without something terrible happening, and that was why she was very glad her dad had gone with them to help out.

_Leomon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Leomon, do you think Vampiramon and the others realize we're here?"

Leomon glanced over his right shoulder and spotted Andromon standing behind him. The android digimon looked worried, and he kept glancing at Benjamin and the others as if making sure they were ready for battle.

_It might come to that if we can't find a way to get past Vampiramon and her welcoming committee._

He turned to look back at the clearing where Vampiramon and her gang of evil digimon were setting up camp, and his fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. "I do not think they've discovered where we've been hiding yet, but they know we're close by. That's why they've chosen to stand watch here in the forest. I am by no means sure, but I do not think they will try to attack us unless we try to get past them."

"Well that's comforting," Ogremon said sarcastically. The virus digimon had come up behind Andromon with a smirk on his face, and the look he directed at the clearing was filled with disgust. "How much do you want to bet they know the Digidestined are on their way to get the crests back?"

"Probably," Ilya sighed, jumping to his feet and tugging impatiently on his robes. "It's a good thing Agumon and the others were able to find us and let us know."

"You're welcome!" Gomamon said cheerfully.

"Where's Whamon?" Andromon asked.

"He's waiting for us back at the shore in case we need to make an escape."

"Good idea."

Leomon's gaze came to rest on Vampiramon, and he glared at the mega level digimon. He, along with Benjamin and the others, had travelled all over the Eastern Hemisphere in hopes of finding out where Vampiramon and her buddies were hiding. Thier search had eventually led them to the Western Hemisphere, and Whamon's message from Izzy had only proved what they had already come to believe with the help of information from other digimon. Like the Digidestined, there had been digimon on File Island who had also seen Vampiramon and the others heading west. They, like the Digidestined, had been right. Vampiramon and the others were hiding out on Cyber. Many of the digimon in the Western Hemisphere had gone into hiding, as well, and with the help of some of those digimon, whom they had stumbled upon in the forest, they had discovered that Vampiramon's master was using an old castle as a fort. Luckily Veemon had informed Agumon about the Digidestined's discovery concerning Vampiramon before the two had parted, and that was why they knew Dai and the others had seen Spritemon and the vampire digimon heading west. "Agumon, do the Digidestined know about Vampiramon's base?"

Agumon came up beside him and managed a weak smile. "No, and we have no way of letting them know either. Vampiramon and the others will spot us for sure if we try to leave the forest."

"That's why we can't go running back to Whamon unless it's absolutely necessary," Gatomon confirmed. "T.K. and the others didn't know anything about the fort when we talked to them earlier, but that doesn't mean they don't know now. I wouldn't worry about them, Leomon, if I were you. They're not a bunch of scared little kittens who are going to run at the first sign of danger. You know that better than anyone else, my friend."

Leomon smiled slightly and nodded. "Indeed I do, Gatomon, and that includes Daichi Motomiya and the rest of the new Digidestined. They have proven they're capable of saving the Digital World."

"If you want to know the truth, I think Davis and the others have a better chance of finding the crests and Gennai than we do!" Hawkmon sniffed. "T.K.'s and Ken's D-3s will respond to their crests and lead them directly to the castle, if indeed that's where they're hidden. Gennai is most likely stowed away in the castle, as well, which means they're further ahead than we are."

"You're right!" Tentomon gasped, fluttering into the air and taking a good look at Vampiramon's campsite. "I hadn't even thought of that. I guess we don't have to worry about them after all."

"Are you kidding me? I think that means we have to worry even more!" Biyomon muttered.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about them not knowing where to go."

Benjamin and his counterparts slowly came forward, and they smiled at Biyomon.

"Daichi and his friends will succeed," Benjamin said softly, leaning down and gently placing his hand on the bird digimon's head.

Jackie nodded in agreement and smiled slightly. "Leomon was the one who taught us that."

"They might be able to succeed, but what about us?" Ogremon demanded. "If anyone has come up with a way to get past Vampiramon and her gang of rough looking digimon, I'd like to hear it."

Leomon placed a hand on his friend's green shoulder and frowned at Vampiramon's campsite. The vampire digimon, along with her buddies she had called Jestermon and BlackWidowmon, were currently ordering their flunkies around and trying to set up a watch. He wasn't sure how long they had been in the forest, but they could not have been there too long because they were still trying to get organized. Unfortunately he had no way of knowing for sure because he had only stumbled upon them several minutes ago, just after he had found out about their castle from the digimon native to Cyber. That was why they had not had a chance to warn the Digidestined about the fort.

"What's that?" Centarumon asked, pointing to a makeshift tent located at the edge of the clearing furthest away from them. The tent flaps rustled slightly in the breeze, and the entrance was heavily guarded by a group of dangerous looking digimon. Their leader appeared to be a Persiamon who was flirting outrageously with a digimon named Phelesmon. The male digimon was clearly her second-in-command and appeared to be enjoying her attention.

"They're waiting for us," Hogan murmured, his hand tightening on Jose's arm. "They know we're in the forest, and they're going to do everything they can to stop us from reaching Gennai, their fort, and the Digidestined."

"I don't think that tent is empty," Penguinmon said, glancing nervously around Benjamin's leg for a better view.

Leomon glanced at the tent again and felt a shiver race down his spine. Judging by the numerous digimon who were guarding the black structure, he was pretty sure they had just come face to face with Vampiramon's master.


	95. A Little Piece of Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Part of the next chapter is actually going to be in Luciamon's POV!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 95: A little Piece of Hope

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ryoko slowly followed the others down the long corridor and glanced nervously over his shoulder. The castle was damp and dark inside, and the air felt strangely cold. The only source of light came from the flickering torches hanging from the walls on both sides of the narrow hallway, and the dim pools of light on the stone floor created a ghostly atmosphere within the large, almost menacing, structure. In fact, it was so cold he could actually see his breath.

"Can you guys believe Vampiramon and the others are actually keeping Gennai in a place like this?" Takara whispered, wrinkling her nose. "Poor guy."

Ryoko shifted closer to his digimon and made a face. "I can believe it. Why is it so cold in here?"

"Darkness," Ken murmured, his deep blue eyes darting frantically around the corridor. "This place is filled with darkness."

"What?" Mickey squeaked.

Ken lowered his eyes to the ground and did not respond.

"Can't you feel it, Mickey?" Matty gasped, clinging tightly to his twin's arm. "There's evil all around us. We'd better hurry up and find the crests before it swallows us whole."

"Matty! Will you please not say things like that?" the older twin wailed.

"Er...sorry. I'll shut up now."

Ryoko rolled his eyes at the younger twin and glanced anxiously at his uncle. T.K. had a hand on Ken's shoulder, and the look on his face suggested he, too, could feel the darkness hovering around them.

"I can feel it," Sam moaned, his face turning a nasty shade of green. "Please, Mickey, tell me you can feel it, too."

"I...I can, Sam. It's...it's horrible!"

"Maybe we're just imagining it?" Matty asked hopefully.

"No," T.K. said sharply, "the darkness is very real. We must be careful."

Ryoko winced at his uncle's words and hurried over to join Dai at the front of the group. He could feel a heavy weight pressing down on his shoulders, but obviously the sensation was not as strong as what Mickey and the others were feeling. He was certainly not immune to darkness, but it did not seem to be affecting him as it did some of the others. Dai, as usual, did not appear to have been affected in the slightest. The look on his face suggested he could fight the Powers of Darkness without lifting a finger and probably win.

_I wonder why some of us are more vulnerable than others. Does it have something to do with our parents and things that might have happened to them in the past? Obviously some of our parents are feeling it, as well, but like Dai, Davis doesn't seem to be suffering too badly. Are we the way we are because of our parents? If that's the case then what could have happened to Ken to make him vulnerable to darkness, and what about my uncle? If only we knew more about the Dark Ocean..._

"This way!" Luciamon called out, moving silently down the hallway. They reached the dead end Izzy had mentioned earlier, and the female angel pointed towards the left-hand tunnel. "According to Izzy we go that way, right?"

"That's right," Palmon agreed.

Ryoko glanced nervously down the right-hand corridor, but fortunately it was empty. "This place is giving me the creeps."

"You're not the only one," Alopemon muttered. "Come on, guys, let's keep moving."

They were about to head down the left-hand hallway when they heard voices coming from the right.

"Everyone get back!" Davis whispered, pushing his son towards a deep alcove on the right-hand side of the corridor they were currently standing in.

Ryoko quickly flattened himself against the wall with the others, and a moment later two ghost digimon floated out of the right-hand hallway and hovered at the point where the three corridors connected.

"Bakemon!" Ken hissed, his dark eyebrows narrowing into a frown.

"I'll be glad when the Digidestined are gone," the first Bakemon grumbled. "I hate guard duty."

The second Bakemon nodded in agreement. "I'm sure the boss will get his hands on them soon. I'll tell you one thing, though, it'll be nice to get back to terrorizing all the digimon villages on File Island again."

"Now there's an idea I like! Come on, we'd better get to the East Tower before Spritemon has another excuse to yell at us."

The two digimon moved off down the left-hand corridor and quickly disappeared from sight. There was a moment of tense silence, and after a minute or two Dai managed to find his voice. "I knew it! This place is swarming with guards!"

"Any more close calls like that and we're going to get caught," Ibismon muttered.

Ryoko turned to look at Davis, and the former Digidestined leader managed a weak grin. "Those Bakemon are probably long gone by now. Let's keep moving, and stick together."

They started down the left-hand corridor, and to Ryoko's immense relief the Bakemon had indeed gone down one of the many hallways located on both sides of the wall. They dutifully walked the twenty feet Izzy had mentioned and found themselves facing another left-hand corridor.

"This is the place," Embermon whispered. "Let's move before we run into any more Bakemon."

They quickly hurried down the hallway and reached the dead end they had expected to see. Ryoko took one last look over his shoulder before slipping through the weak point and gasped when he found himself standing in a dark stairwell.

"Now we wait," Gabrielmon said quietly.

Almost immediately an e-mail popped up on T.K.'s D-Terminal, and Ryoko leaned around his uncle's arm to read it. It said:

_T.K.,_

_So far you guys are doing great. Alright, once you reach the top of the stairs I want you to go right. Follow the hallway until you reach a four way intersection and take the corridor on the left. Another weak point is located on the right about ten feet down the hallway. Step through it and you'll find yourselves standing in a stairwell that leads to the third floor. By the way, I know exactly where the crests are because their signals have appeared on my map of the castle along with the signals of your Digivices. (Obviously!) They're up there alright, and I'm going to make sure you guys reach them as soon as possible. Now, as for your question, I didn't respond earlier because I'm still trying to come up with an answer. You're right, you know. The fact that the other Digivices might be responding to the crests is the only explanation that makes sense. They obviously must be reacting to something in the castle because their light, although not as strong, has intensified, as well. It's a good theory, but I can't even begin to explain how it's possible. Maybe I am losing my touch! I think we'll let Gennai answer your question. He'll know. You guys had better keep going. Good luck!_

_Izzy_

_P.S. Ken, Yolei told me to tell you you'd better be watching Sam like a hawk!_

Izzy's comment brought a small smile to Ken's face, and Davis waved his hand towards the stairs. "You heard him, let's go. ExVeemon, you and Stingmon had better go up first."

They reached the top of the stairs, and Ryoko almost ran into Takara when the group suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

"What is it?" Angemon whispered.

Ryoko wriggled his way to the front of the group and clapped a hand over his mouth when he spotted a digimon standing only a foot away from Dai. She had her back turned towards them, and it was obvious she had been instructed to guard the stairwell. Unfortunately for her she had chosen the worst possible moment to let her guard down. He glanced at his D-Coder and realized it had already picked up the information he needed in order to figure out what they were up against. According to his Digivice, the digimon in front of them went by the name of Harpymon, and she was definitely the type of digimon he would prefer not to mess with.

Davis motioned for ExVeemon to get rid of her, and the reptile digimon slowly crept forward. There was only one problem. Ryoko had forgotten to cover his Digivice with his hand, and the blue light, mixed with green, shone faintly on the stone wall in front of Harpymon. The female digimon must have noticed it because she suddenly turned around, and ExVeemon had to clap a hand over her mouth to stop her from crying out. "A little help here, guys!"

Gabrielmon immediately leaped forward and shoved his glowing sceptre directly into her heart. There was a flash of blinding orange light and Harpymon disappeared into data.

"Oh, that was brutal!" Mickey moaned, covering his face with his hands.

Gabrielmon slipped his arms around his partner and hugged the older twin close. "I'm sorry, Mickey, but we had no choice."

"It's never easy being a Digidestined," T.K. said quietly, his hand coming to rest gently on Mickey's shoulder.

Matty nodded in agreement, and although he looked a bit uneasy, he managed a nervous smile and stubbornly refused to leave his brother's side.

"You don't think anyone saw the light coming from Gabrielmon's attack, do you?" Takara gasped, gazing anxiously down the stone corridor. It was empty.

Dai snorted and shook his head. "No. If anything Ishida was the one who almost gave us away!"

Ryoko felt his face turn red, and he quickly looked at the ground. Dai was right, for once, but there was no way he was going to admit it!

"We'd better get out of here and quick," Ken interrupted, gazing anxiously down the stairs. "Someone might have heard all the commotion, and I don't want to be standing here when they come to investigate."

"Me either!" Luciamon giggled. The angel digimon had not even blinked when Gabrielmon had destroyed Harpymon.

_Maybe she's used to seeing digimon get turned into data. After all, she does live in the Western Hemisphere, and I bet she's seen Vampiramon and her buddies hurting a lot of innocent digimon._

"I couldn't agree more. Let's go," Palmon whispered.

They turned right and quickly started down the hallway towards the four way intersection Izzy had mentioned. They made it there without encountering any evil digimon and turned left down the corridor that led to the weak point. Ryoko was the last one to step through the wall, and he had just entered the stairwell when he heard a voice coming from the hallway where he had been standing only a few seconds ago. He gazed in horror at the weak point and spotted a large, slimy looking digimon standing on the other side of the wall.

"That's a Raremon," Angemon informed them.

"That has got to be one of the ugliest digimon I've ever seen!" Takara muttered, wrinkling her nose. "He makes Ogremon look like you, Angemon!"

"And he doesn't exactly smell very good either," Angelicmon complained.

"Who's he talking to?" Embermon asked.

Another figure suddenly stepped into the torchlight, and Ryoko let out a gasp. "That digimon looks like Gatomon, but there's something different about her. She looks...evil..."

"My D-Coder says that's BlackGatomon. She's a champion level virus type digimon," Dai whispered.

T.K. nodded and glared silently at the cat digimon. "She becomes LadyDevimon."

_What? Is my uncle serious? But...if that's the case then does that mean LadyDevimon is an...angel? A...fallen angel?_

Mickey's mouth dropped open, and he stared at his father in horror. "Is...is she the same LadyDevimon Agumon and Veemon mentioned earlier?"

T.K. held both of his sons protectively against his chest and slowly shook his head. "I don't know, and I don't want to know."

"What do you think this is, break time?" BlackGatomon snapped, crossing her arms. "Don't just stand there like a big hunk of sewer sludge! Start patrolling your area! Honestly, sometimes I think I'm the only digimon who does any work around here!"

"Alright, I'm going," Raremon grumbled, moving off down the hallway and disappearing from sight.

BlackGatomon glared after him and turned up her nose. "I should report him to the master."

She bounded off down the hallway, muttering to herself, and once again the place was silent.

"That's one nasty kitty!" Luciamon snorted.

"No kidding," Dai whispered. "Come on, and be careful climbing the stairs. There might be another digimon waiting for us on the third floor."

"I hate this place!" Sam moaned, his whole body trembling with fear. "I want to go home."

Ken's whole face crumpled into a look of despair, and he pulled Sam into his arms. "I know, Sam. I don't like it here either, but we have to find the crests."

"No, Dad! I can't take it anymore! There's evil all around us, and it keeps trying to get inside me!"

"Sam, are you okay?" Glowmon cried, fluttering anxiously around his partner's head.

Sam buried his face against his father's chest and did not reply.

"What do you mean?" Takara squeaked, glancing at the stairs as if she expected to see some dark figure hovering over them.

Mickey sighed and gently placed his hand on Sam's shoulder. "The darkness around us has a life of its own. It keeps pressing closer, as if it's trying to get inside our hearts. It's hard to explain, but I think I finally know exactly what Agumon and the others meant by the 'Powers of Darkness'."

"How come you're not as scared as Sam is?" Dai asked curiously.

Mickey pressed Angemon's feather against his heart and smiled up at his father. "Sam was right, you know. The darkness can't harm me or Matty if I don't let it."

"And the same goes for Sam, as well," Angemon said quietly.

T.K. did not bother to respond. He just beamed at his son and gave the darkness around them a triumphant smile.

Matty suddenly scrambled forward and threw his arms around his brother's neck. He buried his face against the older twin's shoulder and let out a soft sigh. "Mickey, I wish I could be more like you."

Mickey jumped, clearly startled by his brother's strange behaviour, and shrugged his shoulders. His face had turned a bright pink, and the look he gave Matty was filled with surprise.

"Sam, I know you're scared, but you have to be quiet otherwise we'll get caught," Ken whispered softly to his son.

"If I can do it then so can you," Mickey said quietly in his friend's ear.

Sam let out a whimper and did not reply.

_Poor Sam. What are we going to do? He won't even listen to Mickey, and Mickey's the one person in our group everybody listens to! Even Matty listens to his brother...most of the time._

Ryoko certainly felt proud to have Mickey for a cousin. The older twin was one of the few people who could see past his cold exterior. He had seen his uncle give Mickey Angemon's feather, and for some reason that simple gesture seemed to have boosted the older twin's spirits more than anything else had so far.

"Are you guys sure you don't want to split up?" Luciamon asked hesitantly. "Some of us could head to the dungeons and get Gennai, and the rest of us could-"

"No," Davis interrupted, his dark eyes narrowing into a frown. "We're staying together, and that's final."

Luciamon gazed angrily at the former leader, but the frustration in her pale blue eyes quickly faded before Ryoko had a chance to figure out if he had just seen what he thought he had seen, and she smiled. "Alright. Well, what are you guys waiting for? Let's get to the third floor before someone spots us."

Ryoko watched the female angel flutter up the stairs, and an icy shiver raced down his spine. For some reason Luciamon kept insisting they split up, and he had no idea why.

_Did I really just see what I thought I saw? Why would Luciamon want us to get separated, and why do I suddenly have the feeling she's hiding something from us?_

He did not know why he felt so uneasy, but all of a sudden the darkness seemed to press even closer to him, and he placed a hand over his heart in an effort to keep the evil he felt from trying to enter his soul.


	96. Kari's Light Divided

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter...with a twist! Just a little note. I've started a Digimon forum on this site and it does have an FTFOD section. If you have any questions or want to know something (or complain!) feel free to post me a question. That way I'll be able to keep track of them. I'll be posting a lot of FTFOD news (and hints!) there. It's called Digital Connections. (named after a chapter in this story.) There are other topics on it, as well, so feel free to start one of your own. Thanks!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 96: Kari's Light Divided

_Luciamon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Luciamon landed gracefully at the top of the stairs, and her golden eyebrows narrowed into a frown. _Why isn't there a guard patrolling this area? I thought DarkAngelicmon wanted to make sure the Digidestined couldn't escape once I got them into the castle. Unless..._

A sudden shiver raced down her spine, and she glanced nervously over her shoulder at Mickey and the rest of the Digidestined. The group of humans and their digimon partners had made it to the top of the stairs without any problems, but the fact that they had climbed three floors without getting caught did nothing to ease the fear in their eyes.

_What if DarkAngelicmon has somehow figured out the truth?_

She quickly dismissed that thought with a shake of her head and managed a weak smile.

_There's no way he could possibly know unless I've somehow given myself away, but I know I haven't. The only digimon who knows the truth about me is Lucemon, and he certainly wouldn't have said anything. After all, he wants to help DarkAngelicmon, too._

She knew she had to do something in order to prevent the fallen angel from suffering a terrible fate, but in order for that to happen she needed to keep the only two people who could save him alive long enough to help him find his way back to the light.

_Don't worry, my fallen friend, I will find a way to save you yet._

For the first time since the day Daemon had been defeated by DarkAngelicmon's army, she finally had hope. After all, the two people who could save the fallen angel were standing right behind her.

"Dad, has Izzy sent you another e-mail yet?" Mickey asked, glancing nervously down the corridor. It was completely deserted.

T.K. frowned at his D-Terminal and smiled when it let off a sudden beep. "Izzy must have read your mind, Mickey. He's just sent me some instructions for a weak point that will lead us to the fourth floor."

Luciamon hovered nervously next to the golden-haired Digidestined and studied the words Izzy had written. The e-mail said:

_T.K.,_

_You guys are almost there! The next weak point is located about forty feet down the corridor you're currently standing in. It's on the right-hand side of the wall, and it leads directly to a staircase that will take you to the fourth floor. Just keep doing what you're doing and don't get caught. Not now when you're so close!_

_Izzy_

"You'd think after all these years Izzy would've finally learned to trust me," Davis muttered, giving T.K.'s D-Terminal a dirty look.

Ryoko raised his golden eyebrows and smiled in amusement. "How do you know that comment was intended for you?"

"It was, trust me."

Luciamon glared at Davis and let out a frustrated sigh. She admired the former leader's strength and courage, but his stubborn refusal to allow them to split up made her want to hit him over the head with something. He was ruining her plans, and if she did not find a way to convince at least some of the Digidestined to rescue Gennai then all of them would walk right into DarkAngelicmon's trap, and that would make it difficult for her to get them all out of the castle in one piece.

_There's no way I'll be able to convince Ryoko to lead a few of his friends down to the dungeons, but maybe Dai will listen to what I have to say. He seemed a lot more open to the idea of splitting up than either Ryoko or Davis. If he doesn't listen to me then I'm going to have to change my plans, and quick._

DarkAngelicmon had wanted her to lead the Digidestined directly to the room with the crests, and she was supposed to have accomplished that by using the North Tower as a way to get inside the castle. Several caves had been dug into the cliffside, and one of them was actually a tunnel that ran the length of the valley. The entrance was located at the edge of the forest, and the exit stood only about three feet away from the right-hand side of the castle. In fact, the opening of the cave was located directly across from the door that led to the North Tower. DarkAngelicmon had chosen two useless digimon to guard that particular door because she was supposed to have instructed the Digidestined to destroy them. According to the fallen angel, useless digimon were expendable, and that was why he had not hesitated to use a couple of them in his evil plan to capture the Digidestined. None of the guards knew what was going on because DarkAngelicmon had not wanted one of them to let something slip and cause the Digidestined to become suspicious. The only digimon who knew the truth, other than DarkAngelicmon and herself, was Ivymon. Ivymon was a poison plant digimon with long, white hair, green skin, and blue eyes. Her outfit was made up of green leaves and white berries, and her arms and legs ended in roots instead of actual hands and feet. DarkAngelicmon had ordered the plant digimon to hide on the balcony overlooking the North Tower door, and from there she was supposed to watch the cave. Luciamon's job had been to raise her right hand as soon as she had defeated the two guards with help from the Digidestined. Her raised arm was the signal they had all agreed on as a way to let Ivymon know she was to alert DarkAngelicmon of the Digidestined's arrival. By that time the fallen angel's misty screen would have stopped working, and that was why he had had to come up with a detailed plan to get the Digidestined into the castle. He had anticipated what would happen to the screen ahead of time, and as a result he had had to come up with another way to make sure he knew where the Digidestined were at all times. From there they had worked out a path to the crest room while avoiding as many guards as possible. Spritemon, of course, did not know about Ivymon or the more important details of DarkAngelicmon's plan to sneak the Digidestined into the castle. She only knew the Digidestined were supposed to be delivered into the fallen angel's hands.

That had been the original plan, but she had plans of her own. DarkAngelicmon did not know about the weak points, and that was why she had used them as a way to get the Digidestined into the castle. She had discovered the first one purely by accident and had kept it in mind ever since. She had seen a lot of digimon die, but she would not let the same thing happen to the Digidestined. She wanted to explain to them why they needed to split up, but she could not do that because she could not risk having DarkAngelicmon find out what she was really up to. Lucemon knew all about her plan, but at the moment there was no way he could help her. He had gone to Server in order to contact Azulongmon, and she was very much alone.

_What am I going to do?_

The only thing she could do now was make sure the Digidestined got to the room with the crests before DarkAngelicmon did. After all, she had the element of surprise in her favour, and that might be the one thing she could use to help the Digidestined steal the crests and escape from DarkAngelicmon before he could capture them, but unfortunately that did not solve her problem concerning Gennai.

_If only there was a way I could convince Dai to help me..._

"Why isn't there a guard here?" ExVeemon asked, frowning in confusion.

Luciamon huddled behind Sam and anxiously fluttered her wings. "I don't know. Let's keep going. This place is starting to give me the creeps, too."

Sam let out a small whimper, and Luciamon gently squeezed his hand. She knew how he felt, but they had no choice but to keep moving. The crests had to be saved, and so did Gennai.

_Don't worry, Sam. One day you will find out the truth, and when you do I know you'll be able to forgive your father. I promise I won't let DarkAngelicmon hurt you before your dad has a chance to tell you what really happened._

He had to forgive his father otherwise the Digital World would fall into ruin and all hope would be lost. The Digidestined had to stand united otherwise they were doomed to fail.

_They can't fail. If they do, DarkAngelicmon will be lost forever._

"Hurry," Sam moaned. "Something about this corridor feels...wrong..."

Luciamon brushed her golden hair out of her eyes and motioned for the others to follow her, but all of a sudden some of the torches started flickering, and she felt her blood turn to ice. The corridor was still empty, but for some reason she suddenly had a feeling they were not alone anymore, but before she could say anything all of the torches died, and she found herself surrounded by darkness.

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ryoko let out a loud gasp, and before he could stop himself he grabbed onto Dai's arm and clung tightly to the goggle-headed leader's shirt. "What's going on? Why did all the torches suddenly go out?"

"We're not alone," Sam whispered, his voice echoing eerily off the stone walls. "The darkness is coming for us."

"Sam, will you please snap out of it?" Matty pleaded, shaking the raven-haired Digidestined by the shoulders.

Ryoko could just barely make out his friends' faces in the dark, but the glow coming from his D-Coder provided enough light for him to see the fear in their eyes, and the expression on Sam's face made him wince. Even Luciamon appeared to be frightened, and the look she gave Davis was filled with desperation. "Now what?"

Davis was about to answer when something moved in the darkness ahead of them. The torches hanging along both sides of the corridor suddenly flickered to life, and they gasped at the sight of a dark shape crouching on the floor only about ten feet in front of them. It was almost as if the shadows created by the torches had solidified into a dark presence. The thing looked ready to spring at them if they so much as moved a muscle, and Ryoko had no doubt it was a living, breathing manifestation of evil created by the Powers of Darkness and sent to destroy them by DarkAngelicmon himself.

"What is that thing?" Takara shrieked, her hazel eyes growing wide with horror and fascination.

To Ryoko's complete disgust the thing in front of them started to ooze a creepy, smoking, purple liquid that reminded him of blood. The violet goo dripped slowly onto the stone floor and began to spread through the cracks beneath the shadow's feet in a network of tiny veins. The small rivers of unidentified liquid became a large puddle, and Ryoko quickly scurried backwards until his shoulders hit the wall. He had no clue whether or not the stuff was actually dangerous, and he was determined never to find out. Who knew what kind of damage it could cause?

"Yuck! Talk about gross!" Luciamon squealed, hiding her face against Angelicmon's wing.

"You feel it, don't you?" Sam whispered, gazing anxiously into his father's eyes. "That thing wants to get us."

"Everyone stay back!" T.K. snapped, pulling his sons against the wall. The golden-haired Digidestined stood protectively in front of Mickey and Matty and sent his digimon a frightened look. Angemon managed a quick smile before turning his attention back to the waiting shadow.

"Shouldn't we get rid of it?" Embermon demanded.

The little rookie took a hesitant step forward, but Ken snatched the reptile digimon into his arms and quickly shook his head. "No, don't!"

"Why not?"

"I have a feeling that thing's going to be way too powerful for you guys to defeat. We have no idea what we're up against. Besides, it hasn't attacked us...yet..."

"Maybe that's only because it hasn't spotted us yet," Matty pointed out.

"How do you know it hasn't spotted us? I mean...how can you tell? It doesn't have any eyes!" Alopemon snorted.

Ibismon rolled her own eyes and made a face. "Well, even if it can't see us, it can definitely hear us. You guys are making enough noise to wake the dead!"

"What is that purple stuff?" Takara whispered, pointing at the puddle on the floor.

"It's so familiar..." T.K. murmured.

Ryoko shifted closer to Palmon and Alopemon, and he gazed uneasily at his uncle. "What do you mean?"

Ken let out a sudden gasp and grabbed T.K.'s arm. "T.K., you remember, don't you? The Emperor's base. That purple liquid is exactly like the stuff we saw coming out of the gate in the Emperor's base. It was a gateway to the World of Darkness..."

"What?" Sam shouted at the top of his lungs.

Ryoko quickly clapped a hand over his raven-haired friend's mouth and gazed at Ken and his uncle in astonishment. Both of them were staring at the thing in terror, and even Davis looked a little green around the edges.

"What are you guys talking about?" Sam demanded, his face turning pure white.

Davis impatiently shook his head and wrapped an arm protectively around Dai's shoulders. "Not now. We have other things to worry about at the moment!"

All of a sudden the shadow let out a low hiss, and everybody froze.

"It knows we're here, and it's going to kill us!" Sam cried.

"No!" Mickey snapped, stepping forward and holding out his D-Coder. "Stay away from my friends, you creepy shadow! I won't let you hurt them!"

"Mickey, what are you doing?" Matty gasped, leaping forward and trying desperately to drag his brother back against the wall.

Both of their D-Coders suddenly exploded with light, and the shadow disappeared in a huge, glowing yellow and orange ball of energy. The thing let out a shriek of pain and promptly disappeared. Even the purple goo had disintegrated into thin air.

Mickey and Matty clung to each other and stared at the spot where the shadow had been crouched with their mouths hanging open.

"Did...did we do that?" Matty gasped, gazing at his twin in astonishment.

Mickey swallowed hard and shrugged his shoulders. "I...think so. You saw the light coming from our D-Coders, didn't you?"

Matty slowly nodded and gently patted his twin's back. "Yes, but-"

"You guys completely obliterated that thing!" Sam whispered, gazing at the twins as if he could not believe what he had just seen. "How?"

"That's what happens when you don't let yourself give in to darkness," T.K. said quietly, smiling softly at his sons.

Mickey and Matty both blushed and smiled shyly at each other, and Matty reluctantly let go of his brother.

"Well, that has got to be the weirdest thing I've ever seen!" Dai snorted. "Come on, guys, let's go before something else decides to attack us. So much for there not being a guard!"

"No kidding," Luciamon muttered, glancing nervously down the hallway. "The weak point's not far from here. We should keep moving."

"I agree. We can figure out what happened here later," Gabrielmon said quietly.

T.K.'s D-Terminal beeped loudly, and he held it up to get everyone's attention. "Izzy sent me another e-mail. He wants to know why we're standing around when we're supposed to be following his instructions. I'm not going to bother explaining what happened here to him in detail. We can tell him when we get back to the human world. You guys heard what Dai said. Let's move before something else goes wrong."

Ryoko quickly followed the others down the corridor and glanced suspiciously at Luciamon. The female angel must have sensed his gaze because she suddenly turned and smiled at him. Her arm went around his shoulders in a quick hug, and he frowned thoughtfully at his D-Coder. He was sure she was hiding something, but he still had no clue what her secret might be. Mickey and the others did not appear to feel the Powers of Darkness radiating from her the way they could with DarkAngelicmon, and that confused him. There were times he was sure she wanted to help them, but at other times he felt as if she were working against their plans to steal the crests back. Was she really an innocent digimon trying to escape Vampiramon's clutches?

_I wonder, Luciamon, just whose side are you on anyway?_

He did not know the answer to his own question, but he had to find out soon before they found themselves stepping right into a trap.


	97. A Light in the Distance

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'll be updating Trinity next so I won't have another update for this story until the week after next week. Unfortunately I won't be getting as many updates in for the next few months because of the Christmas season. (I work in retail) Sorry about that, but I'll update as soon as possible. The kids get to the crest room in the next chapter! Please feel free to visit my forum for more FTFOD news!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 97: A Light in the Distance

_Ogremon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ogremon glared at the guards surrounding the black tent and elbowed Leomon in the ribs. "That's Vampiramon's master, isn't it."

Leomon crossed his arms and nodded slowly. "Who else could it be? I doubt even the great DarkAngelicmon has that many guards hanging around him."

Ogremon snorted and sent Vampiramon a dirty look. Agumon had told them all about what had happened to Mickey and Sam, and Leomon especially had been outraged over the fallen angel's behaviour.

_He's not the only one. When I get my hands on that flying demon I'm going to turn him into a pile of data!_

Although he would never admit it to anyone, especially Leomon, he was quite fond of the Digidestined and was more than willing to risk his own life if it meant giving them a chance to save the Digital World. They were his friends, and he would do what he could to make sure they did not end up getting themselves killed. After all, they were pretty tough, for humans, and the new Digidestined were starting to grow on him just as their parents had twenty-nine years ago.

_Earth years, that is. I almost forgot about the time difference caused by Apocalymon._

That was one of the reasons why he was glad Tai and the others had managed to fix the time warp. It made things a lot less confusing.

"If only there was some way we could keep Vampiramon and the others distracted and still rescue Gennai," Leomon muttered to himself.

"Maybe there is."

Ogremon jumped at the sound of Benjamin's voice and turned to stare at the robed figure in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Benjamin smiled slightly and waved his hand at Vampiramon, BlackWidowmon, and Jestermon. "Like Leomon said earlier, they know we're here, and that might actually be a good thing. Think about it. Vampiramon and the others are focusing all of their attention on what's going on here in the forest. If we let ourselves be seen, we might be able to distract them long enough for some of us to sneak past them undetected. That way we'll be able to rescue Gennai without putting ourselves and the Digidestined in danger."

"I don't think that's going to work," Candlemon said nervously, his flames flickering slightly in the breeze. "A small group of digimon might be able to make it to the castle without getting caught, but what about the rest of us? Vampiramon and the others won't hesitate to come after whoever remains in the forest, and as soon as they figure out exactly where we are, we're toast! There's no way we can fight an army that big and win!"

"I told you, I don't think they'll attack us as long as they believe we're not going to try and get past them," Leomon said quietly. "We might be useful to them, and there's no way they can get anything out of us if we're dead. I'm sure they won't try to kill us unless they absolutely have to."

"I agree with Leomon," Jackie said firmly.

"But...what if you're wrong?" Tentomon asked anxiously. "Oh, I wish Izzy were here!"

Ogremon banged his club impatiently against his thigh and poked Leomon in the chest. "Well? What are we waiting for? I think Benjamin's got the right idea. Let's go find Gennai before Vampiramon realizes we've gone missing. She doesn't need to see all of us. She'll still think we're all here even if she only sees one or two digimon from our group hanging around. That way myself and a few others will be able to sneak away without getting caught."

"What do you mean you?" Gatomon asked suspiciously.

Ogremon grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "If you think I'm going to stay behind, forget it. Five of us should be enough. So...who else wants to join in on all the fun?"

"I will go," Benjamin said quietly. "I want to speak with Gennai as soon as possible. That stubborn fool will tell the Digidestined anything, but when it comes to his counterparts he's more than willing to keep everything to himself. When I get my hands on him-"

"I will go, as well, if only to keep Ogremon in line," Leomon said dryly, his dark eyes sparkling with sudden amusement. "It's quite clear to me now why Gennai put him in charge of Alopemon."

Ogremon crossed his arms and gave the lion digimon a very indignant look. "Hey, I like that Ishida kid. He's got some spunk, unlike some digimon I know!"

"You'd better not be talking about us!" Gatomon shouted, shaking her fist at him.

Ogremon ignored her and turned his attention back to Benjamin. "Who else do you think should come with?"

"Actually, I think two of the rookies should come with us. They're smaller than champions and have a better chance of sneaking into the castle without getting caught. If we do get into trouble, you, Leomon, and I will be able to protect them. Besides, rookies are a lot tougher than they look. They'll be just fine with a little bit of help."

"You're right," Leomon said slowly. "In that case I think Agumon and Gabumon should come with us."

"Hey, what about me? I'm small and a champion!" Gatomon complained.

Benjamin sent the feline digimon a sympathetic smile and motioned for Agumon and Gabumon to join him. "We should leave as soon as possible. Andromon, I'm putting you and Jackie in charge until we get back."

"And how do you expect us to escape from the forest with or without Gennai?" Hogan demanded.

Benjamin smiled slightly and shrugged. "Well, I'm hoping we can meet up with the Digidestined after we've found our friend, and that way we can make sure Gennai escapes from the castle without Vampiramon's master trying to stop him from getting away. He has a better chance of escaping and making it back to File Island if he sticks with the Digidestined. They only have Spritemon, DarkAngelicmon, and the castle guards to deal with. We have Vampiramon's master himself and practically his whole army to keep our eyes on. As soon as we've handed Gennai over to the Digidestined, Ogremon and I will come back here and help the rest of you guys escape from the forest without having to confront Vampiramon's army. I know I don't have much of a plan, but it's the only one we've got so we're going to have to make it work. I'll tell you one thing, though, I'd rather have Vampiramon's master coming after us instead of Gennai and the Digidestined!"

"What about us?" Agumon asked.

"I want you, Gabumon, and Leomon to help the Digidestined get Gennai and the crests to safety."

"Why?" Gabumon asked curiously.

"It'll be easier for those of us who remain in the forest to escape if our numbers are smaller," Jackie explained, immediately picking up on Benjamin's idea. "It's a lot harder to keep track of a large group of friends when you're trying to run to safety than it is to keep track of only a few. We have a better chance of escaping if there are less people we have to worry about because that way we'll be able to keep our eyes on each other and make sure no one ends up getting caught or destroyed."

"I still don't see why we can't all go help the Digidestined," Gotsumon said, looking a little confused.

Jose waved his hand at Vampiramon's army and sighed. "Vampiramon will come after us if we try to leave the forest, and the last thing we want is for her to get her hands on the Digidestined. They already have Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon to deal with, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I certainly don't want to add to their list of problems. I'd never forgive myself if we ended up putting the Digidestined in great danger by allowing Vampiramon to follow us to the castle."

"That's why I want you guys, and myself of course, to find Whamon as soon as Ogremon and I meet up with you again," Benjamin explained. "Hopefully Vampiramon's master and his army will follow us, and that way we'll give the Digidestined a chance to get back to the human world without encountering them. I want us to meet up with Leomon and the Digidestined at the gate by the shore. We can take Gennai back to File Island on Whamon, and the Digidestined can take the crests to the human world. You don't mind explaining all of this to Daichi and the others, do you, Leomon?"

"Not at all. Don't worry, Benjamin, we'll be waiting for you at the gate as soon as you arrive on Whamon."

"Good. Alright, I guess we should get going. Are you ready, Ogremon?"

Ogremon grinned at Gennai's counterpart and nodded. "Are you kidding me? I'm ready for some action. All this talking is getting on my nerves. Let's get out of here before Vampiramon decides to come looking for us."

"I agree. Let's go," Gabumon said quietly.

"I still think I should be going with, too!" Gatomon muttered.

Ogremon quickly motioned for Benjamin, Leomon, Agumon, and Gabumon to follow him, and as silently as they could they began to make their way out of the forest. He would have liked to have been one of the ones who remained with the Digidestined, but once Benjamin had made up his mind about something there was no use trying to persuade him to change his plans. He could be as stubborn as Gennai sometimes, and that was definitely saying something! The last thing he saw before turning his back on the others was Jackie working out a plan to reveal himself to Vampiramon and doing his best to come up with a way to keep all eyes of the enemy focused on the forest instead of on the small group of digimon who were on their way to rescue Gennai.

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"I'm telling you, DarkAngelicmon, more than half of our guards are useless! Don't blame me if something goes wrong and the Digidestined end up escaping from the castle. I'll be the one saying I told you so, especially if they take Gennai with them!"

_And once again I'm stuck having to listen to useless chatter. Why am I always surrounded by fools? I believe the Digimon Emperor said the same thing once._

DarkAngelicmon smiled happily to himself and placed a hand on his frustrated companion's shoulder. "You worry entirely too much, you know that? Really, Spritemon, don't you have any faith in Luciamon at all? She was chosen by me, or have you forgotten that already? Who better to betray the Digidestined than an angel digimon? It's ironic really, when you think about it."

Spritemon angrily slapped his hand away and crossed her arms. "I don't doubt you think Luciamon will be successful, but that doesn't mean anything. I know both you and her were involved in the battle with Daemon, but no one, except possibly our master, seems to know exactly what your role was. Just whose side were you on anyway? All I know is what happened after the battle. That's when our master appeared."

DarkAngelicmon smiled softly and shrugged his shoulders. "Let's just say I was exactly where I should have been."

"Jestermon and the others don't know what happened that day, either. None of us were involved in that battle. Why do you think Vampiramon is so suspicious of you?"

"Let her be suspicious. It's really none of her business, and even if it was I still wouldn't tell her."

Spritemon opened her mouth to say something, but DarkAngelicmon quickly cut her off. "My past is of no concern to you. I've proven my loyalty to our master more times than you have, and the same goes for Vampiramon. Luciamon is an old friend. She has never failed me before. Why would that suddenly change now after all these years?"

"I just want to know what happened back then," Spritemon sulked. "It's not like I'm going to tell Vampiramon. Are you kidding me? I'd tell the Digidestined before I'd tell her!"

DarkAngelicmon ignored her and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. The truth was, even he couldn't remember exactly what had happened back then. For some reason his memory was full of holes. He remembered Luciamon...and Lucemon, but...there were so many others. He had fought against Daemon, but...why? Had he been fighting for evil or for the good of the Digital World?

_I was fighting for my master. He needed to be free. We were there. The Wall of Fire. Behind the Wall of Fire..._

"DarkAngelicmon, I need to talk to you!"

DarkAngelicmon jumped in surprise and turned to see BlackGatomon hurrying towards him. She came to a stop in front of him and let out a frustrated sigh.

"What do you want?" Spritemon snapped.

BlackGatomon flinched and gave the sprite digimon a sullen look. "Some of the guards are slacking off again. I caught Raremon wandering around like a lost puppy on the second floor. I'd be happy to report him to the master, if you'd like."

"I knew it!" Spritemon said triumphantly. "See, DarkAngelicmon? Your whole plan's going to fall into pieces if you don't keep your eyes on the guards!"

DarkAngelicmon glared at her, and crouching he gently stroked the top of BlackGatomon's furry head. "Thank you, BlackGatomon. You will be rewarded for your loyalty. Please inform Spritemon of any more unacceptable behaviour you've witnessed, concerning the guards, and don't leave out any details. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to give me a list of all my failed attempts to keep order in the castle. Now, if you two ladies will excuse me, I've got some business to attend to. Spritemon, I'll meet you back in the crest room as soon as you're done here."

"Why? Where are you going?"

DarkAngelicmon smiled at the suspicious look on Spritemon's face and waved his hand in the direction of the North Tower. "There's someone I need to talk to. Don't worry, I'll be back before Luciamon and the Digidestined show up."

He hurried off down the hallway before Spritemon could ask him any more ridiculous questions and quickly made his way to the top of the North Tower. He found Ivymon crouching on the balcony and motioned for her to join him in the circular room. "Has Luciamon arrived yet?"

Ivymon flipped her long, white hair over her shoulder and slowly shook her head. "No, my Lord, but I will let you know they're here as soon as they destroy the guards at the cave entrance."

_Luciamon must have spent a lot of time trying to convince them to join her. They looked like they were falling for her every word, but maybe they've started to have second thoughts now that they're on their way to the castle. Honestly, I'm starting to think the Digidestined are the only ones around here who actually use their brains, other than myself, of course!_

The thought made him laugh, and he gently patted Ivymon's green arm. "You do that. I'll be in the crest room if you need me. Make sure you come see me, and only me, as soon as you spot Luciamon entering the castle, alright?"

"Yes, my Lord."

DarkAngelicmon left her on the balcony and slowly stepped back out into the stairwell. Something was troubling him, but he did not know exactly what could have caused him to become so uneasy all of a sudden. All he knew was that the faces of Makiya and Masato Takaishi kept appearing constantly in his mind, and no matter how hard he tried to banish them from his thoughts they would not go away. One way or another, they were going to cause him either glory or destruction in the near future. The only question was, which one?


	98. The Heart of a Digidestined

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter finished! Glowmon's going to digivolve soon, and so are two others...Just so you know my next chapter won't be up till next week. Thanks.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 98: The Heart of a Digidestined

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Matty carefully stepped through the weak point and glanced nervously at the narrow staircase that led to the fourth floor. He was pretty sure there was something waiting for them at the top, and this time he wanted to be prepared in case the guard turned out to be another dark shadow instead of an actual digimon.

_I still don't understand what happened back there. How were Mickey and I able to destroy that thing so easily?_

Apparently Dai wanted to avoid stepping into a trap, as well, because the goggle-headed leader waved his hand at the stairs and motioned for Embermon and Alopemon to join him. "Embermon, I want you and Alopemon to sneak up the stairs and find out what's guarding the fourth floor. You guys are less likely to be spotted because of your size. Both Harpymon and that dark shadow almost gave us away, and I'm not going to let something like that happen again."

"Who gave you the right to order my partner around?" Ryoko snapped, glaring at the goggle-headed leader. "Besides, what makes you think he's going to listen to you when he won't even listen to me?"

"I think you've got it backwards," Alopemon said dryly. "You're the one who won't listen to me, Ryoko, not the other way around! I will go along with Dai's plan. At least one of us has to be his friend, and since you're too stubborn to take that step I suppose I'll have to do so in your place. Come on, Embermon, let's find out what's waiting for us at the top of the stairs."

Ryoko's mouth dropped open, and Matty had to clap a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing. He had never seen his cousin look so shocked before, and the expression on Dai's face made him smile. The goggle-headed leader was staring at Alopemon as if he had never seen the little rookie before, and for some reason he seemed unable to meet Ryoko's blue gaze. Alopemon never said a word. He merely patted Dai's leg and quickly leaped up the stairs after Embermon.

"Well, at least one of you two has some sense!" Takara giggled, smiling innocently at Ryoko and sending a fond look in Alopemon's direction.

The golden-haired Digidestined's face turned bright pink, and he promptly began to act as if Dai did not even exist. The goggle-headed leader barely noticed. He was too busy sending the pale blue fox digimon a grateful smile.

Matty stood nervously next to his twin and waited impatiently for one of the two rookies to let them know what was going on. After a moment of tense silence, Embermon leaped quietly back down the stairs and motioned for everyone to follow him. "There's a spider digimon guarding the fourth floor. She didn't see us but we'd better get rid of her before she starts causing trouble."

"Stingmon, why don't you, Ibismon, and Angelicmon confront her," Ken suggested.

The three digimon fluttered up the stairs ahead of everyone else and joined Alopemon on the landing where the staircase suddenly curved abruptly to the right. Matty reached his partner's side just as Stingmon tackled the spider digimon to the floor.

"Dokugumon," Ken said softly, shaking his head at the female virus digimon.

Dokugumon let out a shriek of surprise, but her scream was quickly cut off by Angelicmon's bright yellow blast.

Ibismon hit the spider digimon in the face with her Emerald Flare attack and pinned the champion to the ground. At least, Matty assumed the spider was a champion. It was hard to tell sometimes. Dokugumon had been hanging from the ceiling in front of a large spiderweb that had blocked the entire corridor, but Stingmon's sudden tackle had ripped the web into shreds and left Dokugumon lying on the stone floor in a tangle of silky threads.

"Hurry up and get rid of her before she starts squealing again!" Embermon whispered, glancing anxiously down the corridor.

"Spiking Strike!" Stingmon shouted, shoving his glowing stinger directly into Dokugumon's heart. The spider digimon was lying on her back under Ibismon's foot, and she disappeared into data as soon as Stingmon's attack met its target. Everybody froze, but nothing happened. The corridor remained empty, and after a minute or two of fearful silence they were able to breath easier again.

"Hey, how did you know what Harpymon's name was anyway?" Ryoko asked, gazing suspiciously at Dai. "I never told you."

The goggle-headed leader smiled slightly and shrugged. "I snuck a look at your D-Coder during the battle when you weren't looking. I happen to be more observant than you think I am, Ishida."

"What...what do you mean?"

"Nothing," Dai said softly, his dark eyes sparkling with sudden amusement.

Matty opened his mouth to say something, but Mickey elbowed him in the ribs, and he turned to look at his twin. The expression on Mickey's face told him exactly what his brother was thinking and he nodded quickly in order to make sure his twin knew he understood. Ryoko and Dai were so close, but in order for them to become great friends they needed to take that final step themselves.

_There's only one question. Which one of them is going to be able to find the courage to say it first?_

"T.K., you'd better tell Izzy to hurry up. This place feels like an igloo. Even my wings are starting to freeze!" Luciamon complained.

Matty hurried over to his father's side and let out a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, Luciamon, Izzy's on top of things, as usual. His next set of instructions must have come when we were fighting Dokugumon. Right, Dad?"

"Yes, I heard the beep as soon as I reached the top of the stairs, but Stingmon had already tackled Dokugumon by that time, and I didn't want to say anything until we'd gotten ourselves out of trouble. We have enough distractions as it is. The next weak point isn't far from here so hopefully we'll get to the fifth floor without too much difficulty."

Matty glanced at his father's D-Terminal and nodded in agreement. The email said:

_T.K., _

_What's this about a dark shadow? Your last email was really confusing. I'm expecting a full report as soon as you guys get back to the human world or else I'll sick MegaKabuterimon on you! The next weak point is actually quite close. All you have to do is head down the corridor on your right and make another right at the first corner. The weak point is on the left-hand side of the wall about thirty feet down the hallway. It leads to a staircase that will take you to the fifth floor. Good luck!_

_Izzy_

"Well, that doesn't sound too difficult. We're almost there!" Palmon said happily.

Matty quickly followed the others down the hallway and gently wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Hey, Mickey, how are you doing? I'm guessing you're not too happy about what happened to Dokugumon back there."

Mickey slowly turned towards him, and he gave his brother a sympathetic squeeze. "I'm okay, Matty. I don't like having to destroy digimon, good or evil, but sometimes we don't have a choice. It does help to know they have a chance to start over at Primary Village. Many of them become good again, and that makes me feel a lot better."

"I'm glad. I always feel bad when you're sad about something."

"I feel the same way about you, Matty."

Matty raised his eyebrows and gently poked his brother in the chest. "Does that mean you're not going to avoid me anymore?"

Mickey blushed and lowered his eyes to the stone floor. "I wasn't avoiding you. I just...needed some time to think."

"Really? You're not just saying that, are you?"

"No. Matty...you know I would never lie to you. I never have before, why would I start now?"

"You couldn't lie to me even if you wanted to. I'm your twin, remember? I'd know if you were."

Matty felt his brother's arm go around his waist, and a faint smile slipped across the older twin's face. "It works both ways, Matty."

"I know. Um...you're not angry with me anymore, are you?"

"What?"

Matty grinned sheepishly at the startled look on his brother's face and shrugged his shoulders. "That counts as a no, right?"

"Matty! What in the Digiworld ever gave you that idea? Of course I'm not mad at you! Why would I be?"

"Well...you seemed mad before when you were shouting at me earlier."

"You mean at Dai's house?"

Matty slowly nodded and frowned at his twin. "Yes, what else would-"

"Matty, I am not mad at you," Mickey said firmly. "I'm worried about you, and I know you're worried about me. Why do you think I was so upset when you kept acting like DarkAngelicmon wasn't a threat to us? Mostly to you, I think. Look, Matty, I care about you a lot, and that's never going to change no matter what happens after today, alright?"

"You said you needed time to think, but that's just an excuse to try and hide the fact that you were avoiding me."

Mickey stared at him for a moment, and he jumped when his twin suddenly reached out and held both of his hands in a tight grip. He could feel Angemon's feather between their fingers, and its soothing presence brought a smile to his face.

"We will fight together, Matty," Mickey whispered softly in his ear. "As individuals we can hold our own against the darkness, but together we make up the most powerful force against evil this world has ever seen. Our parents are strong, too, but Mom only had the Crest of Light and Dad only had the Crest of Hope. I think...well...I think I have both, and so do you. That makes us twice as strong as our parents. Look at our D-Coders. Mine is orange, but it's still glowing with pink and yellow light, and so is yours. Think about it, Matty. Pink and yellow. The Crests of Hope and Light."

Matty let out a gasp and stared at his brother in shock. "You mean...you really believe our D-Coders are responding to the crests?"

Mickey nodded solemnly and smiled at him. "Yes, I do. What do you say, Matty? Will you help me fight the Powers of Darkness? We'll help Sam together. I know we can if we try hard enough."

Matty felt his eyes fill with tears and he held his brother close in a tight embrace. Angelicmon, Gabrielmon, and their father were all beaming at them, but he barely noticed. At that moment all he cared about was reassuring his brother. "I will always fight by your side, Mickey. I want to help Sam, too, and I promise I won't let DarkAngelicmon get his hands on me, but only if you promise the same thing."

"I promise. Thanks, Matty. Your words mean a lot to me."

Matty knew things were still not completely back to normal between them, but at least they were on the right track, and that was better than nothing. He had seen his father give Mickey Angemon's feather, but he still had no clue exactly what it was they had said to each other. The only thing he knew for sure was that their discussion had been about him.

_Well, at least Mickey's acting more like his usual self again, and it's all because of a feather. My dad's words must have been pretty powerful because Mickey's whole attitude has changed completely. Now, if only we could say the same thing about Sam..._

He liked Sam a lot, and he knew how much Mickey cared about the raven-haired Digidestined. If they could find a way to help their friend then maybe Ken would not seem so sad anymore.

"The weak point is right here," Luciamon said, interrupting his thoughts.

He looked up in surprise and realized they had already made it to the stairwell without him realizing just how far they had actually come. It was a good thing there were no guards around because he could have ended up walking right into one without realizing what had happened until it was already too late!

"Who wants to go first this time?" Davis asked, grinning at the digimon.

Dai quickly ordered Palmon and Glowmon to scout ahead, and the two digimon slowly made their way up the stairs. A moment later Glowmon fluttered back down and glided effortlessly into Sam's arms. "There's another digimon up there. He's pretty scary."

"Great, that's just what I needed to hear," Dai muttered to himself. "Alright, Embermon, you and the others go ahead of us, and get ready to fight. We have to get rid of him before he starts causing trouble. I don't know about you guys, but I definitely don't want to get caught when we're this close to getting our hands on the crests!"

Matty nodded in agreement and silently followed his brother up the stairs. The two of them managed to duck under Angemon's wing for a better look, and Matty spotted a dark dog digimon pacing restlessly beneath the torches hanging directly above the fifth floor landing.

"That's Dobermon," Mickey whispered, holding out his D-Coder and placing his hand over its glowing surface to prevent the dog digimon from catching sight of them. "He's a champion level vaccine type digimon."

"Let's take him out," Alopemon said shortly.

Ibismon, ExVeemon, and Angemon leaped around the corner of the staircase and tackled Dobermon to the ground just as the champion digimon turned to face them. Dobermon let out a snarl of rage, but ExVeemon sent him crashing into the wall before he could clamp his teeth around Angemon's left wrist.

"Emerald Flare!" Ibismon shouted, her green blast hitting Dobermon directly in the face.

Angemon's Hand of Fate attack hit the dog digimon in the stomach, and ExVeemon quickly motioned for Angelicmon to step forward.

"Celestial Star!"

A large blast of bright yellow light slammed into Dobermon, and he exploded into tiny pieces of data before Matty even had a chance to blink.

_I hope there aren't anymore guards hanging around because there's no way anyone could have missed hearing all the noise we've been making!_

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Palmon commented.

"Hey, Uncle T.K., you'd better tell Izzy to hurry it up. We're almost there," Ryoko said anxiously.

Matty tugged nervously on his father's arm and jumped when his dad's D-Terminal let off a sudden beep.

"No need, Ryoko. As usual Izzy's one step ahead of us."

"What does it say?" Mickey asked quietly.

Matty quickly read the email and let out a sigh of relief. It said:

_T.K.,_

_One more step and you guys will have made it to the crests! All you have to do is walk straight down the corridor you're currently standing in until you reach a dead end. The hallway turns left and right, but I don't want you guys to head down either one of those corridors. The dead end is the next weak point, and it leads directly into the room with the crests. Leave as soon as you get your hands on all nine of them and head back the way you came. It'll be easier for all of you to get out of the castle in one piece if you follow my original route back to the first floor because you've already managed to get rid of all the obstacles that were in your way earlier. Just so you know, there are weak points leading to the dungeons, as well. I think we'll take a chance and try to rescue Gennai if you guys can make it back to the first floor without getting caught. If you do get spotted, remember I have an escape plan already worked out. Let me know what you think._

_Izzy_

_P.S. Keep and eye out for Leomon and the others._

"I say let's do it," Dai said firmly, glancing at Ryoko as if expecting the golden-haired Digidestined to disagree.

"I don't know. We're already stretching our luck as it is," Ryoko said slowly.

"Well, we've come this far, haven't we?" Takara said nervously.

Davis frowned and slowly turned to look at T.K. "What do you think we should do?"

"I'll let Izzy know what we've decided as soon as we get back to the first floor. That'll give us some time to think about the risks and just exactly how much danger we'll be putting ourselves into. How does that sound?"

"Great. You'd better e-mail Izzy and let him know we'll make our decision later," Luciamon whispered, glancing fearfully down the corridor. "Come on. Let's hurry up and steal the crests back. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

Matty quickly followed the female angel down the hallway and gazed curiously at the anxious look on her face. She had seemed quite at ease with her surroundings when they had first started making their way through the castle, but now, all of a sudden, her entire attitude had changed, and she looked ready to jump out of her skin with pure terror. For some reason she kept glancing nervously over her shoulder as if she expected to see a dark shadow materialize out of thin air and leap at them before they had a chance to defend themselves.

_I wonder what's gotten into her?_

"She's hiding something. I know she is."

Matty jumped at the sound of Ryoko's voice and turned to stare at his cousin in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Matty, when you're around Luciamon, do you...feel anything? I mean...do you feel the Powers of Darkness more strongly when you're around her?"

Matty frowned and gently rested his hand on one of Luciamon's wings. She was so busy trying to hurry them along she did not even notice. "No, I don't feel anything. Why do you ask?"

Ryoko managed a weak smile and shrugged his shoulders. "No reason. I just...I don't know. I just think Luciamon isn't really who she appears to be."

Matty wrapped an arm around his cousin's shoulders and slowly nodded in agreement. Now that he thought about it, it did seem kind of strange that they had conveniently met up with Luciamon as soon as they arrived in the Western Hemisphere.

_Wait a minute. Does Ryoko think we're stepping into a trap?_

"Alright, guys, this is it," Dai whispered, interrupting his thoughts. "ExVeemon, you and the other digimon had better go first."

Matty quickly hurried over to his partner's side and stepped through the weak point with Angelicmon's arm around his shoulders. He found himself standing in a large circular room, and his eyes immediately came to rest on the wall directly across from the weak point. Eight glowing objects were embedded into the stone wall and a ninth one was embedded into a large stone pedestal.

Dai slowly stepped forward, and the goggle-headed leader pointed at the pedestal. "Is...is that what I think it is?"

Davis smiled at the look of awe on his son's face and wrapped his arm around the goggle-headed leader's shoulders. "Yes, Dai, that little object right there is the one and only Crest of Courage."


	99. Stabbed in the Back

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, in Chapter 100 one of the digimon will digivolve, but I will let you all know that Glowmon won't until Capter 102 or 103. That's it for now!

Chapter 99: Stabbed in the Back

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ken Ichijouji held his son tightly against his side and stared at the crests in complete, utter shock and astonishment. Although Izzy had pretty much confirmed their existence already, he still could not believe what he was seeing. He knew his own crest had been placed under Gennai's protection, but the others were supposed to have disappeared into the atmosphere of the Digital World more than twenty-five years ago.

_I don't understand. How were Gennai and the others able to bring them back into existence?_

"Look, they're so beautiful," Takara whispered, gazing at the crests in awe. "That red one with the heart on it belongs to my mom, right?"

"That's right," Davis replied, grinning at the expression on Takara's face.

Ryoko slowly crossed the room and gently placed his hand on the Crest of Sincerity. "This one belongs to my mom, and that one over there belongs to my dad. I know because Agumon gave us a detailed description of the crests when we met him at Primary Village."

"That's right," Takara said quietly. "Aren't they amazing?"

Dai smiled at the female Digidestined, and they both turned to look at the Crest of Courage. "I guess they are pretty amazing, aren't they."

"They're glowing," Sam whispered, "just like our Digivices."

Ken glanced anxiously at Sam's pale face, and he let out a sigh of relief when he realized his son was actually smiling. Sam had been acting rather strange ever since they had entered the castle, but the presence of the crests, which did not have the same kind of connection to the Powers of Darkness as everything else in the castle, had apparently lifted his spirits a little bit, and he no longer looked and acted as if the darkness was out to get him. His deep blue eyes were focused intently on the Crest of Kindness, and the look on his face suggested he had finally found peace after enduring a long battle with a faceless enemy only he could see.

_I am the source of all my son's pain. Will he ever be free of my past?_

"Dad, can...can I hold it?"

Ken looked up in surprise and realized the others had already gathered around Ryoko. Without a word, he took his son by the arm and slowly made his way over to the golden-haired Digidestined's side. Davis, who was standing next to Ryoko, smiled briefly at him and pointed at the Crest of Kindness. "Well? Aren't you going to take it?"

Ken gasped when his crest suddenly floated away from the wall and dropped into his hand. He held it out to Sam with a smile on his face, and after a moment of hesitation his son's fingers closed gently over its glowing surface.

"Wow, it's really pretty," Glowmon whispered, hovering next to Sam's shoulder and staring at the crest as if it were a precious jewel of considerable value.

Sam sighed softly and hugged the crest tightly against his chest. "You're really lucky, Dad. One day I hope I can be as strong as you and Mom are."

Ken gently placed his hand against his son's cheek and pulled the boy tightly into his arms. "You already are, Sam. In fact, you might just be stronger than both of us together."

"Hurry, guys! Grab the other crests and let's get moving. We have to get out of here now!" Luciamon cried, glancing frantically towards the door.

Ken frowned at the female angel and placed a protective hand on the back of his son's head.

_Something doesn't feel right. Why is Luciamon acting so strange all of a sudden?_

"You guys heard Luciamon. Let's move it!" Dai ordered, reaching out and pulling the Crest of Courage free from the pedestal.

Matty yanked the Crest of Light out of its resting place and quickly handed it to his brother. "Here, Mickey, you'd better hold onto this. Mom would kill me if I ended up losing it!"

Mickey slid the crest over his head and smiled softly at his brother. "Don't worry, Matty. Mom will have her crest back in no time."

"Your mother's going to be so proud of both of you," T.K. said softly, smiling fondly at his sons. The golden-haired Digidestined pulled the Crest of Hope into his hand and stared at it as if it were an old friend he had not seen for many years.

Ryoko carefully placed the Crests of Friendship and Sincerity around his neck and beamed at Palmon. "What do you think?"

"Mimi's going to be so happy! She not only gets to see me but she gets her crest back, as well!"

"I know. I can't wait to see the looks on my parents' faces when they get their crests back!"

"Me, too," Takara whispered, holding the Crest of Love in her hand as if it were a fragile piece of glass.

"Well, since Joe's not here I'd better hang onto this," Davis said, holding up the Crest of Reliability and placing it around his neck.

Ken quickly handed his son the Crest of Knowledge and motioned for the others to start heading towards the weak point. "Here, Sam. Do you mind looking after Izzy's crest for me?"

Sam held the Crest of Knowledge tightly in his hand and slowly shook his head. "Not at all. I'll take good care of it, but you'd better hold onto your own crest. You might need it."

_I hope not._

Ken managed to give his son a reassuring smile and held the Crest of Kindness tightly against his chest. It felt warm against his skin, and its glowing surface eased the fear in his heart. They had found the crests without getting caught. Was it possible for their luck to hold out long enough for them to find Gennai, as well?

"Hurry!" Luciamon moaned.

Ken quickly followed the others towards the weak point and let out a terrified gasp when a digimon he could only assume was DarkAngelicmon walked into the room and came to an abrupt stop. The fallen angel stared at them in astonishment, his emerald green eyes coming to rest on Matty's shocked face.

"Uh oh..." Dai whispered.

_Now what are we going to do?_

"DarkAngelicmon!" Luciamon gasped, her pale blue eyes darting nervously around the room as if searching for an escape route.

DarkAngelicmon stared at her and frowned in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Ken almost laughed at such a ridiculous question, but he managed to keep his mouth shut and wrapped his arms protectively around his son instead.

"What, that's it? And here I thought we were going to have a big, dramatic confrontation!" Dai snorted, regaining some of his composure.

DarkAngelicmon ignored the goggle-headed leader and motioned for Luciamon to join him. "How in the name of Hades did you get inside the castle without getting caught? BlackGatomon or one of the other guards would have informed me of what was going on if they had seen you wandering around the castle with the Digidestined on your heels! The only safe passage into this room is the one that leads to the North Tower, and not by accident, as you very well know, but I know you never came that way because Ivymon told me she hadn't seen you yet. Why didn't you enter the castle the way we had planned earlier?"

At first Luciamon looked like she was going to be sick, but the expression on her face suddenly softened into a smile, and she gently wrapped her arms around DarkAngelicmon's waist. "Sorry, old friend, but I ran into some problems along the way. There were a few issues I had to deal with and that's why I ended up having to find a different way into the castle. I'm sorry I'm late, but you know how it is. Did you miss me?"

DarkAngelicmon wrapped his arm around Luciamon's shoulders and shook his head in disbelief. "I still don't understand how you managed to get in here without me knowing. Never mind, you can explain it to me later. Right now we have more important issues to deal with. The Digidestined are here and that's what counts. Excellent job, Luciamon. Our master will be very proud when he finds out what you have accomplished."

Ken stared at the two angel digimon with his mouth hanging open, and his heart started to pound rapidly in his chest. _What's going on? Why is Luciamon acting as if DarkAngelicmon is her friend?_

"Luciamon, what are you doing?" Mickey asked quietly, his amber eyes growing dark and cloudy.

Luciamon gazed calmly at the older twin and shrugged her shoulders. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I knew it!" Ryoko snapped, stepping forward and pointing an accusing finger at the female angel. "You're working for DarkAngelicmon, aren't you!"

"What?" Matty whispered, his hand tightening on Angelicmon's arm.

Ryoko glared at Luciamon and turned to look at his cousin. "Don't you get it, Matty? It's a trap! Luciamon tricked us into coming to the castle with her so DarkAngelicmon could destroy us all!"

"Of course!" Davis muttered, glaring angrily at Luciamon and shaking his head. "It makes perfect sense!"

"Excuse me? Can I say something?" DarkAngelicmon asked, politely raising his hand.

"What?" Ryoko demanded, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

The fallen angel leaned casually against the stone wall and smiled in amusement. "Actually, my young friend, I don't plan on destroying any of you. Oh, I may have to kill your digimon if they try to oppose me, but you, Ryoko Ishida, and your human friends need to be alive and in one piece in order for my plans to succeed. That includes your parents. The original Digidestined may be of some use to me, as well."

"Oh, well that makes me feel so much better!" Ryoko said sarcastically. "News flash, DarkAngelicmon, MetalGarurumon could kick your-"

"Perhaps, but MetalGarurumon isn't here, and neither is your father. I see you've all managed to get your hands on the crests. You're welcomed to keep them, if you'd like, just as long as you don't try to use them against me or any of my fellow digimon. You're going to need them anyways in order to help me find the Spirit Chips."

"So you do know about the Spirit Chips," Davis said slowly. "How did you find out about them?"

DarkAngelicmon smiled innocently at the former leader and glanced ever so slightly in Mickey's direction. "Your friend Gennai told me."

"You're lying!" Ibismon shouted, shaking her fist at the fallen angel.

"Don't be ridiculous. I have never once lied to any of you, and you know it!"

Ryoko looked ready to argue, but Mickey placed a hand on his cousin's shoulder and let out a soft sigh. "He's telling the truth, Ryoko. As crazy as it sounds, he's the only one who has been honest with us right from the beginning."

"Thank you, Mickey. Now, if you'd be so kind as to let me speak, Ryoko, I will explain myself further. Gennai didn't _want _to tell me about the Spirit Chips, but I gave him no other choice."

"What did you do to him?" Embermon shouted.

"Nothing. He's still very much alive and in better condition than I would prefer, but I suppose things don't always go as smoothly as we'd like. He's down in the dungeons right at this very moment, and I have no doubt he's trying to come up with a plan to escape from the castle even as we speak. I have my ways of getting information out of humans and digimon, and they don't always involve physical torture. Did you really think I was going to harm him considering the fact that he still holds a lot of information that could be useful to me? Don't be a fool, Embermon. I know you have brains, and I would appreciate it if you would use them in my presence. Vampiramon and the others, including the castle guards, provide me with enough stupidity to last a lifetime. I don't need to tolerate that kind of behaviour from you, too!"

"What do you want with the Spirit Chips?" Dai asked, grabbing Embermon by the arm before the rookie could launch himself at DarkAngelicmon.

The fallen angel walked slowly towards the stone pedestal and placed his hand on the spot where the Crest of Courage had been. "Well, for one thing, if I get my hands on them it'll stop all of your digimon from digivolving to the ultimate level. At least, they'll be less likely to digivolve and that will stop you and your friends from getting in the way of my plans. Also, my master believes he can find a use for them, and I am inclined to agree with him. They will give us great power, and with them my master will be unstoppable."

"The Spirit Chips will never respond to you or your master," Gabrielmon said quietly.

"Not as they are now, but that will change after my master is done with them. They can become corrupted, just like the crests, Daichi. Your father's best friend, Ken Ichijouji, knows that better than anyone!"

Ken felt his heart stop, and he stared at DarkAngelicmon in horror. The fallen angel knew about his past. Although he had already come to that conclusion quite some time ago, it still came as a shock. DarkAngelicmon knew, and he was going to tell Sam.

"What's the matter, Ken?" DarkAngelicmon asked quietly, watching him closely. "Why are you so frightened all of a sudden?"

"Dad, what's wrong?" Sam cried, tugging anxiously on his arm. "What is DarkAngelicmon talking about?"

Ken swallowed hard and did not reply. He did not think he could have said anything even if he had wanted to.

"Shame on you, Ken," DarkAngelicmon scolded, his lips twitching into a small smile. "How can you keep the truth about the Emperor from your own son?"

_No, no, no! I can't let him tell Sam. I can't!_

Ken held onto his son as tightly as he could and choked back a cry of despair. "No, don't. Please..."

DarkAngelicmon stared silently at him for a moment and fluttered his dark wings. "If I don't tell him, who will?"

Ken gasped as his son suddenly jerked away from him and stepped closer to DarkAngelicmon. "Do...do you know who the Emperor was?"

DarkAngelicmon smiled at Sam and nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Will...will you tell me?"

The fallen angel studied the eager look on Sam's face and let out a soft laugh. "Of course. Obviously no one else is going to tell you, which is ridiculous because you deserve to know the truth. Don't you agree, Sam?"

The raven-haired Digidestined hesitated and slowly nodded. "Yes. Tell me. Tell me right now!"

_No!_

DarkAngelicmon opened his mouth to reveal the truth, but Luciamon suddenly poked the fallen angel in the chest and impatiently fluttered her wings. "Hey, handsome, shouldn't the Digidestined be joining Gennai in the dungeons right about now? You don't want them to try and escape from the castle, do you?"

"Luciamon, how could you?" Mickey said sadly, his amber eyes sparkling with sorrow. "We trusted you, and you betrayed us."

"Things are not always as they seem, Makiya Takaishi. Remember that," Luciamon said quietly.

Ken slowly slipped an arm around his son's shoulders and stared at the female angel in surprise. Luciamon could have let DarkAngelicmon reveal the truth about the Emperor, but she had interrupted the fallen angel before he could say anything. _Wait a minute. Is Luciamon actually trying to...to help me? _He was sure the female angel had been trying to give Mickey an important message, but unfortunately he had no idea what she had been trying to convey with her cryptic words.

_You're right, Ryoko. Luciamon isn't who she appears to be, but maybe that could work in our favour..._

"Well?" Luciamon demanded.

DarkAngelicmon gently kissed the female angel's fingers and waved his hand towards the door. "We'll bring them to the dungeons eventually, but first we have to wait for Spritemon. I'm going to enjoy seeing the look on her face when she finds out my plan did, in fact, succeed, even though it did not work out exactly as I had planned."

"Yes, but she doesn't need to know about that, does she," Luciamon giggled. "Lucky for you she didn't know about Ivymon and the North Tower. You were smart to keep most of your plan a secret from her. By the way, I'm going to assume I was excluded from your earlier comment about our master's 'stupid' followers?"

"Naturally. I'm anxious to get the Digidestined into the dungeons, as well, but first I must have a little fun with Spritemon. You can't deny me that, can you?"

"No way. I'm going to enjoy watching you humiliate her!"

"You two are pathetic, you know that?" Matty snorted, looking completely disgusted with the evil duo. "If you think we're just going to give up and let you drag us down to the dungeons, forget it."

"Masato Takaishi," the fallen angel said softly, his green eyes sparkling like jewels in the light coming from the torches. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You're a terrible person to have kept me waiting so long. Did you think I was going to forget about you? I had an interesting conversation with your brother several days ago. We're old friends, you might say. He has potential, and I think you do, too."

Matty slowly crossed his arms and gazed calmly at the virus digimon standing before him. "So you're DarkAngelicmon. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you but really, it's not. I would think twice about threatening my brother, if I were you. You might look like Angelicmon, but you're nothing like him on the inside. If you want to get your hands on Mickey you'll have to go through me first! You can choose to fight Angelicmon, if you want, but you won't win. He'll beat you and then who will your master depend on?"

DarkAngelicmon's eyes gittered with sudden excitement, and he glanced eagerly at Angelicmon. "Oh, is that a challenge?"

Matty shrugged his shoulders and ignored his twin who was tugging frantically on his arm. "Call it what you want, I don't really care. I know Angelicmon and I will win because we're stronger than you are, and I think you know it, DarkAngelicmon!"

"Matty, please don't do anything stupid!" Mickey cried, throwing himself at his twin and trying desperately to drag his brother as far away from DarkAngelicmon as possible.

Matty gently pushed the older twin into Gabrielmon's arms and managed a convincing smile. "I won't as long as you don't try to protect me by putting yourself in danger."

"Matty, weren't you listening to me earlier? I'm not going to hurt anyone, especially your brother," DarkAngelicmon scolded. "Really, I should be offended by such horrible accusations! I'm not even going to hurt your digimon as long as they promise to behave. You could try using the crests, but only Ken and your father would be able to digivolve effectively. Most of them are useless to you at the moment. Why do you think I'm letting you keep them? They will respond to you, but their power won't help you without the Spirit Chips. Davis may be able to armor-digivolve using their power, but one more digivolution isn't really going to do much. You could all try digivolving to ultimate on your own, it's entirely possible, but I doubt you'll be able to. Both Digidestined and digimon have to be strong in order for that to happen. The power that comes from the heart of both Digidestined and digimon is stronger than even the Powers of Darkness. Do you really believe you have that kind of strength? The original Digidestined do. We know that because of what happened to Apocalymon, but what about the rest of you? I'm sorry, Masato Takaishi, but you and your friends have not been Digidestined long enough to have that kind of power yet. You need experience, and so far you and your digimon have virtually none."

"We have enough to defeat you," Angelicmon said quietly.

DarkAngelicmon executed a polite bow and gazed calmly at his vaccine counterpart. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and find out, won't we. I look forward to fighting you, Angelicmon. It will be a battle like nothing the Digital World has ever seen since the rise of Devimon!"

"It's true, isn't it," Mickey moaned, hiding his face against Gabrielmon's chest. "Devimon was a fallen angel!"

"You leave my sons alone!" T.K. snapped, his sparkling blue eys burning with sudden fury. "If you touch either one of them, I swear you'll suffer the same fate as Devimon, only worse!"

"You mean the same fate Angemon suffered?"

Both T.K. and Angemon froze, and Ken clapped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from blurting out something incredibly stupid.

The entire room grew very quiet, and Matty slowly turned to look at his father. "Dad, what is he talking about?"

"Nothing," Davis interrupted before T.K. could respond.

DarkAngelicmon suddenly stepped forward and snatched Angemon's feather right out of Mickey's hand. The fallen angel gazed directly into T.K.'s eyes and held the feather up to the light. "I am _not _like Devimon, T.K. You will find that out soon enough."

Ken stared in shock as the feather began to glow with pale yellow light, but before he could say anything Spritemon walked into the room, and the look on her face confirmed what he had already suspected. They were in trouble. Big trouble.


	100. The Power of Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I can't believe it! Chapter 100! In the next chapter the Digidestined will test their strength against DarkAngelicmon!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 100: The Power of Hope

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ryoko Ishida gaped at the glowing feather in DarkAngelicmon's hand and shook his head in disbelief at what he was seeing. Although the light could not be considered strong, it was still there, and it made DarkAngelicmon seem different somehow.

_I don't believe it. DarkAngelicmon's a creature of darkness. How can Angemon's feather be glowing?_

"Daichi Motomiya and the Digidestined," Spritemon smirked, fluttering into the room and coming to a stop almost directly in front of Takara. "What a surprise. I guess DarkAngelicmon knew what he was doing after all."

Ryoko glanced anxiously at DarkAngelicmon and realized the fallen angel was gazing at the feather in his hand with something close to astonishment. Clearly he had not expected the feather to react to him in such a way that would suggest there was more to him than what he had revealed so far. Apparently Spritemon was too busy glaring at Takara to notice what was going on with DarkAngelicmon because so far she had not once glanced in the fallen angel's direction.

_What will she do when she sees the feather in DarkAngelicmon's hand?_

"Give that back!" Mickey suddenly shouted, leaping forward and yanking the feather out of DarkAngelicmon's hand.

The fallen angel did not even try to resist. He allowed Mickey to take it from him, and he stared at the older twin as if he had seen a ghost.

"Makiya Takaishi! Get back here right now!" T.K. snapped, reaching out and pulling the older twin against his side. "If you try something like that again you're never coming back to the Digital World, do you understand me?"

"You gave me that feather, and I'm not going to let him take it away from me!" Mickey mumbled, glaring angrily at the fallen angel.

Matty lightly punched his brother in the arm and let out a soft sigh. "Mickey, didn't you listen to a single thing I'd said earlier? I told you not to put yourself in danger!"

"He's right, Mickey. You must be careful," Gabrielmon said quietly, giving his partner a disapproving look.

Ryoko did not bother scolding his cousin. He was too busy fuming to waste his time trying to come up with a coherent sentence.

_I can't believe we fell for such an obvious trap! I should have said something to the others, but I...well...I thought there was a chance I might be wrong about Luciamon..._

All of the commotion must have captured Spritemon's attention because the female digimon suddenly turned to look at DarkAngelicmon and crossed her arms. "If you even think about gloating, I'll stick the Crest of Courage up your nose! Speaking of crests, what in the Digiworld do you think you're doing letting the Digidestined get their hands on something we worked so hard to steal? Our master would have a fit if he knew!"

Somehow DarkAngelicmon managed to compose himself, and he gave the sprite digimon a sweet smile. "The crests are useless to them at the moment. Daichi and his friends are no more of a threat to us with or without them. Besides, they need the crests in order for us to get our hands on the Spirit Chips."

"That's no excuse! Luciamon, I thought you would have been able to talk some sense into him at least!"

"Honey, it's like talking to a brick wall. It all goes in one ear and out the other!"

Spritemon sniffed and sent the female angel an impatient look. "And just how did you manage to sneak into the castle with the Digidestined on your heels? I knew DarkAngelicmon was keeping things from me, and I don't appreciate it one bit! Someone had better tell me the truth about what's going on, or else!"

_Unbelievable! She never even noticed a thing!_

Ryoko stared at the sprite digimon in disbelief and slowly turned his attention back to DarkAngelicmon. Mickey had grabbed the feather out of the fallen angel's hand before Spritemon had had a chance to spot it, and as a result the female digimon had no idea of what had just occured. Luciamon was the complete opposite. She had seen the feather react to DarkAngelicmon, and the neutral expression on her face had changed immediately.

_She looks...excited about something. Is it because Angemon's feather had reacted to DarkAngelicmon in a way that suggests the fallen angel isn't really who he appears to be? Strange. I wonder what's going on..._

"Angelicmon, why didn't you and the other angels sense him coming?" Dai demanded, waving his hand in DarkAngelicmon's direction.

Angelicmon's cheeks turned pink, and he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Dai. I had my attention focused on the crests, and I didn't realize he was so close until it was already too late."

"Same here," Gabrielmon sighed.

"No kidding," Luciamon muttered. "I knew he was nearby, but I didn't realize he was that close!"

"What was that?" Spritemon snapped.

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows and gave the sprite digimon a small smile. "Don't mind Luciamon. She likes to joke around a lot, and making smart remarks is her specialty. I must admit, I've been a little foolish myself. There are other angel digimon in the castle, so of course Angelicmon's presence would have gone unnoticed to me, and the same goes for Angemon and Gabrielmon, but that's still no excuse. I should have understood what was going on as soon as I got close enough to the crest room to realize I wasn't alone, but I was too busy thinking about other things to realize what was happening. Oh well. We all make mistakes, including evil digimon."

"They make the most!" Alopemon shot back.

"Considering the digimon I've worked with so far, I'd have to agree," DarkAngelicmon said dryly.

"Excuse me, but can't you tell the difference between a fallen angel digimon and a regular angel digimon?" Takara asked hesitantly.

"Not in this castle. The Powers of Darkness are everywhere. How am I supposed to tell whether or not the presence of evil is coming from a digimon or the castle itself?"

"So you say," ExVeemon snorted.

"I can't believe we fell for such an obvious trap! Ishida, why didn't you say something earlier?" Dai complained.

Ryoko crossed his arms and glared at the goggle-headed leader. "Don't try to blame me for this, Daichi! If you weren't such an idiot to begin with-"

"Ryoko, now is definitely not the time for you to be starting another fight with Dai," Davis interrupted.

"Hey! He started the first one, not me!"

"Really, Ryoko, you should be a little nicer to your friends," DarkAngelicmon scolded.

Ryoko stared at the fallen angel with his mouth hanging open and let out a loud snort. "What would you know about friendship?"

"More than you, obviously."

"Ouch, now that's what I call an insult!" Dai smirked.

Ryoko felt his face turn red, and he sent the fallen angel a dirty look. He knew DarkAngelicmon was trying to catch him off guard, but he had already fallen for one trick that day, and there was no way he was going to fall for another one!

"I still can't believe we let ourselves get tricked so easily!" Takara moaned, covering her face with her hands.

Ryoko nodded in agreement and wrapped an arm around his female friend's shoulders. "I know exactly how you feel, Kara. We've walked right into the middle of a huge disaster!"

"Maybe, maybe not," Ken said quietly.

Ryoko turned to look at Sam's father and realized the man was gazing curiously at Luciamon. He looked confused about something, and his gaze kept drifting back to T.K., Mickey, Sam, and Matty.

_None of this makes any sense. Matty told me he couldn't feel the Powers of Darkness radiating from Luciamon like he could with DarkAngelicmon, and I bet the same goes for Ken and the others, as well, but if that's the case then how can Luciamon be evil, and more importantly, why hasn't DarkAngelicmon realized his friend doesn't hold the same kind of connection to darkness that he holds? I don't understand. Our angel digimon can tell the difference between a fallen angel and a regular angel, even here in the castle, so why can't DarkAngelicmon?_

"Ryoko, what's wrong?" Alopemon asked anxiously, his pale blue eyes narrowing into a frown.

Ryoko ignored his partner and turned his attention to Luciamon instead. "Why? Why can't he feel the difference?"

Luciamon glanced at DarkAngelicmon, and a sad smile slipped across her face. "Sometimes we only see what we want to see, Ryoko Ishida."

_What in the Digiworld is that supposed to mean?_

"I'm sorry, Ryoko. I know Matty and I can't sense angel digimon exactly, but we can sense DarkAngelicmon's evil. I guess we should have been paying more attention to what was going on," Mickey said quietly.

Ryoko quickly shook his head and smiled at his cousin. "No, Mickey. You said it yourself. We had the crests to worry about."

"Enough talking!" Spritemon suddenly snapped, angrily fluttering her wings. "I don't know about you, DarkAngelicmon, but I think it's time we had some of the guards escort the Digidestined to the dungeons before they try to escape. The sooner they're locked away, the better. Our master can deal with them when he gets back. Hey! Are you listening to me?"

"What?"

Ryoko turned to look at DarkAngelicmon and smiled in amusement when he realized the fallen angel had not been paying attention to a single word of what Spritemon had said. The evil digimon's green eyes were focused on Luciamon, and the look on his face clearly stated he did not have a clue what the female angel had meant by her last comment, but it was obvious he intended to find out as soon as he had a chance to speak to his fallen friend without anyone listening in on their conversation.

"Wait a minute, are you saying your master isn't here?" Dai interrupted, a sudden smile slipping across his face. "What about Vampiramon, Jestermon, and BlackWidowmon? Where are they?"

Spritemon crossed her arms and glared at the goggle-headed leader. "None of your business! So tell me, Daichi, are you ready to join your friend Gennai in the dungeons?"

"Not a chance!" Sam snapped, his dark blue eyes burning with fury. "Do you really think we're just going to let you drag us down to the dungeons without putting up a fight? Think again! There are only three of you and ten of our digimon, counting Palmon. What makes you think you can defeat all of us at once? We're not going to give up until we rescue Gennai and send the two of you running back to your master with another failure on your hands!"

"Now that's more like the Sam I know!" Dai cheered, sending the raven-haired Digidestined an approving smile.

"No," Luciamon pleaded. "No, you _have _to go to the dungeons. You have to! Please..."

"Spritemon, tell BlackGatomon and some of the others to get in here and help us take the Digidestined to the dungeons," DarkAngelicmon said, sounding distracted. "We'll deal with them once they're safely locked away."

_Great. Now what do we do?_

Ryoko edged closer to Dai and tugged anxiously on the goggle-headed leader's shirt. "Daichi, we have to go to the dungeons in order to rescue Gennai, but if we let ourselves become surrounded by DarkAngelicmon's guards we'll never be able to escape!"

Dai watched Spritemon leave the room and slowly nodded. "You're right, Ishida. If we want to get out of here with the crests we're going to have to make our move now while we only have DarkAngelicmon and Luciamon to deal with. Besides, Vampiramon and her master could come back at any moment, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to be around when they show up. We have no choice. We have to leave now otherwise we're doomed."

"But...what about Gennai?" Takara whispered, overhearing their conversation. She came closer to them, and the fire in her hazel eyes froze both of them in their tracks. "We can't just leave him here! If we don't save him now then we might as well not bother trying to rescue him at all because we'll never have another chance to do so. Do you two honestly think we'll have another opportunity to sneak inside the castle? Give me a break! DarkAngelicmon knows we want to get our hands on Gennai, and if by some miracle we manage to get out of this place without getting captured, he, along with Vampiramon and the others, are going to have so many guards around this place it'll be impossible for us to sneak in a second time. They're not completely stupid, you know. They know we'll try to come back eventually if we leave without Gennai, and as a result every digimon in this place will be watching for us. The only reason we were able to get in this time is because Luciamon practically invited us here. Maybe Spritemon and some of the guards didn't know the details of DarkAngelicmon's plan, but they will next time, if there even is a next time! And don't think we can count on Leomon and the others either. How do we know they've managed to come anywhere near the castle let alone get inside?"

Ryoko hesitated and slowly slipped his arm around his female friend. He could feel her shoulders trembling, and the look on her face was filled with despair. "Kara, listen to me. I know how you feel, but what else can we do? Who knows how many guards Spritemon's bringing back with her? There's no way we can take on all of them, and once we get to the dungeons it'll be almost impossible to escape. If we want to get out of here we're going to have to act now. Luciamon and DarkAngelicmon are powerful, but they're only two digimon. We'll never have a better opportunity to escape. I know it's hard, but..."

"We don't have a choice," Davis finished, glancing helplessly at his son.

"But-"

"Kara, Izzy already has an escape plan worked out, remember?" T.K. said quietly, glancing calmly at Luciamon and DarkAngelicmon to see if they were listening. The two angels had their heads bent close together, and they appeared to be having some sort of an argument.

"Yes, what about it?" Takara asked, lifting her head and gazing curiously at her uncle.

"How much do you want to bet Izzy's plan takes us right past the dungeons, and if it doesn't I'm going to make sure he alters it in a way that's going to lead us right to Gennai's cell!"

Takara wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Uncle T.K., Luciamon knows about the weak points. I get the feeling DarkAngelicmon doesn't know about them yet, but he will as soon as Luciamon has a chance to tell him!"

"Yes, Luciamon knows about them, but she doesn't know exactly where _all _of them are! Izzy does!"

"And how are you going to let Izzy know we need to go past the dungeons?"

T.K. smiled slightly and held up his D-Terminal. "The same way I tell him everything else."

"Why?" Ken suddenly whispered, his dark blue eyes travelling across Luciamon's face. "Why did she disobey DarkAngelicmon's orders? She was supposed to have brought us here by way of the North Tower, but she used the weak points instead. It's obvious DarkAngelicmon doesn't have a clue how she got inside the castle, which means, like Takara said earlier, he must not know about the weak points. You heard Luciamon. She kept avoiding DarkAngelicmon's questions, and she told him she had to change his plans, but she didn't give him a decent explanation as to why. We were with her the whole time, and you guys know as well as I do that DarkAngelicmon's plan would have worked just as well, so why did she change it?"

"What are you saying?" Sam gasped, gazing at his father in astonishment. "Are you saying Luciamon isn't really evil after all?"

Ryoko stared at Sam's father with his mouth hanging open and jumped when DarkAngelicmon suddenly spoke. "Daichi Motomiya, are you and your friends trying to come up with an escape plan?"

Dai glared at the fallen angel, but DarkAngelicmon waved his hand for silence. "Oh, by all means, go ahead. It'll be interesting to see what you come up with. Your plan won't work, obviously, but nevertheless I'm sure I'll find your efforts to be rather amusing, wouldn't you agree, Luciamon?"

Luciamon gazed miserably at the floor and did not reply.

"Well, are we going to do this or not?" Matty demanded.

Ryoko nodded and gently let go of his female friend. "What about you, Kara? Are you with us?"

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Dai asked, gazing anxiously into Takara's eyes. "We'll save him. I promise."

Takara stared at the goggle-headed leader for a moment, and reaching out she gently squeezed his hand. "No, Dai, I'm ready. We'll find a way to rescue Gennai. I know we will."

"Me, too," Mickey said softly.

"Well, what's it going to be?" DarkAngelicmon asked, looking amused. "Are you going to come with us peacefully or are you going to fight?"

Ryoko glared directly into the fallen angel's eyes and held out his Digivice. "What do you think? Come on, Alopemon, let's digivolve!"

"Well it's about time! Alopemon digivolve to, Tirimon!"

"You, too, Angemon." T.K. said quietly, holding up his crest. Its shiny surface began to glow a bright yellow, and the shadows in the room were immediately driven back into the walls. "No one tortures my sons and gets away with it!"

"I will protect Mickey and Matty with my life, T.K. Angemon digivolve to, MagnaAngemon!"

_I don't believe it! Angemon digivolved to his ultimate level!_

Ryoko gazed at his uncle's partner in astonishment, but the look on his face was nothing compared to the identical looks of awe his twin cousins wore.

DarkAngelicmon's green eyes narrowed into a frown, and he quickly motioned for Luciamon to block the only door in the room. "You are willing to fight me without knowing the true extent of my power?"

"We are," Gabrielmon said firmly, stepping up next to MagnaAngemon. Angelicmon stood on MagnaAngemon's other side and nodded in agreement.

"We all are," Stingmon said quietly.

_Ken was right! DarkAngelicmon doesn't know about the weak points! We still have a chance to escape! He made Luciamon block the door, but no one's blocking the weak point. If he knew about it he probably would have blocked it himself, but there's still one thing I don't understand. Why isn't Luciamon saying anything? She has to know or suspect we're going to try to use the weak point as part of our escape plan, so why isn't she warning DarkAngelicmon?_

"You are a fool, T.K.," DarkAngelicmon murmured without looking at the golden-haired Digidestined. "I would not have hurt you sons, at least not in the way you think, but if this is how it has to end then so be it. We will fight, and your digimon will die for it!"

MagnaAngemon pointed his finger at the fallen angel and motioned for the other digimon to gather around him."Prepare yourself, DarkAngelicmon. It's time you learned to fear the light!"


	101. Trapped

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I have to say I can't wait for Chapter 103. It's one of my favorite chapters I've written so far, and of course Glowmon digivolves in it! This is only the beginning of the fight.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 101: Trapped

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"You have made your choice, Digidestined, and now you will face an enemy unlike any digimon you have ever faced before," DarkAngelicmon said quietly. "Do you think you can defeat me, MagnaAngemon? Very well then. Show me your power and I will show you mine!"

"Celestial Star!" Angelicmon shouted before MagnaAngemon could respond. The glowing star flew straight at DarkAngelicmon's chest, but the fallen angel leaped out of the way before the attack could hit him and the pedestal that used to hold the Crest of Courage exploded in a flash of bright yellow light.

Matty rolled his eyes and gave his partner a disapproving look. "Angelicmon!"

"What? He was starting to get on my nerves!"

"That was close, but not close enough," DarkAngelicmon smirked, hovering over the remains of the broken pedestal. The fallen angel snapped his fingers and a long dark spear appeared in his hand. He pointed it at the three angel digimon, and a small smile slipped across his face. "Anyone else want to try?"

"Everyone get back against the wall and stay out of the way!" Davis shouted, pushing his son against the wall that stood opposite the door Luciamon was guarding.

Sam Ichijouji found himself being dragged away from the battle by his father, and he let out a cry of protest. "Wait, shouldn't we try to make a run for the weak point?"

"We can't!" Takara moaned. "The weak point is practically on the other side of the room from us. We'd have to run right through the middle of the battle to get to it, and we can't leave through the door unless our digimon can find a way to get rid of Luciamon without getting themselves killed by DarkAngelicmon first."

Sam glanced at the weak point, which was on an angle from where he stood huddled against the wall, and felt his heart sink. Takara was right. They were trapped.

"Besides, the weak point is useless to us without Izzy's escape plan," T.K. whispered, glancing warily over his shoulder.

Sam frowned at the golden-haired Digidestined and huddled closer to his dad's side. "What do you mean?"

"Izzy wanted us to use our original route to get back to the first floor, but that plan's not going to work anymore. Luciamon knows exactly how we got to the crest room and she'll have DarkAngelicmon and the others following us as soon as she realizes what we're trying to do. I'm sorry, guys, but our original weak points are useless to us. The only one that may be useful now is the one we used to get inside this room in the first place."

_Exactly, so why hasn't Luciamon told DarkAngelicmon to block it yet? Is she keeping quiet because she knows we can't reach it without getting stuck in the middle of the battle?_

"Yes, but how do we know Luciamon really is evil?" Ken said quietly.

Sam turned to stare at his father in shock and slowly shook his head in denial. "Dad, you heard what DarkAngelicmon said. She has to be evil. Why else would she have led us to the crests when she knew DarkAngelicmon was going to be here, too?"

"I don't know, Sam, but I have a feeling we're going to find out."

Sam quickly shut his mouth, and after a moment of tense silence Davis motioned for T.K. to take out his D-Terminal. "T.K., you'd better e-mail Izzy while you still have a chance and tell him we're going to have to use his escape plan, and tell him to make sure it takes us close enough to the dungeons to give us a chance to rescue Gennai."

Dai sent his father a grateful smile and turned to look at Takara. "I promised you I would make sure we rescued Gennai, and I'm going to keep my promise."

Takara hesitated only a moment before throwing her arms around the goggle-headed leader in a tight hug. "I know, Dai. You're amazing, you know that?"

"Yea, I bet," Ryoko muttered, looking amused.

Sam smiled at the faint blush on Dai's cheeks, but before he could say anything a huge blast of light captured his attention and he turned to see Ibismon and Stingmon lying on their backs in the middle of the floor.

"Ibismon, be careful!" Takara cried.

"Hurry, T.K.," Davis whispered, nudging the golden-haired Digidestined in the ribs, "we'll try to slip past the battle as soon as Izzy gives you the details of his plan. ExVeemon and the other digimon can slip out after us. Hopefully we'll find an opening that will allow us to make it to the other side of the room without getting ourselves blown to pieces!"

"Thanks for the words of encouragement, Dad!" Dai said sarcastically.

Sam could hear T.K. scolding Davis for jiggling his arm while he was trying to type, but the words never reached the raven-haired Digidestined's ears. He was too busy watching the battle in front of him to notice what was going on with Dai, the adults, and the rest of his friends.

"Is that all you've got?" DarkAngelicmon asked, leaning against the wall and twirling his spear in his hand. "Really, I was looking for more of a challenge, but I guess I'm going to have to suffer a huge disappointment. What about you, Gabrielmon? Are you going to take me on, as well?"

"You are not as brave as you appear to be, DarkAngelicmon. Holy Sceptre!"

DarkAngelicmon ducked under the orange blast and launched himself into the air again. "We shall see about that! Wrath of Hades!"

Sam gasped as a huge purple blast shot out of DarkAngelicmon's hands and flew straight towards Gabrielmon. MagnaAngemon managed to drag the less experienced angel out of the way, and the glowing ball of energy slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the room, just narrowly missing the weak point.

"Gabrielmon, are you alright?" Mickey gasped, clinging tightly to his dad's arm.

Gabrielmon nodded and managed a weak smile. "I'm fine, Mickey. Don't worry about me. I promise I'll be more careful next time."

"Dai, can I please digivolve now? I want to fight, too!" Embermon complained, his forked tail twitching angrily against the stone floor. The little rookie stood next to his human partner with a frown on his face, and the look he sent DarkAngelicmon was filled with disgust.

"Trust me, Embermon, I know exactly how you feel," Palmon muttered.

"You're not fighting anyone without my mom!" Ryoko snapped, glaring at his mother's partner.

Palmon's whole body wilted, and she gazed miserably at the floor. "Then I'll never help you guys fight, will I."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, if I were you," Takara said slowly. "Don't worry, Palmon, I have a feeling you'll end up helping us out just as much as the others."

"Really?"

"Yes, if Mimi has anything to say about it!"

"Hey, what about me?" Embermon interrupted.

Dai gently patted his partner's head and gave the reptile digimon an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but Dragermon's just too big to fit in this room. I know it's hard, buddy, but I think you're going to have to sit this one out."

"No way! I-"

"Please let us help!" Glowmon cried, fluttering anxiously next to Mickey's shoulder.

Sam pulled the little rookie into his arms and quickly shook his head. "No, Glowmon. I know you're strong, but you haven't had a chance to fight yet, and I don't want your first opponent to be DarkAngelicmon!"

"But-"

"No! Not unless you absolutely have to!"

"We're not finished yet, DarkAngelicmon! Feather Darts!" Ibismon shouted.

"Celestial Star!"

DarkAngelicmon managed to avoid Ibismon's attack, but Angelicmon's golden blast hit him in the chest and sent him crashing to the floor. The fallen angel leaped to his feet as if he had suffered nothing worse than a bruise and tackled Angelicmon in a flurry of dark feathers. "Twilight Spear!"

"Look out!" Matty shouted.

Angelicmon managed to squirm out from under the fallen angel before the spear could catch him in the stomach, and there was a flash of light and a loud clang as MagnaAngemon's sword connected with the evil champion's spear.

"Your sword is no match for my spear!" DarkAngelicmon smirked, swinging his weapon in a flurry of sharp jabs and driving the ultimate digimon back against the wall. MagnaAngemon immediately crouched into a defensive position and held his sword steady to block the blows.

"Now what?" Tirimon growled. "We can't use our attacks because there's a chance we might hit MagnaAngemon!"

"None of this would have happened if all of you had just come to the dungeons without putting up a fight," Luciamon said sadly.

"Who asked you?" Ibismon snapped. "Emerald Flare!"

Luciamon let out a squeal of surprise and fluttered into the air before the green blast could hit her in the face. "Hey, what was that for?"

"That was for leading us into a trap, you little traitor!"

"I'm sorry, MagnaAngemon. I really didn't want to have to kill you, but you know how it is. Twilight Spear!" DarkAngelicmon shouted. The fallen angel's weapon began to glow a bright purple and he swung it at MagnaAngemon's head. The ultimate digimon managed to duck before DarkAngelicmon's spear could hit him in the chest, and he swung his sword at the evil weapon, knocking it out of the fallen angel's hand. DarkAngelicmon immediately lunged for it, but Stingmon knocked it out of reach and sent the fallen angel stumbling into MagnaAngemon with a good, swift kick to the ribs.

"Goodbye, my fallen friend," MagnaAngemon said softly, holding the evil angel in a tight grip. "Gate of-"

"No!" Luciamon shrieked, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "I won't let you kill him! Trinity Wraiths!"

Sam turned just in time to see three ghostly forms separate from Luciamon's body and fly straight at MagnaAngemon. The three glowing spirits circled around the angel's impressive sword and ripped it out of his grasp. The weapon went flying across the room in a blaze of yellow light, and it clattered against the wall before MagnaAngemon even had a chance to make a grab for it.

"Well, it's about time you decided to join in the fight. I was starting to wonder if you'd fallen asleep over there," DarkAngelicmon laughed, his green eyes settling on Luciamon's face.

The female angel blushed and quickly lowered her eyes to the ground. "You told me to watch the door."

"Yes, well nevertheless your help is appreciated."

"I thought you said you could defeat us all on your own," Tirimon smirked.

"I could, but it is nice to have a little bit of assistance once in a while. It makes the battle go much quicker, if you know what I mean. MagnaAngemon may have relieved me of my spear, but it was luck, not skill, that allowed him to do so. That won't happen again, I assure you. Now, are you ready to resume our fight or are we just going to stand around and chat all day?"

"This isn't working!" ExVeemon shouted, glaring angrily at the fallen angel. "We need to get rid of him and Luciamon before the others come back."

"Oh, is that part of your plan to escape from the castle?" DarkAngelicmon smirked.

ExVeemon ignored him and motioned for the others to listen closely. "Stingmon, I want you, Ibismon, and Tirimon to stop Luciamon from interfering, and the rest of us will take on DarkAngelicmon, alright?"

"Hey, wait! Can't we talk about this?" Luciamon squealed.

"No. Cyclone Fury!" Ibismon shouted, sending Luciamon crashing into the ceiling in a tornado of pink feathers.

"Nice one. Now it's my turn," Tirimon smirked. "Winter Inferno!"

The arctic fox digimon leaped at Luciamon and slashed her with his tail just as she hit the ground. The female angel managed to roll out of the way before she was engulfed in an explosion of ice and snow, but unfortunately for her she came to a stop near Stingmon's left foot. The insect digimon dragged her to her feet, but she kicked him in the knee before he could use his Spiking Strike attack and fluttered back into the air again. "You guys aren't very nice. I was trying to help! Lunar Force!"

Luciamon held up her arms and a trail of glowing comets spiraled towards Stingmon and the other two digimon, but at the last moment the blast turned to the side and flew harmlessly into the wall.

Sam's mouth fell open, and he stared at the female angel in shock. At first glance it looked as if she had misjudged the direction she was supposed to be aiming in, but on closer inspection he realized she had missed her target _on purpose._

_I don't believe it! Maybe my dad was right after all. Could Luciamon really be on our side like he had suggested earlier?_

Stingmon and the other digimon did not seem to realize what had happened because they continued to shoot their attacks at the female angel in a whirl of colourful blasts.

_No, you guys can't kill her. We need her!_

"Hurry, we're running out of time!" ExVeemon shouted, shooting his Vee-Laser attack in DarkAngelicmon's direction.

Sam tightened his fingers around Izzy's crest and gazed silently around the room. The darkness had almost overwhelmed him earlier, but ever since they had found the crests its presence appeared to have retreated back into the walls of the castle. He knew his father and his friends were worried about him, but their fear only made him want to prove he could fight against the darkness and win. He did not know why he felt stronger all of a sudden, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the Crest of Kindness, and he was going to prove to DarkAngelicmon that he was stronger than the fallen angel thought he was.

_He knows the Emperor's true identity. How am I going to get him to tell me the truth? He's right about one thing. My parents and the rest of my friends aren't going to tell me. I need to know, but if Angelicmon and the others kill him, I'll never find out the truth. How am I going to stop them from hurting him, and Luciamon, as well, without causing all of us to end up getting ourselves thrown into the dungeons?_

"Oh no, look!" Glowmon cried, interrupting his thoughts. "Spritemon's back, and she has a whole gang of evil digimon with her! We're too late!"

Sam held his digimon close and swallowed a lump of fear in his throat. Glowmon was right. Spritemon had just entered the room with BlackGatomon and a group of dark digimon behind her, and the look on her face was filled with rage. "Move it!" the sprite digimon snapped, elbowing Luciamon out of her way and stalking into the room. "What did I tell you, DarkAngelicmon? I knew they would try to escape!"

"Obviously," Luciamon muttered.

DarkAngelicmon looked up from where he was sprawled on the floor in a tangle of arms and legs with Gabrielmon and let out a dramatic sigh. "Will you quit spoiling my fun? I have the situation well under control, thank you very much!"

"Yes, I can see that."

"Stay out of this!" Gabrielmon snapped, yanking his arm out of DarkAngelicmon's grip and pointing his weapon at Spritemon. "Holy Sceptre!"

The sprite digimon let out a shriek as the bright orange blast hit her in the side and sent her stumbling into Luciamon. Both digimon fell to the floor in a heap, and BlackGatomon smirked at them. "Smooth move, Spritemon."

"Shut up!" the sprite digimon screamed, leaping to her feet and glaring angrily at the guards. "What are you fools waiting for? Destroy Gabrielmon and the others, and bring the Digidestined to me!"

"This is bad!" Glowmon whimpered, his small body trembling with fear.

Sam buried his face against his father's chest and let out a sound of distress. They were now officially trapped, and if Izzy did not e-mail them soon, they were going to end up sharing a cell with Gennai.


	102. The Crest of Knowledge

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: The next chapter will be exciting since the last rookie will digivolve!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 102: The Crest of Knowledge

_Yolei Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Yolei Ichijouji glared impatiently at the computer screen in front of her and poked Izzy between the shoulder blades to get his attention. "Izzy, why aren't they leaving? We know they have the crests because the dots in the crest room have joined up with the dots representing their Digivices, so why don't they get out of there before someone catches them?"

Izzy frowned at the screen and slowly shook his head. "I don't know. I wish I did, but I don't."

"You don't think they're in trouble, do you?" Noah asked hesitantly. "T.K. said he and the others would wait until they made it back to the first floor before they decided what to do about Gennai, but if they don't hurry up they're going to get spotted and then the decision will be made for them."

"How much do you want to bet Dai's the one who's screwing everything up?" Ema muttered.

Yolei held her younger son tightly in her arms and exchanged a worried look with Kari. T.K. had sent his last e-mail just before he and the others had entered the crest room, and since then they had heard nothing from the golden-haired Digidestined about the crests or Gennai. It was obvious Dai and the others wanted to get to the dungeons, but they were also using their brains and being cautious, which was evident in the way they had decided to wait on rescuing Gennai until they were certain of what was going on with the situation around them.

_Oh, Sam, please stay safe. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you._

Kari must have sensed what she was thinking because her best friend's arms suddenly went around her waist in a tight hug, and she buried her face in the younger woman's dark hair.

"Don't worry, Yolei, I know Sam's going to be just fine. Ken will protect him and keep him safe."

Yolei slowly nodded and managed a weak smile. "I know, Kari. I trust Ken, I really do, but I can't help feeling a little bit worried. Sam means so much to me. I'd never be able to stand losing him."

"It's okay, Mommy, Sam will come back. He promised me he would," Nao mumbled into her shoulder.

Yolei gently kissed her younger son's lavender hair and held him close to her heart. "I know, sweetie, it's just..."

"Daichi won't let anything happen to Sam," a voice said softly from the doorway. "I know my son, and I know he would die before he would ever let anything happen to his friends. Dai might get into trouble a lot, but he has a heart of gold, and that's why he's more precious to me than any perfect child who has never put a foot wrong ever could be."

Yolei glanced over her shoulder and spotted Noriko leaning against the door frame with a proud smile on her face and a look of determination in her dark eyes. Her expression clearly stated she believed in her son more than she had ever believed in anything else in her life, and she was going to make sure everybody else knew it.

"Noriko, I was wondering when you were going to show up," Izzy said, turning in his seat to smile at the female Digidestined. "Did you leave Imoko in charge of the store?"

Noriko rolled her eyes and made a face. "I did, but I'm not so sure that was a very good idea. That girl is clueless when it comes to running a business. I'll be surprised if the place is still standing tomorrow morning, but my husband and my children come first before anything else. How are Davis and the others doing?"

"Great! They've just found the crests!" Ami cheered, leaping up and throwing her arms around her mother in an enthusiastic hug. "I knew Dad and Dai could do it! Um...just don't tell Dai I said that!"

Noriko laughed and kissed her daughter's cheek. "It's nice to finally hear some good news! Does that mean they're coming home now?"

"Look!" Rina suddenly squealed, pointing at the computer screen. "Daddy sent another e-mail!"

Yolei's arm tightened around her son and she squeezed her daughter's hand in an effort to calm herself. _What if they're in trouble?_

Izzy quickly pulled up the e-mail, and almost immediately a loud gasp escaped the computer expert's mouth.

"What is it? What's going on?" Mimi cried.

Izzy swallowed hard and motioned for everyone to gather around him. "You guys had better read this for yourselves."

"Why?" Ema demanded.

Yolei did not wait for an answer. She scrambled over to Izzy's side, nearly trampling her small son in the process, and stared at the computer screen in horror. The e-mail said:

_Izzy,_

_We've got the crests, but we need your help and quick! Luciamon has betrayed us! She's actually working for DarkAngelicmon, and she tricked us into coming to the castle with her so the fallen angel could capture us like he did Gennai. We're in the crest room surrounded by evil digimon, including Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon, and we have no way of reaching the door or the weak point without putting ourselves in danger. Now would be a good time to use that escape plan of yours! There's only one problem. Now that we've been caught, we'll never have another chance to save Gennai so we have to save him now. I'd like to explain everything a bit more but I don't have time. You're escape plan does take us past the dungeons, right? If not you'd better change it and quick! I've had to change this e-mail several times before sending it because things are happening all at once, so hurry before something else goes wrong and our digimon end up losing the fight!_

_T.K._

There was a moment of terrible silence and then everyone started talking at once.

"Izzy, do something!" Mimi wailed, shaking the computer expert by the shoulders.

Izzy tried to say something, but Noriko interrupted him. "Who's Luciamon, and what's all this about being stuck in a battle? Where exactly are they, and what did T.K. mean about rescuing Gennai? I don't understand. Has something happened to Dai, and what about Davis? Are they alright?"

"We'll explain everything later," Kari said firmly, motioning for everyone else to lower their voices. "Right now we have some work to do. Izzy, you'd better e-mail T.K. back and give him the directions he and the others need to take in order to escape from the castle, and don't forget about Gennai. I know what Dai's like. He's a lot like his father in more ways than one, and I know he won't leave, even if he says he will, until he has at least made an attempt to rescue Gennai."

"Okay, but...um...well...there's only one problem. My escape plan doesn't take them anywhere near the dungeons."

"What?" Yolei shouted at the top of her lungs. She glared at the computer expert with enough force to send even a digimon like MaloMyotismon running for cover and crossed her arms. "Please tell me you're joking or else you're going to be in serious trouble, Izzy!"

The computer expert at least had the decency to look a little embarrassed, and he gazed miserably at his feet. "I wish I was joking, but I'm not. I originally wanted them to take their old route back down the stairs because that's the easiest way out of the castle, and there's a weak point on the first floor of their old route that would take them directly to the dungeons, but unfortunately that plan's not going to work anymore. Luciamon knows those weak points like the back of her hand now, because of me, and she would catch them long before they made it to the dungeons."

"Why don't they just let DarkAngelicmon take them to the dungeons?" Miya suggested. "He would be doing their dirty work for them and then you wouldn't have to worry about changing your plan. I'm sure they could rescue Gennai and still find a way to escape without getting themselves locked in a cell."

"Too risky. They would be putting themselves in an extremely vulnerable position. I doubt they would be able to escape easily once DarkAngelicmon had them locked up in the dungeons. What good will they be to Gennai if they can't even rescue themselves?"

"Good point. Hey, Izzy, don't blame yourself for what's happened. How could you have known Luciamon was a traitor? She must have been a pretty good actor if she was able to fool Dai and the others long enough to get them to the crests without anyone suspecting a thing. There's no use beating youself up about it. These things happen, and we just have to deal with them before we let ourselves give in to fear," Noah said quietly.

Izzy took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "You're right, Noah, I shouldn't blame myself for something that was completely out of my control."

"Do you mind explaining your plan to us? Maybe we can find a way to help you alter it in a way that will take them on a path to the dungeons," Taysuke offered.

"Well...my escape plan is a set of weak points that are closer to the main staircase than the original route I chose to get them inside the castle. My original route only went near the main staircase once it reached the fifth floor and got close to the crest room. My escape route is the exact opposite. It's a lot more dangerous and that's why I didn't want to use it until I absolutely had to. It's the shortest route to and from the crest room, but because of the dangers, instead of using it at the beginning, I chose the shortest route possible to get them to their destination that didn't go near the main staircase longer than necessary. Unfortunately none of that matters anymore because the castle guards know they're inside the castle so the main staircase isn't any more dangerous than the rest of the fort. That's why I don't have a problem with letting Dai and the others use my escape plan at this point in time, but like I said before, it doesn't have a weak point as close to the dungeons as my original route did. I knew they would want to rescue Gennai if they had the chance, and I also knew there was no way we could count on Leomon and the others showing up. That's why I made sure their original route took them close to the dungeons, but I didn't do the same for my escape route because I figured by that time they would have already lost their chance to rescue Gennai."

"Well they haven't lost their chance yet, and it's all thanks to Luciamon!" Taniko said triumphantly. "You said it yourself, Dad. Luciamon knows there are weak points in the castle, but the only ones she can use to her advantage are the ones Dai and the others used to get inside the crest room. You know what that means, don't you? If we use your escape plan, it'll take precious moments for Luciamon, DarkAngelicmon, and the guards to search the walls in order for them to figure out where Dai and the others have gone. That will give our side a huge head start. All we have to do is alter your plan a little so it leads to the dungeons on their way out of the castle. I know that means it'll take them longer to escape, which is what you were trying to avoid, but it's a risk we're going to have to take."

Izzy stared at his daughter and slowly pulled her into a warm embrace. "Taniko, I've always been proud of you, but now more so than ever. You're right, as usual. Okay, I don't know about the rest of you, but I think it's time we got to work. My original route took them through the west side of the castle and led them straight to the crest room, but my escape route is a little different. It goes west before heading north on the left side of the fort. It would have gotten them to the crest room from their starting weak point, as well, by heading south and then east, but like I said earlier it takes them very close to the main staircase. It also means they'd have to use the same weak point they used to get into the crest room in order to escape, but that's the only weak point from my original route they would be using. It's the only one that leads to the crest room. If I alter my escape route slightly on the first floor, I may be able to get them to the dungeons."

Izzy used his finger to trace his escape route out on the screen, and Yolei made a face. "And just how do you plan to alter it enough to get them to Gennai?"

"I know!" Taniko interrupted, pointing at the screen to trace out another route. "My dad wanted Dai and the others to escape from the castle using the West Tower. That way they could fly back over the forest and make their way towards the gate, but look here. There's a weak point on the northeast side of the castle that will take them to the dungeons. It's on the first floor. If we take them northeast instead of northwest they can rescue Gennai and leave the dungeons using a weak point on the southeast side of the castle. That way they can leave the castle using the East Tower! The path going northeast also takes them away from the main staircase, though I guess that doesn't really matter anymore. It's a longer route to the dungeons than the path on the left-hand side of the castle, and it's also a longer escape route than the path leading northwest, but it'll work. They'll have to take a bit of a detour over the forest to get back to the gate, but it'll be worth it! Remember, Embermon can't digivolve inside the castle because of his size. That means he'll have lots of energy left to digivolve into Dragermon and fly them out of danger. It's just like you said, Dad. The only original weak point we'll need to use is the one that got them inside the crest room in the first place."

"You're right, Taniko. Great job!" Izzy said, beaming at his daughter. "Well, so much for my escape plan. Your route is completely different from the route I came up with earlier, but that will work to our advantage. Who would have thought considering your route is going in the opposite direction of mine!"

"What can I say, Daddy? I'm a genius!"

Yolei scrambled forward and hugged Taniko as tightly as she could. "What a great idea! You're brilliant, Taniko! Maybe...maybe Sam and the others will get out in one piece after all, no thanks to Izzy!"

"Hey! I've gotten them this far, haven't I?"

Yolei glared at the computer expert and shook him roughly by the shoulders. "Well, what are you waiting for? Start typing before I hit you over the head with your laptop, which I see you've still insisted on bringing with you even though Davis and Noriko have their own computer! We've wasted enough time already!"

Izzy hastily typed out a message to T.K., and Yolei pulled her younger son back into her arms and held him close. She was even more scared than she had been when she had ended up getting stuck in the world of the Dark Ocean, and all she could do was wait to see if her husband, her son, and her friends could make it out of there alive.

"Wait! Won't Luciamon try to follow them when they make their way towards the gate? She's the one who led Dai and the others to the castle in the first place so she'll know which direction they'll be heading in. Remember, they're going to need to use the same path they used to get to the castle in order to make it back to the human world," Miya said slowly.

Noah gently touched her arm and smiled slightly. "Luciamon wasn't there when they came out of the gate so she won't know exactly where they're going. Besides, how do we know she doesn't know about the gate already? She could have already guessed that was where they came from. I say let her follow. I believe in Dragermon. He'll get Dai and the others safely away from DarkAngelicmon. I know he will."

Yolei smiled and nodded in agreement. Kari was right about one thing. Dai was a lot like Davis, and she knew he was too stubborn to just let DarkAngelicmon win. He was Davis Motomiya's son, and although she would never admit it to the former Digidestined leader, that meant things would probably work out alright after all.


	103. Dragonfly

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Yes, Glowmon finally digivolves! I told you I had to wait for the right moment and now it has arrived! Wait until the next chapter. I have a big surprise!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 103: Dragonfly

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Please let me help them, Sam!" Glowmon cried, his glowing belly flickering with fear. "I can't just hover here and watch!"

Sam held the little rookie close to his heart and quickly shook his head. "No way. You're too small to fight them. One blow from DarkAngelicmon's spear could end up turning you into a pile of data!"

"Rookies are a lot tougher than that, Sam," Palmon said indignantly, her large eyes narrowing into a frown.

Sam ignored the plant digimon and turned his attention back to Spritemon and the guards. Every single digimon the mega had brought with her looked dangerous, despite their size in certain cases, and he had a horrible feeling they were going to be more than a match for ExVeemon and the others.

_Poor Glowmon. I know exactly how he feels. If only there was something we could do to help..._

"Um...who are we supposed to attack first?" one of the Vilemon asked, glancing curiously around the room. He looked a little confused about what was going on and so did many of the other digimon standing around him.

Spritemon kicked the little champion in the back and let out a frustrated scream. "I don't care who you destroy first just as long as they all end up back at Primary Village as a bunch of useless digieggs. Kill them all, except Ibismon. I'll deal with her myself!"

"You're going to have to catch me first," Ibismon snorted.

"Angelicmon, look out!"

Sam jumped at the sound of Gabrielmon's voice and turned just in time to see DarkAngelicmon regain possession of his spear. The dark weapon had been lying at Angelicmon's feet, but Spritemon's entrance had distracted everyone, including the digimon, and DarkAngelicmon had used the opportunity to his advantage. The fallen angel stood with his spear pressed against Angelicmon's throat, and the look he sent Spritemon froze the female digimon in her tracks. "Excuse me, Spritemon, but I believe you and I agreed earlier that I would be the one to give out orders, not you."

Spritemon gave herself a little shake and glared at the fallen angel. "Yes, and you've done a fine job of screwing everything up, haven't you! BlackGatomon, Bakemon, Raremon, all of you, bring Takara and her little friends to me!"

"No!" Luciamon cried.

"Fool!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, his green eyes flashing with sudden fury. At first Sam thought the fallen angel was talking to Luciamon, but then he realized DarkAngelicmon's green gaze was focused on Spritemon, and the look on his face clearly stated he was not pleased by the female digimon's attempt to disobey him.

"Let go of my partner!" Matty shouted, capturing DarkAngelicmon's attention.

Angelicmon tried to duck under the spear, but the fallen angel caught one of his wings and held him in a tight grip. "And just where do you think you're going?"

"You cannot win this fight," Angelicmon said quietly, his long golden hair spilling over the fallen angel's shoulder.

DarkAngelicmon smiled slightly and flicked one of the feathery ear-like wings sticking out of his vaccine counterpart's head. "Maybe not, but I will win the war, and that is what will decide the fate of the Digital World."

"Yes, but only if you live long enough to see your master's great plan through to the end. You may think you can decide the fate of the Digital World, but I disagree. How can you win the war when it is I who will be the one to decide your fate!" Gabrielmon snapped. "Leave my friend alone! Holy Sceptre!"

The angel's blast hit DarkAngelicmon in the back, and the room erupted into battle.

"Feather Darts!" Ibismon shouted, spreading her pink wings and sending a gale of razor sharp feathers in Spritemon's direction. The mega digimon leaped out of the way, and the feathers clattered harmlessly to the stone floor. Both digimon hovered in the air about six feet apart, and Ibismon motioned for Stingmon to join her.

"Do you really think you can defeat me with such pathetic attacks? You and your human partner will die for ruining my plans! Fairy Cannon!"

"Watch out!" Ibismon shouted.

Stingmon ducked under the blast to avoid it, and Ibismon fluttered towards the ceiling. Spritemon flew after the bird digimon, but Stingmon managed to come up behind her before she could get very far and he kicked her in the back with his foot. The evil mega landed face first on the stone floor, and Stingmon dived after her. "Spiking Strike!"

Spritemon rolled out of the way just in time, and Stingmon landed on the floor beside her. It took him a moment to steady himself, and reaching down he pulled the sprite digimon to her feet.

"Stay out of my way, Stingmon! This fight is between Ibismon and myself!"

"If you think I'm going to stand by and let you hurt one of my fellow digimon, forget it! No offence, but you're even more stupid than DarkAngelicmon thought you were! Spiking Strike!"

Stingmon's attack connected with Spritemon's hip, and the evil mega let out a squeal of pain. "You're going to pay for that and so will DarkAngelicmon! Fairy Cannon!"

Stingmon fluttered into the air again and watched the blast sail harmlessly into the wall. "You're going to have to do better than that, Spritemon. If you want Ibismon then you're going to have to go through me first!"

"Tirimon, we'd better get rid of BlackGatomon and the other guards before they try to help out DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon. Ibismon, Stingmon, and the angels can deal with those two, but keep an eye on Luciamon. She might try something when we least expect it," ExVeemon shouted over the noise.

"Right. Arctic Blast!"

A huge blue blast of ice and snow shot out of Tirimon's mouth and headed straight towards a group of Bakemon. The ghost digimon scattered in all directions, and ExVeemon launched himself at the poison plant digimon who was surrounded by a group of Vilemon.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you and your friends get turned into data," BlackGatomon smirked, leaping forward and slashing Tirimon in the face with her claws.

Tirimon stumbled into the remains of the pedestal and let out a growl of pain. "I won't be defeated by you and a group of useless Bakemon! Winter Inferno!"

BlackGatomon hastily stepped out of the way of his tail, and the blast flew towards the Bakemon again. Luckily for them Raremon slid in front of the blast and it sank into the sewer digimon's slimy skin and disappeared.

"That is definitely not good," Ryoko groaned. "Stop him, Tirimon, before the Bakemon can gang up on you!"

"Don't forget about me!" ExVeemon shouted, turning towards Raremon. "Vee-Laser!"

The blast never made it very far because the group of Vilemon tackled the champion to the ground and motioned for the plant digimon to join them.

"Hurry, Ivymon, attack him before he can get up again!" one of the Vilemon called out.

The poison plant digimon strolled forward and an unpleasant smile appeared on her face. "I don't know how Luciamon managed to get all of you into the castle without me noticing, but none of that matters anymore. You're here and I'm going to make sure you never leave! Berry Blaster!"

"Nightmare Shocker!" the Vilemon cried in unison.

Ivymon's roots came together to form a weapon, and a barrage of small white berries shot out of her arms and smashed into ExVeemon's face. The Vilemons' attacks quickly followed and their combined moves caused an explosion of energy. ExVeemon disappeared in a bright blast, and Sam let out a gasp of dismay. _Ivymon's right. Our digimon are never going to get out of here alive, and what about the rest of us? We're going to be stuck here forever!_

"ExVeemon, are you alright?" Davis said anxiously, his dark eyes travelling over his partner's injured body. ExVeemon let out a groan and did not reply.

"Zombie Claw!" the Bakemon shouted together, their slimy blue arms wrapping around Tirimon and pinning him to the floor.

Raremon used that opportunity to attack and sent a blast of stinky sewer sludge flying into Tirimon.

Sam put a hand over his nose to stop himself from gagging, but that did nothing to stop the fear in his heart, which was causing his stomach to churn even more than Raremon's disgusting attack.

_Oh, Glowmon, if only you could digivolve..._

"Don't worry, Tirimon, I'll help you!" Palmon cried. "Poison Ivy!" The little rookie's roots latched onto one of the Bakemon and sent him flying into the stone wall. The other ghost digimon were quick to scatter again, and Tirimon slowly got to his feet.

"Palmon!" Ryoko sighed, shaking his head and placing a firm hand on the plant digimon's green arm.

"Ryoko, I have to help. Your mom never liked to fight, but there were times when she knew she had to, and this is one of those times. Mimi would want me to help my friends. I know she would, even if it is dangerous."

"I promised my mother I would take you to her, and I can't do that very easily if you end up getting yourself turned into data!"

"Mimi would understand, especially if she knew I was trying to help you and your digimon."

"Palmon's right. I want to fight, too!" Glowmon cried.

"Hey, what about me?" Embermon complained.

Sam glanced frantically at his father and felt his dad's strong arms slip around him in a comforting hug. "T.K., has Izzy sent another e-mail yet?"

"No, but don't worry, Ken, he'll send one soon."

"He'd better or our digimon are done for," Davis muttered. "What's taking him so long?"

T.K.'s D-Terminal let off a sudden beep, and Sam nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected noise.

"Please tell me that's Izzy," Mickey moaned, gazing fearfully at his partner who was trying to help MagnaAngemon knock DarkAngelicmon off his feet.

T.K. managed a weak smile and nodded. "Who else would it be? Let's see what he has to say."

Sam crept up to Mickey's side and leaned over the older twin's shoulder for a closer look at T.K.'s D-Terminal. It was indeed an e-mail from Izzy, and the message said:

_T.K.,_

_I'm sorry about what happened with Luciamon, but we don't really have time to get into it right now. If you want to know the truth, my escape plan doesn't go anywhere near the dungeons, but don't worry, I've changed it! Well, Taniko did actually. In fact, it looks nothing like my original escape plan did, and don't worry about Luciamon and the others trying to follow you. It doesn't use any of the original weak points we used to get you guys to the crest room except for the one that led you into the room itself. Taniko and I are going to lead you guys to a weak point on the first floor that will lead you to the dungeons. It's on the northeast side of the castle. Once you've rescued Gennai, we're going to get you guys back to the first floor using a weak point on the southeast side of the castle and that way you'll be able to escape using the East Tower. Make sure Embermon saves his strength because he's going to need it to digivolve later in order for you guys to make it back to the gate. He'll have to alter his course a bit once you guys get back outside in order to head southwest again, but everything will work out. Okay, here's what you guys have to do. Like I said before, the only original weak point we're going to use again is the one that led you into the crest room to begin with. I know you guys are in a big battle, but somehow you're going to have to make it back through that weak point, and once you do I want you to head right until you reach a four-way intersection and then head left. Five feet down the hall on the right is a weak point that will lead you back down to the fourth floor. As I said before, don't worry about Luciamon. It will take her and the others some time to figure out where you've gone, even if Luciamon tells DarkAngelicmon about the weak point. (If she hasn't already) They will have to search the walls to find the new ones and that will give you guys some time to get a head start. Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky and Luciamon will think you've followed your old route back down to the first floor. Whatever you do, be careful and get out of there safely or Yolei will strangle me to death!_

_Izzy_

_P.S. Don't thank me. Thank Taniko!_

"Yes! Thank you, Taniko! I'd kiss you right now if you were standing in front of me!" Matty cheered.

"You can think about kissing Taniko later. Right now we have work to do," T.K. said dryly.

"Hey, it'd be a lot more fun than kissing Izzy!" Dai muttered.

Mickey smiled in amusement, and Matty glared at the goggle-headed leader. "Hey, you should be grateful I'm letting you get anywhere near my cousin because I certainly don't see you objecting to the idea of kissing Ta-"

"Will you boys be quiet and help us find a way to get past DarkAngelicmon?" Takara snapped, her face turning bright pink. She slapped Matty on the back of his golden head, and the younger twin let out a cry of protest.

"Somehow we have to get our digimon to distract DarkAngelicmon and the guards long enough for us to make an escape," Mickey murmured.

"What about Luciamon?" Takara asked quietly.

Sam glanced at the female angel and realized she had not moved from her position by the door. The other digimon were engaged in fierce battle, but so far she had done absolutely nothing.

_I guess you were right, Dad. I knew I should have trusted you._

"Don't worry, Mickey, Luciamon's not going to try and stop us," his father said slowly, interrupting his thoughts.

"Easy for you to say," Embermon muttered.

Sam slipped his arms around his father and let out a soft sigh. "I believe in you, Dad. I'll always believe in you."

The two of them held each other close for a moment, with Glowmon snuggled between them, and Sam felt his father's hand press gently against his cheek. "Thank you, Sam, your approval means everything to me."

_What a strange thing to say. I wonder what he meant by that._

"We'll make it," Davis said, clenching his right hand into a fist. "ExVeemon!"

The champion digimon looked over at them, glanced at the weak point, and slowly nodded his head. Davis never even had to say a word. The two of them had been partners for so long that ExVeemon knew instinctively what Davis was trying to tell him, and as a result he knew exactly what to do. "Tirimon, Stingmon, MagnaAngemon, keep them busy!"

"Right, Arctic Blast!" Tirimon shouted, sending a stream of ice and snow at BlackGatomon.

"Now do you see why you can't be involved in the fight?" Dai said triumphantly, looking down at his partner. "We need you to digivolve later."

"It's still not fair!"

"Wait, didn't that group of Bakemon say they were going to the East Tower?" Palmon piped up.

Ryoko smirked and nodded his head towards Tirimon. "Yes, but I don't think we're going to have to worry about them. Those same Bakemon are two of the ones Tirimon's keeping busy. Taniko's plan will work. You'll see."

"Now we wait," Davis said, his dark eyes flicking back and forth between the three battles going on. Stingmon and Ibismon were rolling around on the ground in a two on one wrestling match with Spritemon, and Tirimon and ExVeemon had recovered enough to send Ivymon and the others running for cover. Angelicmon had managed to slip away from DarkAngelicmon, thanks to MagnaAngemon and Gabrielmon, and the three vaccine digimon were shooting blasts of orange and gold light at the fallen angel. No one was watching the weak point, not even Luciamon whose pale blue eyes were focused on DarkAngelicmon. It was the perfect opportunity to escape.

"Now!" Davis shouted, grabbing Ryoko and his son and pushing them towards the weak point.

Sam caught hold of his dad's sleeve and the two of them raced after the Motomiyas with T.K., Takara, and the twins on their heels.

"MagnaAngemon, gather the others and follow us!" T.K. shouted. ExVeemon, Tirimon, and the three angels immediately abandoned their positions and started to head towards the weak point. Davis and Dai had almost reached the wall when DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon suddenly realized what was going on, and both digimon immediately leaped into action.

"Wrath of Hades!" DarkAngelicmon shouted, leaping into the air and shooting his blast at the five digimon in the rear. Tirimon, ExVeemon, and the three angels disappeared in a large explosion of dark purple light, and when the smoke cleared the five digimon were no longer standing. All of them were sprawled on the floor in what looked to be a state of unconsciousness.

"You humans will never get away!" Spritemon shrieked, glaring at Takara and thrusting her hands out at Ibismon and Stingmon. "Pixie Dust!"

A shower of green sparks descended on the two champions, and Ibismon began to scream. "It's draining our energy! I...can't...hold...on..."

"No!" Stingmon groaned. "My power..."

Sam watched in horror as the two digimon turned back into their rookie forms and fell to the ground.

"Ibismon!" Takara gasped.

The female Digidestined made an attempt to run to her partner's side, but Mickey grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards the weak point. "No, Kara! If you go over there Spritemon will kill you!"

"But-"

"Wormmon, no! You can't die again!"

Sam jerked around at the sound of his father's voice and gasped when he realized the man was no longer standing beside him. Instead his father was racing directly into the path of Spritemon's fury in an effort to rescue Wormmon. "Dad, no! Come back!" _Please don't die. You can't..._

"Sam!" Mickey cried.

Sam barely heard his friend. He was too busy chasing after his father to worry about anything else.

"Ken! Sam! Get back here!" T.K. snapped, glancing frantically over his shoulder at DarkAngelicmon.

Sam ignored the golden-haired Digidestined and grabbed onto the back of his father's shirt in an effort to drag the raven-haired Digidestined back towards the weak point, but unfortunately his dad was a lot stronger than he was and he found himself being pushed away.

"Sam, go back. Get out of here!" his father snapped, shoving him roughly towards T.K. and the others.

Sam stumbled and would have fallen if Glowmon had not caught him by the sleeve of his green shirt. "No! I'm not leaving you!"

"Go before you get hurt!"

"No!"

Sam realized there were tears running down his face, but he did not care. All he could think about was protecting his dad who had done the same for him so many times in the past.

"You want Wormmon then come and get him!" Spritemon snarled, stomping hard on the rookie and crushing him beneath her foot.

Sam watched in terror as his father made an attempt to grab Wormmon and was promptly knocked to the floor by a hard blow to the side of his head. Spritemon was small for a mega, but her fist had knocked the raven-haired Digidestined unconscious.

_No! I can't let this happen. I can't let her hurt my dad. He believes in me. He told me I'm a good person. He loves me. He loves me even though Wormmon, his own digimon, was one of the ones who had compared me to the Emperor..._

"I'm sorry, Ken. Our master may need Daichi and his friends, but I'm pretty sure we can do without you! At first I thought you might prove to be a valuable possession, but I've changed my mind. DarkAngelicmon might think you'll be of some use to us, but I don't! Prepare to face eternal darkness, human!"

"No!" DarkAngelicmon screamed, turning in the air and fluttering towards the female digimon. "Spritemon, you idiot! What are you doing?"

"Stop!" Sam sobbed, ignoring the fallen angel. "You can't do this! He's my dad. I love him..."

"Oh yes I can, little Emperor! Say goodbye to your father while you still have a chance!"

"No!"

"I won't let you hurt Ken. I won't!" Glowmon shouted.

There was a flash of blinding purple light, and Sam gasped when he realized it was coming from his D-Coder. Glowmon disappeared in an explosion of violet sparks that was so bright he had no choice but to close his eyes.

"Time to die, Ken Ichijouji! Fairy Cannon!"

_I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you after everything you've done for me..._

"I'll save you, Ken! Glowmon digivolve to, Dracomon!"

Sam's eyes popped open and he watched Spritemon's green blast fly harmlessly towards the ceiling. A bolt of purple lightning sent the evil mega flying across the room and Sam found himself staring at an impressive champion digimon who was kneeling next to his father. The insect digimon had a human form, and his whole body, including his entire head, was covered with dark green armour. The only part of his face they could see were his large violet eyes. His long hair was the colour of pure, untainted snow, and he had two pairs of fragile, transparent wings that glimmered in shades of purple, blue, and green. He resembled a dragonfly, and he was absolutely beautiful.

Sam stared at the digimon in shock and held his D-Coder tightly against his chest. "Glowmon?"

The digimon turned to look at him and slowly nodded. "My name is Dracomon now. I'm a champion level data type digimon, and my special attacks are Zephyr Strike, Dragon Stingers, and Lightning Spark. Yes, Sam Ichijouji, I am still your digimon partner."


	104. The Crest of Kindness

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, if you'd like more information on the um...er...digimon (can't say who or it'll spoil the end of the chapter) that appears in this chapter just type the name into a search engine and you'll fine tons of info. I did not create him. He already exists. Hope you like this chapter. The next one has a new POV! Oh, and remember. Sam is in the middle of a big battle and has a lot of things to distract him, so don't be surprised when he doesn't exactly pick up on a few little hints...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 104: The Crest of Kindness

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ken slowly opened his eyes and let out a soft groan. _What happened?_

"Ken, are you okay?"

_Not really. I feel like I've been hit in the head with a hammer. Who's talking to me?_

Ken turned his head slightly to the side and winced at the sudden explosion of pain behind his eyes. His left temple was throbbing, and he could almost feel a dark purple bruise beginning to swell up below his hairline. For a moment he thought he was going to be sick, but somehow he managed to swallow the foul taste in his mouth and glanced in the direction the voice had come from. He spotted a champion digimon who resembled a dragonfly kneeling beside him, and his dark blue eyes nearly popped out of his head in astonishment. "Who...who are you?"

The digimon hesitated and gently placed a hand against his shoulder. "Don't you recognize me? I am Glowmon. I digivolved into Dracomon to save you."

Ken frowned and carefully shook his head. Spritemon had knocked him unconscious. He was sure of it, but despite the fact that he had been unaware of his surroundings, he could still hear his son's desperate plea. _Stop! You can't do this. He's my dad. I love him..._

Sam. His son. His son loved him.

_Sam!_

Ken jerked himself into a sitting position, ignoring the pain in his head, and glanced frantically around the room for his son. He spotted the raven-haired Digidestined standing several feet away from him, and his breath caught in his throat. Sam's pale cheeks were stained with tears, and the look on his face nearly broke Ken's heart into pieces.

_Sam. My son. He could have died because of me..._

"Dad, you're okay. I thought...I thought you were going to...to..."

Ken held out his arms and Sam collapsed against his chest in a trembling heap. He rested his head against his son's silky raven hair in a useless attempt to hide the relief in his dark blue eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Sam, you shouldn't have followed me like that. You could have gotten hurt. I never would have forgiven myself if-"

"What about you?" Sam wailed, interrupting him in the middle of his sentence. "You could have been killed! I know how much Wormmon means to you, but there are better ways of helping your partner that don't involve throwing your life away for nothing! Dad, I...I still need you. What would I do without you in my life? Please don't leave me."

Ken kissed his son's forehead and held the boy close in a fierce hug. "I'm sorry, Sam. You're right. I just wasn't thinking straight. Wormmon, he..."

"What is it, Dad?"

"I...nothing. It doesn't matter. Sam, if you want to know the truth, I think I need you more than you need me."

"That's not true!" his son protested.

Ken closed his eyes and managed a weak smile. "Sam, I love you. I'm never going to leave you as long as I still have control over my own destiny. You lost your uncle, and I know how much you wanted a chance to meet him. He'll never have an opportunity to know you the way your uncle Mantarou and your aunts, Chizuru and Momoe, do. That's the one thing that hurts me the most. I wish my brother could have had a chance to love you and your siblings..."

"He's watching over us, Dad. Even now."

Ken felt his son's warm arms slip around his waist, and he turned to look at Dracomon. "You digivolved... for me..."

Dracomon bowed his head and placed a hand against his heart. "Who else? You are Sam's father. He would risk his life for you, and you would do the same for him. The power of love is more than adequate to bring about the process of digivolution. It is something that can never be taken away no matter how much energy you lose."

Ken reluctantly let go of his son and reached out to pull Wormmon and Dovemon into his arms. The two little rookies slowly opened their eyes and stared at him in confusion.

"What happened?" Dovemon asked.

"Dovemon!" Takara shrieked, racing over and swooping her partner into her arms. "Oh, Dovemon, speak to me! Are you alright?"

Dovemon buried her face against Takara's chest and managed a shaky smile. "I'm okay. Don't worry, Kara, I'll be fine as soon as I get my strength back."

"Wormmon, I...I thought I was going to end up losing you again," Ken whispered, pressing his face against his partner's small green body. "I'm glad you're safe."

Wormmon cuddled against his cheek and glanced at Dracomon. "I'm not going to leave you again, Ken. Sam will make sure of that."

"I digivolved for you as much as I did for Sam and Ken," Dracomon said quietly, his hand coming to rest against Wormmon's back.

"I know. Thank you for saving Ken. He wouldn't be here now if it weren't for you, and neither would I."

Ken stroked his partner's soft head and smiled at Dracomon. "You promised me you would protect my son, and you have, but I never thought you'd end up protecting me, too."

"I will always protect you, Ken."

Ken blushed at Dracomon's words and turned to look at his son. Sam crept shyly towards his partner and gently placed his hand on the digimon's arm. "Dracomon, you...you're everything I could have ever wanted in a partner. Thank you for...for everything."

Dracomon placed his hand against Sam's cheek and nodded towards BlackGatomon and the other guards who were staring at the new champion in stunned silence. "I have a question for you, Sam. Am I allowed to fight now?"

Sam's whole face turned bright red, and he lowered his dark blue eyes to the stone floor. "Of course you can. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so harsh earlier. You fight because you have to, not because you want to. I know how that feels, and I think I understand now why you want to help so much. We're going to save the Digital World, Dracomon, and I want you to be a part of it."

"Does that mean I can fight, too?" Palmon asked hopefully.

"Nice try, Palmon, but the answer is still no," Ryoko snorted.

"But-"

"Hey, I don't want to be the only one who doesn't get to fight!" Embermon interrupted, elbowing Palmon in the stomach and giving her a meaningful look.

Ken jumped at the unexpected voices and turned slightly to see Davis and the others standing behind Dracomon. Mickey beamed at Sam and lightly ran his fingers over one of Dracomon's fragile wings. "You're really lucky, Sam, and you, too, Dracomon. You guys are going to be great together. I know it."

"Mickey's right. Dracomon's every bit as cool as Angelicmon is," Matty grinned, reaching out and wrapping his arm around Sam's shoulders.

Sam blushed furiously and mumbled something under his breath that went unheard. "Angelicmon's more handsome than he is cool!" Takara giggled.

Ken ignored Matty's groans and glanced anxiously around the room for Spritemon. The female digimon was lying on her back next to the wall, and there were stone chips scattered all around her. At the sound of Takara's voice she slowly lifted her head and let out a scream of rage.

"I think now would be a good time to try for the weak point again," Dai whispered, motioning for all of them to follow him.

Too late. Before they could even think about moving, Spritemon leaped to her feet and ordered the guards to surround them. Once again they had wasted too much time talking instead of putting actions into words, and Ken had no doubt they were going to end up either dead or in the dungeons for their mistakes.

"You dare to digivolve in my presence?" Spritemon hissed, shoving several Bakemon aside in order to reach them.

Dracomon slowly got to his feet and lifted his chin. "I am Dracomon. You attacked my partner's father. What did you think was going to happen?"

"Would you like me to turn him into data for you?" BlackGatomon asked, her tail twitching eagerly against the floor.

Spritemon ignored the cat digimon and clenched her small hands into fists. "Tell me, Ken, why were you and the others running towards the _wall_?"

Ken felt his heart stop, and he wrapped his arms protectively around Sam and Takara. "What do you mean?"

"The wall. You were running towards the wall. Why? You wanted to escape, didn't you? Well, there's only one door in this room, and you and your human friends were running _away _from it! Explain yourself, and you'd better not lie to me because I can guarantee you won't be so lucky the next time I try to kill you!"

"What the heck are you talking about?" Davis snorted. "You're really stupid, you know that? We weren't running towards the wall, we were trying to run around the battle in order to get to the door!"

Ken held his breath and glanced at Spritemon from under his dark lashes. _Will she fall for it? If she doesn't Izzy's plan will be useless to us before we've even had a chance to see if it will work or not!_

"Luciamon!"

Luciamon jumped at the sound of her name and shrugged her shoulders. "What? It makes sense, doesn't it? They would have had to go all the way around the room in order to reach the door without getting themselves blown up. You really need to learn not to let your temper get the better of you, Spritemon."

Ken gazed at the female angel, who was still blocking the door, and sent her a grateful smile. This time there was no mistaking what he saw. Luciamon winked at him ever so slightly and quickly turned her attention back to Spritemon before the evil mega had a chance to notice anything out of the ordinary. _How could we have ever doubted her? She was never tainted by evil. That's why we trusted her in the first place!_

"You're useless, you know that?" Spritemon snapped, glaring at the female angel.

"If I'm useless then what does that make you, I wonder."

Spritemon chose to ignore that comment and turned to look at Sam instead. "Your father's going to pay for trying to ruin our plans and the best way to teach him a lesson is through you, Sam Ichijouji! Do you really think I'm going to let you get away with allowing Glowmon to digivolve? Wishful thinking, pathetic human! I wonder how your father will feel when he's forced to watch you suffer a great deal of pain!"

"Enough!"

Everyone froze at the sound of DarkAngelicmon's voice, and Ken turned to see the fallen angel striding quickly towards them. The expression on the virus digimon's face made him wince, but the look was not meant for him or any of the other Digidestined. It was directed at Spritemon.

"I don't care what you say!" Spritemon snapped, glaring at the fallen angel. "We might need Daichi and the others to get our hands on the Spirit Chips, but that doesn't mean we can't make them squeal a little bit. As for Ken Ichijouji and the rest of the original Digidestined-"

"Silence!" Spritemon looked about to protest, but DarkAngelicmon hit her in the stomach with his spear and sent her stumbling into Ivymon. "You idiot!" the fallen angel hissed, his bright green eyes narrowing into angry slits. "I told you the Digidestined weren't to be harmed! Now look what you've done!"

"Dracomon's no match for-"

"I'm not talking about Dracomon!"

Ken gasped as DarkAngelicmon suddenly knelt beside him and placed a hand against his cheek. He could feel the taint of evil soaking into his skin, and a shiver raced down his spine, but he barely noticed. DarkAngelicmon was supposed to be a creature of darkness, and yet his touch was surprisingly warm.

"Stay away from my dad!" Sam cried, hitting the fallen angel in the back with his fists.

"Are you hurt?" DarkAngelicmon asked bluntly, ignoring Sam's feeble blows. He did not seem at all upset or angry about Glowmon's digivolution. If anything, he looked as if he had expected the little rookie to reach a new level. The only thing he appeared to be fuming about was Spritemon.

_Is he really concerned about me or is this just another one of his tricks?_

Ken caught his son's hand in a tight grip and pulled the boy against his chest in order to stop the raven-haired Digidestined from trying to attack DarkAngelicmon. The fallen angel had not reacted to Sam's fists, yet, but that did not mean his patience would last forever. "My head hurts a little bit, but other than that I'm fine."

DarkAngelicmon studied his left temple and slowly nodded. "Yes, you are, no thanks to Spritemon."

"Vampiramon was right about you!" Spritemon shrieked, shaking her fist at the fallen angel. "She told me you care more about human pets than you do about taking over the Digital World, and from what I've seen today I'd have to agree with her!"

DarkAngelicmon turned around so fast his dark wings nearly hit poor Mickey in the face. "Do you realize how close you came to ruining our master's plans?"

"Me? What about you? You're the one who's managed to make a fine mess of everything, and now-"

"If you try to hurt another human, I will destroy you. Do you understand me?"

Spritemon crossed her arms and gave him a sulky look. "You keep trying to tell me there's a possibility the original Digidestined may be useful to us, but how can you know that for sure? All you've given me so far are hints instead of facts, and I'm tired of listening to riddles all the time! I want the truth! This is all your fault, you know. None of this would have happened if you hadn't kept trying to hide things from me earlier!"

DarkAngelicmon ignored her and turned to look at Dracomon. "You shouldn't have digivolved. Now I'm going to have to destroy you along with the others. You were not a threat before, and neither were Embermon and Palmon, but that is no longer true in your case. If you had remained Glowmon, I would have spared you, but unfortunately that isn't an option anymore. It's not your fault, of course. The blame rests entirely on Spritemon, but nevertheless your fate has been sealed. Are you ready to visit Primary Village again, this time as an egg?"

"What do you mean 'again?'" Dai asked suspiciously. "How did you know we were at-"

"You can't defeat Dracomon any more than you can destroy any of our other digimon!" Sam snapped, his hand coming to rest protectively on his partner's arm.

"Embermon and I are stronger than you think!" Palmon shouted, glaring at the fallen angel. "I was fighting evil digimon long before you ever decided to show your face, which means I have a lot more experience than you do! Mimi told me I'm a tough rookie and if that doesn't convince you then just wait until I become Lillymon-"

"Oh please. Lillymon wouldn't be a match for either one of us," Spritemon smirked. "What do you say, DarkAngelicmon? We wouldn't have to necessarily kill Sam, but that doesn't mean we can't make him suffer a little bit in order to teach Ken a lesson."

DarkAngelicmon's emerald green gaze came to rest on Sam's anxious face, and Ken felt a sharp stab of fear in his heart. He could still feel the fallen angel's warm fingers against his cheek, even though the evil champion had moved away from him, and the sensation brought sudden tears to his eyes. _No, he wouldn't hurt Sam. He can't..._

"Don't even think about it!" T.K. snapped, stepping in front of the twins and glaring at the fallen angel. "If you touch even one hair on Sam's head we'll blast you into data so fast you won't know what hit you!"

"T.K.'s right. I'll have ExVeemon turn you into pretty little sparkles first before I let you hurt my best friend or his son!" Davis added, clenching his hands into fists and sending both DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon a dark look.

Ken gently pushed his son towards Davis and T.K. and stepped cautiously towards the fallen angel. T.K. must have gotten the hint because he held out his arms and motioned for Sam to join him. Sam hesitated and meekly stepped into the golden-haired Digidestined's arms. "Dad, what...what are you doing?"

Ken moved forward until he was standing directly in front of the fallen angel, and a bitter smile slipped across his face. "Would you really attack my son?"

"Would you hate me if I did?"

_No. I want to hate you, but how can I when you remind me so much of myself?_

"Well, Ken? Do you hate me for all the pain I've caused you?"

Ken held his crest tightly against his heart and slowly shook his head. "No, DarkAngelicmon, I don't hate you. I pity you. I know what it's like to be in your place. I know what it's like to suffer. You hide behind a shield of darkness, but is that really who you are?"

"I don't know. Would you care to find out?"

"Dad, what did you mean when you said you didn't want Wormmon to die again?" Sam asked hesitantly.

Ken smiled sadly at his son and gently set Wormmon on the ground by his feet. "My partner was killed in battle once a long time ago. He came back to me, but the memory still hurts."

"It's one of those things that never really goes away no matter how old you get," T.K. said quietly.

_Yes, T.K. knows exactly how I feel. Even after all this time it still hurts..._

"Wormmon...died?" Sam gasped, glancing up at T.K. with wide, frightened eyes.

Ken could feel T.K.'s sympathetic gaze on him, but he did not look at the golden-haired Digidestined or his son. He knew T.K. understood and they would support each other no matter what kind of hurtful words DarkAngelicmon tried to use against them. One day they would have to tell Matty, Mickey, Sam, and the others what had really happened to their partners, but they would not be alone when they did, and that was the most comforting part of all.

"What are you going to do, Ken? Are you going to kill me?" DarkAngelicmon smirked.

Ken gazed directly into the fallen angel's green eyes and smiled softly at the evil champion. "No, DarkAngelicmon, I'm not going to kill you."

"Really, then what are you going to do? Please enlighten me. I'm dying to know."

"The same thing my friends did for me. You know what happened to the Emperor. If he can be saved then so can you. I'm sorry to disappoint you, DarkAngelicmon, but you've got it all wrong. I'm not going to destroy you, my fallen friend, I'm going to save you!"

A sudden flash of bright purple light lit up the room, and Ken gasped when he realized it was coming from his crest. Wormmon disappeared in a glowing ball of energy, and without warning the little rookie began to change into Stingmon again. Ken stared at his partner in astonishment, but the violet light surrounding the insect digimon did not disappear even after the little rookie had fully reached his champion level. In fact, the light was growing stronger instead of disappearing like it should have.

"What's happening?" Matty cried.

Ken turned to look at his digimon, and Stingmon's hand came to rest gently against his shoulder. "Ken, your kindness has given me the strength to digivolve again. I'm no longer lacking the energy I need to maintain a higher level of digivolution. Fight with me, Ken. We need to do this for you, for your son, but most of all we need to do this for DarkAngelicmon. What do you say, Ken? Are you ready to save the Digital World?"

Ken thought of his wife, his children, his friends, his brother, and the insect digimon who was standing before him, and his dark blue eyes came to rest on his son's pale face. All of the believed in him, including his sweet, kind, gentle son, and now it was time for him to believe in himself. "Yes, Stingmon, I'm ready. Let's give DarkAngelicmon the gift of kindness."

_This is for you, Sam. I love you..._

Ken held the Crest of Kindness out to his partner and a stream of violet light exploded into the insect digimon with enough force to cause a small earthquake. Stingmon fluttered into the air and pointed his finger at the fallen angel. "Feel the power of kindness, DarkAngelicmon! Stingmon digivove to, JewelBeemon!"

_JewelBeemon?_

Ken stared at his partner with his mouth hanging open and shook his head in disbelief at what he was seeing. Stingmon had never digivolved to a higher level before without ExVeemon, but somehow he had managed to do so with help from the Crest of Kindness. _Just like Tai, Matt, T.K., and all of the others. My crest. It really does work after all..._

He had not really known what to expect when Stingmon had asked for his help, but his digimon digivolving to ultimate without ExVeemon had not been his first guess, despite the fact that the Crest of Kindness had started to glow. It had done that before, but nothing had ever happened, until now. It had taken him twenty-five years to learn how to harness the power of his crest, but he had done it, and now he was going to use that same power to help an enemy so like himself...

"Stingmon, what happened to you?" Sam whispered, gazing at Stingmon's new form as if he had never seen a digimon evolve to the next level before.

JewelBeemon quickly fluttered over to Sam's side and placed his hand on the raven-haired Digidestined's head. "I am no longer Stingmon, Sam. My name is JewelBeemon now. This is my ultimate form. I'm a vaccine type digimon, and my special attacks are Shot Claw and Spike Buster. Do you think I could stand by and let DarkAngelicmon try to hurt you?"

"Of course not. I...um...thank you, JewelBeemon."

"Don't thank me, thank your father."

Ken quickly closed the distance between himself and his son and wrapped his arms around Sam in a tight hug. He buried his face in his son's raven hair and let out a soft sigh. "Sam, if you fight with anger and hatred in your heart then you will lose the fight before you've even begun. I want you to remember that. Kindness is the key to everything. Without it we'd all be lost."

Sam cuddled against him and slowly nodded. "I'll remember. Um...Dad? I'm glad you're here with me, and I want you to know that I...I wouldn't want to be anyone elses son but yours."

Ken's eyes filled with tears again and he turned towards his digimon. JewelBeemon looked a lot like Stingmon, but he was also very different. The ultimate level digimon had a long javelin in his hand, and his body was covered in green and gold armour. He looked like he was glowing from the inside out and the light from the torches shone through his fragile, transparent wings.

"Are you ready, JewelBeemon?"

"Only if Dracomon fights with me."

Dracomon bowed his head and placed his hand against his heart. "I would be honoured to fight by your side. Come, JewelBeemon, let's show DarkAngelicmon the true meaning of kindness!"


	105. The Search for Gennai

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: No, I haven't forgotten about Gennai! Is it just me or are my chapters getting longer?

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 105: The Search for Gennai

_Gabumon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Gabumon crept slowly towards the edge of the forest and settled himself in a large clump of bushes. After a brief hesitation, he glanced warily through the branches brushing up against his face and found himself gazing at a tall, dark castle.

"Nice place, isn't it. No wonder Vampiramon's master likes it here," Ogremon snorted, leaning around a large tree trunk for a better look.

_I wonder if Ryoko and his friends have made it here yet. Matt won't be too happy if Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon end up capturing his son, or worse..._

"Well, it's a good thing Vampiramon's master isn't here otherwise our job would be a lot harder," Leomon said dryly.

Gabumon nodded in agreement and frowned at the castle. He, along with his friends, had been forced to take a bit of a detour in order to slip around Vampiramon and her followers, but after passing the enemies' camp they had been able to get back on track again, and from there they had started heading in the direction Vampiramon and the others had appeared to be guarding. The digimon in the forest they had spoken to earlier had been too frightened in order to give them much more than a vague description of where the castle was located, but nevertheless they had thanked the frightened group for the information they had received on the fort, despite the fact that, when it came to direction, they had nothing to rely on but their own instincts. Luckily they had passed a wandering Gekomon on their way through the forest, after they had gotten past Vampiramon and her evil digimon, and the little champion had been able to tell them exactly where the castle was located. Without the little digimon's help, they would not have gotten as far as they had.

"I hope Jackie and the others are okay," Agumon said slowly. "I heard shouting in the forest just as we were passing by Vampiramon's campsite. Jestermon and the others must have discovered our friends."

"I knew we could count on Jackie and Andromon," Benjamin said, beaming at Tai's digimon partner. "Don't worry, Agumon, I'm sure our friends are fine. They'll keep themselves hidden just enough to prevent Vampiramon from discovering the fact that there are a few of us missing. I didn't hear any sounds that would indicate there was a battle taking place so I think it's pretty safe to assume our friends are still alright."

"I hope so."

_Me, too, Agumon._

"Something doesn't feel right," Leomon murmured, stepping forward and crouching next to Benjamin beneath the trees. He nodded his head towards the front doors of the castle and loosened his sword in its scabbard. "There are hardly any guards patrolling the area. Those digimon back in the forest told us this place was surrounded by evil digimon, but if that's the case then where did they all go?"

Gabumon glanced uneasily at the lion digimon and shifted closer to Agumon's side. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before turning to look at the castle. Leomon was right. There were two DarkTyrannomon guarding the front entrance, but neither of them were paying the slightest bit of attention to their surroundings. The only other digimon in the area were some Vilemon, several Bakemon, and a few Phantomon hovering around the North Tower.

Benjamin pulled up the hood of his robe and gently placed his hand on Leomon's shoulder. "It's the Digidestined. They must be inside the castle. Look at the way the guards keep glancing behind themselves. I bet the rest of the sentries were ordered to get back inside the castle."

"Does that mean Dai and the others have been captured?" Ogremon asked sharply.

Benjamin lifted his gaze and frowned at the green virus digimon standing behind him. "I don't know. Maybe Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon know the Digidestined are inside, but they haven't gotten their hands on them yet, and that's why DarkAngelicmon has ordered some of the sentries to come inside and help him look. Our friends could be hiding in there waiting for a chance to escape, and if they are then we'd better help them out before they're discovered."

"Now that's my kind of plan. I'm good at causing distractions!" Ogremon smirked.

"What about Gennai?" Agumon asked hesitantly.

Benjamin huddled deeper into his robe and smiled slightly. "The first thing we're going to do after we've entered the castle is find Gennai because I have a feeling he'll lead us right to the Digidestined."

"Besides, I'm sure our efforts to save Gennai will cause quite a stir, and that may give the Digidestined a chance to escape from the castle, but we'd better make sure no one sees us until after we've gotten our hands on Gennai," Leomon said seriously.

Gabumon turned to look at the castle again and slowly shook his head. "Benjamin, how can we be sure Ryoko and the others are really in there? How could they have managed to get inside without getting caught?"

"Well, Davis and Daichi are the leaders of their little group, and those two are nothing if not creative! I know they're in there. I can feel it. I know it's asking a lot, but you have to trust me."

"I do trust you."

_And I trust Davis and Dai, too, but something still doesn't feel right. If only Matt were here. If I could digivolve into Garurumon then maybe I wouldn't feel so vulnerable..._

"Are we going to rescue Gennai or are we just going to stand around staring at the castle all day?" Ogremon complained, smashing his club impatiently against a tree trunk. "Gennai's not going to suddenly come walking out the front door to save us the trouble of finding him, you know."

"If only it were that simple," Leomon muttered. "Do you have a plan, Benjamin?"

The robed figure nodded and pointed towards the guards. The Phantomon had disappeared behind the northwest side of the tower, and the Vilemon were engaged in a heated argument with both DarkTyrannomon. The three Bakemon were whispering excitedly to one another close by, and every so often they would send dirty looks in the direction of the Vilemon. Gabumon nudged Agumon in the ribs and smiled. In others words, they had a perfect opportunity to ambush the guards without so much as lifting a finger.

_Tai would have liked these odds, and Matt would have been right behind him._

"We'll attack as soon as the Vilemon have their backs turned," Benjamin said simply. "I'll go first."

They waited in silence until all six Vilemon had their backs turned towards the forest, and as soon as the last one had let his attention wander, Benjamin motioned for everyone to move forwards.

"Now you're talking!" Ogremon growled, bursting out of the forest and racing towards the Vilemon. Benjamin reached the group of digimon first and pulled something out of his robe. There was a flash of blinding white light and the evil digimon stumbled backwards to avoid the bright glow coming from the object in Benjamin's hand. By that time, Leomon and Ogremon had descended upon the disoriented group and two of the Bakemon went flying into the stone wall, courtesy of Ogremon's club. Gabumon quickly joined the group and motioned for Agumon to help him take out the smaller digimon.

_This is for you, Matt. I won't let anyone hurt Ryoko!_

"No, the light! It's hurting my eyes!" one of the Vilemon wailed, trying desperately to hide behind the DarkTyrannomon standing closest to him.

"Now!" Benjamin shouted.

"Out of our way before we turn you into data! Bone Cudgel!" Ogremon snapped, swinging his weapon and sending the third Bakemon crashing into the two who were still lying in a heap on the groud.

Leomon leaped forward and slashed one of the DarkTyrannomon in the legs with his sword. The large dinosaur digimon let out a growl of pain and toppled over onto his back. Ogremon and Leomon immediately descended upon the fallen digimon and began to shoot their attacks at him. "Fist of the Best King!" Leomon shouted, his orange blast slamming into the dinosaur digimon's stomach.

Ogremon hit DarkTyrannomon in the face with his Pummel Whack attack, and Leomon thrust his sword into the evil digimon's heart. DarkTyrannomon exploded into tiny particles of data, and the Vilemon began to panic.

"The Digidestined have sent reinforcements!"

"We're all going to be turned into data!"

"What's going on? I can't see!" the second DarkTyrannomon snarled.

"Keep doing whatever you're doing, Benjamin. We can't let any of them escape!" Agumon called out. "Pepper Breath!"

A blast of fire flew into the six Vilemon and sent them scrambling for safety. Gabumon leaped on top of the one trying to get past him and glared at the other five who were trying to slip around DarkTyrannomon. Benjamin had the light shining directly on the evil digimon, and all of them were squinting in an effort to make out their attackers.

_They can't see us, but we can see them!_

"Keep your backs to the light!" Leomon advised. It was almost as if the lion digimon had read his mind. DarkTyrannomon and the other digimon could not turn away from the bright glow because that would leave them vulnerable to blasts of energy and dangerous weapons.

_We don't have the same problem, which means we have the edge in this battle._

"Nightmare Shocker!" one of the Vilemon shouted, shooting blindly into the light. The attack missed Benjamin by several feet and flew harmlessly into the forest.

"What are you doing? I say run while we still can!" a second Vilemon wailed.

"Even Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon had more courage than you guys do. They proved their worth, but you cowards haven't. You will never be friends to us! Blue Blaster!"

Two of the Vilemon went down, and another one tripped over them in a useless attempt to escape. Agumon's Pepper Breath engulfed all three of them and they exploded into data.

"That's three down. Only three more to go!"

Gabumon smiled at his friend and nodded. "Next time save some for me, Agumon!"

"Let's put this evil digimon out of his misery," Leomon said, motioning for Ogremon to join him again. The two digimon launched themselves at the second DarkTyrannomon, and Ogremon swung his club at the dinosaur digimon's knees.

"I'm not going to die that easily!" DarkTyrannomon growled, stepping out of Ogremon's reach.

Leomon swung his sword at the dinosaur digimon from behind and knocked the evil champion's legs out from under his huge body. DarkTyrannomon crashed to the ground with a roar of pain and was quickly silenced by Ogremon's Bone Cudgel attack.

"See you back at Primary Village! Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon growled, thrusting his fist into DarkTyrannomon's face. The evil digimon disappeared in a blaze of orange light that illuminated the three unconscious Bakemon lying at the base of the stone wall.

"I never wanted to be a guard in the first place!" the second Vilemon whined.

"The Digidestined will never escape from the castle!" another one screamed. "Nightmare Shocker!"

Gabumon leaped off the sixth Vilemon, who was still struggling beneath him, and the first Vilemon's blast slammed into the unfortunate imp digimon who had been stuck with the unlucky task of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The sixth Vilemon exploded into data, courtesy of the first Vilemon's attack, and the second Vilemon let out a whimper of fear.

"Two more to go! Pepper Breath!" Agumon shouted.

"Blue Blaster!"

Their combined attacks flew into the remaining two Vilemon and both of them disappeared before they had a chance to make a run for it.

"Now for the Bakemon," Ogremon smirked.

All three ghost digimon were only now getting themselves into the air again, and they froze when they realized their fellow guards were no longer in the area. Leomon stepped forward with his sword held high in the air, and the light coming from the object in Benjamin's hand made it look like it was glowing. The Bakemon took one look at what appeared to be a flaming sword and flew screaming towards the forest before disappearing from sight beneath the trees.

"Cowards," Ogremon muttered.

Gabumon slowly turned towards Benjamin and stared at the object in the Watcher's hand in astonishment. Now that the thing was no longer glowing, it was easy to figure out exactly what it was.

"I see Azulongmon has had a hand in this, as well," Leomon said dryly. "How did you manage to come by one of his Digicores?"

"A gift," Benjamin said softly, tucking the Digicore back inside his robe. "I promised I would take good care of it, and I mean to keep my promise. It's only a loan. Jackie, Jose, Hogan, and Ilya all have one, as well. Gennai did, too, but I don't know what happened to his..."

"The D-Coders!" Agumon gasped. "Gennai gave his Digicore to Piximon in order to send the D-Coders to the Digidestined!"

"You may be right," Leomon murmured. "That's really the only explanation that makes sense. You told us Daichi and his friends got their Digivices from a Digicore. I doubt Gennai still has his because if he did, DarkAngelicmon and the others would have found it."

"And obviously they haven't," Benjamin agreed. "We'd know if they had. By the way, Agumon, thank you for informing us about the fact that the new Digivices are called D-Coders. Everything is starting to make a lot more sense now. Piximon must have had Gennai's Digicore, because according to you and Gabumon, Dai said Piximon had mentioned something about a friend giving him the Digicore, and he also mentioned something about it belonging to a friend of a friend of his. Gennai is the only one who could possibly fit that description."

"Well, either way that was a nice touch with the light. I guess you helped us out a little," Ogremon grumbled.

"I'd say he helped us out quite a bit," Agumon muttered.

Gabumon jumped as Leomon suddenly knelt in front of him and nodded towards the spot where the Vilemon had been. "You and Agumon did well to fight all those Vilemon and win. They are champion level digimon, after all."

"Champion level digimon have their weaknesses, especially when they're caught off guard."

"I couldn't agree more, Gabumon. Come, my friends, we should get inside the castle before those Phantomon make an appearance again," Benjamin interrupted.

"I'll tell you one thing. I doubt we'll be seeing those Bakemon again," Ogremon snorted. "That'll be one less distraction we'll have to worry about."

Gabumon quickly followed the others into the castle and paused in the middle of a large foyer. A huge chandelier hung above his head, and he glanced uneasily at the large staircase located directly across from him. At the moment there were no evil digimon in sight.

"Which way?" Agumon asked.

Benjamin frowned and pointed towards a hallway on the right-hand side of the room. "I think we should go that way. The dungeons are probably below ground. That seems like the most logical place they would hold Gennai to keep him from trying to escape."

"You're right. In that case we'd better find a set of stairs that lead down instead of up," Leomon said quietly.

Gabumon followed the others into the right-hand corridor and nudged Benjamin's leg to get the robed figure's attention. "What happened to Azulongmon's other six Digicores? You and your counterparts were each given one, but that leaves six still unaccounted for. Where are they?"

"I assume Azulongmon still has them. He gave us his Digicores a long time ago, but he never told us why. The only thing he told us was that we might need them someday. He said we were to have them 'just in case'. I guess Gennai finally figured out what he was supposed to do with his. Either that or Azulongmon told him."

"That still doesn't explain why the rest of you have one."

"I think they're more for protection than anything else, but we'll see."

Gabumon nodded slowly and lapsed into silence. He did not really understand what was going on, but Benjamin seemed to have an answer for everything, and that made him feel a little bit better. _He has answers for questions he doesn't even know the answers to!_

They reached the end of the corridor without encountering any guards, and Leomon pointed down a new hallway that led to the left. "Look, Benjamin, you were right. There's a staircase just ahead on the right. It leads down, not up, which is exactly where we want to go."

"There should be more guards around here," Agumon whispered.

"Yes, but it is as I feared," Benjamin sighed. "You heard what that Vilemon said earlier. The Digidestined are in the castle, and they've been discovered. Let's hurry and rescue Gennai. The guards are occupied at the moment, but they won't be for long. The sooner we get our hands on Gennai, the sooner we can find the Digidestined."

They hurried down the corridor and made their way down the stairs as silently as possible in order to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Gabumon glanced uneasily at the stone walls and moved closer to Agumon's side. There were torches hanging on the walls, but the light did not shine bright enough to illuminate the whole hallway. _There are shadows everywhere. A guard could be hiding in the darkness watching us and we wouldn't even know it until it was too late. This place feels...familiar. It's like I've been here before, but I know I haven't. It feels kind of like that cave where Matt had almost given in to the darkness in his heart._

"How long is this tunnel? I feel like we've been walking forever," Ogremon grumbled.

Leomon held up his hand for silence and sent the virus digimon a disapproving look. "Quiet, Ogremon, do you hear that? There are voices coming from somewhere ahead of us. I think we're getting close now."

Gabumon paused to listen and realized he could hear two voices drifting out of the darkness towards them. Both were arguing loudly about something, but their voices were too far away to make out exactly what is was they were saying._ They sound really angry. I wonder if they are the ones who are guarding Gennai. Be careful, Ryoko, wherever you are. I won't fail Matt, and I won't fail you either._

He was glad Palmon had gone with Ryoko otherwise he would have been even more worried. She was a tough digimon, and he knew she would keep Ryoko safe, but that did not stop him from wanting to help, too.

_Alopemon will protect my partner's son. He's a loyal digimon, and I can tell he cares a lot about Ryoko, just like I care a lot about Matt..._

"Let's keep going, but keep your voices down. I do not want us to lose the element of surprise," Benjamin whispered.

They reached the end of the damp tunnel in a tense silence, and Benjamin poked his head around the corner for a better look. Almost immediately the Watcher let out a soft gasp and quickly backed away from what appeared to be the entrance to the dungeons.

"What is it?" Leomon murmured.

Benjamin took a deep breath and laid his hand on the lion digimon's arm. "Gennai's in there, but there are two digimon guarding his cell. We need to get rid of them before they can inform the other guards of our presence inside the castle."

"Who are they?" Agumon asked, glancing warily at the doorway.

"Devidramon and SkullSatamon."

"Nasty digimon," Ogremon confirmed. "They'll be tough to beat, but I can handle them."

"Of course you can," Leomon agreed, coughing into his hand and quickly turning away.

Ogremon glanced suspiciously at the lion digimon, but Gabumon ignored them both and turned his attention to the dungeons instead. _We'll beat them, even if Agumon and I are rookies. Matt's always with me, even when he's not around to help me digivolve. He has always believed in me, and I will always believe in him._

"The guards didn't see me, but Gennai did. He is as perceptive as ever," Benjamin said, smiling slightly.

Gabumon poked his head around the corner for a good look of his own, and his breath caught in his throat. There was more light in the dungeons than there was in the tunnel, and he could see the two digimon arguing in front of Gennai's cell. Gennai, himself, was sitting quietly on the cold, stone floor with his arms wrapped around his knees and his hood pulled over his head. The expression on the Watcher's face gave away absolutely nothing, but Gabumon could tell he was trying to help them keep their presence a secret by keeping the guards' attention away from the door.

_He knows what we're going to do already._

It was almost as if Gennai had read his mind because the Watcher suddenly turned towards him and their eyes met.

_You have helped us out many times in the past, Gennai. Now it's time for us to help you._

He had not said a single word out loud, but Gennai smiled at him all the same before turning back to the guards.

"Well, shouldn't we get moving?" Agumon whispered.

Gabumon stepped back from the door and nodded. "Let's do this."

"Hey, Benji, do you still have that Digicore handy? Who says the same trick won't work twice in a row?" Ogremon smirked.

Benjamin slipped his hand inside his robe, and without a word he leaped out of the darkness and entered the dungeons in a blaze of bright yellow light. The glow was so strong it appeared almost to be as white as snow.

_Don't worry, Matt, I will make you proud, and I will protect your son, no matter what. The Crest of Friendship is here. I feel its power, and I feel you, too. We'll fight this battle together, just like old times, and we'll win, just like we always do._

With that thought in mind, he leaped through the doorway after Benjamin and the dungeon erupted into chaos.


	106. On the Right Side

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, the ending of this chapter is kind of lame, but the next one will be better. I won't be updating next week, but I will be back in January the week after, and I will try to start on my next chapter of Trinity, as well. Merry Christmas everyone!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 106: On the Right Side

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Takara held her wounded partner tightly in her arms and gazed up at the two insect digimon in complete, utter astonishment. It was surprising enough to see Glowmon digivolve, but for Stingmon to digivolve, as well, was nothing short of a miracle. _Talk about good timing. Maybe we'll be able to escape after all!_

"Great! Just great! And you had the nerve to call me an idiot, DarkAngelicmon! Who's the fool now, you pathetic excuse for a fallen angel? I may have accidentally caused Glowmon to digivolve, but you can't blame me for JewelBeemon! Stingmon never would have digivolved if you weren't so fond of humans. Wait until our master hears about this!" Spritemon smirked.

DarkAngelicmon glared at the little sprite digimon and turned his attention back to Dracomon and JewelBeemon. "Noble words, Dracomon, but you cannot defeat me with kindness. Spritemon believes kindness is for those who are weak, but you and I know differently, don't we. And yet, even with all your power you still will not be able to stop me. You see, I am not as cruel as you and your friends seem to believe. How do you expect to 'save' me with something I may in fact already possess?"

Takara rolled her eyes and elbowed Dai in the stomach. "Can you believe this guy? What a jerk!"

"That's for sure. Don't listen to him, Kara, and that goes for everyone else, too. He's just trying to confuse us."

"I'd say he's doing a pretty good job of it," Embermon muttered, standing protectively in front of his partner.

"Ignore him, Sam," Mickey said quietly. "You know what he's like. DarkAngelicmon doesn't understand the meaning of kindness the way you and your dad do. He's just trying to hurt you, but you won't let him, will you?"

Sam wrapped his arm around Mickey's shoulders and gave the older twin a brilliant smile. "No, not this time, Mickey!"

"Good, otherwise I'd have to get really mad at you for disappointing my brother!" Matty joked.

JewelBeemon thrust his golden weapon into DarkAngelicmon's face, and the fallen angel had to leap back a few steps in order to avoid having his nose cut off. "Are you ready to test your power against another ultimate digimon?"

DarkAngelicmon knocked JewelBeemon's weapon aside with his spear and frowned at the insect digimon. "All of this fighting is a waste of time. Why don't you and your friends just come quietly to the dungeons with me? I'm not trying to kill you because I really want to. It's because you're giving me no other choice!"

"Do you expect us to believe that?" Dracomon snorted.

"Believe what you want to believe. There's no need for anyone to get hurt, but if you're so eager to die then it would be wrong for me not to grant you your wish. Are you ready to face the darkness?"

"More than ready! JewelBeemon, ExVeemon, all of you, let's show these evil digimon how to really battle!"

"You guys heard Dracomon! Let's fight!" Angelicmon shouted. "Litany Spear!" The angel launched his weapon straight at Spritemon and it ripped through the little mega's left wing. She let out a shriek and tumbled backwards into a group of frightened Vilemon who were only sticking around because DarkAngelicmon would more than likely punish them if they didn't.

"My turn! Arctic Blast!" Tirimon shouted, leaping forward and shooting his icy blast at the Vilemon.

Gabrielmon flew after the fox digimon and twirled his sceptre in the air above his head. "Heavenly Vortex!" A huge glowing portal opened up above the Vilemon, and they were pulled inside before a single one of them had a chance to scream. The portal disappeared in a blaze of orange light, and every single one of the Vilemon went with it.

"Great job, Gabrielmon!" Mickey said, smiling fondly at his partner.

"Kara..."

Takara glanced down at her partner and gently stroked the little digimon's head. "What's wrong, Dovemon?"

"I want to help fight, but..."

"Are you sure you're okay? Spritemon's attack really took a lot out of you."

Dovemon gazed up at her and nodded slowly. "I'm fine, but the others need my help."

"First you need to rest. I'm not going to let you fight until you get your strength back."

"I do not fear the light, but I do not fear the darkness either. Can you and your friends say the same thing? Wrath of Hades!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, fluttering into the air and shooting his attack at Dracomon and JewelBeemon. Both insect digimon leaped out of the way and flew to either side of the fallen angel.

"DarkAngelicmon may not fear the light, but he's definitely afraid of facing defeat!" Davis smirked.

Dracomon crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the fallen angel. "You're a creature of darkness, and we're not afraid of you! Dragon Stingers!" A shower of glowing purple needles shot straight at DarkAngelicmon and exploded into the fallen angel's left side. He faltered slightly in the air, but somehow he managed to recover and held his spear in front of him like a shield.

"Spike Buster!" JewelBeemon shouted, launching energy bullets at the virus digimon with his javelin.

DarkAngelicmon dived back towards the ground and let out a deep sigh. "You can't defeat me. When are you going to realize that?"

"When are _you _going to realize you can't defeat us?" Dracomon snorted. "Lightning Spark!"

DarkAngelicmon stepped to the side in order to avoid being hit by a bolt of purple lightning and was immediately tackled to the stone floor by JewelBeemon. The insect digimon's jewel-encrusted javelin made contact with DarkAngelicmon's spear, and there was a flash of bright purple light.

"Be careful, JewelBeemon," Ken cautioned.

"None of you will be able to escape from us!" Spritemon shrieked, pointing towards the entrance to the crest room. "I have more guards waiting outside the door. If you try to escape, they will drag you to the dungeons faster than Davis could say 'Digiarmor Energize!' What do you think of that, Daichi Motomiya?"

"I think you're an idiot, obviously! If all your flunkies are standing outside the door then who's guarding the castle?"

Spritemon flushed and ran a hand over her injured wing. "None of your business, human!"

_I can't believe it! Spritemon won't admit it, but Daichi's right! There must be only a few, if any, guards left keeping an eye on the forest outside the castle. If that's the case then maybe Leomon and the others still have a chance to get inside, wherever they are..._

"What do you think, Kara?"

Takara smiled softly at the goggle-headed leader and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. "I think you're a lot smarter than Ryoko gives you credit for!"

Ryoko snorted loudly, and Dai blushed. "Shut up, Ishida!"

"How did you know we were at Primary Village earlier?" Matty demanded, gazing suspiciously at DarkAngelicmon.

"Jestermon and BlackWidowmon were spying on you," Luciamon interrupted before the fallen angel could say anything. "Our master had a screen in here that was powered by the crests. It used to show us exactly where you guys were at all times, although we could not hear what you were saying. All of you are connected to the crests because you carry the same traits as your parents. They were the ones who led us to you. Once you guys got close enough to the castle for your Digivices to pick up the signals coming from the crests, the screen stopped working for us. Their power is in the hands of the Digidestined now. I wonder how else you will use that power to your advantage."

"Luciamon, have you completely lost your mind? You're not supposed to tell them all of that!" Spritemon snarled.

Luciamon hugged herself and smiled sadly at the sprite digimon. "I had to. They deserve to know."

"You've got to be kidding me! You're just like DarkAngelicmon, you little fool! BlackGatomon, don't just stand there staring at me like an idiot! Destroy ExVeemon and the others, and hurry up about it, would you?"

"Fine, but only because all your shouting is starting to get on my nerves. Lightning Claw!"

"Celestial Star!" Angelicmon countered, his golden blast knocking the feline digimon off her feet before she had a chance to leap at him.

"Get rid of Raremon and the Bakemon!" ExVeemon shouted.

"My pleasure," Tirimon growled. "Winter Inferno!"

"Holy Sceptre!"

"Celestial Star!"

All of the Bakemon tried to run and came to a halt when they realized they were surrounded. Takara just barely had time to see the terrified looks on their faces before they disappeared in a blaze of snow and golden light. When the explosion finally died away, the Bakemon were nowhere to be seen.

"Yes, you guys are awesome!" Matty cheered.

"I wouldn't celebrate yet, if I were you," Raremon gurgled, sliding forward and stepping in front of Ivymon and BlackGatomon. "Your pretty little attacks are powerful, but they won't work on me. I'm strong for a Raremon, in case you haven't noticed. Acid Sludge!"

"Gross!" Luciamon squealed.

ExVeemon and the other digimon quickly scattered, and Raremon's attack just narrowly missed hitting Spritemon. The little mega let out a shriek and quickly scurried away from the mess before she could get her feet dirty. "Raremon, you fool, you're supposed to be attacking the Digidestined's partners, not me!"

"Come on, guys, we have to find a way to get rid of Raremon!" ExVeemon called out, leaping into the air and turning to face the sewer digimon. "Vee-Laser!"

"Arctic Blast!"

"Holy Sceptre!"

"Celestial Star!"

All of the attacks slammed into Raremon's body and sunk beneath the surface of his slimy skin without causing any damage. Even Tirimon's snowy blast had absolutely no effect.

_I can't believe it! Raremon's body swallowed every single attack. What are we going to do?_

"None of our attacks are working!" Gabrielmon shouted, waving his sceptre in Raremon's direction. "We're going to have to find a different way to defeat him."

ExVeemon frowned and nodded slowly. "Tirimon's blast had no effect earlier, but I thought if we combined our attacks..."

"Guess not," Angelicmon said dryly. "I wonder if-"

"Don't bother. You'll never be able to stop Raremon," BlackGatomon smirked. The feline digimon was crouched next to Ivymon with a nasty smile on her face, and she twitched her ears in eager anticipation of a brutal fight.

MagnaAngemon stepped forward and motioned for Angelicmon to join him. "There is always a way to defeat the Powers of Darkness. Angelicmon, I believe you know what to do."

"Of course I do." Angelicmon bowed to the more experienced angel and leaped into the air, leaving a trail of gold and white feathers behind him. The vaccine digimon lifted his arm towards the ceiling and his hand began to glow a bright yellow. "Zenith Point!" A golden stream of light shot out of the angel's finger and exploded into seven blinding rays that smashed into the ground around Raremon in a circle. The sewer digimon let out a roar of rage and attempted to shield his face from the bright light, but his efforts were futile.

"Ouch, that burns!" BlackGatomon squealed, leaping backwards and hugging her tail protectively against her chest. The feline digimon had tried desperately to jump out of the way of Angelicmon's attack, but her tail had gotten caught by a ray of light, and it looked like it had been badly burned. Takara could see smoke rising between the evil champion's fingers, and she allowed herself a small smile. _Serves her right for trying to capture us. She thinks she's so tough, but Gatomon could turn her into data easily without so much as lifting a finger! Now that's something I'd love to see!_

"The light's too bright! I can't stand it!" Raremon moaned, flinching away from the glowing beams streaming to the ground around him. Unlike the previous moves used, Angelicmon's attack actually seemed to be having some sort of an effect on Raremon. It looked like it was made up of pure light, and it seemed to work best on digimon who had been corrupted by evil. Raremon was no exception. Every time the sewer digimon's body came in contact with the light, smoke would begin to rise off his skin and drift towards the ceiling.

"What's going on?" Dai asked, looking confused. "Angelicmon's other attack didn't work, and what about Gabrielmon? His blast was useless, and the same goes for ExVeemon and Tirimon. How is this time any different?"

Takara gave the goggle-headed leader's hand a tight squeeze and beamed at the scene playing out in front of her. "The Powers of Light. Don't you see, Dai? Gabrielmon's Heavenly Vortex attack works the same way. Moves created by pure light fight darkness at its very core. The other attacks our digimon used on Raremon are designed for causing explosions and turning digimon into data. They're good against virus digimon, but if the digimon is really strong, they can sometimes have little or no effect. Light attacks are different. That's why Angelicmon's Zenith Point attack is working. It's not actually destroying the digimon. It's destroying the Powers of Darkness, but unfortunately I have a feeling the digimon usually ends up dying, as well. That's my theory anyway. I doubt there are a lot of digimon out there who are strong enough to face the horrible realization of what they've done when their minds have been freed from evil."

"I think the same thing can be said for a lot of humans, as well," Ken said quietly, his dark blue eyes sparkling in the light from the torches. "Yolei was right. I guess I am pretty strong, after all."

Davis nodded in agreement and wrapped his arm around his best friend's shoulders. "I'm glad you finally believe it."

"Me, too," T.K. said softly. "The Powers of Light take on many different forms, not just attacks. They work through humans and digimon, as well."

Ken smiled at both of them and stroked his son's raven hair. "You were right, too, Davis, and you, T.K. You were all right."

"And don't you forget it!" Davis joked.

"Dad, I love you, but sometimes you make absolutely no sense," Sam mumbled into his father's chest. "What exactly was Mom right about, and why are you acting as if whatever you're talking about has something to do with DarkAngelicmon?"

"Later, Sam. Right now we have to concentrate on supporting our digimon and looking for a new opportunity to escape."

"I wonder what Angelicmon's attack would do to DarkAngelicmon," Dai muttered.

Takara gazed into the goggle-headed leader's dark eyes and slowly shook her head. "I don't know, Dai, but I hope he'd be able to find his way back to the light, just like Gatomon and so many others."

Dai stared at her for a moment and gently placed his hand against her cheek. "Kara, do you think I'm a good leader?"

"Of course I do. Why would you ask me something like that?"

"No reason. I just...it's because of you, you know. You're one of the reasons why I'm such a good leader. Where would I be without you?"

Takara blushed and quickly lowered her eyes to the ground. She could feel the heat of Dai's hand against her skin, and it made her feel slightly dizzy. _I wonder if this is how my mom felt when she first looked into Dad's eyes..._

"You have your dad's courage, but you're a lot like your mom, Kara," T.K. said, kissing her cheek.

Takara smiled shyly at her uncle and nodded. "My mom's a really loving person. One day I hope I can be just like her."

"You already are," Dai whispered softly in her ear.

_Could it be? Has he finally realized just how much I care about him?_

Takara held the Crest of Love tightly in the palm of her hand and bit her lip. She wanted to believe he had, but it was hard to tell.

"No! Make it go away!" Raremon shrieked, flinching away as another beam of light brushed against his side.

"Now!" Angelicmon shouted.

MagnaAngemon leaped into the air and hovered above Raremon within the circle of bright light. He gazed at the virus digimon with a sad smile on his face and slowly shook his head. "No creature of darkness is immune to the Powers of Light. Gate of Destiny!"

Raremon let out one last painful shriek and disappeared into the gate, streams of light trailing behind him. BlackGatomon and Ivymon stared at the spot where Raremon had been standing with their mouths hanging open and slowly began to back up.

"Impressive," DarkAngelicmon said softly, a small smile slipping across his face. "Very impressive." The fallen angel had put his battle with Dracomon and JewelBeemon on hold for the moment, and instead of keeping his eyes on the two insect digimon, he stood there gazing up at MagnaAngemon as if only now seeing the ultimate level digimon for the first time. Dracomon and JewelBeemon stood next to each other and both digimon were staring at MagnaAngemon with new respect.

"How did you do that?" Spritemon demanded.

It was Angelicmon who answered her. "Like Takara said earlier, most digimon attacks are designed to turn any digimon or object that gets in the way into tiny little pieces of data. For example, a digimon who belongs to the Virus Busters family usually has attacks that will work on all digimon, but they work especially well against virus digimon. Attacks that have been created using the very essence of the Powers of Light are a little different. Unlike other attacks, even those from the Virus Busters family, light attacks cannot harm what is pure and good. Observe."

To Takara's complete astonishment, Angelicmon shot a bolt of light straight at Mickey and it slammed into the golden-haired Digidestined with enough power to light up the entire room.

"Angelicmon, what are you _doing?_" Matty gasped in horror, flinging himself at his brother in a useless attempt to protect his twin.

Angelicmon laughed and sent his partner a fond smile. "Do not be afraid, Matty, your brother is fine."

Almost immediately the light around Mickey died away, and the older twin was nearly knocked to the ground by his frightened brother. "Mickey, speak to me! Are you dead?"

Mickey gently patted the younger twin's back and shook his head. "No, Matty, I'm not dead. The light was really warm. It felt good."

"Good? Mickey, my partner _attacked _you! Angelicmon, if you _ever_ do something like that again, I'll...I'll... I'm too upset to think of something, but don't you ever scare me like that again!"

"Now do you understand?" Angelicmon said, ignoring his partner and turning to look at Spritemon. "The same thing would have happened if I had blasted my own partner or one of the other Digidestined. Why do you think Matt and Tai were not harmed when they were shot in the hearts by arrows of hope and light? Angemon's Hand of Fate attack was designed to turn anything and everything into data, especially virus digimon, but his arrow was made up of pure light. The same goes for Angewomon's Celestial Arrow and Heaven's Charm attacks. They're 'light' attacks. They are few in number, but they're very deadly against evil digimon. There are also digimon other than angel digimon who can use them. Other vaccine digimon, and data, as well, have been known to have them occasionally, and yes, very rarely even a virus digimon can use one. Also, as T.K. said earlier, the Powers of Light do not just show up in attacks. They can take on many forms, as history has shown us. The Powers of Darkness work differently. Attacks made of pure darkness will destroy everything, good or bad, because that is the nature of evil. They also take on many forms. So, tell me, Spritemon, are you ready to face the light?"

Spritemon clenched her hands into fists and turned to glare at Ivymon and BlackGatomon. "What are you two waiting for? Aren't you going to attack MagnaAngemon and his little friends?"

"I don't think that would be a very good idea," Ivymon mumbled, glancing frantically around the room as if searching for an escape route.

Spritemon glared at the two remaining guards and pointed her finger at MagnaAngemon. "You haven't won yet, foolish angel! I have more guards waiting outside the door to replace the ones you've destroyed, or have you forgotten already? And let me assure you my supply is endless. Sooner or later you and your friends will run out of energy, and when you do your human partners will be mine! Ivymon, make yourself useful and send in more guards!"

"No!" Luciamon suddenly shouted, stepping forward and crossing her arms over her chest. "No more guards. This ends now!"

Spritemon froze and clenched her hands into fists. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," Luciamon said coldly. "I have seen enough! Your pathetic attempts to capture the Digidestined will not succeed as long as I am here to protect them. I promised myself I would save my friend, and to do so I must follow my heart and listen to what it is trying to tell me. My place is with the Digidestined now. Do you think you can defeat me, Spritemon? I am merely a rookie and you are a mega. This fight should be a walk in the park for you, but remember, I am also a digimon whose duty it is to protect the Powers of Light. Are you ready to face your destiny? Fight me, Spritemon! I condemn you for all of your evil acts, and now you will pay the price for every single crime you have committed. I am Luciamon, protecter of the light, and now you will face defeat!"


	107. Sacrifice

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This was definitely not an easy chapter to write. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go run and hide while this chapter is being read, just in case!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 107: Sacrifice

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Makiya Takaishi stood next to his twin with his mouth hanging open and slowly shook his head in disbelief. Although a part of him had wanted to believe Luciamon was still on their side, he had not held out much hope, until now.

_Ken was right! He kept trying to tell us Luciamon wasn't evil, but we were too blind to see the truth. Even Sam had had a hard time believing his father. What are we going to do? If she dies, it'll be all our fault..._

"No, Mickey," Matty suddenly whispered fiercely in his ear. "Luciamon doesn't have to fight if she doesn't want to. She could have kept her mouth shut, but she didn't because she wants to help us. Don't you dare try to blame yourself for something that's completely out of your control!"

Mickey blushed and quickly turned away from his brother. He loved having a twin, but sometimes it could lead to very embarrassing situations, especially when that twin could read your mind as easily as if he were reading a book. "I'm not, but, Matty, she wasn't tainted by evil. We should have known..."

"We should have, but we didn't, and there's nothing we can do about it now. Let's just concentrate on helping Luciamon, okay? That's one thing we can do without worrying about the past."

"I guess so. Thanks, Matty. You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better." He felt his twin's arm go around his shoulders, and after a moment of hesitation he turned to look at Angelicmon. He could still feel the angel's golden blast running through his veins, and the pleasant tingling sensation made him smile. _Matty nearly had a fit when Angelicmon shot that bolt of light at me, but my dad never even flinched. He knew the blast wouldn't hurt me, and now he'll believe in Luciamon, too. _

"Luciamon, what are you doing?" DarkAngelicmon asked quietly, gazing calmly at the female angel.

Luciamon sighed and smiled softly at DarkAngelicmon. "I'm doing what I know is right. You don't remember, but I do, and so does Lucemon. We promised each other we would help you, but in order to do that we must help the Digidestined first."

"Who's Lucemon?" Dai asked curiously.

"He's a friend of mine. He went to Server to contact Azulongmon. That's where the Guardian of the Eastern Hemisphere was last seen, but that wandering dragon could be on File Island now for all I know. I hope Lucemon finds him, but the Guardians of the Digital World do not often show themselves unless they have a reason to. You probably don't know this, but thirteen years ago Azulongmon held a secret conference with the Watchers of the Digiworld on Server. He gave them something, but don't bothering asking me what it was because I have no idea. Then, not that long ago, Azulongmon came back to Server, and apparently he had a long talk with Gennai, but no one, not even Gennai's counterparts, know exactly what that conversation was about. All I know is that Gennai went to visit a digimon named Piximon a day later, and the day after that he was captured, but that's not all. Piximon disappeared at almost the exact same time Gennai was taken to the Western Hemisphere as a prisoner and he hasn't been seen since. You're probably wondering how I know all of this. Let's just say it pays to have a lot of friends. I've done a lot of sneaking around myself, as well. That's the only easy way to gain access to inside information."

"Traitor!" Spritemon shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at the female angel. "You're on the Digidestined's side, aren't you!"

"I believe I just said that, didn't I?" Luciamon snorted, sending the sprite digimon a look of contempt. "You're pretty slow for a mega!"

"Wait a minute! If you're on our side then why didn't you tell us you were pretending to be DarkAngelicmon's friend?" Gabrielmon asked, looking confused.

Luciamon glanced at the vaccine digimon and smiled slightly. "I wasn't pretending. We are friends. In fact, we've been friends for a long time, but sadly things don't always work out the way they're supposed to. I didn't tell you guys about our relationship earlier because I wanted to protect you. I couldn't risk giving away my true feelings because that would have put all of you in even more danger, but nothing I've just said really even matters anymore. Things are not working out the way I wanted them to, and that's why I've decided to give myself away. You chose to fight, and nothing I say now will either help or hinder you. How can I make your situation even worse when it's already about as bad as it's going to get?"

"Hey, you don't have to rub it in!" Ryoko snapped. "Why-"

"I wanted you guys to split up because I was hoping we could rescue Gennai and the crests at the same time. I think we could have avoided DarkAngelicmon if we had gone that route instead, but none of you would listen to me. Even if one of our groups had been spotted, the other group would've still been free and could have come to the aide of those in danger. Instead, we're all stuck, and now I'm going to have to find a way to get you guys out of here before Spritemon and my fallen friend can drag you to the dungeons. Wish me luck. I'm going to need it."

"But-"

"Ryoko, I know you and your friends think I fed you a lot of lies earlier, but there was some truth in what I said, as well. In fact, there were a lot of truths hidden behind the lies. I know I tricked you into thinking I was in danger, but that was more to your advantage than DarkAngelicmon's. I needed to help you. I needed to meet you, speak with you, and my friend's plan was the only way I could do so without ruining my disguise. You understand, don't you?"

"You never even flinched when we killed Harpymon," Ryoko said stubbornly.

Luciamon bowed her head and gently placed a hand against her heart. "I have seen a lot of innocent digimon die. Eventually it gets to the point where all you feel is nothing but an empty hole inside your heart. I may not react on the outside, but inside my soul weeps for those who have suffered."

_I know how you feel, Luciamon. Sam, Ken, Kara, Dai, Ryoko, my brother, and so many other people I care about are hurting in some way. How can I help them all when I can't even help myself?_

"I do not understand how you can be friends with someone like DarkAngelicmon, but I believe you are telling the truth," MagnaAngemon said slowly. "I also believe you when you say you want to help us. It would not sit well with me if you were to end up disappointing my partner and the rest of the Digidestined. We have grown quite fond of you."

Luciamon brushed her long golden hair out of her eyes and nodded. "I, too, have an attack that uses light in its purest form. Those spirits that stole your sword would have done no harm if I had attacked you directly, but they sure do a number on digimon who have been corrupted by evil!"

"Yes, indeed. I believe you're right about that, my friend."

"I've heard enough!" Spritemon screamed at the top of her lungs. "You're not only a traitor, Luciamon, but you're working for Azulongmon, too, which is even worse! So, you've been spying on Gennai, have you? All the more better for us. DarkAngelicmon and Vampiramon aren't the only digimon around here who have ways of making their enemies talk. First I'm going to torture every single little piece of useful information out of you, and then I'm going to make sure you die a slow and painful death. What do you think of that, you little fool? You know, I never trusted you to begin with, but I didn't say anything to DarkAngelicmon because I knew he wouldn't believe me. It looks like I was right, after all. I'm going to enjoy kill-"

"Do I look like I'm afraid?"

"Excuse me? Who do you think you are interrupting me like that? I'm going to make you pay for betraying us!"

DarkAngelicmon suddenly placed a hand on Spritemon's shoulder and turned to look at the female angel. His face held absolutely no expression whatsoever, but his bright green eyes were filled with uncertainty. "That avalanche Spritemon and I heard earlier...that was you, wasn't it?"

Luciamon hesitated and slowly nodded. "Yes, that was me. I needed to get the Digidestined inside the castle without you knowing, but unfortunately things didn't go exactly as I'd planned. I think you understand that better than anyone else."

"Why? Why have you done this?"

Luciamon fluttered closer to the fallen angel and reached out to take his hand. He held her fingers in a tight grip and opened his mouth to repeat his question, but she silenced him with a quick hug and a warm smile. "I'm sorry, but I had to. I know you don't understand, but you will someday, at least I hope you will. I will wait forever if I have to. You do not realize what has happened, but I do, and so does Lucemon. He is on your side, as well. He has dedicated his life to helping you, and so have I. We are your friends, not your enemies. Have you forgotten so quickly?"

"I do remember," DarkAngelicmon whispered, his other hand coming to rest lightly against the female angel's cheeks. "You are the one who doesn't understand. Would you really betray me?"

"No, I wouldn't. That's why I have to do this. _They _can help you, but only if you'll let them. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I have seen too many digimon die. No more. It's time to end this fight. Let the Digidestined go free and you will have saved yourself."

DarkAngelicmon snatched his hand away from her and turned to gaze at the broken pedestal. "Please don't do this. There is still time to change your mind. We have been friends for a long time. I do not want to kill you, but I will if I have to. You leave me no other choice. Is your duty to the Digidestined worth more than your love for me? You and Lucemon were loyal to me once. Is that no longer the case anymore? Strange how easy it is for us to change who we ally ourselves with. I believe fate is mocking me. It's rather amusing when you think about it."

"Lucemon, he-"

"He abandoned me!" DarkAngelicmon snapped. "And so have you, or am I wrong to judge you so quickly? Lucemon was my closest friend, and you next to him, but his love for me is worth absolutely nothing! He told me he would always be loyal to me, but what you've just said only confirms how wrong I was to believe him. He gave me nothing but lies, but I never even suspected a thing, until now. I haven't seen him in a long time, but I never realized it was because he'd been plotting against me this whole time. Why did you bring me such terrible news?"

Luciamon's eyes filled with tears, and she buried her face against one of the fallen angel's dark wings. "I had to tell you about Lucemon, but I never meant for it to come out like that. Please, you have to believe me. We're still loyal to you. Lucemon never would have agreed to go along with my plan if he didn't think we could help you."

"Your plan?" DarkAngelicmon whirled around and gazed coldly at the female angel. He grabbed onto the spear he had been holding under his arm and pointed it at Luciamon's heart. "So you're the one who has turned Lucemon against me. I would not have believed you could do such a thing, but obviously you're not the digimon I thought you were. I came to you asking for help and this is how you repay me? Your traitorous acts, I could have forgiven, but the same cannot be said for your efforts to try and turn my other allies against me. It's been years since you, Lucemon, and I have had a chance to enjoy each other's company, but that doesn't give you the right to join forces with the Digidestined behind my back. Shame on you, Luciamon. All this time you and our dear friend Lucemon have been scheming together without my knowledge in order to dispose of me as soon as an opportunity presented itself. I regret the fact that our friendship has to end on such a sour note, but that is the way of the Digital World, and the human world, too, I think. Let this be a lesson to anyone else who tries to betray me. You do so and you die. Simple as that!"

"No!" Luciamon flung herself at the fallen angel and buried her face against his chest. He tried to push her away, but she hung on tightly and stroked one of his dark, feathery wings. "Killing me won't change anything. You still care about me, even after everything I've done. The same goes for Lucemon. Look at the Digidestined. _Look _at them! One day they will no longer be useful to you, and when that day comes you will have to destroy them. Our master will give you no other choice. Do you really believe your heart will let you do such a thing? Tell me, DarkAngelicmon, do you really believe you can bring yourself to hurt a bunch of innocent humans? Do you really believe you can bring yourself to hurt me?"

DarkAngelicmon slowly turned to look at Matty, and Mickey quickly wrapped an arm around his twin's shoulders in a protective embrace. _I won't let him hurt Matty, and I won't let him hurt anyone else either!_

"Well?" Matty demanded, lifting his chin and gazing directly into the fallen angel's green eyes. "What's it going to be? Are you going to destroy me? If you are then you might as well do it now and get it over with because eventually you're going to have to do it anyways!"

"Matty!" Mickey poked his brother sharply in the ribs and blushed when he suddenly realized DarkAngelicmon was no longer staring at his twin. Instead, the fallen angel's green gaze was focused on him, and the sudden attention caused a violent shiver to race down his spine. _He's staring at me as if he's only just now seeing a human for the first time. I wonder, DarkAngelicmon, what do you see when you look at me? Am I really nothing but a useless pawn in your quest to rule the Digital World?_

"Do you see it?" Luciamon whispered, her fingers coming to rest lightly against the fallen angel's cheek. "Do you see what I see?"

For a moment DarkAngelicmon looked like he was about to say yes, but before he could open his mouth, a green blast slammed into the floor next to Luciamon's feet and sent her stumbling into the fallen angel's chest.

"DarkAngelicmon's obviously too much of a sentimental fool to kill you, but I'm not!" Spritemon smirked. "How did you manage to navigate your way through the castle without getting caught?"

"As if I'm going to tell you! Forget it, Spritemon!"

"Fine. If that's the way you're going to be then just ignore what I said earlier. I bet you don't even have any more information on Gennai, which means I get to have the pleasure of killing you right away! Fairy Cannon!"

"Lunar Force!" Luciamon countered.

The two blasts collided in the air and sent a shower of green and gold sparkles spinning towards the ceiling. DarkAngelicmon tried to grab Luciamon's arm in order to stop her from going after Spritemon, but the female angel fluttered away from him and launched herself at the evil mega. "Hand of Judgement!"

Spritemon let out a squeal as the blast hit her in the stomach and sent her crashing into the wall. A second blast caught her on the leg, and she quickly fluttered into the air to even the odds a bit. "Is that all you've got? This battle is a joke! If you want to beat me then you're going to have to try a little harder than that, Luciamon!"

"You haven't even begun to see the true strength of my power. Trinity Wraiths!"

Spritemon calmly watched the three glowing spirits stream towards her and held out her hands. She hovered motionless in the air as the blast came upon her, and as soon as it got close enough to bath her body in a bright light, she let her attack fly. "Pixie Dust!"

The bright green sparkles descended upon Luciamon's attack, and the three glowing spirits disintegrated into thin air. The female angel's mouth dropped open in surprise, but before she could launch another attack, Spritemon kicked her in the side and sent her crashing into the stone floor.

"Luciamon! Oh no, what are we going to do? We have to help her!" Takara cried.

Sam nodded in agreement and tugged on his dad's arm. "Kara's right, Dad. Luciamon needs our help. It's the least we can do after everything she's done for us. We were wrong not to trust her earlier, and now we have to make up for it."

"I know, Sam, but there's nothing we can do right now. Our digimon will help her out as soon as they have an opportunity to do so."

"There's only one problem. How are our digimon going to be able to stop Spritemon without accidentally hitting Luciamon?" T.K. said quietly. "The two of them are fighting at close range. MagnaAngemon or one of the others might inadvertently hit the wrong digimon!"

Mickey nodded slowly and turned his face away from the battle. His father was right. Luciamon and Spritemon had been fluttering several feet away from each other earlier, but that was no longer the case anymore. That last display of power had closed the distance between them and now both digimon were using their elbows and fists to try and knock the other one off her feet. "Ken's right. There's nothing we can do, but what about DarkAngelicmon? Why isn't he saying anything?"

For once the fallen angel looked like he was at a loss of what to do. The expression on his face clearly stated he wanted nothing more than to help out, but he seemed unsure of whose side he was supposed to be on. His green gaze kept flicking back and forth between the two digimon, but more often than not his eyes would settle on Luciamon.

_Don't just stand there doing nothing! Help her! I know you want to, so why don't you stop Spritemon before it's too late? Luciamon's your real friend. I believe her, and I know you do, too. She needs your help. Are you really going to just stand there and let her die?_

"How are we going to separate them long enough to launch our attacks at Spritemon?" Tirimon growled.

Dracomon frowned and shrugged his broad shoulders. "I don't know, but we have to think of something!"

"Well, hurrry up about it, would you?" Davis shouted.

"Get off!" Luciamon snapped, kicking Spritemon in the ribs and leaping to her feet. "Lunar Force!"

The glowing blast hit Spritemon in the hip and she fell to her knees on the stone floor. For a moment it looked like Luciamon was going to win the battle, but somehow Spritemon managed to get to her feet, and she knocked the female angel into the broken pedestal. "I will never be defeated by a rookie! Fairy Cannon!"

"No!" Takara shrieked.

"Stop!" Matty cried.

A ball of glowing green energy slammed into Luciamon's chest, and the back of her head crashed against the broken pedestal. She tried to say something, but no words came out of her mouth. Instead, she let out a soft groan, and her pale blue eyes fluttered closed.

"We cannot delay any longer. We must help!" JewelBeemon shouted, leaping into the air and motioning for the others to follow him.

Without warning, Spritemon grabbed DarkAngelicmon's spear and yanked it out of the fallen angel's hand. She held it against Luciamon's throat in a tight grip and sent JewelBeemon a nasty smile. "If I were you, I'd reconsider. If you so much as breath without my consent, I'll shove this spear into your little friend and turn her into data. One wrong move and she's toast. Do I make myself clear?"

JewelBeemon and the other digimon froze in their tracks, and ExVeemon clenched his hands into fists. "Let her go, Spritemon!"

"That depends. Are you going to come quietly with me to the dungeons? If you do, I may change my mind. I'd love to see her share a cell with the rest of you fools!"

Mickey barely heard the evil mega. His amber eyes were focused on Luciamon's pale face, but he could not see her because his vision was blurred by tears. He wanted to help her, but he knew there was nothing he could do. His only hope lay with DarkAngelicmon, but how was he going to convince the fallen angel to stop Spritemon from killing Luciamon? _I have to! Spritemon's lying. She'll kill Luciamon no matter what we do!_

"You won't win," Luciamon whispered, her head drooping slowly onto her left shoulder.

"I already have, Luciamon!"

Mickey shook his head in denial and slowly stepped forward. "No, not yet you haven't!"

"What did you say?"

"Mickey, what are you doing? Get back here!" Matty cried. "You brave, stupid, stupid, fool! I'm going to be so mad at you when we get home!"

"Makiya Takaishi! What did I tell you earlier?" T.K. snapped. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Mickey ignored his brother and father and stepped closer to DarkAngelicmon. He held out his hand to the fallen angel and smiled sadly when he realized he was still holding the Crest of Light tightly between his fingers. It sparkled softly in the light from the torches, and its shiny surface cast a faint, pink glow on the fallen angel's face. "Please don't turn your back on your friend. You're the only one who can help her now."

He did not really believe his words would make any difference, but to his complete, utter astonishment, they did. The confused expression on DarkAngelicmon's face suddenly changed, and his bright green eyes began to burn with an inner fire that put the glowing torches in the room to shame. He turned to look at Spritemon, and the hatred in his eyes caused the evil mega to flinch ever so slightly. "Let Luciamon go. I will deal with her myself. You, on the other hand, need a little lesson in manners. How dare you treat a guest of mine with such disrespect! The same goes for the Digidestined. You have already tried once to attack them. I cannot risk the same thing happening again. As of now, you are dismissed, Spritemon. Leave me. I have no further use for you at the moment. We will discuss what went wrong here at a more appropriate time. Right now I have more important things to deal with. Well? What are you waiting for? Leave my presence at once!"

Spritemon gazed coldly at the fallen angel and slowly shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do that, DarkAngelicmon. Luciamon has manipulated you and so have the Digidestined. It's clear to me now what must be done. Luciamon has to die, and I will be the one who kills her! In the end, you will thank me, and both of us will rule the Digital World in our master's name!"

_Luciamon!_

"No!" DarkAngelicmon gasped. He tried to grab the weapon out of Spritemon's hand, but she thrust it into Luciamon's chest before he could get his hands on it, and the female angel screamed.

_Luciamon, she's...she's dying..._

Mickey could hear Takara sobbing behind him, and he watched Dai's arms wrap around his cousin's shoulders in a tight hug. He wanted to give them some words of comfort, but for some reason he seemed unable to find his voice. The only thing he could think about was Luciamon. He could hear her screaming in his head, and somehow he knew that sound would always be with him no matter how many more digimon perished around him. It was in his heart, and that was where it would stay long after her smiling face had become nothing but a memory.

_DarkAngelicmon and I tried to save her, but we were too late. She's dying, and there's nothing we can do..._

"Luciamon, no!"

Mickey slowly lifted his head at the sound of DarkAngelicmon's voice and gazed at the fallen angel through a veil of tears. The virus digimon did not even notice. Instead, he knelt next to Luciamon and held her limp body gently in his arms. Somehow she found enough strength to open her eyes, and a sad smile slipped across her face. "Sometimes we have to fight for what we believe in, but it doesn't always end the way we want it to."

DarkAngelicmon rested his cheek against her golden hair and gently stroked one of her large, feathery wings. "Stay with me, Luciamon. You can't leave yet. I...I still need you..."

"I have done everything I can for you. It's up to _them _now to do the rest."

_Who is she talking about? Oh, Luciamon, you can't die! DarkAngelicmon's not the only one who still needs you..._

"Mickey, come back!"

Mickey jerked his arm out of Sam's grip and raced over to Luciamon's side. He pushed the fallen angel out of his way in an effort to get close to the female digimon, and a loud gasp escaped his throat when he spotted the large hole in her chest. She looked as white as a ghost, and small particles of data were starting to drift away from her body. She would not last long, and yet there were still so many things he wanted to say to her.

"Makiya Takaishi, you are stronger than you think you are. One day your pure heart will prove to be your greatest strength," she said softly.

Her hand closed around his fingers in a grip that was surprisingly strong, and he felt the Crest of Light dig painfully into his palm. He knew she was trying to tell him something, but unfortunately he could not figure out exactly what it was she was trying to say. He opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but before he could get the words out, she pulled him close and rested her forehead against his cheek. "You're still planning to rescue Gennai, aren't you? I know you and the others would never leave him behind. Stick to your plan, Mickey. Find him and get out! And find Lucemon, as well. He'll tell you everything..."

"But-"

"Promise me you'll find them. Promise me you'll never give up until you do. Take the crests to the human world and search for the Spirit Chips. And, Mickey? Please, save my friend. You and Matty are the only ones who can help him now."

"I'll try, but, Luciamon, I'm not perfect, and neither is Matty. We still make mistakes, and I..."

"We all make mistakes, Mickey, even digimon," she whispered, her lips brushing lightly against his ear. "You can do it. I know you can."

_But what if I can't?_

He did not bother trying to come up with a response. Instead, he merely nodded his head and squeezed her hand. "You said Gennai went to visit Piximon. Their conversation was about the D-Coders, wasn't it? Gennai was the one who sent Piximon to give them to us."

"I believe so. Goodbye, Makiya Takaishi. Until we meet again, my friend."

"No!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, reaching out and pulling Luciamon into his arms again. "You can't leave. You can't!"

Mickey could tell DarkAngelicmon had not overheard his conversation with Luciamon, but at that point he could not even summon enough energy to feel relieved. He felt empty inside, and at that moment all he wanted to do was go home.

"Luciamon, please..."

Luciamon smiled and gently placed her hand against the fallen angel's cheek. "Goodbye, handsome. Don't worry. I'll be back."

"No!"

Mickey watched Luciamon's body disintegrate into data through a haze of tears, and he suddenly realized he had been left alone with the fallen angel. DarkAngelicmon looked completely devastated, and for the first time since the virus digimon had made an appearance, Mickey could not help wondering if maybe, just maybe, DarkAngelicmon really did have a heart after all.


	108. Nobody's Angel

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter done! I'll be updating Trinity next, but if you have time (and you love Nao!) then check out my new one-shot fic called When the Rain Falls. It's my second FTFOD one-shot!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 108: Nobody's Angel

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Makiya Takaishi gently rubbed the tears from his eyes and gazed helplessly at the fallen angel kneeling beside him. He wanted to say something, but no words seemed suitable enough for the tragedy that had just occured.

_How am I supposed to comfort an evil digimon when I can't even find a way to comfort myself? DarkAngelicmon has tried to hurt me several times now, and Matty, as well, and yet for some reason I can't bring myself to hate him. He looks so...lost. In fact, he looks exactly how I feel. I don't care what Matty says. Luciamon's dead because of us. If only I had tried to reach DarkAngelicmon just a little bit sooner..._

"Luciamon, why? You should have listened to me. You should have changed your mind," DarkAngelicmon whispered, gazing sadly at the spot where his friend had been lying only moments before.

Mickey hesitated and slowly placed his trembling hand on the fallen angel's arm. He could feel the taint of darkness soaking into his skin, but it felt different this time. Before the feeling had been almost overwhelming, but that was no longer the case anymore. The darkness felt weaker, less dangerous somehow, as if the fallen angel was slowly slipping away from what he had become. _But...that's impossible. He has always been evil, hasn't he?_

Maybe, but maybe not.

"DarkAngelicmon, I...I'm sorry."

"No, Makiya Takaishi, it is not your fault. You did not make her decision for her. She has always been stubborn, and in the end that is what killed her."

"But...she was your friend, wasn't she?"

DarkAngelicmon bowed his head and slowly nodded. "Yes, she was, but as terrible as it seems, friendships can be broken. Not everyone is like you, Mickey."

"If only we were," Ryoko said quietly, his troubled gaze coming to rest on Dai's face.

The goggle-headed leader sighed and turned away from the golden-haired Digidestined. "If only."

"Will you two quit it? Now is definitely not the time for you to be doubting yourselves!" Takara said tearfully.

Both Ryoko and Dai ignored her and turned to gaze sadly at the spot where Luciamon had disintegrated into data. Mickey could tell they were upset about what had happened to the female angel, but it was obvious there was something else troubling them, as well, and he had a feeling it had something to do with a little thing called friendship.

_Didn't they learn anything from Luciamon? DarkAngelicmon has done everything he can to try and hurt us, and yet Luciamon still considered him to be her friend. She still cared about him even though he had allowed himself to become corrupted by the Powers of Darkness. He would not have killed her. I realize that now, but I guess Dai and Ryoko haven't come to the same conclusion yet. Don't they understand? Don't they realize just how much they care about each other?_

He had seen the look that had been on DarkAngelicmon's face when Luciamon had disappeared, and the more he thought about it, the more he understood just exactly what the expression on the fallen angel's face had meant. Although DarkAngelicmon would not admit it, it was obvious his friendship with Luciamon had remained intact right up until the moment Spritemon had intervened, and they probably would have gone on being friends if the evil mega had not decided to do away with the female angel. If those two celestial digimon could remain friends until the end, despite the fact that they had betrayed one another, then there was no reason why Dai and Ryoko could not do the same thing.

_There's still one thing I don't understand. What exactly was Luciamon trying to tell me earlier? She made it sound as if DarkAngelicmon wasn't always an evil digimon, but that seems so unlikely, and yet it's the only explanation that makes sense. What else could she have possibly meant? It's so hard to picture DarkAngelicmon being anything but a creature of darkness, but at the same time I want to believe there's still some good left inside of him. Could he have only turned evil just recently? If that's the case then what could have possibly made him want to give in to the Powers of Darkness? Even if he had become evil a long time ago, that still doesn't explain why he wants to take over the Digital World. He must have been good at some point. After all, he did try to save Luciamon..._

"Poor Lucemon. He's going to find out about what happened to Luciamon eventually, and when he does he's going to be extremely upset. He's always been rather sensitive," DarkAngelicmon murmured sadly to himself. "Luciamon was a good friend of his. They were very close, just like he and I used to be, a long time ago. Unfortunately Luciamon never had an opportunity to tell me exactly when and why she, along with Lucemon, had decided to betray me. If only they would have joined up with me again. The three of us could have helped our master rule the Digital World together. They were with me in the beginning and then they left. I should have known. I should have realized they had decided to rebel against the Ruler of Darkness."

Mickey bit his lip and gently stroked one of the fallen angel's dark wings. The shadowy feathers felt light and soft against his fingers, and for some unexplained reason he suddenly felt a strong desire to pluck one and keep it as a symbol of hope, just as he was planning to do with the feather he had received from his father and Angemon. "She'll come back, won't she? She promised you she would."

DarkAngelicmon frowned and let out a soft sigh. "She'll come back, but not every digimon is the same, just as there are no two humans who are the same. Some digimon take longer than others to be reconfigured so I cannot tell you exactly when she will be reborn at Primary Village. You look exactly like your brother Matty, but the two of you are very different. Am I right?"

"Yes, we're a lot alike in some ways, but in other ways we're complete opposites. That's one of the best things about being a twin. Matty understands me perfectly, even though we're so different, but...I still don't understand. What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Digimon are the same way. For example, there are many Vilemon in the Digital World, but no two are exactly alike. Each one has their own personality and their own way of living. We are similar to you humans in more ways than one, Makiya Takaishi."

"I...I think I understand. DarkAngelicmon, you have to believe her. She never meant to betray you. She only did it because she had to. That's what she said earlier and I believe her. She'll be back, and the two of you will be friends again before you know it."

"Not if I can help it!" Spritemon snapped, stepping forward and pointing the weapon in her hand at DarkAngelicmon. "I always knew you were a fool, but I never realized you were such a complete idiot, until now! How can you sit there having a conversation with one of the Digidestined when we're supposed to be capturing them and taking them to the dungeons? Are you trying to make our master angry? Do you see now why Luciamon had to die?"

DarkAngelicmon clenched his hands into fists and glared at the sprite digimon. The despair in his emerald green eyes had faded away and been replaced with anger and hatred. He looked like he wanted to wrap his hands around the evil mega's neck and strangle her to death. "You killed her. She was my friend, and you turned her into data. I told you I would deal with her myself, but you wouldn't listen, and now you must pay for disobeying my orders! You have been nothing but a disappointment to our master since the very beginning, and I think it's time for me to relieve him of your presence. I do believe I'm going to destroy you now. I hope you don't mind, but it really is for the best. You stole something that was very important to me, so it's only fair I take something in return. What else could be more important to you than the pitiful life you claim to be living for our master?"

Spritemon threw down the spear in her hand and smirked at the fallen angel. "You won't kill me. Besides, if you do, I'll just come back."

"Perhaps, but you will not be the same digimon you are today and I know that's not what you want."

"You can threaten me all you like, but that won't change the fact that you still need me. You dare to accuse me of disappointing our master? What about you? What about Luciamon? Our master will be pleased to hear about what I've done. I'm quite sure he'll thank me for getting rid of your traitorous friend. And just where does that leave you, I wonder. Our master's going to be very angry when he finds out you've been hanging around with digimon who want to get rid of him!"

"He may know already, fool. They were there in the beginning. Both of them, or have you forgotten already? They were with us and our master, and then they left. How much do you want to bet he had his suspicions?"

"Unlike you! You're going to go from being our master's favorite servant to his worst enemy, especially when he finds out you have a soft spot for the Digidestined!"

DarkAngelicmon suddenly leaped to his feet and regained possession of his spear, before Spritemon could pick it up again, and pointed it at the little mega. "Your death will be my revenge!"

Mickey's mouth fell open and he stared at DarkAngelicmon in shock. It was hard to believe, but he could tell the fallen angel was actually being serious! _Unbelievable! DarkAngelicmon's actually trying to help us! I must be dreaming. There's just no way he can possibly be on our side, unless..._

"Well? What are you waiting for? If you're going to kill me then hurry up and do it already!" Spritemon snorted.

_If DarkAngelicmon really does turn her into data then we'll have a better chance of escaping from the castle. Is he really going to risk ruining all of his plans for Luciamon's sake?_

Mickey smiled at the thought, and before he could stop himself, he tugged on DarkAngelicmon's right wing and buried his face against the fallen angel's arm. "Would you really help us? I don't want you to destroy Spritemon, but I guess we really don't have a choice, do we. Revenge has never helped anyone, but we need to stop her, only I wish you would do it because you want to save the Digital World, not because you have let yourself become filled with anger and hatred. I won't hate you if you promise not to hurt my brother. I could be your friend, if you really want me to be."

DarkAngelicmon stared at him for a moment and gently placed a hand on his golden head. He could tell the fallen angel was surprised by his sympathetic touch and his sudden display of emotion, but he could not help himself from allowing his feelings to be seen on the surface. He had been shown a side of the virus digimon he had not known existed, and it confused him. He wanted to hate DarkAngelicmon, but like Ken, he could not bring himself to do so. At first he had been angry and frightened of the fallen angel, for Matty's sake, but now he felt only pity and sadness, and it was all because of Luciamon...

"You would really be friends with an evil digimon?"

"Yes, I...I want to help."

DarkAngelicmon moved closer to him and gave his hand a tight squeeze. "I think I would-"

"Mickey!"

Mickey jumped at the sound of his father's voice and gasped when his dad suddenly pulled him into a tight grip and dragged him away from the fallen angel. "Mickey, you're causing me more stress today than Matty has in his entire life! You can still help an evil digimon without putting yourself in unnecessary danger, you know. What would your mother say if I came back from the Digital World without you? Besides, Matty and Rina would never forgive me if I let something happen to you."

"It's true," Matty said quietly. "Everyone always feels the need to tell me I'm reckless, but you're the one who has gotten himself into trouble more than once now, not me."

Mickey blushed and quickly turned away from his brother. "I'm sorry. I..."

"It's okay, Mickey. I _know _why. You don't have to explain anything to me. We're not twins for nothing, you know. You're doing this because you want to help, and you wouldn't be yourself if you didn't try to do _something_. I don't want you to change because then you wouldn't be the brother I've known all my life, and I like you just the way you are."

"Really? You...you mean that?"

He felt Matty's arm slip around him, and he found himself gazing into his twin's amber eyes. Matty smiled at him and nodded. "Of course I do. Listen, Mickey, I know you want to change the world, but please be careful while you're trying to help, alright? I kind of like having a twin so I'd appreciate it if you would stay alive long enough for our own kids to grow up together. They're going to be great friends, you know, just like you and I are with our cousins."

Mickey smiled softly at his twin and turned to look up at his father. "I really am sorry, Dad. I never meant to upset you."

"I'm not upset, Mickey," his father murmured, holding him close and gently ruffling his hair. "I'm just worried about you, that's all. You understand that, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. I'll be more careful next time. I promise."

"You have a good heart, Mickey, but sometimes it can get you into a lot of trouble," Gabrielmon laughed, swooping down next to him and gently placing a hand on his golden head.

_Matty's right. Maybe I'm the more difficult twin, after all!_

"You're just like your mother, Mickey. She would have done the same thing," Ken said, giving him a warm smile.

_I wonder what Mom would think if she could see me now..._

Mickey glanced anxiously at his father, and his dad beamed back at him. "Ken's right, Mickey. Your mother's going to be so proud of you when she finds out about what you've done here today. I wish I could be just as forgiving, but it's hard, especially after Devimon..."

_Yes, Devimon. You still won't tell me about him, will you, Dad._

Mickey rested his cheek against his partner's ribs and gazed silently at Angelicmon and MagnaAngemon. All three angel digimon had flown out of the sky to stand protectively around him and their obvious concern brought a smile to his face. He could tell they were worried about him, but their fear only made him even more determined to get through to DarkAngelicmon.

_There has to be a way. Maybe if I keep talking to him, he'll change his mind about throwing us into the dungeons. As strange as it might seem, I think he really does want to be my friend..._

"Mickey?"

Mickey turned slowly towards DarkAngelicmon and bit his lip. "You haven't changed your mind, have you?"

"Mickey...I..." The fallen angel reached out a hand towards him, but his father suddenly pulled him back and glared at the evil digimon. "Leave my son alone! You've caused him enough pain already!"

"Dad, wait! You don't understand. I-"

"See what I mean?" Spritemon smirked, stepping forward and placing her hand on the fallen angel's arm. "Honestly, DarkAngelicmon, how many times do I have to say it? Humans cannot be trusted, and it looks like you've just found that out the hard way. Do you really believe a human would actually want to be your friend? He's just trying to trick you into helping him escape from the castle with the rest of the Digidestined. They're no better than Luciamon was. She _betrayed _you, and they're trying to do the same thing. I, on the other hand, have not once tried to trick you or pretend to be someone I'm not. I'm the only real friend you have in this room, other than perhaps Ivymon and BlackGatomon. I'm sorry I killed Luciamon, for your sake, but it was something that had to be done. You understand, don't you?"

"Hey, wait a minute! She's the one who's trying to trick you, not us!" Matty shouted, stepping forward and clenching his hands into fists. "Mickey never says anything he doesn't mean!"

"So you say," Spritemon snorted. "Well, DarkAngelicmon? Who are you going to believe, a member of the Digidestined or an ally who has already proven just how far she's willing to go to help you take over the Digital World for our master?"

Mickey sent his brother an anxious look and turned slowly to face DarkAngelicmon. They gazed at each other for a moment, and suddenly, without warning, the fallen angel tightened his hold on the spear he held in his hand and slowly shook his head.

_Is he really going to believe Spritemon over us, even after she killed Luciamon?_

DarkAngelicmon's green eyes narrowed into angry slits, and Mickey gasped when he realized the fallen angel was glaring at his father. "BlackGatomon, please send in more guards. I want you and the rest of Spritemon's little company to destroy ExVeemon and the others before they can cause any more trouble, and bring the Digidestined to the dungeons. I'm growing impatient with their constant efforts to try and escape from the castle."

"Are you completely out of your mind?" Ryoko snapped, staring at the fallen angel with his mouth hanging open. "I can't believe you're just going to throw Mickey's offer to be your friend right back in his face! Nobody treats my cousin like that and gets away with it!"

_No, this is all wrong! I know Ryoko and the others want to help, but I have to stop them before they ruin any chance we have of getting DarkAngelicmon to help us!_

He had seen the look that had been on the fallen angel's face when his father had intervened and pulled him as far away from the evil virus digimon as their current position would allow. It was hard to believe, but DarkAngelicmon's eyes had been filled with hurt and anger, and a little sadness, as well.

_At least, that was the case before my dad started shouting at him in an effort to defend me. It's almost as if he's angry at my father for trying to stop him from getting close to me. What am I going to do? How am I going to get him to change his mind before the others can cause even more damage?_

He knew he had to do something, but unfortunately he had a feeling it was already too late.

"Ishida's right, DarkAngelicmon, you're officially nuts!" Dai snorted. "You're actually going to turn your back on Mickey? Nobody turns their back on Mickey! He's like the guy none of us can live without. If it weren't for him, we'd never get any of our problems solved!"

"Dai's right. We'd be lost without Mickey," Sam said softly.

Mickey blushed and sent DarkAngelicmon a hopeful look, but the fallen angel ignored him and turned to Spritemon instead. "Let's get this over with. I grow tired of waiting. Our master could be back at any moment, and we need to be ready for his arrival."

"Right. You heard him, BlackGatomon. Send in more guards!"

"I think not!" MagnaAngemon snapped, leaping into the air and motioning for Angelicmon to join him. "T.K., we cannot delay any longer. It's time to act now!"

"You're right, MagnaAngemon. Come on, Davis, let's get out of here before our wives kill us for putting our kids in danger. You, too, Ken. Let's move!"

"What are you doing?" DarkAngelicmon asked calmly.

Somewhere along the line MagnaAngemon had managed to get a hold of his sword again, and he pointed it at the fallen angel. "Forgive me, DarkAngelicmon, but I don't have time to satisfy your curiosity. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must have a word with Angelicmon."

"No need. I know what to do. This is for you, Luciamon! Zenith Point!"

Mickey gasped as seven rays of light streamed down from the ceiling and headed towards DarkAngelicmon and the others at an alarming pace. Somehow they managed to leap out of the way, and the light slammed into the ground in front of them in the shape of a crescent moon.

"Now's our chance, come on!" Davis shouted.

Mickey allowed his brother to drag him back towards the wall, but despite his efforts to look away, he seemed unable to keep his eyes off DarkAngelicmon. The fallen angel and his group of evil digimon did not appear to have been harmed, but in the end that did not make any difference. The important thing was the fact that they could not see what was going on because they were blinded by the light. It was a perfect distraction, and Mickey could not help wondering why they had not thought of using it before. If they had, Luciamon would still be alive.

_I'm sorry, Luciamon. I"m sorry I failed you, but I swear I'll keep my promise if it's the last thing I do!_

He caught one last glimpse of DarkAngelicmon trying to shield his eyes from the light before he was pulled through the weak point with the Crest of Light shining brightly in his hand.


	109. Walking Through Walls

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter done, and I'll tell you one thing. Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon are not going to make it easy for Daichi and his friends to escape!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 109: Walking Through Walls

_Kari Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Hey, Kari, do you...do you really think Sam and the others will make it out of there without getting captured?" Yolei whispered, glancing anxiously at the computer. "They're still in the crest room, and their dots aren't moving anymore."

Kari let out a soft sigh and gently wrapped her arm around the lavender-haired Digidestined's shoulders. She wished she had an answer for her friend, but unfortunately she had no clue whether or not T.K. and the others were even in a position to try and escape from the castle after their last attempt.

_I don't want them to put themselves in any unnecessary danger. And then there's Mickey. Why is he standing so far away from the others? Why did they leave him all alone? Could DarkAngelicmon have finally found a way to capture one of my sons? _That thought horrified her so much, it was all she could do to stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. She let go of Yolei and held Rina tightly in her arms in an effort to calm herself, but the feel of her daughter's small cheek pressed against her heart only made her want to cry even more.

"What's going on?" Noah demanded, shaking his dark head and looking extremely confused. "Why did they stop?"

"What do you mean?" Nao asked anxiously.

Miya frowned and gently patted her little brother's shoulder. "Sam and the others were heading towards the weak point earlier, but for some reason they suddenly stopped and turned back towards the middle of the room. Something must have happened."

"You don't think Luciamon really did tell DarkAngelicmon about the weak points, do you?" Taysuke gasped.

Kari gently pulled her nephew close and stroked his carrot-coloured hair. "Izzy-"

"I'm not sure what's going on, Kari, but I wouldn't worry just yet, if I were you. I think the fact that they're still in the crest room is actually a good sign because it means they've somehow avoided getting themselves locked up in the dungeons, and that will definitely work in their favour. It means they still have a chance to escape."

"They're still going to end up in the dungeons anyways because they insist on rescuing Gennai," Ami muttered.

Taniko crossed her arms and glared at the older girl. "Are you saying they should just leave Gennai behind?"

"No! I was just pointing out the fact that they're going to go to the dungeons whether they're captured or not!"

Kari glanced back at the computer screen and bit her lip. "But...what about Mickey?"

"Kari, I'm sure Mickey's just fine. T.K. and Matty would never let anything happen to him, and neither would Ryoko," Mimi said firmly.

"Dai, too," Noriko added.

Kari held both Rina and Taysuke tightly in her arms and squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted to believe them, but it was hard. What if T.K. and the others were tied up or stuck in some other unpleasant situation that left them unable to help Mickey? What if they were unconscious, or worse...

"Mommy, look! Mickey's not alone. Daddy just went over to him," Rina said softly, interrupting her thoughts. "See? He's pulling Mickey further away from the middle of the room."

_T.K._

Kari hesitated, and after a long moment of tense silence, she finally looked up and let out a sigh of relief when she realized Rina was right. The dots representing Mickey and her husband were standing close together, and the other dots were slowly edging towards them, as well, including the one representing Matty.

"I told you Mickey would be okay," Mimi said confidently, her cinnamon eyes following Ryoko's every move on the screen.

"I know. I'm sorry, Mimi. I should have listened to you, but...it's hard..."

"Don't worry about it. Trust me, I understand."

"Look, their dots are moving again, and they're heading towards the weak point!" Nao suddenly gasped, pointing towards the computer screen and beaming at his mother.

Kari jerked her head up and almost sobbed in relief when the yellow dot on the screen suddenly darted forward and began to pull the older twin towards the weak point. Matty was obviously making sure his brother did not end up getting left behind, and Kari smiled as her twin sons joined Dai and the others and proceeded to run down the right-hand side of the hallway towards a four-way intersection Izzy had mentioned earlier.

"They did it!" Miya cheered, pumping her fist in the air and letting out a squeal of delight. She pulled Ami into an enthusiastic hug and sent the computer screen a triumphant look. "Take that, DarkAngelicmon!"

"Save your energy for later, Miya. Dai and the others still have a long way to go before they make it out of the castle, and Gennai still needs to be rescued," Izzy warned, his dark eyes narrowing into a frown.

Taniko rolled her eyes at her father and made a face. "Thanks a lot, Dad. Like we're not worried enough as it is!"

"Well, it's true. I'm just trying to keep everything in perspective. There's no use in getting your hopes up only to have them come crashing back down again. We have to be prepared for anything and everything!"

"Yes, well nobody asked you, did they!" Yolei snapped, glaring at the computer expert. "Honestly, Izzy, from now on keep your opinions to yourself or else I really will make use of your laptop as a club!"

_You'd think Izzy would have learned by now that Yolei can be really touchy when she's frightened!_

"Mommy, are Mickey and Matty coming home soon?" Rina asked hopefully. "I miss them, and I miss Daddy, too. They've been gone for a really long time now, and I bet Halomon and Celestimon are getting hungry."

Kari gave her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek and managed a weak smile. "Don't worry, honey, they'll be back before you know it."

_Please hurry, T.K., I don't know how much longer I can stand waiting..._

She watched the group of glowing dots approach the four-way intersection, and each radiant beacon proceeded to make its way down the left-hand corridor. The red dot, which could only be Daichi, reached the weak point first, and the entire group quickly followed the goggle-headed leader into the stairwell Izzy had chosen in order to get them back down to the fourth floor. They paused at the bottom of the staircase, and a moment later an e-mail from T.K. popped up onto the screen.

"Out of the way!" Yolei shouted, pushing Izzy aside and squinting anxiously at the message.

Kari quickly hurried over to her friend's side, nearly dropping Rina in the process, and leaned over the lavender-haired Digidestined's shoulder for a better look. The e-mail said:

_Izzy,_

_We've managed to escape from the crest room, but I bet you probably already know that by now. I don't have time to give you the details, but a lot of what happened back there has to do with Luciamon. It turns out she wasn't really evil after all, and...well...I'm sure Dai and the others will tell you everything as soon as we get home. Angelicmon managed to stop Spritemon and her gang of nasty digimon from following us, for now, and so far we haven't run into any other guards, but there are a lot of evil digimon in this castle who could catch up to us at any moment, and I don't want to be standing around out in the open when they do! I'm pretty sure Spritemon and the others didn't see us leave through the weak point, and I also know for a fact Luciamon didn't inform DarkAngelicmon about the existence of the weak points, but it's best not to take any chances. Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and give us the location of the next weak point. Gennai won't wait forever, you know!_

_T.K._

_P.S. Kari, I know what you're thinkng, but there's no reason for you to be worried. Mickey's just fine. In fact, he's standing right beside me, and he wants me to tell you your crest is one of the most amazing things he's ever seen. Matty and I will look after him. Take care of Rina, and tell her Daddy loves her!_

"Daddy wrote down my name!" Rina squealed, pointing excitedly at the screen. "What did he say, Mommy?"

Kari let out a small sigh of relief and smiled softly at the curious look on her daughter's face. Rina was still in the process of learning how to read, but she was catching on quick, and Kari had a feeling her daughter had figured out some of the less difficult words already. "Daddy says he loves you, and he says he thinks he and the others are going to be coming home soon."

"Well, in that case, Izzy, what are you waiting for? You'd better give T.K. directions for the next weak point before DarkAngelicmon and the others catch up to them!" Mimi sniffed.

"Hurry up and start typing!" Yolei shouted, shoving Izzy back into his chair again and motioning for the computer expert to hurry up. Izzy managed to stifle a sigh and quickly started typing out a message before Yolei could make due with her threat and hit him over the head with his laptop.

_Be careful, T.K. I love you._

Kari pulled her nephew close again and rested her cheek against his carrot-coloured hair. It was comforting to know T.K. had understood what she was thinking, but despite her sense of relief, she knew she would not feel quite like her old self again until Mickey and Matty were safely back in her arms and T.K. and the others had come home without sustaining any major injuries, or worse...

_Spritemon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Spritemon slowly picked herself up off the ground from the place where she had fallen and glanced frantically around the room for the Digidestined. She looked first to her right and then to her left, but unfortunately they were nowhere in sight.

_Impossible! Where could they have gone? Curse Angelicmon and his stupid light attack! Now what are we going to do?_

"My eyes feel like they're on fire! Those Digidestined are nothing but trouble!" BlackGatomon complained, her tail twitching angrily against the stone floor.

Spritemon ignored her and turned to face DarkAngelicmon with her hands on her hips. "Where are they?"

"Gone, I expect. They were trying to escape, as I recall, or did you happen to miss that rather important little detail? I hope Angelicmon's attack hasn't fried your brain or addled your senses, Spritemon. I would hate to think the Digidestined had caused you to suffer such an unfortunate fate."

"Right. Forgive me, DarkAngelicmon, but is there anything you don't find amusing?"

"Death. I dislike having to waste time killing my enemies. It's rather tedious work, don't you agree?"

Spritemon crossed her arms and let out a loud snort. As much as she wanted to scream at the fallen angel for his role in helping the Digidestined escape, she managed to restrain herself from doing so because she was relieved to see him once again acting like his usual insufferable self. For a moment there, she had been worried he really would join up with the Digidestined and desert their master, but luckily he had gained control of his wits before he had had a chance to do something drastic, and for that she was grateful. He had his moments of foolishness, but she liked his sense of humour, and she still trusted him more than she trusted some of the others. "If you say so. It's good to see you've regained some of _your _senses, at least. You dare to accuse me of having a brain malfunction? What was with that stunt you pulled earlier? The Digidestined are our _enemies! _If you don't know that by now then answer me this. Where have you been for the last several days?"

DarkAngelicmon tossed his spear aside in disgust and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, if you had been paying attention to me earlier, you would have realized what I was trying to do. Do you not remember me telling you about how I wanted the Digidestined to trust me? I was so close, and you had to go and ruin everything! You heard young Makiya Takaishi. He offered to be my friend, and it was only a matter of time before Daichi and the others proceeded to follow his example. If you had kept your big mouth shut, the Digidestined would have already been in the dungeons by now! Pity isn't necessarily always a bad thing. Sometimes it can work in your favour."

"Are you saying the whole thing with Mickey and Luciamon was just an act?"

"Yes, what did you think it was?"

Spritemon tugged unconsciously on her long, green hair and made a face at the fallen angel. He sounded sincere enough, but despite the logical explanation he had given her, she still could not bring herself to believe him completely. Maybe that had been his original intention, at first, but something about the look that had been in his eyes when Mickey had asked him for help made her think there was more to the story than he was willing to admit. "Really, well, what about T.K.? What was that-"

"Do not speak his name in my presence!" the fallen angel snapped, his green eyes flashing with sudden anger. "That one has caused enough trouble today, I think, and I would appreciate it if you would focus on the problem at hand!"

"Luciamon had to die. You do understand that, don't you?"

DarkAngelicmon stared silently at her for a moment and slowly nodded. "I do. Rest easy, Spritemon. Lucemon shall suffer the same fate, but you would do well to remember my next words. I will be the one who kills him, not you."

"Fair enough."

_If Lucemon is anything like Luciamon, which I don't doubt now that he is, then we had better dispose of him quickly. I don't want him to pick up where Luciamon left off!_

She had never gotten to know Lucemon or Luciamon very well because the two angel digimon had disappeared only several weeks after she had joined Vampiramon and the others to become a servant of the Ruler of Darkness. When DarkAngelicmon's friends had left, she, along with the others, including DarkAngelicmon himself, had merely assumed their master had sent the two angels on a secret mission to help him carry out his plan to take over the Digital World, but obviously that wasn't the case. Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon had never trusted Luciamon or Lucemon to begin with, and as much as she hated to admit it, her two companions had been right all along.

_There's still one thing I don't understand. Why didn't our master tell us Luciamon and Lucemon had betrayed us?_

Maybe he didn't know, or maybe he had not thought it was necessary. Her master did have an unfortunate habit of withholding information from his servants, especially if he considered the words to be much too important for unreliable ears. There was no way he would want any valuable information to be spread around by the many incompetent fools who served him.

_Wait a miunte, does that mean he considers me to be an incompetent fool?_

"Excuse me, but shouldn't we be trying to stop the Digidestined from trying to escape from the castle?" DarkAngelicmon asked, his lips twitching into a small smile.

Spritemon felt her face turn red, and without a word she grabbed the fallen angel's arm and dragged him towards the door. The large group of evil digimon she had summoned earlier were waiting restlessly out in the hallway, and they quickly crowded around her as soon as she approached them.

"What's going on?" a Woodmon standing on her left asked anxiously.

Spritemon held up a hand for silence and gazed coldly at the group of digimon standing before her. "Did any of you see the Digidestined come through this door?"

"No, my lady," a digimon named Minotarumon said quietly. "The Digidestined did not pass through this way. What's going on? We heard the sounds of a battle taking place, and there was a bright flash of light, but that is all we know. Have the Digidestined escaped?"

"They have, but we're not exactly sure how."

"Strange," Ivymon murmured, stepping up beside DarkAngelicmon with BlackGatomon on her heels. "There is only one door into this room. How could they have left without anyone spotting them?"

"Who knows. Maybe the Digidestined have learned how to walk through walls," BlackGatomon snorted.

DarkAngelicmon gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment and fluttered his dark wings. "I believe this castle holds many secrets we are only now just beginning to discover. Apparently not everything is as it seems, my friends. Walking through walls, indeed, but where else could they have gone? Wait a minute! That fool Etemon and his ridiculous pyramid! I remember hearing the story once. You don't think..."

Spritemon's mouth fell open, and she stared at the fallen angel in astonishment. All of a sudden, she understood. Tai Kamiya and his pathetic little friends had snuck into Etemon's pyramid using a set of what they had called weak points in the walls...

"Clever," DarkAngelicmon laughed, his green eyes sparkling with sudden excitement. "How very clever of them! I do believe the Digidestined, and Luciamon, of course, are a match for my brilliance after all!"

For some reason the fallen angel looked positively delighted over the fact that he had been outdone by the Digidestined, and the smile on his face was enough to make Spritemon wish she had let him join the Digidestined, after all. At least then she wouldn't have to put up with his mysterious riddles and pathetic games all the time.

_So that's why they were running towards the wall earlier. Curse those Digidestined! Curse them for all eternity! When I get my hands on Takara Kamiya and her vile human friends, I'm going to make them wish they'd never been born!_

"Everyone gather around and listen closely," DarkAngelicmon suddenly called out, his strong, clear voice echoing down the hallway. The guards, who were clearly confused about what was going on, immediately stopped talking and surrounded the fallen angel like a pack of eager wolves. DarkAngelicmon smiled at them and placed his hand on Ivymon's shoulder. "All of you are to blame for the Digidestineds' successful attempt to gain access to the interior of the castle, but this is your chance to redeem yourselves. The Digidestined are still somewhere inside these walls, and we must not allow them to escape. I want every single stretch of hallway and every single exit from the castle guarded, and if you see the Digidestined, you are to inform either myself or Spritemon immediately. Remember, the Digidestined can _walk through walls. _You know what that means, don't you? I want the entire outside perimeter of the castle watched, and make sure you pass on my message to the few guards I'm assuming Spritemon left behind to stand watch. The Digidestined are to be presented to me alive and unharmed, and if anyone disobeys my orders, the penalty is death. Do I make myself clear?"

"What about their digimon partners?" a timid Vilemon asked anxiously.

DarkAngelicmon wrinkled his nose and dismissed Embermon and the others with a wave of his hand. "Kill them. I would've liked to have destroyed MagnaAngemon and some of the others myself, but I don't have time for fun and games at the moment. Spritemon and I will be on the castle's top balcony if you need us."

"Don't worry, my lord, the Digidestined will be yours," Minotarumon murmured, bowing slightly and motioning for the others to follow him.

Ivymon and BlackGatomon were about to follow the crowd, but DarkAngelicmon put out a hand to stop them and motioned them back into the crest room.

"What is it, my lord?" Ivymon asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

"I have a different job for you two. The other guards can watch the castle while you two help SkullSatamon and Devidramon."

Spritemon jumped and poked the fallen angel in the ribs. "You don't actually believe the Digidestined are going to risk getting themselves captured again by trying to rescue Gennai, do you?"

"They lack some sense, but they more than make up for it in courage. I wouldn't put it past them to waste time rescuing Gennai when they could be escaping from the castle. For some reason the Digidestined seem to have this funny idea that friends are worth more than their own lives. Imagine that. Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Don't worry, DarkAngelicmon, we'll have the Digidestined locked away in the dungeons before you know it! If they have gone to rescue Gennai, then they're certainly in the right place!" BlackGatomon smirked, winking at the fallen angel. "It's like walking right into a trap. If the Digidestined are down there, we'll let you know right away. Come on, Ivymon, let's go."

The two virus digimon quickly left the room, and as soon as they were gone, Spritemon sent the fallen angel a dirty look. "And just why are we going to the top balcony?"

"Spritemon, will you please use your brain at least once in a while? We're going there because it's right on top of the castle and we can see everything from up there. There's no use going to the dungeons with Ivymon and BlackGatomon, especially if the Digidestined manage to escape again. If we set up a watch on the top balcony, we'll be able to spot them no matter what wall or exit they use to escape from the castle, and that's only if the guards don't catch them first, which I'm sure they will. They've screwed up so many times already, they're bound to do something right eventually."

"Fine, but if that fool SkullSatamon allows the Digidestined to rescue Gennai then our master's going to have your head on a silver platter."

"And I'm sure you'll have the honour of presenting it to him. You'd like that, wouldn't you. Come. We've delayed long enough already. It's time to finish what we started, without Luciamon."

Spritemon quickly followed the fallen angel out of the room and clenched her hands into fists. She still had no clue whether or not she could trust DarkAngelicmon, but sooner or later she was going to find out, and when she did, she hoped she did not end up killing the fallen angel for the sake of their master.


	110. A Warm Welcome

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Just a little note to help out a fellow fanfiction writer. It's time to vote! sushimonster724 has started a Digimon Fanfiction Awards website and voting begins on Feb 20th. Check out my forum 'Digital Connections' for the link and more details. I thought it was an awesome idea and the more who know the better! Now, onto another chapter. In this chapter the Digidestined finally meet up with Gennai! (As you've probably already guessed...)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 110: A Warm Welcome

_Leomon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Bone Cudgel!" Ogremon shouted, leaping forward and swinging his club at Devidramon's head. The dark dragon digimon turned around at the sound of Ogremon's shout, but the light coming from the orb in Benjamin's hand prevented the virus digimon from being able to see what was going on, and the club hit him directly in the face.

"My turn! Pepper Breath!" Agumon called out, his fiery blast connecting with SkullSatamon's left leg. The flaming ball of energy was immediately followed by Gabumon's Blue Blaster attack, and the skeleton digimon tumbled backwards onto the stone floor, his staff smacking him painfully in the forehead.

_And the fight begins._

Leomon did not wait to see if Ogremon's attack had any lasting effect. Instead, he pulled his sword out of the scabbard hanging around his waist behind his back, turned his face away from the light streaming out of Azulongmon's Digicore, and leaped at the startled dragon digimon who was trying desperately to shield his multiple eyes from the glow surrounding Benjamin. Devidramon looked a little dazed, but somehow he managed to avoid a slash that, under normal circumstances, would have severed his main right wing, and sent Ogremon flying with a vicious swipe of his long, dark tail.

Surprisingly enough, Gennai was paying absolutely no attention whatsoever to the battle taking place in front of him. Instead of watching Devidramon and SkullSatamon, the robed figure turned to gaze at the empty cells standing directly across the room from the one he, himself, had been thrown into for safekeeping, and a small frown appeared on his handsome face. His deep blue eyes kept flicking back and forth between the two entrances located on opposite ends of the underground prison, and the look on his face suggested he was waiting for someone or something to suddenly come running into the room.

_Does he know Daichi and the others are inside the castle? I do not understand how that could be possible, but he always seems to know more than he should, especially when it comes to the Digidestined. Benjamin was able to figure out the truth, because of those Vilemon, but unless SkullSatamon or Devidramon let something slip, then Gennai should be unaware of what's going on. He shouldn't know anything, and yet somehow I don't think that's the case. How does he do it, or is this just one of those things you know without being told?_

"Hurry up. We don't have much time!" Benjamin shouted, waving the orb in his hand and once again directing it towards the two evil digimon.

Leomon took another swipe at Devidramon with his sword, and the blade scraped against the virus digimon's left side. A moment later, Ogremon staggered to his feet and swung his club at the back of Devidramon's head. The weapon met its target, and Devidramon stumbled into one of the many cells lining the walls of the dungeon.

"How did you guys manage to get inside the castle?" SkullSatamon complained, dancing around Agumon's and Gabumon's attacks. The skeleton digimon was trying desperately to keep his face turned away from the light, but his efforts were only making it even more difficult for him to avoid getting hit by small, yet effective, blasts of fire and ice. "Do you work for the Digidestined or something?"

"They're our friends, if that's what you mean," Gabumon replied, "and so is Gennai. Did you really think we were going to let Vampiramon get away with capturing him?"

"I take it that means you don't know the Digidestined are already inside the castle?" Ogremon snorted, smirking at SkullSatamon and ducking under Devidramon's tail.

"Really? Hey, how come nobody told us?"

Leomon ignored the skeleton digimon and poked Devidramon in the chest with his sword. The evil champion growled in pain, but it was impossible for him to avoid every attack with the light shining in his eyes.

"Pummel Whack!" Ogremon shouted, hitting Devidramon in the stomach with a series of sharp jabs and a barrage of dark energy.

"Fist of the Beast King!"

Leomon shot his orange blast at Devidramon, and it exploded into the dragon digimon's chest. Ogremon followed it up with a swift kick to the evil champion's ribs, and Devidramon stumbled backwards into the stone wall.

"Two champions against one. I like those odds," Ogremon smirked. "Come on, Leomon, let's finish him off or do I have to do all the work around here myself?"

"You can't defeat me," Devidramon snarled, his four blood-red eyes narrowing into angry slits. "Crimson Claw!"

Leomon pushed Ogremon to the side and rolled out of the way of Devidramon's sharp claws just in time. The dragon digimon let out a frustrated growl, but he made no attempt to launch himself into the air. The room was too small for aerial attacks, and that put Devidramon at a huge disadvantage.

_All the more better for us. Ogremon and I had better finish him off quickly. He's a powerful digimon, but SkullSatamon's the one we really have to worry about. Unlike Devidramon, SkullSatamon's an ultimate level digimon, and I don't know how much longer Agumon and Gabumon can hold him off before the battle starts to shift in his favour. Agumon's a powerful rookie, and so is Gabumon, but even they can't defeat an ultimate on their own._ Luckily SkullSatamon was also unable to perform attacks in the air, and that put the skeleton digimon at a considerable disadvantage, as well.

"Hey, Leomon, are you and Ogremon finished over there? We could use a little bit of help!" Agumon shouted, ducking between SkullSatamon's legs and blasting the skeleton digimon in the back with his Pepper Breath attack.

SkullSatamon stumbled forwards and smashed Gabumon in the side of the head with the large staff he used as a weapon to defeat his enemies. The rookie slammed into the bars of Gennai's cell with enough force to rattle the lock holding the robed figure captive, and without a sound he collapsed onto the stone floor. Gennai knelt next to Gabumon's small form, and reaching through the bars, he gently placed his hand on the rookie's furry head. "Gabumon, are you alright?"

Gabumon slowly lifted his head and managed a weak nod. "I think so. What about you?"

"Never been better, my friend. It's good to see you again."

"Same to you. Matt and Tai wanted to come, too, but they couldn't because of work and other things humans do."

"You'd think saving the Digital World would be more important, but I guess not," Ogremon snorted, swinging his club at Devidramon's right shoulder.

Leomon glanced at Gennai, and the two of them smiled at each other. "It's good to see your sense of humour is still intact. I expect being held captive hasn't changed you too much, Gennai."

"I should think not. Tai Kamiya and Matt Ishida may not be here, but Daichi Motomiya and the others..."

Gennai pulled down the hood of his robe and glanced once more between the two doors leading out of the dungeons. There was no doubt about it. The Watcher was definitely expecting someone, and Leomon had a feeling the person his robed friend hoped to see was wearing a pair of goggles and had a large group of Digidestined in tow who could act as reinforcements.

_In other words, they could help us defeat SkullSatamon and Devidramon._

"You're not going to get away with this!" SkullSatamon cackled. "There are hundreds of guards here in the castle. If we don't stop you, one of them will!"

"And you'll still be punished for allowing Gennai to escape," Benjamin shot back, clearly amused. "I think DarkAngelicmon might be losing his touch. Spritemon, too, for that matter. Why else would they choose aerial digimon to guard Gennai's cell? What a shame. It must have been a lack of focus on their part."

"Silence, you fool!" Devidramon snapped, shading his multiple eyes from the light with one of his dark, leathery wings. "We can fight just as well on the ground as we can in the air."

"Prove it," Ogremon smirked.

"How's this for proof? Skull Hammer!" SkullSatamon shouted, hitting Agumon in the back with his staff and sending the dinosaur digimon flying into Gabumon. Benjamin frowned at Gennai as if it were his counterpart's fault and pointed the Digicore in SkullSatamon's direction. The skeleton digimon let out a yelp and quickly placed an arm over his eyes, but even that legitimate attempt to block out the light appeared to be failing miserably. The Digicore was strong, and its power seemed to be able to penetrate through anything.

_Including the Powers of Darkness._

"Now, Leomon!" Benjamin urged, waving his hand towards Devidramon. "Do it before SkullSatamon can regain his senses and come after you!"

"Hey, what about me?" Ogremon grumbled.

Leomon rolled his eyes at his disgruntled friend and leaped at Devidramon's back with his sword in hand. He thrust the weapon right between the evil champion's shoulder blades and motioned for Ogremon to join him. "Now who's doing all the work, Ogremon?"

"You're kidding, right? I would've already finished him off by now if you hadn't kept getting in the way all the time! Bone Cudgel!"

"Right. Fist of the Beast King!"

Leomon directed his orange blast at the back of Devidramon's neck, and Ogremon's club connected with the dragon digimon's left shoulder. Agumon and Gabumon managed to get to their feet, and both of them quickly leaped out of the way before Devidramon could flatten them. The dragon digimon landed on the floor where the two rookies had been lying less than a minute ago, and Gabumon let out a sigh of relief. "That was close."

"A little too close, I think," Agumon agreed. "Hey, Ogremon, don't forget about us! We want to help out, too! Pepper Breath!"

"Blue Blaster!"

Both attacks slammed into Devidramon's midsection, and Ogremon quickly leaped onto the evil champion's tail to prevent him from knocking somebody aside. Leomon plunged his sword directly into the dragon digimon's heart, and Devidramon's body began to disintegrate into data.

"Even if what you say is true and the Digidestined are inside the castle, BlackGatomon or one of the others will stop them. They won't save the Digital World, and neither will you. You may have won this round, Leomon, but DarkAngelicmon will have my revenge!" the virus digimon hissed before disappearing into thin air.

_Actually, chances are he'll be glad I got rid of you for failing to do your job properly!_

Ogremon spit on the spot where Devidramon had disappeared and turned to glare at SkullSatamon. "You make those DarkTyrannomon we fought earlier look tough! You should be glad we're doing you a favour by putting you out of your misery. We're saving you the trouble of having to explain to your master and Vampiramon what went wrong here today. Somehow I don't think they'd be in the mood to listen to excuses, don't you agree, Leomon?"

Leomon smiled slightly and nodded. "Surprisingly enough, I do."

SkullSatamon slowly lowered his arm and winced at the light coming from the Digicore. Benjamin had backed the skeleton digimon into a corner, and despite several attempts to sneak around Gennai's counterpart, SkullSatamon seemed unable to summon enough courage to step into the light.

"What's the matter?" Ogremon taunted, smacking his club impatiently against the stone floor. "Don't tell me you're afraid. A little light never hurt anybody. Well, except for evil digimon like you!"

SkullSatamon let out a snarl of rage, but instead of launching himself at Ogremon, he leaped at Benjamin and the Digicore. The robed figure managed to avoid SkullSatamon's staff, but the Digicore tumbled out of his hands and rolled across the stone floor towards the opposite side of the room. The light from the orb caused a kaleidoscope of patterns to dance across the ceiling, and SkullSatamon raised his staff in triumph. The light was no longer shining in the skeleton digimon's eyes, and he swung his weapon straight at Benjamin's head. The Watcher tumbled to the ground in a heap, and Leomon quickly leaped forward to defend his unconscious friend._ We can't let SkullSatamon gain the upper hand. If we allow him to win, we'll most likely end up sharing a cell with Gennai, and I have no doubts the Digidestined would end up joining us, as well._

"The Digicore!" Gennai gasped, banging his fist against the bars of his cell to get everyone's attention. "Hurry, we can't let Vampiramon's master get his hands on it!"

"Out of my way!" SkullSatamon snapped, kicking Agumon aside and racing towards the orb.

Leomon managed to get there first before SkullSatamon could grab it, and he shoved it into the skeleton digimon's face. SkullSatamon let out a shriek of pain and quickly scrambled backwards towards the flickering shadows pulsing widely in the corners of the room. They looked like they were alive, and they seemed to be waiting eagerly for their chance to strike.

"You're going to pay for that, Leomon! Nail Bone!"

Leomon blocked the blast of deadly lightning with the blade of his sword and it ricocheted back towards SkullSatamon. A particularly large bolt of lightning hit the skeleton digimon in the chest, and he froze right in the middle of another attack, his staff clattering loudly to the stone floor. "Now's our chance, fellow digimon, attack SkullSatamon while he's paralyzed!"

"Hey, I don't need to take orders from you!" Ogremon shouted. "Bone Cudgel!" The virus digimon snatched SkullSatamon's staff off the ground and hit the skeleton digimon in the face with his club.

Agumon's Pepper Breath attack exploded into SkullSatamon's bony chest, and it was immediately followed by Gabumon's Blue Blaster attack. Leomon chose that opportunity to launch his Fist of the Beast King attack, but unfortunately SkullSatamon had recovered by then and the blast sailed harmlessly into the wall.

"Hey, give me back my staff!" the skeleton digimon whined. "I thought only evil digimon played dirty!"

"Maybe you didn't know, but I was once a servant of Devimon, and although it wasn't the most pleasant experience of my life, it did teach me a few things," Ogremon said dryly. "If you want this ugly thing you call a staff back so badly, then come and get it, you pathetic excuse for a digimon!"

Without warning, SkullSatamon leaped through the air and tackled Ogremon to the ground. The two of them rolled across the icy cold floor, nearly flattening Benjamin, and came to a stop in front of Gennai's cell. The robed figure casually kicked SkullSatamon in the head and smiled in satisfaction as the skeleton digimon tumbled off of Ogremon and landed on his back. Ogremon stared at Gennai in surprise, and the Watcher shrugged his shoulders. "What?"

"Er...thanks, I guess."

"Don't mention it."

_Gennai and his counterparts are just full of surprises. One thing's for sure, they definitely know how to keep us on our toes._

Leomon smiled softly to himself and quickly motioned for Agumon and Gabumon to join him. "Gabumon, do you mind checking to see if Benjamin's okay?"

"Not at all."

"Good, in that case, Agumon, you'd better come with me. We need to get rid of SkullSatamon before any of the other guards hear all the noise we're making and come to investigate. What do you say?"

"I say let's do it!" Agumon quickly headed towards SkullSatamon and launched his Pepper Breath attack at the evil ultimate's left side. Ogremon swung his club at the skeleton digimon's thigh, but somehow SkullSatamon managed to get to his feet again and he ripped his staff out of Ogremon's hand.

"Benjamin, are you alright?" Gabumon asked anxiously, kneeling next to the robed figure's side.

Benjamin slowly opened his sapphire eyes and gave Gabumon a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Gabumon, but thanks for asking. I just needed a moment to get my breath back. Where's Azulongmon's Digicore?"

Gabumon helped Benjamin into a sitting position and patted the Watcher's shoulder. "Don't worry, it's still safe. Leomon has it now."

_Indeed, I do, but not for long._

Leomon strolled forward and tossed the Digicore in Benjamin's direction. The Watcher caught it easily, and climbing to his feet, he held it out towards SkullSatamon. "Do it now, Leomon. We have to find the Digidestined and get out of here."

"No!" SkullSatamon shrieked, turning his back towards the light. "When I get my hands on that Digicore, I'm going to blast it into a million pieces!"

"Not if I can help it!" Ogremon snapped. "Pummel Whack!"

Ogremon's blows of dark energy caused the skeleton digimon to stumble back towards his earlier position where he had taken refuge in the shadows, and he ended up stumbling into the wall with his back towards Benjamin.

Leomon used the opportunity to attack, and he buried his sword between the skeleton digimon's shoulder blades. SkullSatamon shrieked in pain and nearly stumbled through the smaller entrance to the dungeons, but a swift kick to the ribs sent him smashing face first into the floor. "Are you ready to admit defeat or do I have to destroy you?"

"I say let's destroy him and get it over with," Ogremon muttered.

SkullSatamon fluttered his dark wings and did not reply. Instead, he began to giggle like a madman, and he clenched his hands into fists. "You really think you can defeat me?"

_I don't get it. Why isn't he begging me to spare his life? I know most SkullSatamon are a little bit crazy, but this one seems to be a bit more insane than usual. He is afraid, and yet at the same time he still believes he can defeat us._

The skeleton digimon was clearly close to being deleted, but for some reason he appeared to have no intention of fleeing from the dungeons like most digimon in his position would have done.

_DarkAngelicmon has trained his servants well, is seems. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to place aerial digimon in the dungeons in order to prevent Gennai from escaping. After all, most of the Digidestined have aerial digimon, which means SkullSatamon and Devidramon would have been on equal footing with Angelicmon and the others if the Digidestined had decided to risk rescuing Gennai. Interesting, but unfortunately for DarkAngelicmon, he didn't count on Ogremon, Agumon, Gabumon, and myself to succeed in making it beyond the castle walls. It's amazing how one little mistake can make all the difference in the world..._

"I wouldn't be surprised if Elecmon threw your digiegg off the top of Infinity Mountain," Ogremon smirked, advancing towards SkullSatamon. "See you back at Primary Village! Bone Cudgel!"

"No! I will destroy that wretched Digicore if it's the last thing I do!"

"Benji, look out!" Gennai shouted.

Leomon turned his attention back to SkullSatamon, but before he could even attempt to slash the virus digimon with his sword, SkullSatamon leaped at Benjamin and snatched the Digicore out of the robed figure's hands.

Smoke began to rise off of the skeleton digimon's hand, but somehow he managed to hang on to the glowing orb, and he lifted his staff above his head. "Curse you, Azulongmon! You're light will be obliterated!"

"I don't think so! Celestial Star!"

"Holy Sceptre!"

"Vee-Laser!"

"Lightning Spark!"

"Arctic Blast!"

"Spike Buster!"

Leomon shield his eyes as an explosion of multiple attacks slammed into SkullSatamon and lit up the dungeon with enough force to send the shadows scurrying back into the corners of the damp, musty prison. SkullSatamon exploded into data, and the Digicore dropped lightly into Benjamin's hands.

Leomon blinked in surprise as a large group of humans and digimon crowded into the room, and he found himself standing face to face with Daichi Motomiya.

"Hey! I was about to finish him off, you know! Thanks for ruining my fun!" Ogremon complained.

Dai ignored the virus digimon and turned to stare at the robed figure waiting patiently behind bars in complete astonishment. "You're...Gennai?"

Gennai smiled slightly and executed a polite bow. "Indeed, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Daichi Motomiya. Greetings to all of you, old friends, and welcome, young Digidestined."

"Welcome?" Matty asked, looking confused.

Gennai suppressed another smile and waved his hand at the spot where SkullSatamon had been standing only a moment ago. "Yes, Masato Takaishi, welcome to the Digital World!"


	111. The Battle Continues

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This chapter's a little shorter, but it's got some funny moments! Just to let you all know, I'm going to be writing a Season Four one-shot fic soon which will focus on the twins. I just have to get it worked out in my head first. Also, next month I hope to post another chapter for Trinity, which I hope to start writing soon. For now there'll be more FTFOD chapters! Happy Valentine's Day! Hugs for everyone!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 111: The Battle Continues

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"You call this a welcome?" Ryoko snorted, shaking his head in disgust. "No offence, Gennai, but sometimes this world totally stinks, and it's not just because of digimon like Zombiemon, if you get my meaning."

Daichi Motomiya slowly stepped forward, and ignoring the golden-haired Digidestined, he wrapped his hands around the bars of Gennai's cell. He gazed at the young man with a slight smile on his face and shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe it, Gomamon was right. You do look a lot like a human, but you seem different somehow."

Gennai's sapphire eyes narrowed into a frown and he gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. "I am many things, Daichi, but most of all, I am your friend and your guide to saving the Digital World. If you would be so kind as to let me out of this cell, I will do my best to explain further."

_Does that mean he's going to tell us about the Spirit Chips?_

"Dai? Hey, Dai, aren't we going to let him out?" Embermon muttered, nodding his head towards Gennai.

Dai felt his face heat up, and he quickly nodded. "Right. Embermon, would you-"

"Allow me," Angelicmon interrupted, stepping up next to Gennai's cell and holding out his hand. "You might want to stand back, Gennai. I would hate for you to get hit by flying debris or something."

"Of course."

Gennai dutifully stepped backwards, and Angelicmon let his attack fly. The golden blast slammed into the door of the cell, and the lock holding Gennai captive clattered to the stone floor.

"We're sorry it took us so long to get here, but better late than never, I guess!" Palmon said cheerfully, beaming at the robed figure. "It's good to see you again, Gennai."

"And you, as well. I did not mind the waiting too much. After all, I knew Daichi and the others would come."

_He knew? But...how?_

Dai frowned and glanced at his father, but before he could say anything, Gennai stepped from the cell and motioned for the other robed man to join him. "Benji, I'm glad to see you've been making good use of that Digicore. Azulongmon would be proud. I hope you and the others have been hard at work since my unfortunate disappearance. Vampiramon certainly caught us off guard, didn't she. She's come to visit me a few times, and I've found her to be rather unpleasant, you might say."

"What about DarkAngelicmon?" Mickey asked curiously.

_A little too curiously, in my opinion. I don't know what Mickey's up to, but he's definitely up to something!_

Gennai studied Mickey's face for a moment and bowed his head. "A fallen angel digimon with no apparent true purpose in life, and yet I believe he may be the key to saving the Digital World from utter darkness. He is a puzzle, that one. When we have time, you must tell me everything that has gone on here in the castle today. It may be of some use later on. What is it, Benjamin? You look like you're suffering from a bad stomach ache or something."

The man called Benjamin suddenly stomped over to Gennai's side and hit the former prisoner on the side of the head with Azulongmon's Digicore. Gennai stumbled backwards into the wall and managed a sheepish grin. "I guess I should have expected that."

"I hope you've learned your lesson!" Benjamin snapped, his sapphire eyes flashing angrily in the light from the torches. "We had to learn about the fact that the new Digivices were called D-Coders from Agumon and the others, and don't even get me started on the Spirit Chips!"

"I'm sorry, Benji, but sometimes it's better not to give away too much information until you're able to use it otherwise it could end up being used against you."

"Right. You'll tell the Digidestined anything, but when it comes to your counterparts you don't mind leaving things up in the air, do you."

"I tell them what they need to know. If I didn't, they probably wouldn't have made it this far."

"Hey! If I recall, it was Leomon and the others who helped us, not you!" Ryoko snapped, looking extremely indignant.

Leomon sheathed his sword and placed a comforting hand on the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder. "Not at all, Ryoko. We were merely passing on Gennai's words of wisdom. You and the others have done well to make it as far as you have, especially with so little guidance. We may have given you several hints, but you were the ones who figured out the riddles. I'm sure your parents will be very impressed."

"We are," T.K. said firmly.

"I think maybe Sam and the others could teach us a few things," Ken said softly.

Leomon nodded and bowed to the raven-haired Digidestined. "Ken Ichijouji. I am honoured to meet you. I understand now why you were chosen to be a Digidestined. There isn't a digimon alive who doesn't know about what happened twenty-five years ago, but now I see the truth hidden within all the stories I've heard. It's funny how sometimes the ones who try to hurt us are the ones who end up giving us the gift of salvation. I am not so different from you, Ken. The Powers of Darkness are strong, but the strength of the Digidestined far surpasses the temptation of evil. The Digital World has made you a better person, and your son, too, I think."

Sam wrinkled his nose and tugged anxiously on his father's arm. "Dad, what's he talking about? I'm confused."

Ken smiled softly at his son and held out his hand to Leomon. "My family and my friends have made me whole again. Thank you, Leomon. I will remember your words. T.K. and the others have told me so much about you, and as strange as it might seem, I feel as if I know you already. It's nice to be able to talk to someone who understands what it's like to...well...you understand."

"I do."

"Hey, he's not the only one who understands!" Ogremon grumbled. "Don't worry, Ken, we've got your back. I kind of like you, you know. You had some nerve, I'll give you that much."

"Why did I have a feeling you were going to say that?" T.K. said dryly.

"Dad, what are they-"

"Not now, Sam. We'll talk later," Ken murmured, hushing his son.

_Is it just me or does Ken look a little bit nervous all of a sudden? I wonder why. I have a feeling whatever Leomon and Ogremon are talking about could be important, but I'm just as confused as Sam is. If only everyone would quit talking in riddles all the time. Wait! Does this have something to do with Devimon? Agumon did say both Leomon and Ogremon were under Devimon's control because of the Black Gears..._

"Davis, it's good to see you again. How's Mimi doing?" Benjamin asked, smiling at the former leader.

Dai turned to look at his father, and his dad started to laugh. "Considering the fact that she's pregnant again, I'd say she and Matt have been pretty busy lately! She's happy right now, but wait until her mood swings start to kick in. I remember when she was pregnant with Ryoko. She had all of us running for cover, even Matt. Especially Matt!"

Dai glanced at Ryoko and elbowed the golden-haired Digidestined in the ribs. "I guess that explains a few things. Her attitude must have rubbed off on you, Ishida!"

"Yeah, well I could say the same thing about you, Daichi!"

"Davis, not in front of the kids!" T.K. scolded.

"What? It's not like they haven't all had 'the talk' before. They know what goes where and when. Right, Dai?"

Dai rolled his eyes and let out a loud snort. "Yeah, Dad. You even used _props. _I'll never look at tomato slices and bananas the same way again!"

Ken sighed at that comment, and T.K. promptly burst into a fit of laughter. Takara muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like 'boys', and Ryoko's whole face turned bright pink.

"I'm sorry I asked," Benjamin muttered, shaking his head. "It's nice to meet you, Daichi, and your friends, as well. My name is Benjamin, as you've probably already figured out, and I also happen to be one of Gennai's five counterparts. We are the Watchers of the Digital World, and it is our job to preserve and maintain the balance of light and darkness within the four hemispheres of this world. Peace and harmony is what we strive for, and it's what you all hope to achieve, as well."

"Benjamin, you...you look exactly like Gennai!" Mickey gasped, his amber eyes nearly popping out of his head in astonishment.

Matty grinned and poked his brother in the ribs. "They look like twins, Mickey, just like us."

"Actually, like I said before, there are six of us, and we all look exactly the same," Benjamin laughed. "Didn't Agumon and the others tell you about us?"

"Well, yes. They mentioned something about you guys looking a lot alike and being the Watchers of the Digital World, but we didn't realize you all looked exactly like the same person..."

"No kidding! By the way, Agumon, it's great to see you guys again," Takara said, leaning down and giving Agumon a big hug.

"Even me?" Ogremon asked hopefully.

Takara giggled and gently patted the virus digimon's arm. "Yes, even you, Ogremon. How did you guys manage to get inside the castle, and where are the others?"

"Andromon, Biyomon, and the rest of our friends are still back in the forest trying to keep Vampiramon and her gang of evil digimon occupied at the moment," Leomon explained. "We didn't want anyone following us to the castle because that would have put not only us, but you guys, as well, in even more danger, so the larger portion of our group stayed behind to keep our enemies distracted. It's a lot harder to spot a small group of digimon entering the castle than it is to detect a rather large group, which could be considered the size of a small army. Well, not that big, but you know what I mean. The digimon here on Cyber were kind enough to help us out, and that's how we found our way to the castle."

"You actually met some of the digimon native to Cyber?" Embermon asked, looking surprised.

"Yes, most of them are hiding in the forest. Actually, that's where we met up with Agumon and the rest of the older Digidestineds' partners. It happened purely by chance, but I'm not complaining. I have to say it ended up turning out to be a stroke of good luck."

"You guys must have arrived in the dungeons around the same time Luciamon was killed," Mickey said sadly.

"Who?"

Dai impatiently shook his head and motioned for Leomon to continue. "We'll explain everything later. What were you saying earlier about Vampiramon and the others?"

"Well, news travels like wildfire in the Digital World. Vampiramon, Jestermon, and BlackWidowmon must have discovered we were heading to the castle because they made camp in the forest to try and stop us from reaching Gennai, and you guys, as well. I think it's safe to say they knew you guys were going to try to steal the crests back from them and help us rescue Gennai."

"Oh, they knew all right. I can tell you that much," ExVeemon confirmed. "What, with Luciamon and that screen of theirs..."

"Luciamon? Screen? It seems you have quite a tale to tell. I look forward to hearing it, but there's something else you need to know, as well. Vampiramon's master was in the forest, too, and he has a whole army of evil digimon with him."

Dai's mouth dropped open, and he choked back a sudden lump of fear in his throat. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Obviously he wanted to stop us from helping you, and clearly he thought DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon would be more than enough of a challenge for you guys. He must think very highly of them. No doubt he believes you're all safely in the dungeons by now."

"Fat chance!" Ryoko snorted. "Um...what did he look like? Vampiramon's master, I mean."

"We don't know," Gabumon said quietly. "We never got a chance to see him. The black tent he's staying in is always surrounded by guards, and he's never once left it as far as we know."

"He sounds really evil," Dovemon mumbled, shivering slightly in Takara's arms.

Dai glanced anxiously at his father, and his dad's arm slipped around him in a comforting hug. "We'll beat him, Dai. You'll see."

_But...what if we don't? No wait! I can't start thinking like that. Sam and the others are counting on me. I have to be strong for their sakes. If I can't believe in myself, then how will I be able to stop the others from completely giving in to despair?_

"None of this explains how you got inside the castle," Ryoko said stubbornly, his sapphire eyes fixed on Leomon's face.

"That was the easy part. There were hardly any guards outside to stop us from entering because most of them were trying to stop you guys from escaping! One of the Vilemon let slip that you were inside the castle so we chose that opportunity to make our move. In fact, we were going to come find you guys after we rescued Gennai."

"You were right, Dai," Takara said softly. "You were the one who pointed out the fact that Spritemon had left most of the castle unguarded, and Leomon and the others came to rescue Gennai, just like you were hoping they would."

_She's right. I don't understand why, but for some reason, despite everything that's happened so far, she still believes in me. If only there was some way I could repay her..._

Dai wrapped his arm around Takara's waist and smiled softly at the female Digidestined. She smiled back at him, and he turned to look at Leomon. "You vowed you would rescue Gennai, and that's exactly what you did. I knew we could count on you, and Ogremon and the others, as well."

"I could say the same about you and your friends, Daichi Motomiya. You have the crests, do you not?"

Dai held out the Crest of Courage and motioned for Takara to hold out the Crest of Love. "We kept our end of the bargain, just like you did."

"Indeed, you have."

"Excellent, you're just like your father, Dai," Gennai said, clearly delighted at the way things had turned out.

"Of course he is!"

Leomon laughed and bowed to the former Digidestined leader. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Davis. I've heard so much about you."

"All of it good, I hope!"

"Er...um...well..."

Dai suppressed a smile and turned to look at the Digicore in Benjamin's hand. "Gennai said that was one of Azulongmon's Digicores, right? Veemon mentioned something about Azulongmon having twelve of them, when he told us about the Destiny Stones, and Agumon told us they helped Paildramon and some of the others digivolve to higher levels, but that's about all we know. Piximon also mentioned something about getting the one he had from a friend, and he said it belonged to a friend of a friend of his. Is the Digicore Benjamin's holding the same Digicore that gave us our Digivices?"

"No," Gennai said before Leomon could answer. "I am the friend who gave Piximon that Digicore to help you. Azulongmon lent it to me a long time ago, and I suspected what it might be for, but I did not know for sure until the Guardian of the Eastern Hemisphere later confirmed what I had come to believe. Benjamin and the rest of my counterparts all have one, as well, but their purpose is yet unknown; to everyone but Azulongmon, that is."

"It sounds like the Guardians of the Digital World like to speak in riddles," Sam said thoughtfully.

"Kind of like someone else I know," Agumon muttered, glancing at Gennai and nudging Gabumon in the ribs.

Benjamin merely shook his head and glared at Gennai. "So that's what your conversation with Azulongmon was about!"

Gennai ignored Benjamin and the two rookies, and his eyebrows narrowed into a frown. "I expect the Digicore I was given was sent back to Azulongmon after its purpose had been fulfilled. I doubt Piximon still has it."

"No, he doesn't, and speaking of Piximon, where is he?" Ryoko demanded. "That little runt left us all alone on File Island to face Crystalmon by ourselves! If Leomon hadn't been there-"

"I had another job for Piximon, Ryoko. He was only doing what I had asked him to do, and once he has fulfilled my request, I'm sure we'll see him again. I doubt he knows I was captured. I expect it'll be a rather nasty shock when he finds out!"

"Let me know when you plan to tell him. I want a front row seat!" Ogremon smirked.

"In that case, I'll join you," Ryoko snorted. "Serves him right for leaving us to the mercy of evil digimon!"

Gabumon smiled slightly and nudged Ryoko's knee with his head. "I'm glad you're okay, Ryoko. I'm sure Matt's really worried about you."

"Don't worry, Gabumon, Tirimon and I took real good care of him," Palmon said cheerfully.

"I know."

"My dad's going to have a fit when he finds out what happened here today," Ryoko sighed. "He probably is worried, but getting him to admit it is not exactly an easy thing to do."

"He knows you're safe with us," Tirimon said quietly. "Kara, as well. Right, Agumon?"

"I'm not going to let Tai down!"

"Thanks, Agumon," Takara murmured, looking extremely touched by the rookie's concern.

"That reminds me, how did you guys get here so quickly?" Gabumon asked.

Matty grinned at the little rookie and shrugged his shoulders. "We got lucky for once. There were hardly any guards to stop us from reaching the dungeons. We took out a few Bakemon, but that was it. I guess DarkAngelicmon and the others are still regrouping. It'll take them a while to inform all the guards we've gone missing."

Leomon pulled out his sword again and motioned for everyone to gather around him. "We're all safe at the moment, but we won't be for long if DarkAngelicmon catches up to us. Come. We must leave before any of the guards spot us."

"Too late, Leomon!" a voice sang out from the smaller entrance to the dungeons. "You guys talk too much, you know that? By the time DarkAngelicmon gets here, Gennai will be safely locked away in his cell again, along with the rest of you. Did you really think you could escape so easily?"

Dai let out a loud groan and turned to face BlackGatomon. The feline digimon stood just inside the door, with Ivymon behind her, and the look on her face suggested she was more than ready to pick up from where they had left off in the crest room. _Don't they ever give up?_

"Well, Dracomon, are you ready for round two?" Gabrielmon asked.

"More than ready. What about you, JewelBeemon?"

"Lead the way, my friend."

"Now you're talking!" Ogremon growled, leaping forward and swinging his club at the two digimon.

Dai exchanged a look with his father and made a face at the two evil digimon. They were so close to escaping, and although he was anxious to get out of the castle, he still could not help wondering if that would just end up putting them in even more danger. Vampiramon's master was out there somewhere, and if they ran into him before they could get back to the human world, there was no telling what might happen...


	112. The Search for the Missing Digidestined

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Not much to say for this chapter. If you haven't checked out the FTFOD section of my forum recently, it's a good place to go if you want some new interesting information I added last week!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 112: The Search for the Missing Digidestined

_Spritemon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Spritemon fluttered anxiously into the air and hovered several feet above the large balcony DarkAngelicmon had chosen as a viewing platform in hopes of catching the Digidestined before they could escape into the forest. The stone structure looked rather small beneath her, but in reality it actually covered a good portion of the castle's rooftop. It was really more of a raised platform than a balcony, but it gave her an excellent view of the surrounding area, and it also allowed her to keep her eyes on the guards who were patrolling the walls and crouching on the balconies of all four towers. A group of about fifty guards, including Minotarumon, were pacing restlessly along the walls of the roof, which stood just below the balcony where she, along with DarkAngelicmon, had decided to make their stand, and the looks of concentration on their faces eased her mind somewhat, though not completely. A set of stairs lead directly from the rooftop to the balcony, and as a result, the guards could reach them easily if there was any news to report. It was a perfect place to set up a watch because it gave them not only easy access to the Digidestined, but to the guards, as well, and yet she still wasn't completely satisfied with the arrangements.

_This is all DarkAngelicmon's fault! If that fool angel hadn't acted like such an idiot earlier, the Digidestined would be safely locked away in the dungeons by now, and I wouldn't have to be standing out here gawking at the trees like some stupid Cherrymon who's just found himself a new home! This whole situation has gotten completely out of hand, and if we don't find a way to turn things around soon, our master's going to have both our heads on a silver platter. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Vampiramon were here. She always knows how to turn a bad situation around and make it work in her favour._

"Do you see anything yet?" DarkAngelicmon called out, his long, raven hair fluttering slightly in the cool breeze that had picked up sometime during the afternoon. The sun was just starting to set in the west, and Spritemon could not help feeling a little bit annoyed about the fact that they had accomplished absolutely nothing in the last few hours. _And it's all thanks to Etemon and his stupid pyramid! Now there's a digimon I would've liked to have ripped apart with my bare hands!_

"Well? Honestly, Spritemon, it's rude to ignore someone who's asked you a perfectly innocent question, or didn't you know that already? Remind me to give you a lesson on proper etiquette when addressing humans and digimon as soon as an opportunity presents itself because you desperately need it, I'm afraid."

Spritemon sent the fallen angel a dirty look and slowly descended towards the stone balcony at a leisurely pace. She landed lightly next to her rather annoying companion and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "No, there isn't a single Digidestined in sight, and you have no one to blame but yourself. You do realize the Digidestined still have the crests, don't you?"

"A slight setback, to be sure, but like I said before, it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately the crests will help Tai and the other eight Digidestined who were lucky enough to possess on of those impressive little trinkets to digivolve, but I believe the rewards we're more than likely going to gain from such a bold move will ultimately be worth a few sacrifices. After all, the Digidestined need the crests in order for the Spirit Chips to work properly."

"Yes, so you say, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I really wish you would pay more attention when I'm talking to you, Spritemon. In case you've forgotten already, Gennai was the one who told me about the Spirit Chips, and he insisted they wouldn't work for evil digimon, but they will work for the Digidestined. I believe we'll eventually be able to control the Spirit Chips, and the crests, as well, with help from the Powers of Darkness, but in order to accomplish our goal, we must first find the object of our search. Tell me, Spritemon, how do you expect us to find the Spirit Chips without Daichi and his friends? They think they've gained the upper hand because they have the crests in their possession, but really they're only doing our dirty work for us. Once the Digidestined get their hands on the Spirit Chips, with help from the crests, we'll be able to put our plan into motion."

"What plan?"

DarkAngelicmon let out a sigh and shook his head in disgust. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother. The Digidestined need the crests and the D-Coders to find the Spirit Chips, right? Well, once they do manage to get the job done, we'll be able to steal the D-Coders, the Spirit Chips, and the crests all at once! Of course, we must accomplish our rather ambitious goal before Daichi and the others end up digivolving to ultimate otherwise our task will be a lot more difficult. The Digidestined don't know it yet, but the crests are actually leading them right into a trap. Daichi and his friends are going to lead us directly to the Spirit Chips, which is something that wouldn't have been possible if they had managed to escape from the castle without the crests. Our best option would be to capture the Digidestined and force them to lead us to the Spirit Chips, but because of the fact that I let them walk away with the crests, there's still plan b if they do manage to escape. In the end, the result will still be the same. It's always nice to have your enemies under your control, but sometimes you have to alter your plans a little if the situation doesn't work out the way you want it to. Gennai's information has turned out to be quite useful, even you have to admit that."

_Only DarkAngelicmon can say something that makes entirely no sense and still sound as if he's just given you a logical explanation for yet another one of his crazy ideas. No wonder Vampiramon wants to strangle him to death!_

Spritemon studied the fallen angel's handsome face for a moment and crossed her arms over her chest. "DarkAngelicmon, you do realize our master's going to skin you alive, don't you?"

"Actually, I think he'll be pleased with my quick thinking and my ability to salvage a disastrous situation and change it into something that will work to our advantage. I'm sure he'll be upset about the crests, but he'll change his mind eventually. You'll see."

"You're not serious, are you?"

DarkAngelicmon gently touched her cheek and gave her a sweet smile. "Relax, Spritemon. I'll talk to our master when he gets back. You won't have to say a word. I'll even take the blame for what has happened here today. That should ease your mind, at least a little bit, if not completely."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, especially considering the fact that this whole situation is your fault to begin with!"

_He sounds so confident, but I'm not sure our master's going to agree with him when it comes to the crests. I just hope I'm not around when our master decides to take his anger out on his servants._

DarkAngelicmon looked like he was expecting an argument, but before he could say anything, a male goblin digimon suddenly sprinted up the stairs and collapsed onto the stone balcony at the fallen angel's feet. "I'm sorry to disturb you, my lord, but Kotemon and I discovered something rather unusual, and we thought we should bring it to your attention."

"Have you discovered where the Digidestined are yet?"

Goblimon winced and meekly shook his head. "No, my lord, but..."

_We don't have time to listen to rumours being spread around by a bunch of rookies with too much time on their hands! If DarkAngelicmon can't learn to control the guards then we're going to have a rebellion on our hands! Why do I always have to do all the dirty work around here?_

Spritemon tugged impatiently on her long, emerald hair and sent the goblin digimon a look of absolute disgust. "What do you mean, no? We told all of you not to bother coming up here unless you had news about the Digidestined and their whereabouts, and since you obviously don't, I suggest you quit wasting our time and get back to your post before I really start to get angry!"

"But, but-"

"Ignore her," DarkAngelicmon interrupted, reaching down and helping the goblin digimon into a standing position. "Now, what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Um...well...you see...Kotemon and I went to warn the rest of the guards about the Digidestined trying to escape from the castle, just like you instructed us to earlier. We spoke to most of the ones inside the building who weren't waiting outside the crest room, whom you forgot to mention in your speech, but we didn't tell the guards outside because they were...um...gone..."

"Gone?"

Goblimon nodded vigorously and glanced nervously at the forest as if afraid they were being watched. "That's right. Kotemon and I thought that was a little strange so we decided to check things out, and according to a Phantomon I talked to earlier, two DarkTyrannomon, several Bakemon, I'm not exactly sure how many, and a group of Vilemon have gone missing. It's like they've just disappeared into thin air. What do you think is going on?"

DarkAngelicmon frowned and slowly shook his head. "I'm not sure. It does seem kind of odd, though, doesn't it? Are you sure they haven't just ignored Spritemon's orders and wandered back into the castle?"

_Of all the nerve!_

Spritemon jabbed the fallen angel sharply in the ribs with her elbow, but the fool digimon never even batted an eyelash. He was mocking her right in front of her own face, and he didn't even have the decency to admit it!

"Maybe, but that seems highly unlikely, especially when you consider the fact that none of the guards Kotemon and I talked to earlier have seen the two DarkTyrannomon or any of the other missing digimon recently," the goblin digimon said slowly. "I'm sorry to bother you, but..."

DarkAngelicmon gently patted the rookie's shoulder and quickly shook his head. "Not at all, Goblimon. Thank you for the information, and thank you for informing the guards I mistakenly overlooked. I forgot about the ones inside the castle. I'm assuming Spritemon didn't want to pull them away from their posts in case the Digidestined escaped so she chose mostly guards from outside the castle to watch the entrance to the crest room. I guess she does use her brain once in a while, after all, though I did notice there were some guards outside the crest room who were positioned inside the castle earlier, as well. I assume you left BlackGatomon and Ivymon to inform Devidramon and SkullSatamon?"

"Yes, my lord. I figured you had probably sent those two to the dungeons."

"Excellent work, Goblimon, your information could be important. I'm not sure what it could mean yet, but I'll think about it, and hopefully I'll be able to come up with an explanation that makes sense. In the meantime, you'd better get back to your post, and if you do notice anything else that seems a little bit suspicious, please inform me immediately, and the same goes for Kotemon, as well. How does that sound?"

"Very good, my lord. I'll tell Kotemon right away!"

Goblimon beamed at DarkAngelicmon before hurrying back down the stairs, and Spritemon made a face at the fallen angel. "You don't think the missing guards have something to do with the Digidestined, do you?"

DarkAngelicmon tugged on one of the dark ear-like feathers sticking out of his head and frowned at the forest. "I'm not sure, but...something doesn't feel right."

"Well, I could have told you that!" She had felt the same way ever since the Digidestined had managed to escape from the crest room, and instead of disappearing, the uneasy feeling in her heart had only gotten worse. "By the way, what do you think you're doing being nice to your servants? They're not supposed to love you, they're supposed to fear you!"

"I punish my servants when they fail me, and when they do something right, I reward them. It makes sense, doesn't it? No wonder the guards hardly ever listen to you!"

"Will you just shut up and concentrate on keeping your eyes peeled for the Digidestined?"

DarkAngelicmon smiled slightly and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "As you wish, Spritemon. I must say, I do enjoy your company much more than Vampiramon's, or even BlackWidowmon's, for that matter. It pains me to admit it, but no one understands my witty sense of humour as well as you do, except perhaps Jestermon. At least you know how to take a joke, unlike some of the others, I'm afraid."

"In that case, I must be losing my mind. DarkAngelicmon, I'm...worried. Something about this whole situation just feels...wrong..."

The fallen angel tugged lightly on one of her wings and gave her a teasing smile. "Spritemon, are you sure you're feeling alright? You're not exactly the type of digimon who's known for allowing herself to show any signs of weakness."

"Will you please stop fooling around? I'm trying to be serious here!"

"So am I. Don't worry, Spritemon, as long as we pay attention to what's going on around the castle, everything wil be fine. The Digidestined can't escape without somebody seeing them. As soon as they try to leave the castle, we'll have them in our grasp, and then we won't have to tell our master anything."

"I hope you're right."

Spritemon huddled against the fallen angel's side and anxiously fluttered her wings. The Digidestined did not scare her, and neither did Gennai, but the thought of what her master would do to both DarkAngelicmon and herself if they failed made her tremble with fear. He was not a very forgiving digimon, and if the Digidestined managed to escape, then both she and DarkAngelicmon would not be able to avoid getting themselves into serious trouble.

_And it's all because of Luciamon! Watch out, Lucemon, I don't care what DarkAngelicmon says. When I find you, I'm going to destroy you! Luciamon tried to ruin our master's plans, and your death will be my revenge. You can't help the Digidestined if you're an egg!_

DarkAngelicmon always made sure he had a backup plan when things got tough, but she had a backup plan of her own, and if she never saw another angel digimon again, it would still be too soon for her liking.

_Mimi Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Izzy, what are they doing now?" Miya asked, hovering anxiously over the computer expert's shoulder.

Mimi stood next to Yolei's daughter and made a face at the dots on the screen. Ryoko and the others had stopped moving again, but this time they were standing near the bottom of the screen instead of in the crest room, which was closer to the top, and it looked like they were below ground. "Izzy, are they in the dungeons?"

Izzy beamed at her and nodded. "It looks like they've finally found Gennai. Now they just need to get to the East Tower, and once they're flying over the forest towards the gate, we'll be home free."

"Izzy, do you mind changing the map to an aerial view of the dungeons?" Noriko asked, poking the computer expert in the shoulder to get his attention. "It'll be easier to see what's going on that way, and we'll also have a better view when they start heading back up to the first floor."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that."

"Yes, I'm sure you are," Yolei muttered.

Izzy quickly magnified the section of the castle they were all currently studying, but before the computer expert could say anything more, they heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway, and a moment later Matt stalked into the room with his arms crossed over his chest. "Where's Ryoko?"

Mimi rolled her cinnamon eyes in her husband's direction and pointed at the blue dot on the screen. "He's right there, and yes, honey, he's perfectly fine."

_At least, he was the last time T.K. bothered to e-mail us, but Matt doesn't need to know that!_

"Matt, you're here!" Izzy cried, leaping out of his seat and throwing his arms around the golden-haired Digidestined. "Have I ever told you how much I enjoy your company? Seriously, Matt, you have no idea how glad I am to see you!"

Matt raised his golden eyebrows and gave the computer expert a rather odd look. "Izzy, what in the Digiworld has gotten into you?"

"Um...er...nothing..."

"Honestly, Izzy, will you quit fooling around and get back to work?" Yolei snapped.

The lavender-haired Digidestined attempted to drag the computer expert back towards the desk, but Izzy was having none of it. Instead, he clung to Matt's arm and let out a low moan. "Save me!"

Matt's sapphire eyes lit up with sudden understanding, and he quickly pulled his arm out of Izzy's grasp. "Sorry, buddy, but you're on your own!"

"But-"

"Sit down!" Yolei shouted, shoving Izzy back into his chair and motioning for Miya to keep an eye on him.

"Hey, Izzy, do you think Noriko will let us kick her out of the house?" Miya whispered, glancing ever so slightly in her mother's direction.

"How about you and I leave instead?" Noah asked hopefully.

"You mean...together?"

Noah blushed and quickly lowered his dark eyes to the ground. "Yes. I mean no! I mean..."

"He means yes," Ema smirked.

"Shut up, Ema! Who asked you-"

"Hey, Matt, where are the others?" Kari asked, interrupting Noah before the older teen could finish insulting his sister. "I didn't think you would manage to get here before Dai and the others came back. Does this mean Tai and the rest of our friends are going to try and come, too?"

Matt tore his eyes away from Ryoko's blue dot and frowned when he realized everyone was watching him. "Tai and Sora might be a while, but the others are going to try to get here as soon as possible. Oh, Izzy, Mina told me to tell you she'll be here in a few minutes."

"Really? That's the best news I've heard all day!"

"I'd be saying the same thing, if I were you. Tai didn't tell me why he'd be a while over the phone earlier, but I'm sure he has a good reason for it. So, what's going on?"

"You'd better sit down, Uncle Matt. It's kind of a long story," Taysuke sighed.

"What do you mean?"

Mimi smiled at the sudden look of alarm on Matt's face and held out her arms. "Matt, why don't you come sit next to me and we'll explain everything."

"But-"

"Sit!"

Matt immediately sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "Are you sure Ryoko's okay, and what about our nephews, and T.K., and-"

"Everyone's fine, Matt. I'm worried, too, but if we let our fear get the better of us then I think Izzy will go completely insane."

"If he hasn't already."

"My daddy will keep everyone safe," Rina said confidently. "Right, Aunt Mimi? Oh, that reminds me, have you picked out any names for my new cousin yet? Mommy told me she and Daddy had a lot of fun picking out names for my brothers."

Mimi laughed and pulled her little niece into a warm hug. "Your Uncle Matt and I have a few ideas, but we want Ryoko's approval first before we make our final decision."

"Well, in that case it's a good thing you're the ones having a new baby instead of my parents. I shudder to think what kind of names Dai would approve of!" Ami giggled.

"I'll tell you one thing, if we have a girl, we're not going to be naming her anything stupid like Mutsumi," Matt said stubbornly.

Mimi raised her eyebrows and rested her cheek against her niece's dark hair. "What's wrong with Mutsumi?"

"Nothing. I'm sure it's a perfectly good name for some people, but no daughter of mine is going to be named Mutsumi, thank you very much!"

"Any objections if we have a boy?"

"Yes, if you name him something like Kazuteru or Nagaharu, I'll never speak to you again!"

Mimi stared at her husband and promptly burst into giggles. "Oh, Matt, I knew there was a reason why I married you!"

"Huh?"

"Sweetheart, do you know what I love about you?"

"What?"

"You have extremely good taste, just like your wife!"

Matt gazed at her for a moment and smiled slightly. "I should have known you were going to say that."

"Good, then stop talking and give me a kiss."

Matt quickly pressed his lips against her mouth, and glancing down he gently poked her in the stomach. "Well, at least you're still safe, baby, which is more than I can say for your bother. I swear that boy is _trying_ to give me a head of grey hair."

The golden-haired Digidestined shuddered at his own words, and Mimi was once again forced to roll her eyes. "And Yolei thought I was having a mid-life crisis when I cried on my fortieth birthday! Honey, there is such a thing as hair dye, you know, which reminds me, I'm letting my hair grow out so I can have my natural hair colour again. I am getting older, after all, and pink really doesn't suit someone my age. Besides, it isn't good to dye your hair when you're pregnant."

"Which explains why you gave up on dying your hair when you were pregnant with Ryoko. Now will someone please tell me what's going on?"

Izzy turned around in his seat, and the look he sent Matt was filled with pride. "Well, if you want to know the truth, I think Dai and the others have just found Gennai."


	113. A Long Forgotten Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter! Actually, the chapter coming up after this one is one of my favorites so far, so I hope to get it up as soon as I can!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 113: A Long Forgotten Past

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Hey, watch it with that thing!" BlackGatomon shouted, ducking under Ogremon's club and raking her claws against the larger digimon's left leg. Ogremon winced and quickly backed away from the feline digimon, but before he could get very far, Ivymon hit him in the face with the roots attached to the end of her right arm and sent him stumbling into Leomon.

The lion digimon managed to grab Ogremon's arm, and his dark eyes narrowed into a frown. "Ogremon, when are you ever going to learn to look before you leap?"

"Hey, at least I'm not standing around doing nothing! Admit it, Leomon, you and the others never would have made it this far without me!"

"And we'll likely not make it out of here because of you, too!"

Ryoko Ishida ignored the two digimon and tugged anxiously on his uncle's arm. T.K. turned to look at him, and he glanced nervously over his shoulder at Ivymon and BlackGatomon. He did not want the two evil digimon to overhear what he was saying, but thankfully the chances of that happening were almost non-existent. Leomon and Ogremon were providing enough of a distraction to keep the two female digimon occupied, at least for the time being, and that gave him a perfect opportunity to speak with his uncle.

"What's wrong, Ryoko?"

"Listen, Uncle T.K., I think you'd better e-mail Izzy and tell him what's going on. There's no point in trying to escape from the dungeons if we don't even know where the next weak point is."

"You're right. I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. We're probably only going to get one chance to escape, and we don't want to waste it trying to find out where the next weak point is. I'll e-mail Izzy right now, and hopefully he'll have an answer for us before we have our opportunity to make a run for it."

"If only Matt were here. I'd be able to help out a lot more if I could digivolve," Gabumon said quietly, looking a little bit lost and unsure of what to do. "Veemon, Patamon, and Wormmon are really lucky, especially Wormmon. I never thought he would digivolve to ultimate without ExVeemon!"

"I know exactly how you feel, Gabumon. I'd give anything to have Mimi by my side right about now," Palmon sighed.

_They miss my parents just as much as I do. I bet my mom's really worried about me, and my dad's probably throwing a huge fit. Either that or he's snapping at everyone within five feet of him and trying to act like nothing's wrong. He never gives away his emotions unless he's around people he trusts or he's been pushed too far over the edge to prevent them from erupting like a huge volcano. And what about the others? The rest of my family and friends must be worried too, and then there's Ami... _Ryoko blushed at the mere thought of Dai's sister, and kneeling next to Gabumon, he quickly buried his face in the rookie's soft fur to hide his expression. _Why am I being such an idiot? It's not like Dai can read my mind or anything, but still, I shouldn't think about his sister like that. He already hates me enough as it is. I don't need to give him any more reasons to despise me. Only a fool falls for his best friend's sister. Then again, I don't really have a best friend, do I. Mickey and Matty don't count because they're my cousins, and I know Sam cares about me, but he'll always get along with Mickey the best out of everyone in our group, and Takara's a girl. She's like a sister to me, and as much as I don't understand girls, I don't think they really understand guys either, though you'd never get them to admit it. She's my best female friend, but a guy really needs a best male friend, too, in order to keep his sanity. How did my dad do it? How did he finally manage to summon enough courage to tell Tai the truth?_

"Ryoko, is something wrong?" Palmon asked, watching him closely.

Ryoko managed a weak smile and gently stroked the large petals sticking out of the plant digimon's head. "No, it's just...I wish my parents were here, too. I think Tirimon and I could learn a lot from watching you and Gabumon fight as champions."

_Ami's probably watching our signals on the computer right now. I wonder if she's worried about me..._

"I've finished it," T.K. said, closing his D-Terminal and letting out a deep sigh. "Now, hopefully, Izzy will be able to respond in time."

"He will, Uncle T.K. Izzy hasn't failed us yet, and I doubt he's going to start now."

"Izzy? Of course! I should have known," a voice coming from behind them suddenly interrupted.

Ryoko jumped and turned around to glare at Gennai. "I'm not finished with you yet, you know! I haven't exactly forgotten how much trouble you've caused us, and if you think I'm just going to forgive you for that, forget it!"

"Your father would have been annoyed, as well. In fact, as I recall, he wasn't exactly too thrilled with me either when he first came to the Digital World. You don't understand, as of now, but you will after I explain everything to you."

"Good luck with that, Gennai. If anything, you'll only confuse us even more!"

"Ryoko!"

Ryoko glanced at his uncle and blushed when he realized T.K.'s bright blue eyes were filled with disapproval. "Well, it's true, Uncle. He's part of the reason why we've been in so much danger lately."

"That doesn't mean you have to show such disrespect!"

"But..."

T.K. gently ruffled his golden hair and let out a soft laugh. "Don't ever change, Ryoko. The world wouldn't be half so interesting without paople like you in it."

_What's that supposed to mean? Now I'm really confused..._

"You guys are a joke!" Ogremon suddenly shouted, and Ryoko turned to see Tirimon and the other digimon standing in a semicircle around BlackGatomon and Ivymon. The two groups had been doing nothing but sizing each other up for the last five minutes, and the looks on the two evil digimons' faces had become uneasy all of a sudden.

_It's like they've just realized they're surrounded, and now they're not sure what to do anymore._

"Ogremon's right. You can't possibly hope to defeat us," Dracomon said quietly, his violet eyes flickering from one evil digimon to the other. It was hard to tell what the newly evolved champion was thinking because of the dark green mask covering his face and the top of his head, but judging from the way his colourful wings kept fluttering impatiently in the air, it was obvious he had run out of patience. "There are only two of you and fourteen of us. Five rookies, seven champions, and two ultimates should be able to defeat one champion and one ultimate without too much difficulty, I think. You're outnumbered, and fighting us will accomplish absolutely nothing."

"Are you afraid of what DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon will do to you if you fail?" Gabrielmon asked softly. Mickey's partner looked surprisingly sympathetic, and the look he exchanged with Dracomon was one filled with mutual understanding.

Ivymon's pale green face turned bright red, and her dark blue eyes narrowed into a frown. "Don't be ridiculous! Our job is to listen and obey. Even if we fail here today, which we won't, DarkAngelicmon will find another use for us. No digimon can truly become great without servants to carry out his or her plans."

"I suppose death is more inviting than facing DarkAngelicmon's wrath," JewelBeemon said dryly.

"Enough talk!" BlackGatomon snapped, tugging angrily on her dark tail. "We don't have to actually defeat you fools. We only have to delay you long enough to give the other guards enough time to come and help us out. DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon have the entire castle surrounded by servants sworn to the Ruler of Darkness, and the longer you take to make a run for the forest, the more suspicious they're going to get. They're going to come straight to the dungeons with a bunch of guards as soon as they realize you haven't tried to escape yet, and when they do, DarkAngelicmon's going to turn you all into a pile of kitty litter!"

"I doubt it," Matty snorted, stepping up next to his partner and stroking one of Angelicmon's gold and white wings. "As I recall, DarkAngelicmon wants us alive and unharmed, so I doubt he's going to try and destroy us!"

"Maybe not you humans, but your partners are a different story!"

"We have no problem holding our own against your fallen angel master," Angelicmon said stiffly.

MagnaAngemon nodded in agreement and pointed his sword at BlackGatomon. "Step aside, follower of darkness, or we will be forced to purify your soul."

"Why, so you can turn me into some golden nitwit like Angewomon? No thanks, MagnaAngemon. I have better things to do with my time than hang out with Digidestined like you!"

T.K. laid a hand on his partner's arm and stared at the feline digimon with a rather strange expression on his face. "Are...are you the same LadyDevimon who came after Kari?"

BlackGatomon studied T.K.'s face for a moment and smiled slightly. "Kari Kamiya? She's a Digidestined, isn't she? I've heard her name before. LadyDevimon, you say? Maybe, but...maybe not. If I ever did live a previous life, I certainly don't remember very much of it. The Powers of Darkness have this way of making you forget who you are, and most of the time that's probably a good thing. Did I die and become a vaccine digimon through the process of reconfiguration, only to become corrupted again, or did the Digidestined fail in their attempt to save me and I came back just as I am? Or maybe I came back as a good virus digimon and ended up being corrupted again. Tell me, Child of Hope, am I the same digimon? My past is a mystery, even to me, and I do not wish to remember it. DarkAngelicmon took me under his wing and gave me everything I need in life, and I won't let you take it away from me!"

"Your story sounds so much like Gatomon's," Mickey said sadly. "LadyDevimon. She's a fallen angel digimon, as well. I understand now. Will you not let us help you? My mother and her friends managed to save Gatomon. We could do the same for you, if you'll let us."

"Unlike Myotismon, my master treats me well. Oh yes, Makiya Takaishi, I know the story. Gatomon's a very noble digimon. I despise noble digimon! It's time for your partner to die, little human!"

"Who are you calling little?" Dai muttered.

"Wait! I..."

Gabrielmon pulled Mickey close and rested his cheek against the older twin's golden hair. The look on the angel digimon's face was filled with affection, but the smile turning up the corners of his mouth was sad. "We can't always save everyone, Mickey, especially those who don't want to be saved."

"But...it's not fair!"

"No, it's not," T.K. said quietly, reaching out and giving his son a quick hug. "What Gabrielmon said is true, but that doesn't mean you stop trying. In the end, sometimes you get lucky."

"We sure did!" Davis laughed.

"Whatever you do, Mickey, don't _ever _give up," Ken said firmly. "If Davis and the others had done that, then..."

"What is it, Dad?" Sam asked curiously.

"I...if only I wasn't so afraid to tell you..."

"What?"

Ryoko frowned at the two raven-haired Digidestined and turned to gaze at BlackGatomon again. "My uncle and the others may be right, but as far as I'm concerned, we're going to save you whether you like it or not! Tirimon, I don't care who BlackGatomon is! Let's stop her and Ivymon so we can get out of here!"

"As you wish, Ryoko. Arctic Blast!"

"Dragon Stingers!" Dracomon shouted, shooting a barrage of sharp purple needles out of the tiny holes running along the side of his right, dark green gauntlet. BlackGatomon leaped behind Ivymon to avoid the blast and let out a sharp cry. The poison plant digimon caught most of the needles in her stomach, and she fell back through the door, almost flattening her feline companion.

"I think it's time I put this Digicore to work again," Benjamin muttered, opening his hands and directing the light towards the smaller entrance to the dungeons. BlackGatomon and Ivymon had not managed to get to their feet again yet, but as soon as they did, they were going to get a face full of bright yellow light, which was almost white in its intensity.

"We don't have time for another fight!" Dai complained, stamping his right foot impatiently against the stone floor. "Hey, T.K., what's taking Izzy so long?"

T.K. frowned at his D-Terminal and jumped when it gave off a sudden beep. "Well, you have to admit, he does have great timing. Let's see what he has to say."

Ryoko shoved the goggle-headed leader aside and squinted at the message on his uncle's D-Terminal. It said:

_T.K.,_

_I was hoping you would send us some good news, and you didn't disappoint me! I'm glad you guys were able to escape with the crests, but the fact that Leomon and the others were able to find Gennai is even better. Now maybe we'll start to get some answers for all the questions we have about the Spirit Chips and D-Coders. I wasn't sure if Leomon and the rest of our friends would make it in time to rescue Gennai, but they did, and you guys arrived just at the right moment to help them out! Now, I guess I should give you the final set of instructions, which will lead you out of the castle. You guys entered the dungeons through the smaller entrance, and I'm assuming Leomon and the others entered through the larger one on the opposite side of the room. What I'm going to say next is actually kind of funny, but it doesn't really matter which entrance BlackGatomon and Ivymon are blocking because you guys aren't going to be leaving through either one of them! As far as I can tell, there are ten cells on both sides of the dungeon, and Gennai was held in the sixth one on the left, counting from the smaller entrance, right? At least, that's what you said in your e-mail. Well, the weak point you guys are going to use is located in the fifth cell on the left, which is right next to Gennai's cell if you're again counting from the smaller entrance. It's located on the back wall, and it leads into a hallway that curves around the dungeons. As soon as you leave through the weak point, I want you to head right, and eventually it will lead you to a staircase on the southeast side of the castle. The stairs lead to a dead end, and your only option is to turn left. Do that quickly and your new hallway will take you to another dead end. This time you have the option of turning left or right. Turn left again and the hallway will lead you directly into the East Tower. Make sure Embermon digivolves as soon as you leave through the East Tower door, and get out of there as soon as possible. And, of course, do whatever you have to do to help Jackie and our digimon back in the forest. I have to admit, I'm worried about Tentomon and the others, especially with Vampiramon's master watching their every move. I hope Jackie knows what he's doing. Well, that's all the help Taniko and I can give you at this point. The rest is up to you guys now. Stay safe, and we'll see you when you get back!_

_Izzy_

_P.S. Ryoko, your dad finally showed up and he's forcing me to ask you if you're okay. Please say yes otherwise I'm in serious trouble. Yolei's driving me crazy and...uh-oh! I better send this before Yolei reads it! Make sure you tell us everything, and don't leave out any details. Also, tell Gennai I said hi!_

Ryoko glanced at his uncle and smiled slightly. "I hope my dad's not being too hard on Izzy."

"Knowing Matt, he probably is. I wouldn't worry about it, though, if I were you. If anyone's going to drive Izzy crazy, it'll be Yolei, not your dad. I'll e-mail Izzy and let him know we got his message, and while I'm at it, I'll let your parents know you're fine, as well. How does that sound?"

"Perfect! Thanks, Uncle T.K. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Now let's get out of here while we still have a chance! Did everyone get an opportunity to read Izzy's message?"

"Don't worry, Dad, we know what to do," Mickey said softly. "Gabrielmon, I know you want to help BlackGatomon, too, but we have to go now."

"MagnaAngemon, follow us!" T.K. called out.

All of their digimon seemed to get the message because instead of attacking BlackGatomon and Ivymon, they quickly retreated and joined their human partners again. Only Benjamin, Ogremon, Leomon, JewelBeemon, and ExVeemon remained to keep the two evil digimon from trying to follow them, despite Ogremon's complaints.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" BlackGatomon snapped, her eyes narrowing into angry slits. She, along with Ivymon, had spent most of the last few minutes hiding behind the door to avoid getting hit by multiple attacks, and the look on her face clearly stated she was not at all pleased by the way things had turned out.

"Get back here right now!" Ivymon snarled.

"Since when have I ever listened to evil digimon? Vee-Laser!"

"Fist of the Beast King!"

"Spike Buster!"

"You mean we have to leave now? But, I was just getting warmed up!" Ogremon grumbled.

The three blasts exploded into Ivymon and BlackGatomon, and both digimon fell back through the door again. Benjamin directed the light of the Digicore into the corridor, and even though Ryoko could not see the two virus digimon, that did not stop him from hearing their screams.

"Now!" Benjamin shouted.

"Follow me!" Gennai called out, yanking open the door of the fifth cell and leaping through the weak point.

MagnaAngemon gently pushed T.K. into the cell, and glancing over his shoulder, the angel digimon let out a soft sigh. "We will save you yet, BlackGatomon."

Ryoko frowned and studied MagnaAngemon's face, but the angel never said another word. Instead, he followed T.K. through the weak point and did not look back.

_I guess we'll never know, but maybe it's better that way._

"Ryoko, hurry up," Tirimon growled, nudging him in the shoulder and pushing him towards the weak point. In the end, he had to grab onto one of Dracomon's wings to stop himself from getting left behind, but even so, he was the last one to leave with only Tirimon, Sam's partner, and Benjamin for company. Thankfully, because of Benjamin's efforts in particular, BlackGatomon and Ivymon would not have a clue what had happened when they finally recovered because the Digicore continued to shine right up until Benjamin stepped through the weak point, and Ryoko's last look at the dungeons proved what he had already come to expect. There were no evil digimon in sight, but despite that, he could not help feeling as if the worst was yet to come...


	114. The Words of Oikawa

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This is one of my longer chapters! I won't be updating this story next week because I'm going to be posting a Season Four oneshot fic. So, if you like the twins, (and I don't mean Mickey and Matty!) then you might want to check it out!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 114: The Words of Oikawa

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Takara Kamiya held Dovemon tightly against her chest and hurried down the long, dark, narrow hallway that, according to Izzy, would eventually lead them back to the first floor again. She could not see the staircase yet, but it had to be somewhere up ahead otherwise they were in serious trouble.

_Wait a minute, what am I thinking? Izzy's directions have never been wrong before, and so far Taniko has proven herself to be just as reliable as her father. I really should have a little more faith in them. They've gotten us this far, and that has to count for something. _

"We should be getting close now," Dai shouted over his shoulder, his voice echoing down the hallway. The goggle-headed leader was right on Gennai's heels, and neither one of them looked like they were slowing down in the slightest. Takara quickly put on a burst of speed and joined her fellow soccer player at the front of the group, and the two of them raced down the hallway step for step. Dai was extremely fast on his feet, but Takara wasn't a member of the girls' soccer team for nothing. Like Dai, she had excellent stamina, and as a result, she had no trouble keeping pace with the goggle-headed leader. Neither one of them had even come close to losing their breath yet, which was more than she could say for some of her other friends. Mickey and Matty had managed to keep up so far, but that was mostly due to the fact that every so often they would shout something encouraging to one another. The only reason Sam hadn't fallen behind yet was because Ken had grabbed a hold of his son's arm and was half-dragging, half-carrying the raven-haired Digidestined down the corridor. Ryoko was clearly struggling to keep up, and T.K. was holding onto his side and wincing after every step. The digimon, of course, were a different story. JewelBeemon, MagnaAngemon, and all of the champion digimon looked like they were merely out for an evening stroll instead of running for their lives, but the same could not be said for some of the rookies. Agumon and a few of the others looked like they were having a little bit of trouble because of their size, which explained why Dovemon was quite content to be carried the whole way. Ken was in pretty good shape after playing soccer as a child, and Benjamin was jogging along as if he were running for a marathon instead of escaping from evil digimon.

_Even so, I don't think Ryoko and the others are going to be able to keep this pace up much longer. What are we going to do if BlackGatomon and Ivymon catch up to us?_

"I'm getting too old for this!" Davis complained, who despite his words was having no trouble keeping up with his son.

T.K. raised his eyebrows and managed a loud snort. "And that's coming from the guy who still plays soccer with his kids!"

"Yeah, well what about you, Mr. Basketball Hero? You don't exactly look as if you're enjoying our little race, especially since you obviously can't keep up with me!"

"Davis, will you quit talking and keep running otherwise Ivymon and BlackGatomon are going to catch up to us!"

"They won't," Ryoko gasped, his breath exploding out of his lungs in short, sharp bursts. "Neither BlackGatomon nor Ivymon saw us leave through the weak point, which means they probably have no clue where we are. I bet they think we left through the larger entrance to the dungeons, and if that's the case then they're probably wandering around the castle by now with no clue where to look for us. I think we have to worry more about what's ahead of us rather than what's behind."

Takara nodded in agreement and was about to reply when Ryoko suddenly stumbled and collided with Gabrielmon's wings. Mickey's partner turned and managed to grab onto the golden-haired Digidestined's arm, and the two of them stumbled into the wall.

"Ryoko, are you hurt?" Mickey cried, hurrying over to his cousin's side and placing his hand on the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder.

Ryoko managed a weak smile and quickly shook his head. "No, I'm fine, but thanks for asking. I'm really sorry about that, Gabrielmon. I didn't mean to run into you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm more concerned about you than I am about myself. After all, I am quite a bit bigger than you are, and I would hate to think I ended up hurting you in some way."

"You haven't. Trust me, I would know if something was broken, but everything seems to be intact. Don't worry about me, Gabrielmon. I'll be fine as soon as we get out of this stupid castle."

Gabrielmon sighed and shook his head, but instead of voicing his opinion, he merely smiled and ruffled Ryoko's golden hair. "If you say so, but I do wish you would be more careful. Mickey worries about you enough as it is, and I-"

"Ryoko, climb onto my back before you hurt yourself," Tirimon said gruffly, his icy blue eyes travelling anxiously over his partner's face.

Ryoko jumped in surprise, and without a word he scrambled onto his partner's back and buried his face in the fox digimon's pale blue fur. Tirimon gently nuzzled the golden-haired Digidestined's leg, and after a brief hesitation, Ryoko whispered something softly in his partner's ear.

"You're welcome," Tirimon murmured in response to Ryoko's gentle words. "You looked like you could use a lift, and judging from the way Sam looks like he's about to fall on his face, I think he could use one, as well."

"You're right."

"What?" Sam wheezed, leaning against his father and trying unsuccessfully to get his breath back.

"Sam, I think maybe you should ride with Ryoko," Tirimon said gently.

The raven-haired Digidestined looked like he was about to protest, but before he could say anything, Ryoko grabbed the other boy's hand and dragged him onto Tirimon's back.

"Thanks, Tirimon," Ken said quietly, reaching out and gently stroking the champion's soft, furry side. The raven-haired Digidestined was obviously worried about his son, but Sam was too busy moaning and complaining to notice.

"Now that that's been settled, let's keep going," Leomon said impatiently, his dark eyes searching the corridor for any signs of danger. "We should be getting close to the staircase soon. This hallway can't go on forever."

"I think I'm dying," Sam moaned, his head drooping onto Ryoko's shoulder.

The golden-haired Digidestined let out a snort and rolled his bright blue eyes. "Don't be dumb. Since you seem to have plenty of time to worry about whether or not you're dying, I think it's pretty safe to say you're going to be just fine. Now will you hang onto me before you end up falling off and getting trampled by one of our digimon?"

Sam quickly grabbed a handful of Ryoko's blue shirt, and although a faint smile slipped across the raven-haired Digidestined's face, he did not lift his head or open his eyes. Obviously he was in need of a good rest, and thanks to Tirimon, there was a chance the raven-haired Digidestined might recover enough to make it out of the castle and onto Dragermon's back without being carried the whole way. Although Ryoko hadn't commented on Sam's need for a shoulder to lean on, it was obvious the golden-haired Digidestined was doing all he could to give his friend as much support as possible. Even without words, the offer had been there, and Sam, being rather sensitive and observant when it comes to other people's emotions, had picked up on it immediately and accepted it without hesitation.

_That's Ryoko for you. He might fight with Dai, disagree with Mickey, snap at Matty occasionally, get impatient with Sam, and argue with me over everything I say, but when it really counts, he's fiercely loyal to all of his friends and he'll do whatever he can to protect them. If there's one thing I know about Ryoko Ishida, it's what he doesn't say that shows just how great of a friend he really is. Actions speak louder than words, and in Ryoko's case, I'd definitely agree with that statement._

"Hurry, we're almost there!" Gennai called out, waving a hand and motioning for Dai to take the lead. The Watcher's robe was streaming out behind him as he ran, and the fierce sparkle in his sapphire eyes caused a shiver to race down Takara's spine. She had only ever seen one other person look that focused before, and his name was Daichi Motomiya.

_We have to make it out of here otherwise I'll never get a chance to tell him how I feel..._

"Is it just me or does Gennai have an obscene amount of energy?" Dai muttered, interrupting her thoughts.

"If we keep this up much longer, I'm not going to have enough energy left to digivolve!" Embermon complained. "Dai-"

"Fine, I'll carry you this time, but don't get used to it. You're heavier than you look, and if you want us to make it out of here without getting captured then you'd better hope my arms don't fall off before we get to the East Tower! In fact, I think you need to go on a diet. You eat more food than I do, and considering how much food I eat, that's probably not a good thing."

"No, please, anything but that!"

"Do you want a lift, or not?"

Takara rolled her eyes, and without a word, she shifted Dovemon into the crook of her right arm and grabbed the goggle-headed leader's free hand in a tight grip. Dai almost dropped Embermon in surprise, but somehow he managed to hang onto the little rookie using his left arm, and instead of pulling away, he squeezed her hand and frowned in confusion. "Kara, is something-"

"Come on. You heard Gennai. Let's keep moving."

The tunnel curved slightly up ahead, and Takara quickly pulled Dai towards the front of the group. They had fallen behind a little bit, but now that they were past the curve and once again keeping pace with Gennai, she could see the staircase up ahead shimmering faintly in the light from the torches. She had been hoping they would make it to the first floor without any trouble, but unfortunately there was a group of evil digimon waiting for them at the end of the tunnel, and her heart leaped into her throat at the prospect of yet another fight.

_We can't afford to waste time trying to get past the guards. If we get involved in another fight, we're going to end up in the dungeons for sure!_

"Look, it's the Digidestined! Stop them!" a fierce looking reptile digimon shouted.

Most of the evil digimon had either been sprawled on the stairs or leaning against the walls, but the dark reptile's words had immediately brought them to attention and they quickly moved to block the staircase.

"Who are they?" Matty demanded, leaning against his partner for support and trying desperately to catch his breath.

Leomon's dark eyes narrowed into a frown and he pulled out his sword. "The ugly one who spoke goes by the name of DarkLizardmon. The three spread out in front of him are Roachmon, the two of the left are Mushroomon, and the two on the right are Vegiemon. They're all nasty digimon, but with Benjamin's help I think we can get past them."

"It's time to knock a few heads around! Are you coming, Leomon? You don't want to get left behind, do you?" Ogremon smirked.

Leomon hit the virus digimon in the back of the head with the hilt of his sword and motioned for Benjamin to get behind him. "Wait for my signal, alright?"

"If you insist, but please do hurry. We're running out of time."

"Then we'll just have to make time," Gennai muttered.

_Maybe Ryoko was right about Gennai after all!_

"Attack!" DarkLizardmon screamed, taking his own advice and shooting a bright, fiery blast at MagnaAngemon and JewelBeemon. T.K.'s partner managed to block it with his sword, and the rest of the fighting champions and ultimates immediately leaped into battle.

"Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon shouted, raising his staff above his head and shooting a ray of orange light at the two Mushroomon. One of them tumbled backwards onto the stairs and the other one stumbled into a Vegiemon and sent them both crashing to the ground.

"You guys don't play very fair! Come on, fellow Roachmon, it's time to take out the trash! Garbage Dump!"

The other two echoed the first Roachmon's attack, and Takara frowned in confusion when nothing happened. _What exactly are they up to?_

"Look!" Mickey gasped, pointing at the ceiling.

Takara just barely had time to lift her head before large clumps of rotting garbage appeared from seemingly out of nowhere and started to rain down on top of their heads. Something that looked like a rusty toaster hit Dai hard on the shoulder, and Takara quickly pulled him into her arms before a broken coffee maker could land on his foot. The goggle-headed leader gave her a grateful smile and she gently rubbed his injured shoulder. "This has got to be the most disgusting thing that's ever happened to me!"

"No kidding. They're throwing everything at us but the kitchen sink!"

At that moment, Mickey grabbed onto his brother and pulled the younger twin out of the way of what looked remarkably like a kitchen sink, and despite the seriousness of the situation, both Takaishi boys stared at each other and promptly burst into laughter.

"It had to be Roachmon, didn't it," Palmon sighed, smiling slightly. "This sure brings back a lot of memories, and I don't mean the good kind. How are we going to get past them?"

"You're not!" the first Roachmon smirked, shoving one of the Vegiemon out of his way and moving steadily towards Palmon. "Yard Sale Bombs!"

Ryoko snatched Palmon off the ground before the attack could hit her, and the garbage sailed harmlessly down the corridor. "Palmon, you're not hurt, are you?"

"No, but that Roachmon needs to be taught a lesson! Poison Ivy!" Palmon extended her roots towards the Roachmon who had tried to attack her and lifted him high into the air. He let out a squeak of surprise, but before he could attempt to escape, she slammed him hard against the wall. "That's what you get for trying to make us all dirty!"

"My mom never let any stupid Roachmon get away with hurting her friends, and if you think I'm going to settle for anything less and disappoint her, forget it!" Ryoko snapped. "Get them, Tirimon!"

"Winter Inferno!" Tirimon shouted, slashing all three Roachmon accross the face with his tail. Ryoko, Sam, and Palmon managed to hang onto the fox digimon's fur with effort, and they quickly covered their eyes as the Roachmon disappeared in a flurry of snow and ice, which resembled a small blizzard.

"Don't let them get up the stairs!" DarkLizardmon snarled.

"Yes, sir!" the two Vegiemon shouted. The one standing furthest away from the stairs stretched out his long vine-like arms and wrapped them around Dai in a tight grip. Takara screamed as the goggle-headed leader was pulled out of her grasp, and despite her attempt to hang onto her friend's hand, the slightly larger Vegiemon managed to succeed in dragging Dai towards the rest of the evil digimon.

"Dai!" Embermon cried.

"Hey, give me back my son right now, you stupid Vegiemon!" Davis snapped, his dark eyes flashing with sudden anger and a hint of fear. "ExVeemon, help him!"

"I'm on it!"

"I'll help, too," Angelicmon murmured, his hand coming to rest lightly on the former leader's shoulder.

_Hang on, Dai! This is so unfair! If only Dovemon could digivolve again, but she can't until she gets all her strength back._

"Nobody attack Vegiemon or we'll hit Dai!" Dracomon warned.

"That doesn't mean we can't attack the second Vegiemon! Pepper Breath!"

"Wait for me, Agumon! You're as bad as Tai sometimes," Gabumon shouted, shaking his head and hurrying after the eager rookie. "Blue Blaster!"

The second Vegiemon was blasted off his feet, and he ended up flying halfway up the staircase. Angelicmon tried to grab Dai's arm, but DarkLizardmon hit the angel digimon with his Dark Flare attack, and Matty's partner would have fallen if MagnaAngemon hadn't caught him under the arms.

"Let go!" Dai complained, wincing and struggling to get free.

ExVeemon knocked the two Mushroomon out of his path, and stepping over a dazed Roachmon, he managed to grab onto the Vegiemon holding Dai. "You guys are as bad as that RedVegiemon who tried to hurt me and my partner a long time ago. I haven't forgotten, you know, even if it was because of the Dark Rings. Take this!"

ExVeemon punched the virus digimon in the face, and JewelBeemon joined the fight to keep the Mushroomon at bay. Vegiemon ended up losing his grip on Dai, and ExVeemon flung the plant digimon to the side in disgust.

"You're all useless!" DarkLizardmon hissed, glaring at his fellow virus digimon. "How hard is it to capture a bunch of humans?"

"It's not the humans who are the problem," one of the Mushroomon shot back.

"We're trying, but ExVeemon and the other digimon are really strong!" the second Vegiemon moaned.

"Now, Benjamin! Spike Buster!" JewelBeemon shouted, aiming his energy blasts at the Mushroomon.

"Lightning Spark!" Dracomon sent bolts of violet lightning raining down on the Roachmon, and the corridor lit up with bright purple light.

Benjamin squirmed his way to the front of the group and pulled the Digicore out of his robe. DarkLizardmon and the other evil digimon immediately covered their eyes, and ExVeemon gently set Dai down next to his father.

"Dai, are you alright?" Davis said quietly, pulling his son close and checking the goggle-headed leader over to make sure he hadn't sustained any major injuries.

Dai managed a weak nod and glared at the evil digimon. "I'm fine, but I'm getting really tired of being attacked all the time!"

"You should be more careful," Embermon muttered, his emerald eyes narrowing into a disapproving frown.

The rookie buried his face against his partner's legs, and after a brief hesitation, Takara hurried over to them and threw her arms around the goggle-headed leader. Her heart was still pounding against her rib cage, but somehow she managed a smile and rested her cheek against her friend's shoulder. "Dai, don't ever scare me like that again! I'm glad you're safe. I was really worried about you."

Dai shifted slightly in her arms and started to laugh. "Thanks, Kara. Listen, don't get me wrong, you know I enjoy your hugs, but I think we're crushing Embermon!"

_Did he just say he enjoys it when I hug him?_

"I can't breath!" Embermon gasped from somewhere below them.

Even Dovemon managed to open her eyes, and Takara blushed as her partner gave her a disapproving look. "He's not the only one!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Dovemon! I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, but you squished my wings!"

"Sorry."

"Look, I hate to interrupt this lovefest, but we have to keep moving," Davis interrupted, smiling in amusement.

"Dad!" Dai's face turned bright red, and Takara quickly moved away from the goggle-headed leader before Davis could embarrass them even more. _I hope Ryoko and the others didn't hear any of that!_

"My eyes hurt! I can't see!" one of the Mushroomon cried, trying desperately to hide behind a Roachmon.

"Fungus Crusher!" the other Mushroomon shouted, shooting his toodstools blindly into the light.

"Everyone, follow me! Bone Cudgel!" Ogremon launched himself into the crowd of evil digimon and began clearing a path leading towards the stairs with his club. Leomon and MagnaAngemon followed behind the virus digimon, slashing Roachmon and Vegiemon alike with their swords in order to keep the path free of evil digimon.

"This way!" Gennai called, racing up the stairs.

Takara quickly grabbed Dai's hand and dragged the goggle-headed leader up the stairs. Benjamin and Gennai were just ahead of her, their robes whipping frantically around their knees, and both of them kept glancing back over their shoulders to make sure everyone else was still following them. The hallway abruptly came to a dead end, and both Gennai and Benjamin quickly turned left.

"DarkLizardmon and his goons are still trying to get to their feet, but it won't be long before they start to come after us," MagnaAngemon warned. T.K.'s partner, along with Leomon and Ogremon, had only now just caught up with them, and the two were making a point of staying near the back of the group to discourage any of the evil digimon from trying to come after them.

_And there's no telling how many evil digimon are up ahead! We could be trapped and not even know it!_

"Come on, Kara," Dai mumbled, tugging anxiously on her hand.

Takara quickly pulled Dai down the left-hand corridor and spotted the two robed figures waiting impatiently up ahead. They had reached the second dead end Izzy had mentioned earlier, and without a word, Gennai once again led them down the left-hand hallway. The right-hand corridor appeared to be empty, but there was no telling what might be lurking in the shadows, and Takara purposely turned her back on the dim hallway. Izzy had told them to go left, and that was what she had to focus on. Unfortunately they had barely made it five feet down the tunnel before they were intercepted by a group of Bakemon.

"Humans! Quick, don't let them past!" the one hovering in the lead wailed, his voice echoing slightly down the long corridor.

Benjamin lifted Azulongmon's Digicore high into the air, and the Bakemon immediately scattered, their shrieks turning into moans as they tried desperately to flee. ExVeemon and the others didn't even bother trying to attack them. Instead of fighting, the digimon merely ran past the Bakemon, and the humans were quick to follow.

"Gennai, look! I think there's something up ahead!" Matty shouted, pointing frantically down the hallway.

Takara followed close on Benjamin's heels and promptly ran into the robed figure when he came to an abrupt stop. He reached out a hand to steady her, and glancing around his shoulder, she found herself staring at a thick, wooden door.

"This must be the East Tower," Mickey whispered.

Gennai nodded slowly and turned to look at Benjamin. "You'd better go first."

"Wish me luck."

"Yes, I think you're going to need it."

Benjamin frowned at his counterpart, and pulling up the hood of his robe, he clutched the Digicore tightly in his right hand and kicked the door open with his foot.

Takara watched the robed figure slip into the room, and a moment later a loud cry, followed by several others, broke the tense silence hovering around them.

"That's our cue. Let's go!" Ogremon growled.

Takara burst into the small, round room just behind Davis and winced at the bright light illuminating the rough, stone walls and the door standing directly opposite from the one they had just entered. She could just make out several Roachmon, and what looked like a group of digimon who were all sitting in their own separate garbage cans, but it was the flaming digimon with a skull for a face that made her stomach flutter and her heart leap into her throat.

"It's the Digidestined! We're being attacked!" one of the Roachmon cried. "What are we going to do, SkullMeramon?"

"What do you think we're going to do? Attack them, you idiot!"

"Everyone through the door!" Dai shouted, shoving a Roachmon out of the way and motioning for Embermon to follow him.

Takara had lost her grip on the goggle-headed leader's hand when she had entered the room, and as a result, they had gotten separated. With a sigh of defeat, she shield her eyes from the light and raced out into the cool evening breeze. The outside air felt great after being stuck in a place that had made her feel like she was suffocating in the darkness, and she took a deep breath, which renewed her energy almost immediately. As strange as it seemed, she could almost hear the wind speaking to her. It was calling her name.

**_Hold onto your dreams, Takara. Hold on..._**

Takara frowned and shook her head. _What? My...dreams?_

_**Your dreams, and your friends...**_

"Kara, will you pay attention before you get trampled!" Ryoko shouted from somewhere behind her. The others had nearly flattened her in their haste to get outside, but somehow they had all managed to make it out, and Benjamin wisely kept the Digicore pointed at the door to the East Tower in case SkullMeramon and his flunkies decided to follow them.

"We made it!" Matty cheered.

"Not yet," Ryoko snorted. "We still have to get to the gate."

"Yes, in that case, I'd better turn back into Alopemon," Tirimon said quietly. "I can't fly, and I don't think my energy is going to last much longer anyways."

"Good idea."

"Come on, Dai, let's get out of here," Mickey urged.

Dai nodded, and holding out his red D-Coder, he pointed it at Embermon and smiled at the little rookie. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready since we entered the castle!"

"In that case you know what to do. Hang on, Izzy, we're coming home!"

Takara happened to look up just at that moment, and a loud shriek escaped her mouth before she could suppress it. Hundreds of guards were gazing down at her from the castle walls, but it was the two digimon hovering directly above the castle that had caused her to become so frightened all of a sudden.

_No, this can't be happening. Not when we're so close!_

"What's wrong, Kara?" T.K. asked anxiously.

Takara swallowed hard and pointed to the top of the castle. "Guys, I think Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon have just found us."


	115. Azulongmon's Light

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Not much to say at this point, but enjoy the new chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 115: Azulongmon's Light

_Spritemon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Spritemon hovered above the castle's rooftop with DarkAngelicmon by her side and pointed eagerly at the Digidestined standing on the ground below them. All of the guards had immediately leaped to attention as soon as the East Tower door had burst open, and every single one of them either had their weapons pointed at the Digidestined or were ready to start launching blasts of energy at their prey. Daichi and his friends looked like a bunch of deer caught in the headlights of a human vehicle, and the looks on their faces, though hard to interpret because of the distance, were filled with what she assumed was panic and fear. Clearly they knew they were in big trouble.

"It looks like the Digidestined have finally decided to show themselves. They may be a bunch of fools, but what they lack in brains they more than make up for in courage. I'll give them that much. Wait a minute, is that Leomon with them?"

"Well, that explains the missing guards," DarkAngelicmon said dryly, his emerald eyes travelling over the large group of humans and digimon who were gesturing widely in their direction. "Naturally Ogremon is with him, and look! If it isn't Gabumon and Agumon. Our screen did not lie, Spritemon. Although I could not hear Agumon and Whamon speaking to Dai, I was able to guess correctly that they would be joining Leomon and the others in the forest. Thankfully I was able to see them because of the link existing between the Digidestined and the crests. That's how I knew where Agumon and his friends could be found. Our master had already left for the forest by that time because he knew Leomon was rumoured to be there, and although he wasn't aware of Agumon's group at the time, he must be by now. I wonder what happened back there. We should have known Tai Kamiya and Matt Ishida would find a way to get themselves involved in our business. Those two always did have a rather annoying habit of sticking their noses in where they clearly aren't wanted. And correct me if I'm mistaken, but is that one of Gennai's counterparts? I'm not exactly sure which one, but judging by the tilt of his head and his body language, it appears to be Benjamin. It looks like he's holding something in his hand. I wonder what it could be. He seems to be making quite a ruckus with it, if all the noise coming from the East Tower is anything to go by, and it seems to be emitting some sort of light. Interesting."

Spritemon gaped at the fallen angel and tugged viciously on one of the long, ear-like feathery wings sticking out of his head.

"Ouch! Spritemon, is it really necessary for you to use violence all the time? I am listening, you know, even if you don't think I am."

"Leomon and the others can't be here!"

"Why not? Obviously they found a way to get past the guards, and judging from the scene playing out in front of us, they also found a way to help the Digidestined escape from the castle."

"But...but Vampiramon's supposed to be keeping an eye on them in the forest!"

DarkAngelicmon frowned and crossed his arms. "Something must have gone wrong. It looks like we're not the only ones having a little bit of trouble when it comes to the Digidestined and their allies. In that case, our master may not be so quick to punish us if we fail here today, especially when it looks as if he, himself, has failed."

_Impossible! Our master has never let something like this happen before. It must be Vampiramon's fault! I knew we couldn't trust her to do the job properly! BlackWidowmon and Jestermon aren't much better. If the Digidestined manage to escape, they have no one to blame but themselves. Our master must be extremely angry with them right about now..._

Spritemon smirked at the thought and let out a gasp when she suddenly realized there was more than one robed figure gazing up at her from beneath the setting sun. "Look, they have Gennai with them!"

DarkAngelicmon rolled his eyes and impatiently fluttered his wings. "I'm aware of that, thank you. I told you they would probably try to rescue Gennai, didn't I? Obviously they were able to make it out of the dungeons, which doesn't bode well for Devidramon and SkullSatamon."

"What do you think happened to them?"

"Dead, I expect."

"What about Ivymon and BlackGatomon?"

"They've either suffered the same fate as Devidramon and SkullSatamon or they've been delayed somehow." DarkAngelicmom dismissed the two female digimon with a wave of his hand and smiled slightly. "It doesn't matter either way. The important thing is the fact that the Digidestined have managed to escape, and somehow we have to stop them from reaching the gate before they can make it back to the human world. And, of course, we must stop them from allowing Gennai to flee from the Western Hemisphere."

"I told you SkullSatamon was useless, but you wouldn't listen to me, and now look what's happened! You'd better start coming up with a good excuse for our master because it looks like you're going to have to go through with your promise and take all the blame for what's happened here today. I wonder how you'll manage to talk your way out of this one! We should have gone to the dungeons ourselves, DarkAngelicmon. The Digidestined never would have escaped if we'd been there. How many times do I have to tell you the guards are useless?"

DarkAngelicmon gave her a withering look and crossed his arms. "The Digidestined would have escaped whether we had been there or not. They are more powerful than you think, Spritemon. Never underestimate them or you will end up like Devidramon and SkullSatamon. Besides, it appears Gennai and Benjamin are up to their old tricks again. I have no doubts they had a hand in helping the Digidestined escape."

_And it's all because of you! Our entire plan to capture the Digidestined has turned into a complete disaster! Leomon and his friends are going to pay for thwarting our master, and the Digidestined are going to suffer the same fate if I have anything to say about it! Stupid, useless guards! Well, I suppose if you want something done properly, you just have to do it yourself, and that's exactly what I intend to do!_

Fuming, Spritemon turned towards her fallen angel companion and gave the virus digimon a sweet smile. "Well, DarkAngelicmon, since you seem to have an answer for everything, what do you suggest we do now?"

_He doesn't seem to be worried at all about BlackGatomon and Ivymon. Maybe there's some hope for him after all!_

DarkAngelicmon snapped his fingers, and once again the long, dark spear he was so fond of appeared in his right hand. "We stop them, of course. Come, Spritemon, let us lead our guards to victory!"

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World _

"Thanks a lot, Kara. If we wanted more bad news, we would have asked for it," Ryoko said sarcastically.

"You don't really think they've spotted us, do you?" Matty asked anxiously.

Makiya Takaishi held the Crest of Light tightly in his hand and turned to gaze up at the two evil digimon. Both Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon were gesturing in their direction, and they appeared to be having some sort of an argument. _Is DarkAngelicmon having second thoughts again? _He wanted to believe that was the case, but unfortunately the fallen angel's current behaviour wasn't exactly encouraging. Just because he was arguing with Spritemon didn't mean he had decided not to come after them. _I might not be able to see his face clearly, but I can tell he's not exactly impressed with the way things have turned out!_

"Considering the way they're staring at us and the fact that the guards all have their weapons pointed in our direction, I'd say that's a definite yes," Dai snorted.

"What are we going to do now?" Sam cried.

Mickey stared blankly at the crest in his hand and frowned when he suddenly realized he could not remember how he had managed to remove it from around his neck without noticing what he was doing. Obviously he had removed it sometime before Luciamon's death, though he had no idea when exactly that would have been. _Luciamon, I promised you we would get Gennai to safety, and I'm not going to break my promise. We will save DarkAngelicmon and BlackGatomon, and I'm not going to let any of the other guards stand in our way. Mom would never give up if she were here, and neither will I!_

Mickey gently touched the white feather he had stowed away in the back pocket of his jeans to make sure it was still there and tugged on Dai's arm to get the goggle-headed leader's attention. "Dai, there's no use changing our plan now. Dragermon's still the best chance we have of escaping, and if we don't leave now, we're never going to get back home. You'd better get Embermon to digivolve before we really get into trouble!"

"Wait a minute, why aren't the guards attacking us?" Sam asked, frowning in confusion. "I know they're staring at us, and they look like they're ready to fight, but so far they've done absolutely nothing."

Alopemon gestured towards the castle and rolled his icy blue eyes. "They won't attack until DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon have given them their orders. That's why they're just standing there staring at us like a bunch of clueless idiots."

"I like the way you think, Alopemon!" Matty laughed, leaning down and gently scratching the little rookie between the ears. The fox digimon had given up his champion form in order to climb aboard Dragermon, but the fierce look in his eyes clearly stated he wasn't about to quit fighting just because he was no longer at a higher level.

"Here they come," Davis warned, nodding his head towards Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon.

"Stay back," Dracomon said quietly, pulling Sam behind him and motioning for Ken to look after the raven-haired Digidestined. "We will handle this!"

"What do you think, Gennai?" T.K. asked, glancing anxiously in the robed figure's direction.

Gennai shifted slightly on his feet and held up a hand for silence. "Mickey's right. Embermon must digivolve into his champion form otherwise we're never going to get out of here. At this point, Dragermon's the only chance we have of escaping, and even with his help, our journey will not be an easy task. Quick, Benjamin, hide the Digicore before DarkAngelicmon sees it."

"But-"

"Hide it!"

Benjamin promptly shoved the Digicore back into his robe, and a moment later SkullMeramon and the other tower guards burst through the East Tower door and swarmed out into the setting sun. The sky had turned a deep shade of orange, but despite the sudden gloom, Mickey could still see DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon heading towards them. The fallen angel landed lightly next to SkullMeramon and raised his dark eyebrows. "Going somewhere?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, I think we've overstayed our welcome," Dai smirked.

Spritemon settled herself next to the fallen angel and clenched her small hands into fists. "Why you little-"

"Leomon, how nice of you to join us," DarkAngelicmon interrupted, his emerald eyes travelling over the lion digimon's face. The fallen angel casually twirled the dark spear in his right hand and let out a soft laugh. "I see you've brought a few friends along, as well. Agumon, Gabumon, do give my regards to Tai and Matt. I'm sure they're anxious to meet me. Then again, considering the fact that you won't be leaving here any time soon, I guess that won't really be possible, will it."

"I don't think my partner's going to have too many nice things to say to you when he does finally come to the Digital World, especially considering the fact that he probably isn't too happy about the way you've been treating his nephews," Gabumon said quietly.

"Tai, too," Agumon added.

DarkAngelicmon smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "What a shame. I think Matt Ishida and I would have gotten along quite well, don't you agree, Ryoko?"

"Are you kidding me? You'll be lucky if my dad doesn't turn you into data himself for what you've done to Mickey and Matty!"

"He's right, DarkAngelicmon. That Ishida death glare can be deadly!" Dai laughed.

"No wonder Ryoko has so much potential."

"What did you say about me?" Ryoko snapped, glaring at the fallen angel.

DarkAngelicmon laughed and fluttered his dark wings. "I _do_ like you, Ryoko Ishida. I think even Vampiramon would consider you to be a useful human pet!"

Mickey quickly grabbed onto Alopemon before the rookie could attack the fallen angel, and he laid a hand on his cousin's arm in case Ryoko had any similar ideas. He could feel the golden-haired Digidestined's anger simmering like a volcano about to erupt, but at the moment he only had eyes for DarkAngelicmon. Although the fallen angel was smiling, there was something about his expression that seemed a little odd. It was hard to believe, but DarkAngelicmon's bright green eyes did not have their usual sparkle and his smile appeared to be a bit forced. As usual, he was firing off a series of clever jokes and stinging remarks, but the words did not have their usual finesse. It was almost as if he had lost some of his spirit, and Mickey could not help noticing the fact that the fallen angel had not once looked in his direction.

_What's going on? Why is DarkAngelicmon acting like I don't even exist? It's almost as if he's trying to avoid making eye contact with me, and the same seems to be true in my dad's case. It's like he's purposely trying to avoid having to acknowledge us in any way. Is it because of what happened earlier?_

"Well, Leomon, I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting before. Tell me, how did you manage to sneak inside the castle?" DarkAngelicmon asked curiously.

Leomon pulled out his sword and pointed it at the fallen angel. "Let's just say my friends and I didn't have that many obstacles to overcome when we arrived earlier this afternoon. You really should have left a few more guards outside. Any digimon could have walked right in without too much effort!"

"I see your point. I would take the blame myself, but if you want to know the truth, I'm tired of having to make excuses for Spritemon's stupidity. Only she could find a way to try and ruin my plans twice in the same day. Wait, make that three times, or maybe it's up to four now..."

"Will you quit yacking and start capturing some humans?" Spritemon snapped, her cheeks turning a dark shade of red. "You're to blame just as much as I am!"

"You're both starting to get on my nerves," Ogremon muttered. "Hey, Leomon, let's knock them out and get out of here!"

"Good day to you too, Ogremon," DarkAngelicmon smirked. "You don't seem very happy to see me. What a shame. I was looking forward to meeting you, but obviously the feeling isn't mutual. You, at least, should have been able to understand my master's thirst for world domination. Speaking of my master, how is he?"

"He's still alive, but not for long if I have anything to say about it! Vampiramon and the rest of your buddies were sitting around doing nothing the last time we saw them."

DarkAngelicmon glanced at Spritemon, and his emerald green eyes narrowed into a frown. After a moment of silence, the fallen angel slowly turned back to Ogremon and gave the virus digimon an accusing look. "How did you manage to get out of the forest without confronting my master?"

"You can thank Jackie and Andromon for that!"

"How so?"

"Like we're going to tell you!" Agumon shot back.

DarkAngelicmon ignored the rookie and turned his attention to Gennai. "Leaving so soon, are you?"

"As much as I've enjoyed your hospitality, DarkAngelicmon, I think it's time I relieved you of my presence. Give Vampiramon my regards. I'm sure she'll be delighted to hear the news about the Digidestineds' successful attempt to rescue me!"

"How dare you speak to us like that!" Spritemon snarled, tugging angrily on her long, dark green ponytail. "You have a lot of nerve if you think you can escape from here without getting captured by our guards. See what I mean, Daichi? I have plenty to spare!"

"And they're all about as useless as the ones who attacked us earlier."

"You're pretty cocky for a puny little human!"

"Is that supposed to be some sort of an insult? You're even shorter than I am!"

"Has anyone ever told you you have a big mouth?"

"Enough," DarkAngelicmon scolded, his hand coming to rest lightly on Spritemon's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Gennai, but I cannot allow you to leave just yet. I do believe the two of us were finally starting to understand each other, and I would like to continue our conversation whether you would wish it or not, but first I have a question for your counterpart."

"What could you possibly want to ask me?" Benjamin said quietly.

DarkAngelicmon stepped closer to the robed figure and held out his hand. "Give it to me."

"What?"

"I saw the light coming from the thing in your hand. What is it, Benjamin? What are you hiding from me?"

"A gift, but I doubt you'll have any use for it."

DarkAngelicmon placed a thoughtful finger against his lips and motioned for SkullMeramon to join him.

"What is it, my lord?"

"SkullMeramon, what is Benjamin holding?"

The flaming digimon scratched his head and shrugged his broad shoulders. "Um...well...I'm not really sure, my lord. The light coming from the thing in his hand was so bright I could barely see a thing. It was small and round, though, and it looked like it was glowing."

Mickey's heart sank as DarkAngelicmon's eyes filled with sudden understanding, and he bit his lip. _Uh-oh, we're in big trouble now! He knows about Azulongmon's Digicores, and there's no way he's going to let one slip out of his grasp without a fight!_

"My lord, is something wrong?" one of the Roachmon asked anxiously.

DarkAngelicmon shook his head and gazed eagerly at Benjamin. "A Digicore! You have one of Azulongmon's Digicores!"

Benjamin slowly began to back up, but before he could get very far, DarkAngelicmon grabbed the Watcher's wrist and began to tug on his robe. "Give it to me! Give it to me right now!"

"No!" Benjamin yanked his arm out of the fallen angel's grasp and pulled the Digicore out of his robe before the evil champion had a chance to recover. DarkAngelicmon tried to make another grab for it, but the thing suddenly exploded with light. The glowing beams hit the fallen angel directly in the chest, and without so much as a gasp, he collapsed onto the ground in a swirl of dark feathers.

Mickey clapped a hand over his mouth in horror and stared at the fallen angel in shock. DarkAngelicmon's eyes were closed, and he was lying a bit awkwardly on his side. One of his dark wings was trapped underneath his body, and his raven hair was spread out around his head like a pool of dark ink. Although he appeared to be unconscious, it did not look as if he had sustained any major injuries. Unlike BlackGatomon, the light had not burned his skin at all and the expression on his face was peaceful.

_Could it be? Is there really some good left in him after all?_

_"_Benjamin, you fool! What have you done?" Spritemon shrieked, throwing herself at the fallen angel and pulling his head into her lap.

Benjamin covered the Digicore with his hand and stared at the fallen angel in surprise. "I...I don't know. He's..."

"Fine," Gennai said quietly, his sapphire eyes travelling over the fallen angel's pale face. "He'll be just fine."

Spritemon ignored the robed figure and turned to vent her anger on SkullMeramon. "Why didn't you warn us about the light?"

"You never gave me a chance to!"

"What do you want us to do now, my lady?" a second Roachmon said timidly.

Spritemon sent Dai a look of utter hatred and let out a loud shriek. "Attack! All of you, kill the digimon and bring the humans to the dungeons!"

"What about the Digicore?" SkullMeramon asked hesitantly.

"Bring it to me!"

All of the guards must have heard the evil mega's screams because they raised their fists in acknowledgement and began to either climb down the castle's walls using ropes or, if they could fly, used their wings to dive towards the ground. Large groups of guards began to pour out of the entrances to the castle, and Mickey found himself gazing at an army larger than anything he could have ever imagined.

"We have to get out of here now!" Ken said sharply.

Dai nodded and his Digivice began to glow brightly in his hand. "Embermon, digivolve now!"

"Right! Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

"Let's go!" Davis shouted, leaping onto Dragermon and pulling his son up behind him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Spritemon shrieked, leaping to her feet and nearly stepping on DarkAngelicmon's raven hair.

"Hurry, everyone, I'll hold them off!" Benjamin called out, uncovering the Digicore and pointing it at the large army of evil digimon.

Spritemon, SkullMeramon, the Roachmon, and the garbage can digimon quickly backed up, and the rest of the digimon either paused on the ground or hovered warily in the air. All of them were trying to shield their eyes from the light, and many of them were visibly flinching away from the bright glow. Once again, the guards were providing a perfect opportunity for escape.

"Mickey, hurry up!"

Mickey turned at the sound of his brother's voice and gasped when he realized all of his friends, including the adults and all of the rookie digimon, were already settled on Dragermon's back. All of them were waving frantically to him, but he ignored them and turned to stare at the dark feathers scattered all over the ground around DarkAngelicmon's unconscious body.

"MagnaAngemon, Gabrielmon, Angelicmon, bring Mickey here right now!" he heard his father cry frantically.

"Mickey, come on!" Matty screamed at him.

Gabrielmon and the other aerial digimon had been keeping an eye on the large army in order to give Benjamin a chance to climb onto Dragermon's back, but at T.K.'s words, the three angels immediately abandoned their positions and began to sail towards the ground.

"Mickey, what are you doing?" Gabrielmon gasped, landing next to him and trying to grab his arm.

Angelicmon and MagnaAngemon also reached out towards him, but he squirmed away from all three of them and raced towards DarkAngelicmon.

"Mickey, come back!" Angelicmon cried.

_No, not yet! Just a little bit longer..._

Mickey reached the fallen angel's side, and bending down, he snatched one of the virus digimon's dark feathers off the ground. Leaning over, he pulled DarkAngelicmon's head into his arms and pressed his face close to the fallen angel's ear. "I'll be back. I promise."

"Mickey!"

Mickey felt himself being pulled into Gabrielmon's arms, and he buried his face against his partner's shoulder. Gabrielmon silently flew him over to Dragermon, and the other two angel's followed close behind. Benjamin still had the Digicore pointed at the guards, but all of them, including Spritemon, appeared to have gotten over their initial shock and were slowly heading towards Dragermon.

_If we don't leave now, we're going to be surrounded._

Mickey clung tightly to his digimon's shoulders and let out a sigh of relief when Gabrielmon lowered him onto Dragermon's back. Matty and his father immediately crowded around him, and he winced as Matty shook him hard by the shoulders. "Mickey, have you completely lost your mind? When Mom finds out what went on here, you're going to be grounded for sure!"

"I'm sorry, Matty. I..."

Matty glared at him and pulled him into a tight hug. "You're lucky you're my brother otherwise I would seriously consider giving you a black eye right about now!"

Mickey clutched DarkAngelicmon's feather tightly in his hand and turned slowly towards his father. "Dad, I..."

His father stared at him for a long moment, and he gasped when his dad suddenly pulled Matty and himself into a tight grip. The man never said a word, but he held them close to his heart and rested his cheek against the tops of there heads.

"You're lucky to be alive, Mickey!" Gabrielmon snapped before turning away and flying off to join the others. Angelicmon and MagnaAngemon merely shook their heads before fluttering off to join their angry companion. Gabrielmon's bright blue eyes were filled with anger, and the current look on his face clearly stated he was not at all impressed by what had happened. _Great, now everyone's mad at me, even my own partner..._

"Let's go, Dragermon!" Dai shouted.

The large champion leaped into the air, and Mickey sighed in relief as the guards began to grow smaller beneath them. He could still see DarkAngelicmon's body lying on the ground, but he looked away before the others could realize what he was staring at and gently ran his fingers over the dark feather in his hand. He did not care what anyone else said. To him, the black feather was still a symbol of hope, and he would hold onto it until the day DarkAngelicmon became whole again.


	116. Two Separate Paths

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: In case you're wondering, Dai and his friends will leave through the gate and get back to the human world at the end of chapter 118. (Two chapters from now) There are a few things I have to wrap up in the Digital World before that happens, like...well...what ever happened to Jackie and the others?

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 116: Two Separate Paths

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"DarkAngelicmon! Wake up, you fool, before I knock you over the head with your own spear and drop you off the side of the castle for good measure! The Digidestined have escaped!"

_Mickey..._

DarkAngelicmon slowly opened his emerald green eyes and blinked in surprise when he found himself gazing up at the evening sky, which had turned a deep shade of red. He shifted slightly to ease the pressure on his right wing and frowned in confusion. _What happened? I remember the light, but...how did I end up on the ground? Interesting. Azulongmon's Digicore must be very powerful if it has the ability to knock me unconscious. After all, it did bring Imperialdramon into existence, and it helped Agumon and the others digivolve to their higher levels again. I must get my hands on it. It will give my master, and myself, of course, even more power to take over the Digital World!_

"DarkAngelicmon, did you hear me? The Digidestined have escaped! Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

DarkAngelicmon glanced over his left shoulder and found himself gazing into Spritemon's dark brown eyes. Her pale peach skin had turned a ghostly shade of white, and her silver wings were fluttering anxiously behind her. She was kneeling next to him on the ground with her hands pressed against the earth, and she looked a little worried, which was surprising considering their relationship. "Spritemon, will you quit yelling at me like that? I bet all the digimon on File Island can hear your unnecessary shouting. An angel digimon's ears can be just as sensitive as his wings, you know."

Spritemon glared at him and tugged angrily on her dark green ponytail. Without a word, she pulled his head into her arms and tugged rather harder than was strickly necessary on one of the two dark, ear-like feathers sticking out of his head. "This is all your fault, DarkAngelicmon! If you hadn't gotten yourself blown up, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"You certainly know how to exaggerate, don't you. Really, and Vampiramon has the nerve to tell me I'm overly dramatic!"

"I hope our master turns you into tiny little pieces of data!"

"Why, Spritemon, I never knew you were so fond of me. I'll remember you said that the next time the Digidestined try to destroy you."

"As if they could."

DarkAngelicmon smiled slightly to himself and rested his cheek against the rough fabric of her predominantly dark brown bikini top. The material scratched lightly against his skin, but he ignored the itch and ran his hands lightly over the dark strips of armour criss-crossing over his muscular chest. They formed a pattern of squares that left much of his skin exposed to the elements, and more importantly, blasts of energy and other various digmon attacks. It was more for show than anything else and made him look extremely impressive, but at the moment, his armour was the least of his concerns. He enjoyed participating in battles where the odds were against him because they made him even stronger than he already was. His sudden uneasiness actually came from the strange tingling sensation running through his veins as opposed to lack of armour. _My entire body feels like it's filled with incredible energy. How can one Digicore have so much power? _

_"_DarkAngelicmon, are you alright?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am."

Spritemon slowly shook her head and stared at him in disbelief. "How are you still alive? That Digicore should have completely destroyed you, but...you're still here!"

_Indeed, I am. If the Digidestined think they can defeat me with the Powers of Light then they are sadly mistaken. I am far from being weak, and unlike other dark digimon, I do not fear the light. I will not run and hide in the shadows while the Digital World slips out of my grasp!_

"What's wrong with you, DarkAngelicmon? Explain yourself!"

DarkAngelicmon slowly sat up and lightly ran his fingers over his stomach, which was also covered by criss-crossing bands of dark armour. The energy surging through his body felt...familiar somehow.

_It feels like Mickey and Matty. I've felt it before, but it only happens whenever they come near me. The same goes for their father and possibly their mother. Is it because of their connection to Azulongmon? He is the Guardian of the Eastern Hemisphere, but he's also the Keeper of the Spheres of Hope and Light..._

"Will you quit daydreaming and answer my question?"

DarkAngelicmon rested his cheek in the palm of his hand and turned slowly to gaze at the mega digimon kneeling beside him. "How did the Digidestined manage to escape?"

"Well, it's about time you started to show some interest!" Spritemon crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a sulky look. She gazed sullenly at the ground for a moment, and muttering to herself, she made a rude noise in the back of her throat and rolled her dark brown eyes. "Embermon digivolved and they flew away on Dragermon's back. I sent some of our aerial guards after them, but Kuwagamon and the others won't stand a chance against Benjamin and the Digicore. The rest of the guards were utterly useless. They wouldn't go anywhere near the Digicore and that's why the Digidestined were able to escape!"

"Hey, that's not true! We were heading right for them, despite the Digicore!" a Gizamon complained.

"Yes, well you certainly took your sweet time about it! You fools summoned whatever pathetic amount of courage you do have just a little too late in my opinion."

"I didn't see you jumping at the chance to take on Benjamin and his stupid Digicore!" SkullMeramon smirked.

Spritemon looked like she was ready to smack the flaming digimon across the face with the back of her hand, but DarkAngelicmon held up a hand for silence and motioned for a Musyamon standing on his right to help him to his feet. The champion digimon quickly obliged, and DarkAngelicmon found himself surrounded by at least two hundred guards who were all gazing at him in awe, as if they couldn't quite grasp the fact that he was still alive after what had happened earlier. "I do believe Daichi Motomiya will be a thorn in my side until one of us ends up getting destroyed. Of course they would use Dragermon to escape. Embermon couldn't digivolve in the castle because of his size, which means the little rookie had more than enough energy left to digivolve in order to help Dai and the others escape. Well, what's done is done, I guess."

"What do you mean by that?" Spritemon snapped, her eyebrows narrowing into a frown. "Don't tell me you're giving up, DarkAngelicmon! You and I can both fly. We should be going after the Digidestined ourselves instead of depending on a bunch of useless guards!"

DarkAngelicmon let out a sigh and slowly shook his head. "What's the point? By the time we reach the gate, Dai and his friends will have already made it to the human world and Gennai will be well on his way back to the Eastern Hemisphere."

"You're kidding, right? ExVeemon and the others have been fighting all afternoon. They must be close to losing their energy by now. We could take them easily. Honestly, DarkAngelicmon, we're megas! Well, at least I am. They wouldn't stand a chance against me!"

"Did you not hear me the first time? The Digidestined will be gone by the time you get anywhere close to them! How can you fight someone who isn't even there? There's no point in wasting our energy on a useless mission that will ultimately fail. You had enough sense, at least, to send some guards after them, and if Kuwagamon and the others can succeed, then we'll be able to proceed with our quest to steal the Spirit Chips. If not, well...as I said before, there's always plan b."

"What about our master? I doubt he's going to like that idea very much!"

"I told you, I will deal with our master, you can deal with Vampiramon."

"I must admit, I will enjoy gloating over the fact that she let Leomon and the others escape from the forest, but that doesn't mean I agree with your decision not to follow the Digidestined! That Digicore must have fried your brain or something!"

"Believe what you want to believe, Spritemon. Unlike you, I tend not to let my anger get the better of me in situations where common sense is required. Now, as much as I would like to continue this conversation, we have more important things to do at the moment. Our master will be arriving soon, if Leomon's presence here today is anything to go by, and we must prepare ourselves for his return. I doubt he's going to be in a very good mood when he gets back, and Gennai's escape is only going to make him even more angry."

"Don't forget about the Digidestined. Our master's not going to take the news of their victory very lightly! Do you really think he knows that Leomon and some of his friends have escaped from the forest?"

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows and leisurely stretched his wings. His skin was still tingling, but he ignored the oddly pleasant sensation and fixed the sprite digimon with a sweet smile. "Of course he knows. In fact, I bet Jackie and the others have escaped, as well. They must be escorting Gennai to the Eastern Hemisphere by now. That would be the most logical explanation. The Digidestined can't very well do it themselves if they're back in the human world, can they?"

Spritemon threw up her hands and let out a frustrated groan. "That's exactly my point! If you won't go after the Digidestined, then at least go after Gennai! We can still catch up to him! You know which gate the humans came out of because you saw them arrive in the Digital World on your screen. They may have gone back through it already, but Leomon and the others aren't so lucky. How do you expect them to get back to the Eastern Hemisphere without Dragermon?"

"They got here without Dragermon, didn't they? I see no reason why they can't leave here without him, too. They will find a way. They always do, especially when they have Gennai to guide them. Leomon and his friends are a lot like the Digidestined in that sense. No, Spritemon, let them be. Leomon, Jackie, and the others will have Gennai in the Eastern Hemisphere before we can catch up to them, and I can guarantee it'll be because of Whamon. I saw him talking to Dai and the others earlier, and although I couldn't hear them, I have no doubts Whamon will gladly help the others by transporting Gennai back to the Eastern Hemisphere. The only thing we should be worrying about right now is our master and what kind of a mood he's going to be in."

"A lousy mood, I'm sure, which is entirely your fault!"

"So you keep saying."

"DarkAngelicmon, what's going on? Where are the Digidestined?"

DarkAngelicmon glanced over Spritemon's head and smiled at the sight of Ivymon and BlackGatomon running towards him. The two female digimon had just burst through the East Tower door, and both of them looked a little nervous. BlackGatomon was the one who had spoken, and her small, furry face was filled with confusion.

"Did they escape, my lord?" Ivymon asked.

DarkAngelicmon knelt next to BlackGatomon and gently stroked the feline digimon's dark, furry head. "They did, thanks to Benjamin, but that's the least of our concerns at the moment. I see the two of you managed to escape the fate Devidramon and SkullSatamon suffered at the hands of the Digidestined?"

"Devidramon and SkullSatamon were both deleted," BlackGatomon confirmed, her whiskers twitching slightly in the cool breeze. "The Digidestined made quick work of them, I'm afraid. We would have captured Daichi and his friends easily if it hadn't been for Benjamin and his stupid Digicore! That's what it was, wasn't it? A Digicore?"

"Yes, and trust me, I can relate. Unfortunately we don't have time for a conversation right now, but you'll have to give me a detailed account of what happened in the dungeons as soon as possible. I'm anxious to find out what went on down there."

"As you wish, my lord. Um...DarkAngelicmon, are you feeling alright? You look a little bit tired or something. What happened out here? You didn't answer my question earlier."

DarkAngelicmon allowed the little champion to bury her face against his leg and a small smile slipped across his face. "I'm fine, and I told you before, I'll explain everything later. Right now I want all of you to get back inside the castle so we can prepare for our master's return. SkullMeramon, you can choose the guards who will remain on watch outside."

"Yes, my lord. Um...what about the guards who went after the Digidestined?"

"I doubt they'll return, but we'll see what happens. If they do come back, with or without the Digidestined, send them to me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my lord, I will do as you command."

"Good. Well? What are the rest of you waiting for? When I give out orders, I expect them to be followed!"

"Fine, but that doesn't mean I have to like them! Mark my words, DarkAngelicmon, you will regret your decision not to follow the Digidestined!" Spritemon snapped, turning her back on him and fluttering angrily towards the East Tower door.

_I never regret anything I do._

The rest of the guards who were not included in SkullMeramon's group quickly followed after her, and soon DarkAngelicmon found himself standing alone beneath the castle's tall, dark structure. He could feel the wind blowing gently through his long, raven hair, and the tingling sensation prickling across his skin made him shiver. _Not even Azulongmon's Digicore is enough to defeat me. You are strong, Makiya Takaishi, but you have a weakness, and once I'm through with your brother, you will be mine._

DarkAngelicmon smiled to himself, and with that thought in mind, he turned his back on the setting sun and fluttered into the castle to prepare for his master's return.

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Masato Takaishi huddled next to his brother's side and glanced anxiously over his shoulder at the evil digimon who were flying close behind. Somehow Dragermon had managed to detour around the castle in order to head southwest again, but unfortunately instead of leaving their enemies behind, the ones who could fly had decided to follow them over the forest under Spritemon's orders.

_It must have been Spritemon. DarkAngelicmon certainly wasn't in any condition to be doing much of anything, and that includes ordering the guards to come after us. What are we going to do? Even if we manage to escape from Spritemon's flunkies, DarkAngelicmon will still come after us. He knows exactly where the gate is because of that stupid screen Luciamon mentioned not long before she died, which means he's never going to leave us alone, unless..._

Matty turned to look at his twin, who was curled up in their father's arms, and his golden eyebrows narrowed into a frown. _I wonder what has gotten into Mickey lately. He's been acting really weird ever since just before Luciamon died. He hasn't been avoiding me lately, unlike before, but there's still something not right between us. I can feel it, and what's with his strange behaviour whenever he's around DarkAngelicmon? He seems really worried about the fallen angel, but that doesn't make any sense at all. Why would he be so concerned about an evil digimon who's done nothing by try to cause him pain and sadness? Could it be because he can sense something in DarkAngelicmon that I, myself, haven't been able to see? What exactly am I missing, and why do I feel as if Mickey knows something the rest of us don't know? The light coming from Angemon's feather hadn't hurt DarkAngelicmon at all, and the same goes for the light coming from Azulongmon's Digicore. At least, that's what Gennai seems to believe, but if that's the case, then does that mean DarkAngelicmon isn't really...evil?_

"They're still coming after us," JewelBeemon shouted, shooting his Spike Buster attack at a Roachmon who had gotten dangerously close to Dragermon's right wing.

Matty watched his own partner hit a digimon his father had informed him was called Kuwagamon in the face, and the insect digimon tumbled out of the sky. "Hurry, Angelicmon, we're running out of time! We have to get rid of them all before we reach the gate!"

"Aim for their wings!" Gabrielmon shouted over the noise. "They cannot come after us if they lose their ability to fly!"

"You'll never get away from us!" a digimon named Flymon snarled.

ExVeemon and the others flew in formation behind Dragermon in order to prevent the larger digimon from becoming a target, and in response to Gabrielmon's shout, they began to shoot their attacks at their enemie's wings instead of their bodies.

Flymon and the other evil digimon tried to do the same thing, but they weren't having very much luck. Unlike their enemies, Angelicmon and the others were extremely skilled in the art of teamwork, and because of that they were able to duck out of the way and protect one another by weaving around each other's bodies in a beautiful display of aerial acrobatics. One by one, the evil digimon began to fall from the sky until only a few Phantomon remained.

"Enough of this!" MagnaAngemon announced, his voice carrying across the red sky. He turned suddenly to face the Phantomon and pointed his sword at them. "Return to the shadows, servants of evil! Your darkness will not defeat us! Gate of Destiny!"

A round, golden doorway appeared in the sky before the angel digimon, and almost immediately, the phantom digimon were sucked into its mysterious depths. The door closed without a sound, and once again the air was silent around them. Dragermon hovered over the trees for a long moment, as if uncertain of whether or not they should keep going, but a gentle pat on the neck from Dai got him moving again and they proceeded to fly directly into the sunset. The other digimon flew around them in a circle, and before he could stop himself, Matty let out a small sigh of relief. "That was close."

"I'll say. We were lucky to make it out of there alive," Ryoko snorted.

Gennai gazed at the setting sun with his arms wrapped around his knees and slowly shook his head. "You and your friends deserve more credit than that, Ryoko."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked before Ryoko could open his mouth.

Gennai smiled at the raven-haired Digidestined and placed his hand on Dai's shoulder. "I knew you would get the crests back. You are the Digidestined, after all, and all of the chosen humans who came before you sort of have a reputation to uphold. I knew you wouldn't want to disappoint them. Isn't that right, Benji?"

Benjamin moved over to sit next to Gennai and poked the other robed figure in the chest. "They're certainly more reliable than you are!"

Alopemon snorted loudly, but instead of commenting, the fox digimon merely curled himself comfortably into Ryoko's lap and proceeded to take a nap.

"I'm glad that's over," Dovemon mumbled, her wings drooping lightly over Takara's arms. The female Digidestined gave her partner a sympathetic pat and turned to look at Dai. She didn't say anything, but for some reason she seemed unable to look away from the goggle-headed leader, and there was a faint blush on her cheeks. Dai, being his usual clueless self, didn't appear to notice. The goggle-headed leader's attention was focused on the woods, and he kept glaring at the trees as if he expected some of the evil digimon ExVeemon and the others had blasted out of the sky to come after them again.

_I wish Takara would just say something and get it over with. Dai obviously likes her back, but he's too dumb to realize it! The only way he's going to get the message is if she shouts it in his face. I might not know that much about relationships, but I do know one thing. If one of them doesn't say something soon, they're going to end up driving the rest of us completely nuts!_

"What's next?" Mickey asked quietly, his big amber eyes coming to rest on Gennai's face.

Matty frowned at the black feather in his brother's hand and made a face. _That's what he went back for? I don't understand, that feather is filled with evil. Why would Mickey want to hold onto something like that, and more importantly, why did he put his own life in danger in order to get his hands on it? Does it really mean that much to him, and if so...why?_

"Actually, Dragermon, do you mind dropping Ogremon and myself off in the forest? Right here should be a good spot," Benjamin said slowly.

Matty stared at the robed figure in surprise and frowned. "How come?"

"Somebody has to help Jackie and the others escape from the forest."

"You're right. I am concerned about them. Vampiramon's master is not the type of digimon who will remain patient for long," Gennai murmured. "I do not know who he is, but that much I am sure of."

Leomon turned towards Benjamin and smiled slightly. "You asked me to explain your plan to Daichi and his friends, but maybe we should explain it together now, while we still have a chance. Daichi, while Benjamin and Ogremon are helping Jackie escape, myself, Agumon, and Gabumon will remain with you and the other Digidestined so we can help you get safely back to the gate, and we're also going to help Gennai get back to the Eastern Hemisphere. Jackie, Benjamin, and the others will hopefully manage to escape while we're heading for the gate, and once we're there, we will wait close by for Jackie's group to arrive on Whamon. Once they do, you humans and your partners will return to the human world. I, along with the rest of the digimon who remain behind, will take Gennai and his counterparts back to File Island on Whamon."

"Whamon should be waiting for us by the shore. The hard part will be trying to reach him with Vampiramon on our heels," Benjamin sighed. "If, of course, she decides to follow us."

"Wait! What about Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon?" Palmon cried. "They know where the gate is because of that screen Luciamon told us about earlier. Forget about Vampiramon's army. What if Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon are already waiting at the gate for us?"

"They won't be," JewelBeemon replied, fluttering over and landing lightly on Dragermon's back. "There's no way they can reach the gate before we do."

"Besides, we won't stand out in the open when we do reach the gate. We will hide out in the forest with the gate and the shore in sight so we can see Whamon approaching," Leomon explained.

"We hope to escape from Vampiramon's master without being noticed, but you should prepare yourselves for battle, just in case. They may try to come after us if they suspect we're planning to slip out of their grasp," Benjamin warned. The robed figure turned to look at Gennai and gently placed the now dormant Digicore in his counterpart's hand. "You'd better hold onto this, Gennai. It would not sit well with Azulongmon if Vampiramon's master ended up getting his hands on it."

Gennai tucked the Digicore inside his robe and clasped Benjamin's hand. "Be careful. You have a tough road ahead of you, my friend."

"I always am. I should be the one worrying about you, not the other way around!"

Dragermon descended towards the forest and landed gracefully in the centre of a large clearing, which was thankfully big enough to hold such a large digimon. The shadows of the trees danced across the grass beneath the dragon digimon's feet, and without a word, Benjamin and Ogremon leaped to the ground.

"Come back alive, or else!" Davis threatened.

"Take care of Biyomon and the others," Takara whispered.

Ogremon crossed his arms and smirked at them. "We'll be fine. You guys are the ones who need to watch your backs!"

"Good luck," Benjamin said softly.

Dracomon bowed his head and gently fluttered his wings. "Same to you, my friend."

"I hope Gomamon isn't trying to scare Vampiramon off with his jokes!" Palmon moaned.

Benjamin gave them one last smile before disappearing into the forest with Ogremon, and Dragermon quickly leaped into the air again. Matty watched the trees grow smaller beneath him, and a shiver raced down his spine. _It's like the world is falling into pieces all around me. I don't know what to believe anymore._

Mickey must have sensed what he was thinking because his twin's arm suddenly went around his shoulders, and he clenched his hands into fists. _Gatomon, I hope you and the others are safe..._


	117. The Ruler of Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, another chapter done! So, Daichi and his friends will leave through the gate at the end of the next chapter. Now, the next one is my longest chapter yet, so it may take me two weeks to get it up instead of just one. I'm going to try to get it up next week, but with the Easter weekend and everything, I might not have the time. If not, it will be the week after, but I'll try for sooner!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 117: The Ruler of Darkness

_Gatomon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Hey, Gatomon, do you think Vampiramon's master still has us surrounded? It's hard to tell with the way the guards keep slipping in and out of view all the time."

Gatomon slowly raised her head and peeked over the roots of a large tree where she, along with Gotsumon and Gomamon, were curled up to keep themselves hidden from the watchful eyes of their enemies. She could not see any guards at the moment, but that did not mean they weren't crouching behind the bushes or hiding within the trees. She could feel them watching her, and the intensity of their gazes made her claws itch with the desire to scratch something. "Don't get too optimistic, Gotsumon. We might not be able to see them, but that doesn't mean they've given up yet. They're definitely still waiting for us to try and get past them, and they can just keep on waiting as far as I'm concerned."

"I wish Benjamin and Ogremon would hurry up. I'm getting hungry!" Gomamon complained.

Gatomon rolled her eyes at Joe's partner and quickly ducked out of sight before the guards could spot her white, furry coat hiding amoung the roots. The tree she and her friends had chosen for a hiding place was very old, and it had thick, large roots. They were spread out across the ground in a network of bumpy veins, and together they created several alcoves where a rookie or a small digimon of a higher level could remain hidden. At the moment, Gotsumon was waiting patiently on her right and Gomamon was sulking on her left. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but luckily none of them were tall enough to be spotted unless, of course, their enemies decided to walk right up to them and stand over their hiding place.

_And in Gomamon's case, it's only if he decides to let himself be seen! I can't believe this. It's not fair! I should have been chosen to go with Benjamin and the others, but instead of helping Mickey and Matty, I'm stuck here like a mouse caught in a trap without even a piece of cheese to tempt me! We're supposed to be the ones hunting the guards, not the other way around! If I could digivolve into Angewomon, they wouldn't stand a chance against me!_

After Leomon's group had left, Jackie and Andromon had immediately decided to show themselves in order to keep Vampiramon's master occupied while Leomon and the others slipped out of the forest. Both Jackie and the android digimon had waited only long enough for Leomon's group to reach Vampiramon's campsite before they had slipped through the trees and gotten close enough to their enemies in order to be seen. Many of the evil digimon had cried out in triumph at the site of Andromon and Jackie acting as spies, and with a quick word from Vampiramon, the guards had immediately surrounded the area where they now knew for sure Leomon and his friends had been hiding all afternoon. In other words, they were trapped, and Gatomon had no idea how Benjamin and Ogremon were going to reach them without getting caught.

_Now that Vampiramon and her evil digimon know exactly where we are, our chances of escaping from the forest are practically non-existent. What was Benjamin thinking when he made up this plan? At first his words sounded pretty good, but now I'm not so sure..._

Gatomon frowned at the deep red sky and slowly shook her head. As soon as Jackie and Andromon had returned, the two of them had immediately ordered everyone to find a hiding spot before the guards could surround them and figure out how many of them there actually were. Most of them had hidden in groups around their small campsite, and that was how she had ended up hiding in the roots of a large tree with Gomamon and Gotsumon. Biyomon was hiding in the branches above them with Hawkmon, Hogan, Jose, and Tentomon. Penguinmon, Armadillomon, Candlemon, and Ilya were hiding in a clump of bushes nearby while Jackie, Andromon, and Centarumon slipped in and out of the trees to keep the guards occupied and to stop them from glancing too closely at all the areas where someone could be hiding. Biyomon, Gomamon, and Candlemon had been chosen to show themselves occasionally, whether it be a wing, a flame, an ear, or some other part of their bodies, in order to prevent the guards from thinking some of them had managed to escape. Andromon, Jackie, and Centarumon, were also letting themselves be seen, but the rest of them had been ordered to keep out of sight in an effort to stop the guards from figuring out exactly how many of them there were. At the moment, their enemies still believed all of them, including Leomon, Ogremon, Benjamin, Gabumon, and Agumon, were hiding somewhere within the campsite, and Jackie wanted to keep it that way as long as possible. The guards were standing all around them in a circle, but so far nothing of importance had happened.

"Vampiramon must have warned her servants not to get too close because so far none of them have tried to enter our campsite. I bet it's because she thinks we'll delete them all," Gomamon snorted.

"It's like Leomon said earlier, they won't attack us unless it's absolutely necessary," Gotsumon whispered. "Vampiramon thinks she knows exactly what we're planning to do, but now that we haven't tried to reach the castle, she's starting to have second thoughts. There's no way she's going to try and delete us because she's curious to find out exactly what it is we're up to. She obviously doesn't trust us and that's why she wants her guards to keep an eye on what we're doing."

_Gotsumon's right. We're useful to her, and that's why she won't attack us unless we give her no other choice. She'll definitely get rid of us if we try to make our way to the castle, but what will she do if we turn around and try to leave the forest? Will she still attack us if we head in the opposite direction of her stupid castle? I know Jackie, Benjamin, and some of the others are afraid that might happen, but the whole point of the guards surrounding our campsite is to stop us from making it to the castle, not the gate. I guess they might want to stop us from meeting up with the Digidestined at the gate, but what would be the point? If Dai and the others make it out of the castle with Gennai and the crests, Vampiramon and her evil digimon would more likely go after them instead of us. Then again, the only way they would know or suspect that of happening is if we try to escape. They might not know where the gate is or that we're even heading towards a gate, but if they suspect we are then they might come after us because they think we'll lead them to the Digidestined, which is exactly what would happen, but, like I said before, there's no way they could find out about any successful attempts to get the crests back in time to stop Dai and the others, could they? It's all so confusing, I don't know what to think anymore!_

"Hey, Gatomon, do you really believe Benjamin and Ogremon will make it back without getting captured or possibly destroyed?" Gotsumon asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Gatomon glanced at the sky, which had turned a deep shade of navy blue, and waved her paw in the direction of the trees. "They have a chance. The sun has almost completely set, which means they might be able to slip past the guards without being noticed. We can't see our enemies very well anymore, and you know what that means, don't you?"

"They can't see us," Gomamon smirked. "Does that mean I don't have to keep popping my head up anymore?"

"No need, Gomamon. If anything, you should be watching your tongue. You don't want our enemies to hear what we're planning, do you?"

Gatomon jerked around at the sound of a new voice and smiled at the sight of Benjamin and Ogremon standing behind her. It was Benjamin who had spoken, and he looked very pleased with himself. "You're back. So, how did it go?"

"So far everything has gone according to plan, but we're not out of the woods yet."

"Literally," Gomamon snorted.

"Jackie, where are you? You guys can stop hiding now," Ogremon muttered, waving his hand around the campsite and motioning for the others to show themselves.

Jackie, Andromon, all of the digimon, and the rest of Gennai's counterparts immediately left their hiding places and quickly crowded around Benjamin and Ogremon in a circle.

"Did they get the crests?" Hogan whispered.

"What about Gennai? Were they able to help him escape?" Tentomon asked, hovering anxiously over Ogremon's shoulder.

Benjamin held up a hand for silence and a brilliant smile slipped across his face. "Dai and the others have definitely proven their worth, my friends. They were indeed able to gain possession of the crests, and with our help, they were able to get Gennai safely out of the castle. In fact, they're probably waiting for us at the gate, even as we speak. Dragermon was kind enough to drop Ogremon and myself off here in the forest, and true to our word, we're going to help you escape."

"How did you manage to get past the guards?" Biyomon asked curiously.

Ogremon smiled fondly at his club and gave it a gentle pat. "I had to take out a few of them in order for Benji and I to get on the other side of their circle and back into our camp, but that was the easy part. I just snuck up behind them and deleted them with my club before they even had a chance to scream. The rest of the guards we glimpsed didn't even twitch, so I'm assuming they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. It's what happens next that's going to be the hard part."

"Benjamin, do you really think Vampiramon's master will have his servants attack us if we try to leave the forest?" Candlemon asked anxiously.

Benjamin gazed thoughtfully at the dark trees and shrugged his shoulders. "The guards will definitely try to come after us if we head towards the castle, but I'm not entirely sure of what they'll do if we try to go back the way we came. I'm going to assume they will, though, because it's better to be safe than sorry. That's the approach I took earlier, and I don't think it would be a good idea to let our guard down at this point."

"Benjamin, should we really be standing out in the open like this?" Armadillomon asked, glancing warily over his shell.

"Now that we're all here, it doesn't really matter if we let ourselves be seen. In fact, it means we're better off because the guards now know for sure we're all here and that we haven't tried to get around them."

"But...we're not all here. What about Leomon, Agumon, and Gabumon?"

"I'm sure the guards will just assume those three are still hiding. They don't appear to be very smart, do they."

"Exactly, the only thing we really have to worry about is someone overhearing what we're saying so keep your voices down," Jose scolded. "As Benjamin said, the guards won't attack us now that they know, or think they know, we're all here, but that's only if we don't try to leave, if, of course, we're going by Benji's assumptions."

"As if we're going to try and do anything else," Gomamon smirked.

"And just how are we going to escape without being noticed?" Hawkmon demanded. "That's what you want, isn't it? If they _do _come after us, we'll lead them right to Dai and the others."

Benjamin nodded in agreement and smiled slightly. "Yes, which is why I've come up with the makings of a plan."

"Will this plan stop Vampiramon's master from following us?" Centarumon asked quietly.

"I hope so. There are no guarantees no matter what we do. I want all of you to slip back into the trees again and keep yourselves hidden as much as possible. Stay in groups if you can, and all of you rookies should stick with one champion in case you have to fight your way out. If you do have to take on some of the guards in order to escape, be as quiet as possible, and get rid of them as quickly as you can. I, along with Gatomon, Gomamon, and Jackie, will keep ourselves in full view of our enemies to give you guys time to escape and then we'll follow you. Hopefully Jackie and I will be able to capture the guards' attention and prevent them from paying too much attention to what's going on in the forest around them. What do you guys think?"

"Well, it's not like we have much of a choice," Ilya muttered.

Hogan nodded in agreement and made a face. "At least the sun has finally set. Hopefully the darkness will provide a little bit of cover and keep us hidden from Vampiramon's guards."

"I really wish Mina could have been here," Candlemon moaned.

"I feel the same way about Noriko," Penguinmon mumbled. "Are we all ready to go?"

_I can't let Kari down. She's counting on me to protect Mickey and Matty. Well, at least I finally get to do something instead of sitting around and growing roots myself! I hate being stuck on the sidelines!_

"I'm ready. What about the rest of you?" Ogremon smirked.

Gatomon ignored the virus digimon and turned towards Benjamin. She gazed at the robed figure for a moment and slowly lifted her chin. "I'm more than ready. Let's go."

_Vampiramon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Vampiramon paced restlessly over the hard, dry earth about eight feet away from the front door of her master's tent and glared at the two digimon sitting on a small ring of rocks just behind her. Jestermon and BlackWidowmon were both sprawled leisurely on a boulder of their own choosing with their feet propped up, and the two mega digimon looked extremely bored. Jestermon kept yawning into his hand, and BlackWidowmon was gazing at the dark sky with a frown on her face. Neither one of them were paying the least bit attention to what was going on around them, and their lack of focus made Vampiramon's blood boil. Without a word, she stomped over to them and slapped Jestermon hard across the face. The stupid fool tumbled off his rock with a squeak of surprise and ended up falling on his face.

_That should teach him a lesson! My master would do well to find himself some more useful servants!_

BlackWidowmon slowly turned to look at her and waved her hand in Jestermon's direction. "Do you really think that was necessary, Vampiramon? I know he's a fool, but so far he hasn't had the opportunity to do something incredibly stupid yet. I'd save your anger for later, if I were you."

Vampiramon tugged angrily on her skirts and pointed an accusing finger at the spider digimon. "Will you two quit slacking off and start paying attention? We need to be alert in case Leomon and the others try to make a run for the castle."

"I bet DarkAngelicmon's having a lot more fun than we are," Jestermon muttered, shaking his head. The bells on the fool's hat tinkled at his sudden movement, and lifting his chin, he gave BlackWidowmon a dirty look. "You could have warned me, you know."

"Why? It's not like you didn't have it coming to you."

"You're the one who's got your head in the clouds, not me!"

_Curse you, DarkAngelicmon! I should be the one capturing the Digidestined, not you!_

Vampiramon yanked angrily on her long, red hair and scowled at her two campanions. She had been angry over their master's decision to leave DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon back at the castle, but common sense had told her to keep her mouth shut until a more appropriate time. Unfortunately Jestermon's sudden joke about DarkAngelicmon had brought back all the fury she had managed to suppress earlier, and she found herself feeling even more angry than she had before. DarkAngelicmon was likely to ruin everything, and although she wanted the Digidestined to be safely locked away in the dungeons, she did not think she would be too upset if the fallen angel failed because at least then her master might finally remember she was the one who was supposed to be in charge. He had chosen her to be the leader of his army, and she wasn't about to let anyone take that away from her, especially DarkAngelicmon!

_I'd be of much more use back at the castle than I am here. What was my master thinking?_

She, along with Jestermon and BlackWidowmon, had been instructed to check on the guards every so often and make sure Benjamin and the others were still in the forest, but so far she was the only one who was bothering to do so.

_So much for taking turns. They're leaving me to do all the dirty work! When my master finds out about this, and he most certainly will, BlackWidowmon and Jestermon are going to wish they'd spent more time following his orders and less time trying to annoy me! _

_"_Vampiramon, hurry! Benjamin and the others are getting away!"

Vampiramon jerked around in surprise and spotted a Gazimon running towards them. The little rookie looked extremely upset and his face was filled with fear.

"What did you say?" BlackWidowmon snapped, leaping to her feet.

The Gazimon's ears drooped and he winced at her tone. "We were watching Benjamin and the others hiding in the forest when all of a sudden the entire group, except a few, decided to show themselves. They looked like they were having some sort of a conversation, and as soon as they finished talking, almost all of them went back into hiding again. It's gotten pretty dark outside, but despite that we could still glimpse one of them occasionally, and we thought they were just up to their old tricks again. The only ones who were acting suspicious were Benjamin, Jackie, Gomamon, and Gatomon. Unlike the others, those four stayed out in the open, and we think they were trying to distract us in order to give the others a chance to escape. They waited only long enough to give the others a chance to get past our circle before they, too, slipped back into the trees."

"Which way were they going?" Jestermon asked curiously.

"Well...they must have destroyed a few of my fellow guards because some of the ones who were positioned in the direction of the shore have gone missing."

BlackWidowmon stared at the little rookie in surprise and crossed her arms. "You mean...they're not heading towards the castle? But...that doesn't make any sense! I thought they wanted to help Gennai and the Digidestined! I don't understand, why would they be heading back towards the shore?"

"There are several gates positioned along the shores of the Western Hemisphere. Maybe that's where they're going, or maybe they've decided to head back to the Eastern Hemisphere," Jestermon offered.

_There is only one reason why they would want to find a gate or get back to the Eastern Hemisphere. You idiot, DarkAngelicmon! How could you let the Digidestined escape with Gennai and the crests? But...wait a miunte...something doesn't add up. How could Benjamin and the others possibly know something like that? They've been stuck here in the forest this whole time. There's no way they could possibly know yet whether or not the Digidestined have either succeeded or failed in their quest to help Gennai and steal the crests. There's definitely something wrong with this picture, but I have no idea what it might be. What in the name of Hades is going on around here?_

"Are you sure they've managed to escape?" BlackWidowmon snapped, gazing suspiciously at the little rookie.

Gazimon nodded vigorously and shifted nervously on his feet. "Yes, my lady, we searched the entire area and their wasn't a single member of Benjamin's group in sight. What should we do?"

"You will do nothing!" a voice hissed from somewhere behind them.

Vampiramon let out a gasp, and turning, she immediately fell to her master's feet and bowed her head. Jestermon and BlackWidowmon quickly followed her example, and the three of them kept their eyes focused on the hem of his long, black robe. "Master, I...I thought you were still in your tent."

"The Ruler of Darkness heard your shouts, and he's not at all pleased with your failure to keep Leomon and his friends from escaping the forest," a female vioce smirked.

Vampiramon slowly lifted her head and wrinkled her nose at the sight of Persiamon and Phelesmon standing on either side of her master. The Ruler of Darkness was shrouded in a long, black, hooded robe, and the taint of evil hovering around him made her shiver. She could feel his power, but unfortunately she had never been able to see his face. The only thing she could see was a deep darkness within his hood and a pair of intense, violet eyes. Ignoring Persiamon, she bowed her head again and glared impatiently at the ground. "Master, something doesn't feel right. Leomon and his friends are escaping from the forest instead of trying to reach the castle. You don't think..."

The Ruler of Darkness lifted his head and gazed up at the dark sky, as if searching for an answer to the question she hadn't had the courage to ask. After a long moment of tense silence, he slowly turned to face her again and placed his gloved hand on the top of her fiery head. "Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon have failed me. Obviously something must have gone wrong, and I will not rest until I find out exactly what happened. Leomon and the others must be meeting up with Gennai and those vile humans he's so fond of."

"But...but that's impossible!" BlackWidowmon gasped. "Leomon and his friends can't be meeting up with the Digidestined. Even if Daichi and the other humans have managed to rescue Gennai, there's no way Leomon's group could know that yet!"

"Watch your tone," Phelesmon warned.

_I guess my master has found himself some new favorite servants._

Vampiramon fumed silently at the thought and clenched her hands into fists. "Master-"

"It doesn't seem likely Leomon and his friends would know, but the Digidestined and their allies are sneaky. They're constantly getting their hands on information they have no business knowing. Mark my words, Vampiramon, I will not be pleased if Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon have allowed the crests to slip out of our grasp."

_In that case, maybe this day hasn't been completely useless after all. It's about time DarkAngelicmon got what was coming to him. My master may end up destroying him before I do. What a shame. I was looking forward to deleting him._

"Master, are you saying you don't want us to go after Leomon and his friends?" Jestermon asked, clearly confused.

The Ruler of Darkness shifted slightly and waved his hand at the forest. "It's too late for that. If what I suspect is true, by the time you fools reach them, the humans will have already left through the gate and the rest of their allies will be well on their way back to the Eastern Hemisphere. We must return to the castle. I have a few words for Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon."

"Yes, master," BlackWidowmon smirked.

The Ruler of Darkness was about to turn away, but at BlackWidowmon's words, he jerked around and let out a snarl of rage. "I'll deal with you three later! Gazimon, come with me. I may spare you because of your honesty, but some of your fellow guards need to be punished. Tell me everything that happened in the forest while we walk. Come, we must round up all the members of my army. I want to get back to the castle as soon as possible!"

"Yes, master." Gazimon meekly hurried over to the robed figure's side, and the two of them, along with Persiamon and Phelesmon, disappeared into the darkness.

As soon as he left, BlackWidowmon flinched, Jestermon let out a sigh of relief, and Vampiramon slammed her fist against the ground. "Curse you, DarkAngelicmon! This is all your fault! When I get my hands on you I'm going to clip your wings!"

"Our master isn't done with us yet. We're definitely going to be punished somewhere along the line," BlackWidowmon muttered.

"Of course we are, you fool! What do you think he meant when he said he would deal with us later? You and Jestermon are to blame just as much as DarkAngelicmon! If you hadn't been slacking off, Leomon and his friends would never have escaped. Come on, let's get back to the castle before we give our master another reason to punish us."

Vampiramon didn't wait to see if the other two were following her. With a shriek of rage, she turned herself into a bat and flew off towards the castle. DarkAngelicmon would pay for destroying their master's plans, if indeed he had allowed the Digidestined to escape with Gennai and the crests. She would make sure of that, even if it meant disobeying the Ruler of Darkness.


	118. The Next Step

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, I'm finally back with a new chapter! I'm sorry it's taking me a little longer to put this one up, but I blame it on the Easter weekend and Kingdom Hearts II. (Forget Sora. You're my hero Roxas!) Er...yes...moving on...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 118: The Next Step

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Daichi Motomiya paced restlessly over the forest floor and glanced impatiently in the direction of the ocean. He, along with his friends, were hiding just behind the first line of trees at the edge of the forest, and although he was starting to feel a little bit annoyed at having to wait so long for the others to arrive, a part of him could not help wondering why it was taking them so long to reach the gate. He, along with the rest of the Digidestined, had been waiting since before the sun had fully set for Benjamin and the rest of their friends to arrive, but so far Whamon had not bothered to make an appearance, and Benjamin's continued absence was making him extremely nervous. The light of the moon shone brightly over the water, and there were millions of tiny stars twinkling in the sky above them, but despite the pale blue glow, the forest still hid them pretty well from whatever might be lurking in the darkness. Unfortunately that didn't stop him from worrying about his friends.

_Does the darkness hide them as well as it hides us?_

Daichi frowned and made a face. At the moment, he not only had a great view of the ocean, but of the gate as well, and thankfully DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon were nowhere to be seen. His group had been lucky so far, but could the same thing be said for Benjamin and the others?

_I wonder what's taking them so long. Benjamin wasn't sure whether or not Vampiramon would come after them if they tried to leave the forest, but if she did decide to follow them then maybe that's why they haven't shown up yet. I hope no one accidentally got left behind. What if Vampiramon has captured every single one of them? If she has, then there's no way she's going to let them survive long enough to try and make another escape..._

"I wonder why Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon haven't tried to come after us themselves. They must be aware of our successful attempt to stop their guards from following us by now," Embermon muttered, breaking the silence. "They know where the gate is, so why haven't they come here to search for us? Something doesn't add up, and I'm beginning to wonder if we might have stepped right into a trap. What do you think, Dai?"

Dai gazed thoughtfully at his digimon partner for a moment and shook his head in confusion. Embermon had reverted back to his rookie form in order to make himself a little bit harder to spot in the forest, and the little digimon kept glancing uneasily at the small television glimmering faintly in the moonlight about fifty feet away from them. The beach looked peaceful enough, but Dai could not help wondering if it was all just an illusion.

_Hurry, Benjamin! Let's get out of here before something else goes wrong!_

"I bet Spritemon didn't come after us because of what happened to DarkAngelicmon," Mickey whispered, almost to himself. The older twin was sitting against the base of a large tree trunk, and he had his arms wrapped tightly around his legs. His golden head was resting gently on his knees, and the light of the moon made his skin look almost pure white in the darkness. Gabrielmon stood beside the golden-haired Digidestined with his back pressed against the tree, and the stormy look on his face was a clear indication that he had not quite forgiven Mickey for what had happened earlier. Despite how close they were to one another, Gabrielmon refused to look in Mickey's direction, and instead of paying attention to his partner, he kept his gaze focused on the ocean.

_Great, the last thing we need is a rift between humans and their digimon partners. I wish either T.K. or Matty would knock some sense into those two!_

"What do you mean, Mickey?" Matty asked, flopping down on the ground next to his twin and scratching his golden hair in confusion.

Mickey slowly lifted his head and frowned at his brother. "Matty, do you think DarkAngelicmon's still unconscious?"

"I have no idea. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I just...I hope we didn't end up hurting him too badly."

"He's fine, Mickey. I'm sure he's awake by now, but there's something else you should know. Digimon and humans who have been corrupted by darkness don't always think along the same lines as we do," Gennai said quietly. The robed figure lowered himself to the ground and gently placed his hand on Mickey's shoulder. He smiled at the older twin and glanced curiously at Gabrielmon before continuing. "I do not know exactly why Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon have decided not to come after us, but I suspect it's because they don't believe they'll catch up to us in time before you humans leave through the gate and I find myself a way to get back to File Island. They probably think Jackie and the others left the forest a long time ago, and if that's the case, then I have no doubt they believe we've all left the Western Hemisphere behind us by now."

"You're right. DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon can't watch us on their screen anymore so they have no idea we're still stuck here on Cyber," T.K. murmured.

"Exactly."

Mickey tugged anxiously on Gennai's robe and bit his lip. "But...how do you know for sure DarkAngelicmon isn't really hurt?"

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, DarkAngelicmon can remain unconscious until we get our hands on the Spirit Chips!" Gabrielmon snapped.

Mickey turned slowly towards his partner and shook his head in denial. "You don't mean that."

"Yes I do, Makiya Takaishi! Do you realize how much trouble he's caused us?"

"Gabrielmon, you don't have to be so harsh," Angelicmon scolded. Matty's partner had been standing a little apart from the other angel in respectful silence, but at Gabrielmon's sudden outburst, he slowly moved forward and whispered something in the flustered champion's ear. Whatever he had said did not seem to sit well with Gabrielmon, though, because Mickey's partner lifted his chin and promptly turned his back on Angelicmon. The angel's wings nearly knocked Matty's partner off his feet, but instead of complaining about it, Angelicmon merely rolled his eyes and proceeded to converse quietly with MagnaAngemon.

Mickey stared at his partner as if he'd been slapped, and the older twin's lip began to tremble. "You don't hate me now, do you?"

"What?" Gabrielmon looked so startled, it was all Dai could do to stop himself from laughing. Normally the angel digimon was very calm, dignified, patient, and understanding, but at the moment he looked more flustered than anything else. "Mickey, of course I don't hate you! Why would you think something like that?"

Mickey shrugged his shoulders and gazed miserably at his feet. "I'm sorry, Gabrielmon. I didn't mean to make you angry."

"Mickey..."

_Mickey doesn't really believe Gabrielmon hates him, does he?_

Gabrielmon slowly knelt next to his partner, and without a word, he wrapped his arms around Mickey's smaller body. Mickey hid his face against Gabrielmon's chest, and the angel digimon let out a soft sigh. "Mickey, I would never want any human other than you for a partner, and you know it. We were meant to be together, and I think you feel the same way, even if you've never said it in those exact words. You've always treated me with respect, and I, in turn, have done the same for you. Don't you understand, Mickey? I care about you a lot, but I wish you wouldn't make me worry so much all the time."

"I really am sorry. I'll try not to be so reckless next time. I promise."

"You've said that before, but it didn't stop you from facing an entire army of evil digimon all by yourself!" Matty grumbled.

"That's not what I was trying to do!"

Gabrielmon laughed and gently ruffled his partner's hair. "I think I have to agree with Matty. You're probably going to ignore everything I've just said, but I guess that's what I'm here for. I will always protect you, Mickey, no matter how many crazy things you do."

Mickey lifted his head and beamed at his partner. "And I'll do the same for you because that's the way it's supposed to be between a digimon and his human partner."

"I definitely have to agree with you there, Mickey," T.K. interrupted, smiling fondly at the older twin. "Patamon and I haven't always been in agreement either, but we've always managed to work things out. Right, MagnaAngemon?"

MagnaAngemon bowed his head in acknowledgement of T.K.'s words and placed his right hand over his heart. "We might not always see eye to eye, but you're my partner, and I will never stray from your side no matter how much we argue."

"I know. Thanks, MagnaAngemon."

Daichi raised his eyebrows and gazed suspiciously at both T.K. and MagnaAngemon, but neither one of them cared to elaborate on the obvious significance behind their words. Mickey must have had similar thoughts because the older twin frowned thoughtfully at his father before closing his eyes and snuggling happily against his partner's chest.

"Well, I'm glad that's over. I was a bit worried there for a moment, but it looks like Mickey and Gabrielmon are finally getting along again. What do you think has happened to Benjamin and the others? You don't think they've been captured...or...or killed, do you?"

Dai jumped at the sound of Takara's voice and turned to see the female Digidestined standing behind him with Dovemon in her arms. Ryoko stood next to her, his face covered in shadow, and both Alopemon and Palmon stood just in front of the golden-haired Digidestined. Dai frowned when he realized all five of them were staring silently at him, as if waiting for an answer.

"I have no idea. I was hoping maybe one of you guys had come up with an explanation, but I guess not. Do you think we should look for them?"

"That might not be a very good idea, Daichi," Ryoko said quietly. "What if they show up just after we leave? If that happens, we could end up being stuck in the Digital World all night."

"You're right. I hadn't thought of that, but still, I doubt we could miss them very easily. All we would have to do is follow the shore and sooner or later we'd eventually run into them. Whamon can't leave the water, remember? The ocean is his only option when it comes to travelling, and Benjamin did say they'd arrive on his back."

"Yes, but what if something's gone wrong? What if they never had a chance to meet up with Whamon, and even if they did, how do we know which direction they'll be coming from? We could end up walking one way along the shore while they're going the other way. Can you imagine how long it would take our groups to find each other again if we starting heading in opposite directions?"

"Don't be stupid, Ishida! Whamon's obviously going to come from the same direction he left in earlier, or are you too dumb to realize that?"

"Guys, please don't fight!" Takara pleaded.

Ryoko smiled slightly and tugged gently on the female Digidestined's long, chestnut ponytail. Dai frowned at the blond, but Ryoko didn't seem to notice. At first he could not help feeling a little bit suspicious, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized Ryoko's playful gesture looked more like something along the lines of brotherly affection instead of romance. In fact, it reminded him a lot of Noah and Ema, and the obvious similarities between Kara's and Ryoko's relationship and that of the Kido siblings cheered him up considerably.

_Does that mean Ryoko doesn't like Kara after all? I've never been sure about his feelings for her either way, and he's never once tried to stop me from getting close to her. I hope I'm right because if I'm not, it'll give him another excuse to hate me. Wait a minute, why would I even care if he did like Kara as more than a friend? It's not like I have a crush on her or anything, and besides, I'm too young to be thinking about stuff like that, even if she is really pretty, and smart, and nice, and friendly, and such an amazing soccer player..._

"Kara, we aren't fighting. We're just trying to make sense of everything, but obviously we're not doing a very good job of it," Ryoko snorted, rolling his eyes.

Dai stared at the golden-haired Digidestined in surprise, but before he could say anything, Ryoko reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. The sudden unexpected touch made him jump, and he raised his eyebrows. "What's with you, Ishida?"

"I'm worried, too, Daichi, but...Benjamin and the others are really strong. We have to believe in them because if we don't, they might never make it out of the forest."

"Hey, how did you..."

"I'm not as blind as you think I am," Ryoko smirked, leaning close and whispering softly in his ear. "You always think you know everything, but it's amazing how much you miss when it's right in front of your face."

"What's that supposed to mean, Ishida?" Dai knew he sounded a bit irritated, but at the moment, he did not really care. As usual, Ryoko was starting to annoy him, but this time he chose to ignore the golden-haired Digidestined instead of stepping right into another fight. Ryoko had a really bad habit of speaking in riddles all the time, and it constantly drove him to the brink of insanity. "Well, Ishida? I'm waiting."

Ryoko raised his eyebrows and slowly stepped backwards. "If you're so smart, you figure it out."

Dai frowned at the golden-haired Digidestined, but before he could say anything, Takara started to giggle, and he glanced suspiciously in her direction. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. I think I figured it out already quite a while ago, but obviously you haven't. Don't worry, Dai, you'll get it eventually."

_Great, now they're both laughing at me. Some friends!_

"You guys are going to drive me crazy one of these days, you know that?"

"No we won't," Takara giggled.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, we're your rocks, Dai. We hold you up and keep you standing tall even when it looks like you might fail. You know what that means don't you, oh great Digidestined leader?"

Dai scratched his head and made a face. "Actually, no. Would you mind cluing me in a little bit?"

"It means you'll never fall while we're around to help you," Ryoko mumbled, turning his face away.

Even in the darkness, Dai could see the faint blush on the golden-haired Digidestined's cheeks, and it made him smile. All of a sudden he didn't feel so worried anymore, and it was all because of his friends. He hesitated a moment, and reaching out, he held Takara's hand in a tight grip and placed his other hand on Ryoko's shoulder. "Thanks, guys."

"Hey, Dai? They mean me, too, you know. I'll always be here to help you!" Embermon said enthusiastically.

The little rookie beamed up at him, and Dai returned the smile. "I know."

_I really do have the best friends in the whole world, and it's all thanks to my parents. If they had never met T.K. and the others, I never would have met Mickey, Matty, and everyone else in our circle, including Miya and the others who aren't Digidestined. In fact, now that I think about it, my parents never would have met their friends either if it hadn't been for the Digital World. This place gave them their friends, and it gave me my friends too, and I'm not going to let Vampiramon's master cover this world in darkness, no matter what! That's the least we can do after everything this world has done for us._

Dai squeezed Takara's hand and glanced at Ryoko to study the other boy's reaction, and to his complete surprise, the golden-haired Digidestined didn't even twitch. The blond had definitely seen what he'd done because he had watched his friend's sapphire eyes shift in the direction of Takara's hand, but instead of getting upset, Ryoko merely smiled at the female Digidestined and turned to gaze quietly at the shore.

_Does that mean he doesn't mind if I hold Takara's hand? He's always been pretty protective of her, but if that's the case then why isn't he saying something? There are a lot of guys at school who think Kara's really pretty, and Ryoko's always frowning at them. Could it be because he actually trusts me, unlike those other guys?_

_**Hold onto your friends, Daichi. Hold on...**_

_Huh? Did someone just say something? No way! It must have been my imagination..._

It was almost as if Ryoko could read his mind because the blond's gaze suddenly shifted away from the ocean, and Dai found himself gazing into the golden-haired Digidestined's clear blue eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, and Dai blinked in surprise when Ryoko suddenly smiled at him. It was a shy and slightly nervous smile, but at the same time there was something about it that made him feel suddenly more hopeful inside.

_Maybe it won't be so hard to get through to him after all._

"I wish Benjamin and the others would hurry up. I'm starting to feel as if I'll never have a chance to see Mimi again!" Palmon moaned.

"Well, it doesn't look like you're going to have to wait much longer because Whamon has just arrived. Look!" Alopemon smirked, pointing towards the ocean.

Dai glanced at the shore just in time to spot the last half of Whamon's head emerging out of the water, and a moment later, Benjamin and the others stepped out of the whale digimon's mouth.

"Finally!" Takara muttered, motioning for everyone to reveal themselves. "Come on, guys, let's go!"

Dai hesitated for just a moment, but on closer inspection he realized Whamon and the others weren't being followed, and unable to hide his surprise, he quickly rushed out of the forest. Takara and the others followed him without the slightest bit of hesitation, and even though he had been the first one to start moving, Sam, surprisingly enough, was the one who reached Whamon and the others first.

"Sam, you're safe! Yolei would not have been pleased if I'd let something bad happen to you. I'm sure she would insist it was partly my fault for allowing you to go to the castle without me," Hawkmon sniffed, looking a little bit relieved. "Benjamin told us you and your friends managed to rescue Gennai and get the crests back. I knew we could count on you guys. Oh, I see Glowmon has digivolved. Yolei will be very proud of you, my boy."

Sam blushed, and reaching out, he pulled Hawkmon into his arms and rested his cheek against the bird digimon's head. "Thanks, Hawkmon. I'm glad you're safe. I was really worried about you, you know."

"The feeling's mutual, Sam."

"Gatomon!" Matty cried, bending down and scooping the feline digimon into his arms. "I can't believe you're really here. I was afraid something bad might have happened to you."

"Not likely! What about you, Matty? You look a little pale. Is something wrong?"

Matty glanced at his twin, and turning back to Gatomon, he managed a weak smile. "If you want to know the truth, I'm not the one you should be worrying about."

"What do you mean?"

"Ignore him, Gatomon. He doesn't mean anything," Mickey mumbled, his face turning bright red. The older twin gave Gatomon a quick hug and frowned at his twin, but instead of making a comment, Matty merely smiled in amusement and pretended not to notice his brother's obvious discomfort.

"Kara, you didn't get hurt, did you?" Biyomon asked anxiously. The little bird digimon gently stroked Takara's right cheek with one of her small, pink wings and sent Agumon an accusing look, as if he were to blame for any injuries the female Digidestined might have suffered.

Takara laughed at the guilty look on Agumon's face and gave her mother's partner a quick squeeze. "I'm fine, Biyomon. Agumon helped me out a lot and so did all of the others. Dovemon's the one who needs to rest a little bit, not me."

"Dovemon, what happened? Are you okay?"

Takara's partner slowly lifted her head and beamed at Biyomon. "I am now, thanks to you guys. We were starting to think you might not make it."

"I know exactly how you feel. We're really sorry about the wait."

"Don't worry about it. You're here now. That's what matters."

"What about you, Dai? I hope you didn't get yourself into too much trouble while you were gone. Noriko would kill me if you did," Penguinmon said anxiously.

Dai crouched next to his mother's partner and gave the little rookie a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "In that case, I'd better not tell you or my mother what happened back at the castle."

"Why not?"

"Because, if she finds out, she'll likely kill me, too!"

"Hey, Whamon, thanks for bringing everyone back here. We really appreciate it," T.K. said softly.

Whamon bowed his large head in acknowledgement and let out a rather sheepish laugh. "You're welcome. Actually, if you want to know the truth, when I talked to you humans earlier, I'd almost forgotten I couldn't go on land with Agumon and the others, so when we reached the area where I thought Leomon and the others might be, I was forced to wait back at the shore for their return. It was a very dull day in my opinion, but I suppose that wasn't the case for you guys. I didn't really like having to send Agumon and the other rookies to look for Leomon by themselves, but I didn't exactly have a choice. Agumon and his friends promised me they would come back to the shore with Leomon and the others in tow so I could help them escape if that was necessary, and it looks like they've kept their promise. Well...sort of. I noticed a few of you were missing." Whamon sent Leomon, Agumon, and Gabumon a disapproving look, but for Benjamin he was full of praise. "Luckily Benjamin is well aware of my talents, and he put my ability to swim in the ocean to good use, even before Agumon had a chance to say anything about the promise he'd made to me..."

"I guess meeting up with Agumon's group in the forest wasn't exactly a stroke of good luck after all," Leomon laughed.

"Um...Whamon? I didn't bother telling Benjamin about the promise I made to you. I think, in a way, he already knew," Agumon said, looking a little embarrassed over the fact that, in a sense, he had broken part of the promise he'd made to the whale digimon.

Benjamin smiled and nodded in agreement. "I figured Whamon wanted us to meet up with him again. Besides, I knew he was the only chance we had of escaping from Vampiramon's army if she decided to attack us and, of course, I knew he was the only way we could safely transport Gennai back to the Eastern Hemisphere."

"Speaking of Vampiramon, how come she didn't follow you guys out of the forest? She must be aware of your successful attempt to escape by now," Ken said slowly.

A robed figure who looked exactly like Gennai and Benjamin frowned thoughtfully at the sky and shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I think when they realized we were trying to escape from the forest instead of making a run for the castle, they decided not to bother. They must have realized something wasn't right because none of them tried to follow us. Personally, I think it's because they realized something must have gone wrong at the castle and they were under the conclusion we had gone to meet up with the Digidestined again. I'm not sure why they would think that since I know for a fact none of them are aware of Benjamin's successful attempt to get inside the castle, but obviously they believe we must have found out somehow. I bet Vampiramon's master is very confused and very angry at the moment. Hello, Daichi. My name is Jackie, by the way, and these three are Jose, Ilya, and Hogan. We are the remainder of Gennai's counterparts. There are six of us in total, as I'm sure you're well aware of by now."

Dai nodded and smiled at Jackie. "That's for sure. It's nice to meet you, Jackie."

"You too, my friend."

"Wait a minute, how come Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon didn't follow you guys?" Tentomon asked, clearly confused.

Ryoko snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, that could have something to do with the fact that DarkAngelicmon was unconscious the last time we saw him, and Spritemon was trying to hide from Azulongmon's Digicore. We took out several of their flunkies who tried to follow us, but they weren't very much of a challenge."

"I'm not even going to ask," Candlemon muttered.

Whamon flipped his tail impatiently in the water and a fountain of water shot out of his blowhole. "Well, I am. I have no idea what's been going on with any of you guys! Would someone mind filling me in a little bit?"

Dai quickly told Jackie and the others what had happened in the castle, and Jackie, in turn, told him and the rest of his friends about what had happened in the forest. Gennai remained silent throughout the entire story, but at certain points of interest, a strange expression would cross his face, and a couple times he even smiled. His eyebrows rose on several occasions during both tales, but despite his many facial expressions, he did not offer an opinion on anything that was said.

Jackie finished his story with a deep sigh, and after a moment of silence, everyone started talking at once. Dai rolled his eyes at everyone's sudden desire to be heard, but his father was the one who could shout the loudest, and the others were forced to wait their turn. "Benjamin, why were you so concerned about Vampiramon's master getting his hands on your Digicore when Jackie and the others all have one as well? You gave yours to Gennai because you didn't want to bring it with you in case Vampiramon's master managed to find a way to steal it, but if he really wanted one, couldn't he have just taken Jackie's, or better yet, all four of the ones your counterparts are holding?"

Benjamin smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "You're right, Davis. That would be the most logical thing to do, but there's one little problem with your theory. Jackie and the others don't have their Digicores with them at the moment. They left them back on Server before coming to the Western Hemisphere, and that is where they remain. I am the only one who brought one with, and the only reason I did is because we thought we might need at least one to help you guys out."

"It certainly came in handy, I would say," Centarumon agreed.

"Well, Gennai, what do you have to say about all of this?" Andromon asked.

"I need some time to think before I can give you a decent explanation."

Gotsumon blinked at the robed figure, and plopping on the ground, he rested his chin in his hands. "Well, then what do we do now?"

"We get Gennai back to File Island. What do you think we're going to do?" Ogremon snorted.

Leomon frowned at the virus digimon and held up his hand for silence. "This is what we're going to do. Daichi, you and the humans had better leave through the gate, and the rest of us are going to head back to File Island on Whamon. That's what we agreed to earlier, and we're not going to start changing our plan now."

Daichi knelt next to Penguinmon and placed his hands on the little rookie's shoulders. "Listen, Penguinmon. Veemon, Patamon, Wormmon, and Palmon are going to come back with us to the human world, but if you don't mind, I'd like the rest of you to go with Leomon and the others. If you want to know the truth, right now Gennai needs your protection more than we do. You might run into some trouble along the way, and I don't want to take any chances. Would you do that for me?"

"But, Dai, I want to see Joe!" Gomamon complained.

"And I want to see Kari!" Gatomon added.

"What about Mina?" Candlemon asked.

"Yolei must be very anxious to see me," Hawkmon concluded.

"Izzy's lost without me, you know. He thinks better when I'm around," Tentomon insisted.

"Don't forget about Rosa!" Gotsumon piped up.

Dai groaned and glanced at Penguinmon, but instead of complaining, his mother's partner merely nodded and bowed his head. "I will see Noriko soon. Don't worry, Dai, we'll do as you ask."

"Cody will come as soon as he has a chance. Until then I'm quite content to have a nice, long nap," Armadillomon said mildly.

"So, it's settled then?" Leomon asked.

Agumon nodded and moved over to stand next to Gennai. "It's settled. We should get going."

"I agree," Gabumon added.

Neither Gabumon nor Agumon had insisted they be brought to the human world, and Dai could tell it was because the two of them knew they were needed in the Digital World at the moment. Both digimon were obviously anxious to see their partners again, but clearly they were willing to wait if it meant they had a chance to throw a wrench into DarkAngelicmon's carefully crafted plans.

"Oh, Sora, I'll see you soon. I promise," Biyomon whispered.

"Before you all go, there's something I need to tell you," Gennai said quietly, his sapphire eyes pausing on each of their faces before moving onto the next target. "You do want to know about the Spirit Chips, don't you? When you come back to the Digital World tomorrow, meet me at the gate by the edge of the forest on File Island. Izzy will know which one I mean. All of us will be there, Agumon and the others included, and like I promised earlier, I will explain what I know about the Spirit Chips to you and anything else you wish to hear about. The fate of the Digital World depends on it, I'm afraid."

Dai lifted Embermon into his arms, and smiling at Gennai, he nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, Gennai. We'll be there. Come on, guys, let's go home."

"See you, Andromon, and thank you for looking out for my sons and their partners. I'm glad we could see each other again," T.K. said softly.

Andromon placed a hand on T.K.'s shoulder and bowed his head. "It was an honour to be chosen to guard Celestimon and Halomon. I will protect your sons whenever I can. Please tell Kari I'm anxious to see her again."

"I will."

"We all will," Gabrielmon confirmed.

Dai turned to look at his father, and his dad smiled at him before turning to Leomon. "Thanks for looking after Embermon and my son. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

"Dad!" Dai felt his face heat up, and grumbling to himself, he quickly turned his back on his father. _I think he secretly enjoys embarrassing me all the time!_

"Same to you, Centarumon, and you as well, Whamon. Dovemon, Kara, Sam, and Glowmon are safe because of you two," Ken added.

All of them exchanged farewells, and as soon as Whamon had swum back out into the ocean again, Dai held out his Digivice and pointed it at the gate. "I hope Mom doesn't freak out on me this time, but I doubt I'm going to get that lucky. Let's go, guys. Digiport open!"

Dai held Embermon tightly in his arms, and he smiled at the dark sky twinkling with millions of tiny stars above him. With one last look at Whamon's retreating form, he closed his eyes and let the light from the portal suck him in and take him home again. It had been a long day, but despite the fact that he and his friends had managed to get the crests back, for some reason he still felt as if the battle was really only just beginning, and that made him feel even more determined to find the Spirit Chips...


	119. Friends Come Together

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This is another long chapter from me. There are going to be a few chapters in here where they talk about what happened, but it will move on to a conversation between Sora and Kara, and then to a very interesting conversation between Ryoko and Kara. From there it will go to the big Matt tells Ryoko everything chapter(s), and Mimi reveals the baby names! Oh, and the partners of all the original Digidestined will remain in their rookie forms in the real world (Gatomon in her champion form) because those were the forms they usually had in the show when they were in the human world. That's about it. Oh, and I won't have an update for this story next week because I'm putting up a Kingdom Hearts one-shot. It's been bugging me so I had to write it, but then I will be back!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 119: Friends Come Together

_Sora Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Tai, will you please hurry up and walk a little faster? We're really late, in case you didn't notice, and if we don't get moving, Noriko and Matt are going to start wondering where we are. I bet all of the others have already arrived by now, and if that's the case then-"

"So what if they have? Come on, Sora, you know Kara will understand. She always does, and besides, I bet she's not even back from the Digital World yet. How can she be angry at us when more than likely she doesn't even know what's going on here in the human world at the moment? I'm sure Izzy's got everything under control. If anything, we should be worrying about what kind of a mood Yolei's going to be in when we do finally make it to Davis' and Noriko's house. I'm sure she's going to have a few things to say about us being the last ones to show up!"

Sora Kamiya glanced over her right shoulder just in time to see her husband roll his dark brown eyes, and reaching out, she grabbed his hand and began to pull him along behind her. The two of them only lived a few minutes away from the younger Digidestined leader's house, and because of that they had decided to walk (or in her case run) the short distance in order to reach the Motomiya residence without cluttering the driveway.

_I wonder what Biyomon's doing right now. I hope she isn't getting herself into a lot of trouble, but knowing Daichi, she probably is. And what about my daughter? Wherever you are, Kara, I hope you're safe..._

According to Izzy, the Western Hemisphere was a big place, and the thought of her daughter wandering endlessly through a foreign landscape made her sick with fear. She had never been to the Western Hemisphere herself, and as a result, she could not help feeling a little bit nervous about what it might contain. Unknown territory could be dangerous, especially since Dai and the others weren't exactly sure where Gennai and the crests were hidden. _What if something bad has happened to them?_

"Sora, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make us late."

Sora turned slowly to look at her husband, and without a word, she gently kissed his lips and wrapped her arms around his waist. They held each other close for a moment, and after a minute or two of comfortable silence, she took his hand and gave his fingers a reassuring squeeze. "Tai, you don't have to apologize for anything. You just saved the life of a five year old boy only a couple of hours ago, and you gave his mother a shoulder to cry on when she needed someone to comfort her. How can I be mad at you for something like that? Your job as a firefighter has always made me a little uneasy because of the danger involved, but it's a times like this when I realize you couldn't have picked a better occupation. I'm so proud of you, and you know our kids think you have the most amazing job in the world. Taysuke loves listening to your stories about all the fires you've tackled, and Kara always gets that look of pride on her face whenever you've managed to save someone's life, whether it's an adult, a child, or even a cat. I guess that means you're right, after all. Our daughter will understand, but that doesn't give you an excuse to waste time making a snack when we're supposed to be supporting our daughter in her efforts to save the Digital World!"

"I was hungry! Putting out fires is tough work, you know! It requires a lot of energy, and I needed to eat something in order to get my strength back. Who knows what kinds of crazy theories Izzy's come up with by now? I can't handle all his scientific talk on an empty stomach, especially when I'm tired, like I am now!"

Sora smiled slightly and shook her head. Even though her husband had taken a bath only about twenty minutes ago, he still smelled a little bit like smoke from the house fire he had helped put out earlier that afternoon, and although it was hard to tell in the darkness surrounding them, she was pretty sure there was still some ash in his hair. "Come on, Tai, Noriko's probably left the door open for us. We should hurry before she gets upset."

The two of them ran down the street hand in hand like a couple of kids and came to a stop in front of the Motomiya residence. Sora pulled open the door, which Noriko had indeed left unlocked for them, and quickly motioned for Tai to follow her up the stairs. The first thing she heard was Yolei's angry voice floating down the corridor towards them, and smiling at her husband, she hurried into the small room Davis and Noriko used for an office. Yolei stood in front of Izzy with her hands on her hips, and there was an angry expression on the lavender-haired Digidestined's face. Izzy looked like he was ready to run out of the room at any moment, and Matt, who was leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face, was clearly trying hard not to laugh at the computer expert's expense. Sora glanced at her husband and raised her eyebrows, but Tai merely shrugged his shoulders and grinned at the scene playing out in front of them.

"Hey, Sora. I was wondering when you were going to show up. You're usually always on time for something as important as saving the Digital World. Let me guess, Tai's the reason you're late, right?"

Sora turned at the sound of Mina's voice and gave the younger female a warm smile. "You could say that. I hope we haven't missed anything important. "

"Well..."

"What's Yolei yelling about this time?" Tai asked curiously, gesturing in the lavender-haired Digidestined's direction.

Mina slowly stepped away from the wall where she had been standing next to the door and lightly ran her fingers through her long, dark hair. The corners of her mouth were turned up in a small smile, but despite the sparkle in her eyes, the look she sent Izzy was filled with sympathy. "I think I'll let my husband answer your question. You guys might want to sit down. A lot of things have happened over the past few hours and it's going to take a while to explain everything. I wouldn't worry about Kara, though, if I were you. As far as we know, she's perfectly safe, but I'm not so sure the same thing can be said for our digimon..."

_What is that supposed to mean? Has something happened to Biyomon?_

"Mom! Dad! What took you so long? I was beginning to think you guys weren't going to show up!" Taysuke cried, interrupting her thoughts.

Sora glanced at her son and nearly stumbled into the wall when Taysuke suddenly leaped to his feet and threw his arms around her waist. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, which was the same shade and colour as her own, and managed a regretful smile. "I'm sorry, Tay. We wanted to come earlier, but-"

"Where have you two been?" Yolei demanded, turning her back on Izzy and crossing her arms over her chest. Sora glanced over at her husband, but instead of answering, Tai just rolled his eyes and ruffled Taysuke's hair. Yolei glared at the former leader as if he were to blame for her lousy mood, which was probably at least partly true, even if he wasn't the one causing her grief at the moment, and tugged angrily on her long, lavender braid. "Well? I know it's your fault, Tai. Sora's never late unless you're the one holding her up!"

"Surprise, surprise, Yolei. For once I agree with you," Matt snorted.

Tai ignored his best friend and slipped his arm around Taysuke's shoulders. At first he didn't say anything, but after a brief moment of hesitation, he slowly lifted his head and gazed directly into Yolei's eyes. "There was a house fire not that far from Izzy's place, and a women was trapped inside, along with her five year old son. She was lying unconscious on the kitchen floor, and it took two of my fellow firefighters to get her out of there. The boy was upstairs. At first we thought there was only one person in the house, but I kept insisting we check upstairs to make sure no one ended up getting left behind, and it's a good thing I did. I found the boy hiding under his bed, which is probably what kept him from losing consciousness. The smoke was pretty thick by then, and we were having a hard time seeing exactly where we were going. At first I thought the kid might be too scared to move, but he never even shed a single tear. As soon as he realized I was there, he crawled right into my arms and asked me if I would take him to his mother."

"What did you say?" Taysuke asked, gazing at his father with a slightly awed expression on his face.

Tai grinned at his son's obvious enthusiasm and shrugged his shoulders. "I told him I would, and less than a minute later I was able to get him out of the house. His mother must have regained consciousness while I was still inside because she was awake when I got out of the house, and she spent forty-five minutes crying on my shoulder and telling me how grateful she was for my efforts to rescue her son. She also thanked the three firefighters who were with me at the time. Her husband was still at work when the blaze broke out, and not surprisingly he was a little upset when he did come home. We're still investigating the situation, but we think the fire must have started somewhere at the back of the house. The others let me leave a little early so I didn't have a chance to find out exactly what happened."

Sora nodded in agreement and smiled at Yolei. "That's why we're late."

"Dad, is the little boy okay?" Taysuke asked, tugging anxiously on his father's arm.

For some reason Tai made a point of avoiding Yolei's eyes and he gave his son's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "He's fine. He seemed a little bit shy, but I could tell he had a lot of courage for someone so young. In fact, he...he reminded me a little bit of Nao."

Yolei's eyes filled with sudden tears, and her face immediately softened into a warm smile. Before Tai could say anything, she pulled him into a quick hug and motioned for the former leader to take a seat on the floor. Sora sat down next to her husband, and Taysuke quickly sat down on her other side. The three of them smiled at each other, and a moment later they were joined by Nao and Rina. Tai lifted Rina into his arms, and she gave him a big smile. "I bet it feels really good helping other people out. You're lucky, Uncle Tai."

"So are your brothers, Rina. When you think about it, they're doing the exact same thing. The Digital World is where it all started for me, and I have Agumon and the others to thank for that."

"You'll tell me the whole story, won't you?" Taysuke interrupted. "I want to hear more about the house fire."

"I want to hear more about the little boy you helped," Nao said shyly, his small hand coming to rest on Tai's arm. "Was he really like me?"

Tai set Rina down on the floor beside him and gently slipped his arm around Nao's thin shoulders. "Yes, he was. I'd love to tell you guys the whole story right now, but we have other things to-"

"I hope you were being careful," Matt snapped, gazing suspiciously at his best friend.

Sora lowered her eyes to the floor and smiled softly to herself. She knew Matt had never been too thrilled about the occupation Tai had chosen to pursue for a living, and she could relate. The two of them were always worrying about the former Digidestined leader's safety, but so far he had managed to escape anything more serious than a few minor burns. That didn't stop her from worrying, though, and the same was true in Matt's case, but then again, that was what wives and best friends were for.

Tai glanced at the golden-haired Digidestined, who had taken a seat next to Mimi in the chair standing directly opposite from the former leader, and lifted his chin. "I'm always careful, Matt. Our adventures in the Digital World taught me a lot, and I use the experience I gained from fighting Myotismon and our other enemies everytime I'm sent to help out with some sort of disaster. I was born to save lives, just like Joe, only in a different way. This is what I was meant to do, and I'm good at it. You know that just as well as I do."

"Why do you think Sora and I never tried to stop you?"

Tai studied the golden-haired Digidestined's face for a moment, but Matt refused to look at him. "Thanks, Matt. I knew you would understand. Sora does too, just like you."

"Huh?" Matt looked up in surprise, but Tai ignored him and turned to Yolei instead. "Do you mind telling me why you were screaming your head off a few minutes ago?"

"I wasn't screaming! If you want to know what's going on so badly then why don't you ask Izzy? He's the one with all the answers around here, and none of them are very good, I might add!"

"Yolei, I'm not psychic, you know. How do you expect me to tell you exactly what's going on when I don't know any more than you do?" Izzy protested. "The computer can only tell us so much, and T.K.'s probably too busy to send us another e-mail at the moment. We have to be patient. I'm sure Daichi and the others will be able to answer your questions as soon as they get back to the human world."

"Izzy, you do realize our digimon are in danger, don't you?"

_Biyomon!_

Sora let out a gasp, and clutching Tai's hand, she gazed at Izzy in horror. "Izzy, what is Yolei talking about?"

"Well, I don't really know how to tell you this, but...most of our partners, minus Agumon, Palmon, Patamon, Wormmon, Veemon, and Gabumon, are stuck in a forest on Cyber with Vampiramon and a large army of evil digimon, but that's not the worst part. Vampiramon's master is also there, and there's no telling what kind of danger they could be in!"

"Now do you see why Yolei's so upset?" Mimi asked, smiling slightly.

Sora crossed her arms and frowned at her best friend. "Mimi, I hope you're not worrying too much about everything that's been going on lately. Stress isn't good for the baby, you know, but I shouldn't have to tell you that, or should I?"

Mimi laughed and rested her cheek against Matt's shoulder. "I'm not worried, Sora. Palmon and Gabumon are with Ryoko. They'll keep him safe, but I do wish we had more information about what's going on with Biyomon and the others."

"Let me do the worrying for both of us, Mimi," Matt said firmly.

Sora nodded in agreement and turned her attention back to Izzy. "Well, at least we have some idea of what's been going on with Biyomon and the rest of our digimon, but that still doesn't explain what Kara and her friends have been up to lately. Do you mind filling us in, Izzy?"

"If you and your husband had been here earlier, you would already know!" Rosa scolded.

"I think maybe you'd all better listen closely because some of you seemed to have missed a few things, including a couple of you who have been here since the very beginning," Izzy said dryly, glancing at Yolei. "I'm only going to explain this once more so you'd all better pay attention this time!"

The lavender-haired Digidestined glared at the computer expert, but Sora held up a hand for silence and motioned for Izzy to begin his story. The computer expert quickly told them about T.K.'s e-mails, and after a brief hesitation he proceeded to give them an explanation about the glowing dots shining faintly on the computer screen and the maps he'd been using earlier to track Daichi and the others. The conversation then turned to Gennai, the crests, and Daichi's successful attempt to gain access to the castle's most important rooms, and with a few helpful comments from Taniko, Izzy finished his tale with the news that Daichi and the others had made their way out of the castle and were currently on their way back home. He also told them everything he knew about Jackie's group in the forest, and as soon as he had stopped talking, there was a long, thoughtful silence.

"Well, at least Gennai and the crests are safe," Jun finally muttered, her words shattering the tense atmosphere.

Joe glanced at his wife and slowly shook his head. "But...how do we know that for sure? We can tell Dai and the others made it out of the castle because of the dots on the screen, but who says Gennai went with them? The crests obviously did because their signals have merged with the dots representing Daichi and the others, but we can't be sure about Gennai. We know he was with them when T.K. sent his last e-mail, but that was before they made it out of the castle. Remember, T.K.'s last message about Ryoko and the others being safe came when they were fleeing from the dungeons. Anything could have happened since then."

"I have a question," Kenzo said slowly, his dark eyes narrowing into a frown. "Why haven't Dai and the others come back through the gate yet? Look at the screen. They've obviously arrived at their destination, but instead of coming back to the human world, they've just been standing near the gate doing...well...nothing."

Cody studied the screen for a moment and placed a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "You're right, Kenzo. They've been standing there for a long time, and so far they haven't even tried to make it back through the gate yet. Something must be up."

"Izzy, shouldn't you be e-mailing them or something?" Yolei shouted, glancing fearfully at the screen.

"That's what I wanted to do earlier, but you kept interrupting me and I never got a chance to finish my message. I wonder why T.K. didn't send me another e-mail after he and the others made it out of the castle. It would have been nice if he had."

"Who cares why? You'd better finish your message and tell them to get back here immediately!"

"Hey, Izzy, do you think maybe they're waiting for someone?" Kari asked hesitantly.

Sora stared at her sister-in-law in surprise and was about to say something when the computer screen suddenly lit up and a flash of bright light caught her attention. A moment later, Daichi and the others tumbled through the gate, and before she could fully grasp what was happening, Ryoko suddenly fell into her lap and smacked his forehead painfully against her shoulder. "Ryoko! You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"No, but I'm getting really tired of being knocked around all the time! Um...sorry about flattening you, Aunt Sora. I'd almost forgotten how rough going through the gates can be."

Sora smiled at the embarrassed look on Ryoko's face and gently smoothed back his silky, golden hair. Although she had never admitted it to her best friend's son, she loved it when he would call her Aunt Sora. It always made her feel so close to Mimi and Matt, and she knew Tai felt the same way when Ryoko would call him Uncle Tai. "Don't worry about it, honey. I'm just glad you're safe."

Ryoko smiled at her, but instead of saying something, he merely wrapped his arms around her neck in a warm hug and rested his cheek against her shoulder.

"Hey, Uncle Tai! You did make it after all!" Matty said cheerfully, beaming at the former Digidestined leader. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you smell a little bit like smoke. Were you putting out another fire today?"

Tai raised his eyebrows and smiled in amusement. The younger twin had fallen unceremoniously into his uncle's lap, but judging by the happy look on the golden-haired Digidestined's face, he hadn't injured himself in the process. "Yes, I was, and you do realize you're crushing Goldmon, don't you?"

Matty quickly scrambled to his feet and grinned sheepishly at the little in-training digimon groaning beneath him. "Oh! Sorry, Goldmon."

"Ouch, you crushed my ears!"

"At least he didn't crack his head on your chin!" Matt groaned, shaking his head and blinking rapidly to clear his vision.

Sora glanced across the room at the former musician and smiled in spite of her efforts to keep a straight face. Somehow Mickey had fallen into Matt's arms and banged the top of his head against the bottom of his uncle's chin. Both of them were wincing at the painful contact, and Mickey looked a little bit confused, as if he couldn't quite figure out exactly where he was.

"Hey! Careful, Ishida, that's my nephew you're manhandling over there!" Tai joked.

Matt sent the former Digidestined leader an impatient look and gently ran his fingers over the small lump forming just beneath Mickey's hairline. "Are you okay, Mickey?"

Mickey blushed furiously and managed a weak nod. "I'm fine, Uncle. I...I'm sorry."

"For what? It was an accident."

Mickey bit his lip and tried to scramble out of his uncle's arms, but Matt seated the older twin firmly in the chair beside him and frowned at his nephew. Even Mimi, who sat on Matt's other side, was staring at Mickey in surprise.

_It's funny, but Mickey always acts more shy around Matt than he does around Tai. I guess that's understandable, though. Compared to Tai, Matt's not exactly an easy person to get to know. It's not that Mickey doesn't like Matt. Quite the opposite, actually. It's obvious he loves both of his uncles very much. He's just a little more hesitant to display his affections with Matt than he is with Tai, which is more than likely due to the fact that Tai has a very outgoing personality. Still, I wonder if Matt has ever noticed before..._

As strange as it seemed, Mickey's attitude around Matt was completely different when Matty or one of the others was with him. Although he still acted a little shy, for some reason he was a lot more adventurous with his feelings if one of the others was with him, especially Matty. It was only when he had to deal with Matt alone that his shyness became painfully obvious.

_I wonder if it's because he doesn't want to look bad next to Matty and the rest of his friends. _

Unlike Mickey, Matty was never shy around Matt. In fact, the two of them got along quite well, and she was pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that Matty was a lot like T.K. and Tai, and Mickey, although much like his mother, really had a personality all his own. He was a little bit like all of his family members, including his dad and uncles, only...not quite, and that was what made him so unique. He also liked to speak in riddles. Matty, on the other hand, was always very straightforward and blunt. That was probably the biggest difference between the twins, and although they looked a lot like their parents, they also looked quite a bit like both of their uncles, as well, but more importantly, they each carried a little of their uncles' personalities too.

"Dai, I hope you were being careful. In my opinion, you should be resting and giving your injuries a little more time to heal, but obviously you're not going to listen to me. Your bruises haven't completely faded yet, and don't try to tell me they have because I just saw them yesterday!" Joe scolded, frowning at his nephew.

Unfortunately for Dai, he had ended up stumbling into his uncle's arms, and with a sigh, he allowed Joe to lift up his shirt and inspect the bruises on his chest. "I'm fine, Uncle. I don't need to rest! We kind of have a lot to talk about, you know."

"Do we ever," Sam mumbled. The raven-haired Digidestined had staggered into Noah's lap, and the look the older boy sent him was filled with concern. Sam pretended not to notice and turned to his father instead. "Dad, be careful! You're crushing Mom!"

"I'm fine, Sam. I should be the one worrying about you, not the other way around," Yolei sniffed, sitting up and shoving her husband to the side. She spotted Minomon sitting on Ken's head and let out a shriek. "Minomon, you're here! It's so good to see you again! How's Hawkmon doing?"

"He's doing great! Actually, he wanted to come with too, but Dai instructed him to stay behind in order to help Gennai."

Yolei pulled Minomon into her arms and gave him a quick squeeze. "That's okay. I'm sure I'll see him soon."

"I have no doubt about that," Ken muttered, kissing his wife's cheek.

"Hey, Aunt Kari, I thought we'd never get back home!" Takara sighed.

Kari had managed to catch her niece before the female Digidestined had ended up falling on her face, and the two of them smiled at each other. "I was starting to feel the same way, Kara. T.K.! You should be careful where you fall, honey!"

T.K. quickly helped Taysuke into a sitting position and gave his nephew an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Tay."

"T.K. didn't mean to flatten you!" Patamon said cheerfully.

Taysuke looked up and beamed at the little rookie sitting on top of T.K.'s head. "You must be my uncle's partner. It's nice to meet you, Patamon!"

"Same here. You must be Taysuke. Dai and the others told us all about you and your friends."

"That's right. It's good to see you again, Patamon," Kari laughed, smiling at the little rookie. "I can't wait to see Gatomon again."

"She misses you, you know."

"I miss her, too."

"Good to see you back, DemiVeemon," Ami said softly, pulling the little digimon into her arms.

Davis quickly climbed off of Cody, ignoring the younger man's exasperated look, and grinned at everyone. "It feels great to be back, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm definitely in need of some food. Hey, Mimi, look who we brought back with us!"

"Huh?" Mimi turned to look where Davis was pointing and let out a gasp when she spotted Palmon sprawled in Ema's lap. "Palmon?"

"Mimi!"

The two of them stared at each other for a moment and promptly burst into tears.

"Mimi, I've missed you so much!" Palmon cried, leaping into her partner's arms and throwing her roots around the rosy-haired Digidestined's neck. "I thought for sure this time I wasn't going to see you ever again. It's been so long..."

"I know, but we're together now, and that's all that matters."

"Um...Mimi? I think I've just tangled my roots in your hair again!"

Mimi started to laugh, and she hugged Palmon tightly against her chest. "Are we going to go through this everytime we meet up with each other after being separated for a long time?"

"Looks like it. Oh! Mimi, Ryoko told me you're having another baby. I'm so happy for you!"

Mimi gently untangled her hair from Palmon's roots and gave her partner a brilliant smile. "Thank you, Palmon. I'm glad you're just as excited as I am. You helped keep Ryoko safe, didn't you? I knew you would. It's just like I said before. I've always been able to count on you, and that's one thing I know is never going to change."

Palmon smiled at her and turned to gaze at Matt. "Hey, Matt. Gabumon kept Ryoko safe, too. He wants to see you again, but Dai asked him to stay behind with Benjamin and the others."

Matt nodded slowly and lowered his eyes to the ground. "Gabumon..."

"Leomon and the rest of our friends went to File Island, as well," Iramon explained, hopping onto Matt's knee and making a face. "We couldn't let Gennai go back to the Eastern Hemisphere by himself, not with the way he likes to get himself into trouble all the time. If you ask me, he's as bad as Dai in that sense."

"Hey! Thanks a lot, Iramon!"

"Dai can stay out of trouble when he wants to," DemiEmbermon said loyally.

Matt ignored the arguing trio, and Sora smiled when she realized the golden-haired Digidestined's attention had shifted from Gabumon to his son. "You're back, and thankfully in one piece, despite the fact that you probably spent the entire afternoon ignoring all my warnings about how dangerous the Digital World can be. Tell me, Ryoko, why do I feel like I should be getting you into trouble for something?"

Ryoko smiled innocently at his father and shrugged. "I'm not the one you should be getting into trouble, Dad. Unlike _some _people, I kept myself out of danger as much as possible."

For some reason Mickey's face turned bright pink, but Matt didn't appear to notice. Sora did, though, and she frowned thoughtfully at the older twin. _Mickey seems a little embarrassed about something. I wonder what he's not telling us..._

"That doesn't mean you didn't find a way to disobey me," Matt said dryly, eyeing his son.

Sora gently let go of Ryoko, and the golden-haired Digidestined slowly headed over to his parents. He smiled briefly at his father, and turning to his mother, he wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug and rested his cheek against the top of her head. "I told you I wouldn't break my promise. I brought Palmon back, just like I said I would."

Mimi hugged her son tightly, taking extra care not to crush Palmon, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. There were tears in her eyes, but the smile on her face was filled with happiness, and the look in her eyes clearly stated she was proud of Ryoko's efforts to help her. Obviously she loved her son very much, and Sora knew her best friend would always be proud of Ryoko, no matter what he did.

"Thank you, Ryoko. I can't even tell you how grateful I am for everything you've done for me."

Ryoko held his mother close, and a small smile slipped across his face. "Don't worry about it, Mom. You would have done the same for me."

"I'm glad you're here, Palmon, but I think we'd better get to what's really important," Matt mumbled, looking a little embarrassed over the way everyone kept grinning at Mimi and Ryoko. "Davis, why don't you and Dai tell us exactly what happened in the Digital World this afternoon."

Daichi glanced at his father and took a deep breath. "Well, you see...things were going great until we met up with this digimon named Luciamon..."


	120. Black and White

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter! It's a little shorter than a few of my last ones, but there's a lot to it, and poor Matty gets left in the dark!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 120: Black and White

_Kari Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Kari Takaishi listened to Daichi's story in shocked silence, and as soon as the goggle-headed leader stopped talking, the quiet atmosphere of the room erupted into utter chaos.

"Ken Ichijouji! I knew you and the others had gotten yourselves into a couple of tight situations, but I didn't realize things had ended up getting so out of hand. If I had known sneaking into Vampiramon's castle was going to be so dangerous beforehand, I would have demanded Izzy let me come with in order to keep you out of trouble!" Yolei shouted, crossing her arms and glaring at her husband. "Honestly, Ken, you're worse than Sam, and he wasn't exactly doing a good job of keeping himself out of danger either. If you ask me, I'd say you're lucky Spritemon didn't end up killing both you and our son! What were you thinking running after Wormmon like that? I know you wanted to save your partner, and I probably would have done the same thing, but still..."

Ken cuddled Minomon tightly against his chest and gave his wife a rather weak smile. "I'm really sorry, Yolei. I know you're angry, but I couldn't just stand there and watch Spritemon hurt my partner. The only thing I regret is putting Sam in danger. He could have died because of me..."

"Dad, you _would _have died if Glowmon hadn't digivolved," Sam said quietly.

Ken studied his son's face for a long moment, and smiling slightly, he motioned for the raven-haired Digidestined to join him. Sam, who had been trying unsuccessfully to hide behind Noah in order to avoid his mother's wrath, hesitated and slowly began to move closer to his parents. Yolei frowned at her son, but a gentle push from Noah sent the raven-haired Digidestined tumbling directly into his mother's arms, and the two of them smiled at each other. Sam's smile looked a little weak, but Yolei didn't appear to notice. "Sam, I'm so proud of you. I thought your dad would be the one looking out for you, not the other way around!"

"Sam and I would never let anything happen to Ken," Glimmermon said cheerfully.

Yolei nodded in agreement and stroked the little digimon's head. "Thank you for everything, Glimmermon. I knew you would digivolve soon. Dracomon's a great champion, just like Stingmon. Sam must be very happy for you, and I know you're happy for him, too."

"That's right. Sam and I make a great team!"

"You're the best digimon partner ever," Sam whispered, holding Glimmermon close.

"Dracomon sounds so cool!" Miya squealed, beaming at her brother. "Way to go, Sam, you and Glimmermon are awesome!"

"What about me?" Minomon asked hopefully.

Nao quickly scrambled over to his father's side and shyly wrapped his arms around Minomon in a tight hug. The little in-training digimon beamed at Nao and happily rubbed his cheek against the raven-haired boy's chest. "Hello, Nao. It's nice to meet you. Sam told me all about you, and Miya, too."

"Really?" Miya asked, looking a little bit surprised.

Minomon nodded solemnly and cuddled himself against Sam's stomach. "I haven't seen you since you were a tiny little baby. You sure have grown since then!"

"That's right. I almost forgot. Dai told us you and the others had met Noah and I when we were babies. You met me a couple of months before the gates to the Digital World closed, right?"

"That's right."

"How weird is that? I can't believe I actually knew you before Sam and the others went to the Digital World, even if I was too young to realize it at the time."

"JewelBeemon's amazing. You're really lucky, Dad," Sam mumbled.

"You're lucky, too, Sam," Nao said shyly. "Both Dracomon and JewelBeemon sound like really great digimon."

Sam laughed and gently ruffled his little brother's lavender hair. "Thanks, Nao."

"I'm glad you all like me!" Minomon said, beaming at his partner's children. "I like all of you, too."

"As if we could ever not like you, or Glimmermon," Miya snorted.

Yolei turned slowly to look at her husband, and a warm smile slipped across her face. "I was wondering when you were finally going to use the power of your crest. I knew you would eventually. I've always believed in you, Ken, even if it didn't seem like it sometimes when we were younger. After your Crest of Kindness appeared, I had my doubts, but deep inside my heart, I think I knew all along you would find your way."

Ken leaned over Sam's smaller body and gave Yolei a quick kiss on the cheek. "I know. Thank you."

"I'm glad you were able to get your crest to work, Ken. I've always wondered what Stingmon would look like as an ultimate," Davis said thoughtfully. "Not that I mind DNA digivolving with you or anything. You know that's one of the best things that's ever happened to me, but the fact that Wormmon basically has two ultimate forms now shows just how much you've learned to believe in yourself over the last twenty-five years. You're lucky, Ken. I've been waiting a long time to see your crest in action."

Ken blinked in surprise and glanced self-consciously at his feet. "Thanks, Davis. I...I'm glad you're happy for me. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about what you might think..."

Davis raised his eyebrows and moved over to sit next to his best friend. "Ken, don't tell me you were actually afraid I was going to be upset about Wormmon digivolving into JewelBeemon."

"Well..."

"It doesn't matter how many forms Wormmon has or how he reaches them. You'll always be my DNA partner, even if we never get to DNA digivolve ever again."

Ken slowly looked up and smiled at his best friend. "I should have known you were going to say that. I wonder if we will get to DNA digivolve again."

"Only time will tell. Until then, you have your crest and we have JewelBeemon."

"That's right. DemiVeemon and I will always be friends, no matter what," Minomon said cheerfully.

DemiVeemon nodded in agreement and beamed at Minomon. "I couldn't have said it better myself. The two of us make an awesome team!"

"I wish I could have seen JewelBeemon," Tai complained. "Better luck next time, I guess. Welcome to the club, Ken. Doesn't it feel great to have a crest that actually works?"

"Tai!" Sora scolded.

"I'm just kidding, Sora. You know I don't mean it like that."

Ken smiled hesitantly at the former leader and shrugged his shoulders. "It does feel kind of nice."

"And as an added bonus, you get to be one of us now," Matt smirked. "That makes nine working crests instead of just eight."

"We really are proud of you, Ken. You know that, don't you?" T.K. asked quietly. "And not just you. We're proud of Minomon, too."

Kari smiled at her husband and turned to look at Minomon. "You were great, Minomon. You helped Ken and Sam. The same goes for you, Glimmermon. Dracomon's every bit as wonderful as JewelBeemon."

Both digimon gazed shyly at her and nodded.

"Thanks, Kari," Glimmermon said softly.

Ken's whole face had turned pink during the exchange, but somehow he managed to smile at T.K. and proceeded to gaze nervously at his hands.

"Dad, what did Davis mean when he said Wormmon's new digivolution is a sign of how much you've learned to believe in yourself over the years, and why do I have a feeling you're hiding something from me?" Sam asked bluntly, interrupting the conversation before his father or anyone else could change the subject.

Kari stared at the raven-haired Digidestined, and Kari winced at the sudden fear in Ken's deep blue eyes. _Poor Ken. I wish there was something we could do for him, but I don't think anything we say is going to make the slightest bit of difference. Sam obviously hasn't given up on his efforts to learn more about the Emperor, and I don't think we can stop him from finding out the truth much longer. Every day he becomes more and more aggressive about Ken's past, and he's more insistent than ever to learn the truth behind his dad's riddles. Clearly he doesn't like the fact that a part of his father's past remains a mystery to him, and if Ken doesn't tell him about the Emperor soon, I'm afraid someone else will. One way or another, Sam will find out the truth. The question now is when that moment's finally going to arrive..._

"Dad..."

"Sam, we have other things to talk about right now," Ken mumbled, avoiding his son's eyes.

Sam immediately snapped his mouth shut, but the intense look on his face betrayed his silence. Obviously he was determined to find out the truth, and that unfortunately was going to cause a lot of problems.

_I'm sorry, Ken, but your conversation with Sam is far from being over..._

"Ken's right. We do have other things to talk about," T.K. said seriously, turning to look at Mickey. "Why don't we start with you, Mickey? I think you have a little bit of explaining to do, and I'm sure your mother feels the same way, even if you don't!"

Kari gazed quietly at her slightly older son, but Mickey refused to meet her eyes. Instead, the older twin gazed miserably at his feet and held Palelymon tightly in his arms.

"Mickey, I can't believe you put your life on the line like that! That's the sort of thing I would have expected from Matty, not you!" Matt snapped, frowning at his nephew.

The former musician was obviously more concerned than angry, but Mickey wilted under his uncle's gaze nonetheless and buried his face in Palelymon's fluffy ears. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put myself in danger, but I made a promise..."

"Don't apologize to me, Mickey. Apologize to your mother!"

"What he means to say, Mickey, is he's glad you're safe, and he was really worried about you. He hopes you'll be more careful in the future," Ryoko snorted, rolling his eyes.

Matt's face turned a deep shade of red, but he didn't deny his son's words. Instead, he ignored Ryoko and continued to gaze at Mickey with a frown on his face.

Kari smiled sadly to herself and held out her arms. "Mickey, why don't you come here and explain to me why you felt it was so necessary to put your life in danger."

Mickey hesitated, but a quick hug and a warm smile from his Aunt Mimi got him moving, and as soon as he was within touching distance, Kari pulled the older twin into her arms and hugged him tightly against her chest. "Mickey, you were the one who always caused me the least amount of trouble, but maybe I was only kidding myself because I was hoping your good behaviour would rub off on Matty and teach him to be more responsible, but now I'm starting to wonder if it might be the other way around."

"Mickey, you did inherit some of my personality after all!" Tai said, beaming proudly at his nephew.

"No wonder he's starting to act like a crazy person!" Matt complained. "Look what you've done, Tai! You're turning my nephews into juvenile delinquents!"

Tai chose to ignore that comment and proceeded to whisper something in Matty's ear. The younger twin suddenly burst into laughter, and both Matt and Mickey glanced suspiciously at the snickering duo before turning away again.

Kari buried her face in Mickey's silky, golden hair and gently rubbed his back in a soothing gesture. "Why, Mickey? Why did you do it?"

"Mom, Luciamon asked me to help DarkAngelicmon. I promised her I would, and I...I can't break my promise. He needs us, even if he doesn't know it yet, and I'm not going to give up on him!"

"Why not?"

Mickey slowly looked up at her and managed a shy smile. "I know this might sound a little strange, but...I don't believe he's really evil. He might have let himself become corrupted by the Powers of Darkness, but there's still hope for him. Luciamon made it sound as if he wasn't always a bad digimon, and she would know. She was one of his best friends, and he cared about her a lot. I know we can save him, and I won't give up until we do."

Kari glanced quickly at the others and smiled slightly when she realized none of them were paying the slightest bit of attention to her and Mickey. Tai and Matt had gotten into one of their usual arguments over their twin nephews, and that gave her the perfect opportunity to find out what was going on with her son without any other interruptions. "Mickey, how can you be so sure?"

Mickey frowned thoughtfully at Palelymon and shrugged his shoulders. "It's just this feeling I have. I'm not really sure how to explain it, but there's something about the emotion in his eyes whenever he looks at me or Matty that makes me think there's more to him than meets the eye. He doesn't hate us, Mom, not like Vampiramon or Spritemon. In fact, I think he enjoys interacting with humans, especially when it comes to Matty, and I guess you could say me, too, but that could have something to do with Angelicmon and Gabrielmon. He genuinely seems curious about humans, and I think he wants to learn as much as he can about us, especially when it comes to the human heart."

"Which isn't so different from the heart of a digimon."

Mickey nodded in agreement and gently stroked Palelymon's ears. "I know, but I think that's something he has yet to figure out."

"Maybe, but that still doesn't explain why you risked your life to steal one of his feathers."

Mickey blushed and quickly hid his face against her shoulder. "Dad gave me Angemon's feather as a symbol of hope, but I wanted one from DarkAngelicmon, too, because it means the same thing. Every time I look at it, it reminds me never to give up on myself, or on DarkAngelicmon. It helps keep me focused on what I have to do, and I know it'll give me motivation to do my best no matter how hard things get. I won't give up on DarkAngelicmon. I won't!"

Kari closed her eyes and rested her cheek against Mickey's forehead. She felt him snuggle closer to her, and a small smile slipped across her lips. "Mickey, before you were acting as if you hated DarkAngelicmon, and you were clearly angry at him for trying to hurt Matty. Do you still feel the same way now?"

"No, Mom, I don't hate him. I don't think I ever really did. I was angry at the way he kept trying to come after Matty, but I think I understand him a little bit better now, and I hope one day he'll come to understand me, too."

Kari slowly opened her eyes and smiled at her son. "May I see these feathers you've been hanging onto for safekeeping?"

"Of course."

Mickey shyly placed both feathers in her hands, and she held them up to the light. One black and one white. They were complete opposites of each other, and yet they still symbolized the same thing. Hope.

Kari turned to gaze at her husband and felt her throat close up. _Thank you, T.K. Thank you for finding a way to get our son to believe in himself again..._

"Are you going to ground me now?" Mickey asked hesitantly.

Kari slowly ran her fingers over DarkAngelicmon's black feather and frowned thoughtfully at its shadowy surface. _It doesn't feel evil..._

"Mom?"

Kari gave her son a reassuring smile and quickly shook her head. "No, Mickey, I'm not going to ground you. I probably would have done the same thing if I were you. Besides, I think you've learned your lesson. Try to stay safe from now on, okay?"

"I will. Um...would you really have done the same thing?"

"Yes, and more than likely Tai would have had a huge fit over it so I can't really blame Gabrielmon and the others for giving you a hard time. Like I said before, Mickey, I'm not going to ground you, but only on one condition."

"What's that?"

Kari kissed her son's smooth cheek and placed her lips close to his ear. "You have to promise me you won't give up on DarkAngelicmon, no matter what."

Mickey beamed at her and wrapped his arms tightly around her neck. "I won't. I promise."

_Poor Luciamon. She gave up her life to help us, and it cost her everything. If only things could have ended differently..._

"Mom, what are you thinking about?"

Kari handed the feathers back to her son and let out a deep sigh. "I wish I could have met Luciamon. She sounds like she would have made a great friend. I'm glad she wasn't evil after all."

"She would have liked you, Mom. I know it," Mickey said quietly. "I think the two of you would have ended up becoming really close."

_If only. She gave up her life to help my sons. How can I ever repay her for that?_

"She'll be back, Mom. You'll see."

_Yes, she will, just like Patamon, Wormmon, and so many others..._

"What are you two talking about?" Ema asked.

Kari looked up and blinked in surprise when she realized everyone was watching her. She felt Mickey grow tense in her arms, and glancing down, she gave her son a curious look. "What's wrong, Mickey?"

Mickey leaned close to her and buried his face in her hair. "Mom, will you please keep our conversation a secret from my friends? Especially Matty. You can tell Dad and the other adults, if you want, but I would prefer if Dai, Ema, and the others were kept in the dark about what's going on with me at the moment. I don't think Matty really understands how I feel yet, and I want him to see the good in DarkAngelicmon without help from anyone else. It's important that he does, otherwise he'll never be able to help me save the fallen angel."

Kari sighed and held her son close. "Okay, but what if Matty doesn't figure it out?"

"He will. I know he will."

"Hey, Kari, aren't you going to tell us what's going on?" Ema complained. "Why does everyone ignore me all the time?"

"Do we really need to answer that?" Noah snorted.

Kari motioned for T.K. to join her, and without a word, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "T.K., I think we've all been hard enough on Mickey for one day. I really don't think it's fair to get him into trouble for doing what he believes is right."

T.K. studied her face for a moment and nodded slowly. "If you say so. You'll tell me everything, won't you?"

"Of course she will," Mickey mumbled, earning himself a fierce hug from his father.

Matty glared at the three of them and crossed his arms over his chest. "Wait a minute, are you telling me Mickey's not going to get into trouble? But...but, I would have gotten into trouble if I had done the same thing!"

Kari gazed directly into Matty's amber eyes and shook her head. "No, you wouldn't have."

Matty slowly came towards them and poked Mickey in the chest. "You're hiding something from me again, aren't you. Fine, be that way, but you know what, Mickey? You always think with your heart and forget to use your brain sometimes. You're like Dai in that sense, but I suppose I'll forgive you. This time."

"Hey, don't bring me into this!" Dai muttered, glaring at Matty.

Mickey laughed and slipped his arm around Matty's shoulders. "I might think with my heart sometimes, but so do you, Matty."

"Make that all the time, but at least I stay a little more level-headed than you do!"

"No you don't!" Rina giggled, leaping up and scrambling into her father's arms. She pulled Patamon off of T.K.'s head and gave the little rookie a tight squeeze. "You're so cool, Patamon! Daddy must be very proud to have you for a digimon."

"I'm proud to have T.K. for a partner! I'm so glad I finally got a chance to meet you, Rina. You're a great human. I know Gatomon's really going to like you."

"I hope so. I can't wait to meet Mommy's partner."

"Hey, aren't we going to talk about the crests?" Ami interrupted.

"What about them?" Kenzo asked curiously.

Ami ignored the dark-haired boy and turned to look at her brother. "Dai, did you guys really bring the crests back with you?"

"Of course we did! Are you trying to call me a liar or something?"

Kari glanced at her sons and felt her heart leap into her throat. "My crest..."

"That's right," Matty said softly.

Mickey slowly lifted his hands and grabbed onto the chain circling his neck, which she had not noticed before. He pulled it over his head and held the object out to her in the palm of his hand. She glanced at it and let out a gasp. Glimmering faintly in Mickey's grasp was something she had never thought she would ever see again. The Crest of Light.


	121. Destiny at Work

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm posting pretty early this time! Actually, I'm hoping to post a chapter for another story this week so we'll see if I can do two stories in one week!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 121: Destiny at Work

_Kari Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Here you go, Mom. Your crest is really pretty," Mickey said, avoiding her eyes.

Matty smiled at his twin's obvious embarrassment and beamed at the Crest of Light. "Mickey took real good care of it while we were trying to escape from DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon."

"Matty wanted Mickey to hold onto it because unlike Mickey, he has a really bad habit of losing things all the time," T.K. laughed. "Isn't that right, Matty?"

"Well, yes, but you're not supposed to tell everyone that!"

"Like we don't already know!" Taysuke snorted.

Kari barely heard her nephew. It had been a long time since she had seen her crest, and although she had known about its sudden reappearance ahead of time, the sight of it glimmering in Mickey's hand made her throat close up. She knew it was only a symbol of what was already inside of her, but even so, its shiny surface had always been a source of comfort whenever the darkness had tried to close in around her. Her crest had always been a beacon of light to guide her and the others through the shadows, and now that it had finally come back to her, she knew it would give her even more strength to not only believe in herself, but in her sons as well.

_I still can't believe this is really happening. How could our crests have come back after we gave them up to create a protective barrier over the Digital World?_

"Here, Mom, take it," Mickey mumbled, his face turning bright red.

Kari reached out a trembling hand and wrapped her fingers around the Crest of Light in a tight grip. She held the small object close to her heart and smiled at her sons. "Thank you, both of you."

"It feels great, doesn't it?" T.K. laughed, holding up his own crest and admiring its shiny surface. He handed it to Rina, and the youngest member of the Takaishi family let out a squeal of delight. "What do you think, Rina? Mickey and Matty thought it was pretty cool."

Rina dangled the Crest of Hope in front of her face and nodded vigorously in agreement. "It's beautiful, Daddy. It looks like a star shooting right up into the sky! Mommy's looks kind of like a pretty flower, and it's pink! That's my favorite colour!"

Kari gave both of her sons a quick hug and dropped her crest into Rina's hand. "I'm glad you like it, sweetie."

"I do, Mommy, but I like all of the digimon even better!"

"What about the rest of the crests?" Tai asked curiously.

Daichi suddenly leaped to his feet and plopped down next to Takara's father with a big smile on his face. Tai raised his eyebrows and studied the goggle-headed leader's cheerful expression, but Dai pretended not to notice. Instead, the current Digidestined leader held out the Crest of Courage and beamed at Tai. "I took real good care of it, you know."

Tai laughed and gently ruffled the goggle-headed leader's dark hair before taking the crest in his hand. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from the new Digidestined leader. Thanks a lot, Dai."

"It's no big deal."

"The symbol on it looks sort of like an abstract image of the sun," Taysuke said slowly, reaching out and running his fingers lightly over the surface of his dad's crest. The small object suddenly began to glow bright orange, and Taysuke quickly pulled his hand away in surprise. "What...what was that all about?"

Tai gave his son a rather odd look, but instead of commenting on the strange behaviour of his crest, he merely smiled at Taysuke and gave his son a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry about it, Tay. I'm sure it was nothing."

"Really?" Taysuke glanced at his mother for confirmation, but Sora was too busy sending meaningful looks in Tai's direction to notice her son's need for reassurance.

"We're sure," Dai said cheerfully, but Kari did not fail to notice the look that passed between Takara and the current goggle-headed leader.

_My crest didn't react to Rina, and neither did T.K.'s, but that doesn't mean one or both of them might not eventually. I wonder if..._

"I think your crest is really amazing, Dad," Takara said, beaming at her father and leaning over to give him a big hug. She had joined her parents and brother earlier in order to sit with them, and the smile on her face was bright enough to light up the entire room.

"Where's Mom's crest?" Taysuke asked, eyeing his sister.

Takara suddenly scrambled into her mother's arms, and pulling out the Crest of Love, she slipped it around Sora's neck. "It's right here. Your crest is perfect for you, Mom. I don't think any other trait could have suited you better. The same goes for Dad."

"You know what, Kara? I think it really suits you, too."

"Huh?" Takara stared at her mother in surprise and turned slowly to look at Dai. Sora glanced at Dai, as well, and when Takara realized what her mother was looking at, her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. "Mom, I..."

Sora smiled at the look on her daughter's face and held up a hand for silence. "We'll talk later, sweetie."

"About what?" Tai asked, glancing suspiciously at his wife and daughter.

"Nothing important," Takara mumbled, avoiding her father's eyes. The female Digidestined sent her mother an anxious look and bit her lip, but Sora didn't appear to notice. Instead, the Child of Love turned to her son and reached out to stroke his carrot-coloured hair. "What do you think, Taysuke?"

Taysuke beamed at his mother and reached out to run his fingers over the Crest of Love's shiny surface. This time, though, he did not let his hand linger on the small object for too long. Obviously he was afraid his mother's crest might start acting really strange like his father's had earlier, and that was clearly something he wanted to avoid, at least for the moment anyway.

_If what I suspect is true, he won't feel that way for long. Maybe someday..._

"Kara's right. Your crest is perfect for you," Taysuke said softly.

Sora smiled at her son, and Taysuke beamed back at her. "Thanks, Tay. I've always tried my best to live up to my crest, so I'm glad you feel as if I've done a good job of representing myself and who I really am inside. You know, the most important part of having a crest is staying true to yourself."

"I bet it's the same with the Spirit Chips," Kara said thoughtfully.

"I bet you're right, Kara." Tai tugged gently on his daughter's ponytail and gave her a warm smile. Takara managed a shy smile in return and quickly hid her face against her mother's shoulder. Obviously the female Digidestined was a little nervous about something, especially when it came to telling her dad, but Sora's reassuring hug seemed to comfort her somewhat, and she managed another smile, though it was rather weak.

"Oh, that reminds me, here's your crest, Joe." Davis quickly handed over the Crest of Reliability, and Joe held it up to the light with a smile on his face.

Ema and Noah both crowded around their father in order to get a closer look at the object in his hand, and even Jun moved closer for a better look. She might not have been a Digidestined, but clearly Davis' sister was still very interested in her husband's crest and everything that had happned to him in the past.

"I still think it's completely unfair that Dai got to be a Digidestined and I didn't," Ema grumbled, making a face. "I want something cool like a Spirit Chip or a crest, too!"

Joe dropped his crest into Ema's hand and pulled his daughter close into a warm hug. "I'm sorry, Ema, but I can't say I'm too disappointed about you not being a Digidestined. At least that means I don't have to worry about you getting yourself into trouble all the time."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Dad. Ema might not be a Digidestined, but that doesn't mean she won't find other ways to get herself into trouble!" Noah muttered.

"Hey! Who asked you?"

Noah swiped the crest from his sister's hand, and ignoring Ema, he turned to smile at his father. "Reliability, huh? Well, you've always been a pretty reliable dad. You've never once disappointed either Ema or myself when we've depended on you for help in the past, and you're always there when we need someone to talk to. I guess that means Gennai and the others, along with that weird entity thing, knew what they were doing after all when they made the crests."

Joe blinked at his son in surprise, as if he couldn't quite believe a laid-back, easygoing sixteen year old boy he had miraculously helped create could possibly think so highly of him, and managed a faint smile. "Oh, I...thank you, Noah."

"Is something wrong, Dad?"

Joe scratched the bridge of his nose and straightened his glasses, but despite his nervous gesture, he appeared pleased by his son's sudden, unexpected praise. "Not at all. I just...I think, besides my friends, you, your sister, and your mother are the best things that have ever happened to me."

"Well, I could have told you that!" Ema snorted, kissing her dad's cheek. "Without us and your friends, you never would have learned to lighten up a little!"

"Ema!"

"She's right, you know," Jun interrupted, smiling at her husband. "From what Tai and the others have told me, you've changed a lot since you were a kid, but there's still a lot about you that has stayed the same, and I'm glad. You're the voice of reason in our crazy, out of control family. Where would we be without you?"

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Jun."

Jun smiled slyly at her husband and motioned for her son to hand over the Crest of Reliability. Noah quickly dropped it into his mother's palm, and Jun dangled the necklace in front of her husband's face. She smiled at the curious look in the blue-haired Digidestined's eyes and leaned over to give him a quick kiss. "I may be a little crazy sometimes, Joe, but I more than make up for it with my other good qualities. I might not have a crest, but anyone with enough brains can tell what my strongest quality is."

"And what would that be?" Davis demanded.

Jun crossed her arms and smirked at her brother. "Spirit, obviously. What did you think I was going to say? I might lack a little sense once in a while, but I make up for it in spirit. I don't need a crest to prove what all of you already know to be true!"

"That's for sure," Noah muttered, earning himself a rather mischievous smile from Miya.

Jun ignored her son and gently pressed the Crest of Reliability into her husband's hand. "You know what I love about you, Joe? You wear your heart on your sleeve without even realizing it, and your crest only makes it even more obvious."

"Oh...really?"

"Yes, Dad," Ema snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Definitely," Noah said firmly.

Joe wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders, and the two of them smiled at each other. Joe's cheek was resting against the top of Noah's head, but despite being a teenager and being in front of his friends, the dark-haired boy did not seem to mind his father's public display of affection in the slightest. It was an obvious sign of maturity, which was something Ema still had yet to learn. And in Kari's opinion, there were a lot of other kids out there the same age as Noah who were in the same boat as Ema. Unlike Ema, though, they didn't have the excuse of being young and would benefit from following in Noah's footsteps.

_I hope Mickey and Matty do, and judging from the way they've matured so far, I'd say the signs are looking pretty good, even for Matty. He might be my black sheep, but he's still my angel, and nothing's ever going to change that._

"Hey, Dad, aren't you going to let me see your crest?" Taniko asked, frowning impatiently at her father.

Izzy spun around in his chair and stared at everyone as if he couldn't quite remember where he was. The computer expert had just narrowly avoided getting flattened when Daichi and the others had come through the gate, and since then he had been tapping away on the keyboard and gazing thoughtfully at the screen, as if searching for the answer to a question he had not bothered to ask. "Oh! Sorry, Taniko. Of course you can. Uh...where exactly is my crest?"

"I have it," Sam said quietly. The raven-haired Digidestined squirmed out of his mother's arms and handed Izzy the Crest of Knowledge. The computer expert beamed at the necklace resting in the palm of his hand and held it out to Taniko. "Here you go."

Taniko wrapped her fingers around the Crest of Knowledge and smiled at her mother. "It fits Dad perfectly, doesn't it?"

Mina nodded in agreement and gave her husband's crest an admiring look. "Yes, it does, but it also fits you too, Taniko. You're a smart girl, and I don't mean just with computers."

"I think I have to agree with your mother on this one," Izzy said, beaming proudly at his daughter.

Taniko handed the Crest of Knowlege over to her mother and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, look who my parents are. It's no wonder I get a nice balance of everything!"

"Right," Ema smirked, making a face.

Taniko ignored her blue-haired friend and turned her attention to Ken. "Can we see the Crest of Kindness? If it helped bring JewelBeemon to life then it must be pretty cool!"

Ken held the Crest of Kindness out in the palm of his hand, and Yolei let out a happy sigh. "It looks exactly the same as it did twenty-five years ago, but this time you have a tag to go with it. Gennai and the others must have made you one after you gave it to them for safekeeping. It's so beautiful. I have to admit, it kind of makes me wish I had a crest."

"I wonder what mine would be if I had one," Miya said thoughtfully.

"The Crest of Craziness!" Sam joked.

Miya whacked the raven-haired Digidestined over the head with one of Ami's textbooks and wrapped her fingers tightly around the Crest of Kindness. She stared at it for a moment, and shaking her head in wonder, she handed it over to Nao.

The youngest member of the Ichijouji family cradled the crest gently in his hands and smiled shyly at its pale purple surface. "I like your crest, Daddy. Do you think maybe I can be as kind as you when I grow up?"

Ken pulled Nao into his arms and gently ruffled his son's thick, lavender hair. "Trust me, Nao, I don't think that's something you're going to have to worry about."

"Nao, you're already a lot like Dad, and that's definitely a good thing," Sam said quietly.

Ken stared at the raven-haired Digidestined in surprise, and a warm smile slipped across his face. He pulled all three of his children close and rested his head against Miya's raven hair. "Thank you. I hope all of you will always feel that way."

Sam frowned at his father, but instead of commenting on Ken's odd behaviour, he turned to Ryoko and raised his dark eyebrows. "Hey Ryoko, aren't you going to give your parents their crests?"

Ryoko muttered something under his breath and turned slowly to look at his parents.

"I knew you would take good care of them," Mimi said softly, smiling at her son.

Ryoko blushed and quickly dropped the Crest of Sincerity into his mother's hand. Mimi ran her fingers over its pale green surface and turned to smile at Palmon. "What do you think?"

"Well, I wish you could come to the Digital World with me because I'd love to fight Vampiramon and her gang of evil digimon as an ultimate or even a champion, but as long as your crest is safe from DarkAngelicmon, I guess I can't complain."

"Let's just hope DarkAngelicmon doesn't try to attack the real world otherwise Mimi might end up having to fight," Matt muttered.

"And if that happens I'll be here to protect her," Palmon said confidently.

Mimi gave her partner a quick hug, and reaching out, she gently placed her hand against Ryoko's cheek. "I wonder if the Spirit Chips will have their own special meanings. If they do, I think your Spirit Chip will be very special. I bet Gennai had a hard time choosing what it would represent, if they are in any way like the crests."

Ryoko impatiently brushed a few strands of golden hair out of his eyes and frowned in confusion. "Why do you think that?"

"Isn't it obvious? You have so many good qualities, I don't know how Gennai could possibly choose which one would best represent your strongest trait. You're so much like your father, but you have a lot of me in you, too, and that makes you very well rounded, just like Taniko."

"Mom!"

Mimi smiled at the embarrassed look on her son's face and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Both your father's crest and my crest suit you so well, but...looking at you now, I think I know which trait Gennai would have chosen, or at least a form of it."

"Huh?"

"Isn't it obvious? He would have picked the one you need the most right now."

Ryoko bit his lip and glanced cautiously over his shoulder. The golden-haired Digidestined's sapphire eyes came to rest on Daichi's face, and the two of them stared at each other in silence. Dai was clearly confused about what was going on, but Ryoko seemed to understand because the blond suddenly turned back towards his mother and nodded slowly. "I've never really thought about it before, but...I guess you're right."

Matt crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. He glanced first at his son, then at Mimi, and shook his head in amusement. "Mimi, you never cease to amaze me, you know that? Just when I think I finally understand you, you go and say something that throws me completely off guard."

"Well, at least I make life interesting!"

"Why do you think we've been married for seventeen years?" Matt smirked.

Mimi elbowed her husband in the ribs and crossed her arms over her chest. "Matt, aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

"Your crest," Ryoko mumbled, avoiding his father's eyes. The golden-haired Digidestined held out the Crest of Friendship and thrust it in his dad's direction.

Matt stared at the necklace dangling from his son's fingertips and smiled at its shiny blue surface. After a slight hesitation, Ryoko dropped the crest into his father's hand and lowered his eyes to the floor. "I...I think I understand, and I know Mom believes in me, but...I don't know if...if I can be like you..."

Matt smiled slightly and shrugged. "You won't know unless you try."

"But..."

"Ryoko, I used to find it hard to believe in anything when I was younger, but that all changed after I met my friends. You might not think you can get past the barriers, but that doesn't mean I feel the same way. Look, we'll talk about this later, okay?"

Ryoko glared at his father and crossed his arms, but despite the irritated look on his face, he wrapped his arms around his dad's neck and smiled at the Crest of Friendship. "You and Mom have great crests. There was no way I was going to let DarkAngelicmon steal them back from us."

Matt pulled his son even closer and squeezed the Crest of Friendship tightly in his hand. "I know. Thanks, Ryoko."

"We're proud of you, sweetie," Mimi said firmly, squeezing her son's hand.

_I think Ryoko might even be a little bit like me..._

Kari smiled fondly at her nephew and reluctantly turned her attention to Izzy. "Hey, Izzy, you've been pretty quiet lately. What do you think about everything that's happened?"

"Don't even get him started!" Davis groaned.

"He's not the only one who has a few things to say!" Noriko interrupted, glaring at her son.

Dai sent his mother a sheepish look, but before he could say anything, Izzy held up a hand for silence and pointed at the computer screen. "Actually, there are a few things I want to say, but most of all we have to plan for tomorrow."

Kari glanced at her sons and sighed. _Tomorrow. I wonder what tomorrow will bring..._


	122. Lucemon's Secrets

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, first thing's first, I was unfortunately very busy last week so I didn't get a chance to update anything, but now I am back with a new chapter! After this chapter, there will be two more and then we'll get to Ryoko's family and the big talk. Oh, and for those of you who are reading my Kingdom Hearts story, I plan on posting that at the end of this week. If not, it will hopefully be up Monday. Thanks everyone for your patience!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 122: Lucemon's Secrets

_Kari Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Wait, Izzy! Before you say anything, there's something I have to do!" Matty interrupted, waving his arms to get the computer expert's attention.

Izzy blinked in surprise and scratched his head. "Really? What's so important that it can't wait a few minutes?"

"This." Matty suddenly leaped to his feet and moved cautiously towards the computer in order to avoid stepping on anyone's toes. As soon as the younger twin reached Taniko's side, he threw his arms around her in a big hug and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Taniko's whole face turned bright red and she stared at Matty as if he had lost his mind. "Matty! What...what was that for?"

Matty grinned at the embarrassed look on Taniko's face and gently ruffled her long, dark hair. "That was for helping us out earlier. You're a smart kid, Taniko. We never would have gotten as far as we did without you."

Taniko glanced at Matty from under her eyelashes and managed a shy smile. The female genius had always been great with computers, but when it came to romance, she had absolutely no experience whatsoever, and clearly Matty's rather odd behaviour had caught her completely off guard.

_I don't think I'm even going to ask._

Kari smiled at her son in amusement and glanced at Izzy, but as usual the computer expert was too busy fooling around with his laptop to notice anything out of the ordinary. Mina had noticed right away, though, and she raised her dark eyebrows before turning to look at whatever it was Izzy had pulled up on the screen of his laptop.

"I bet you thought I wouldn't really do it," Matty said, gazing triumphantly at Dai.

"Like I said before, it's better than kissing Izzy!"

"What do you guys think I am, some sort of trophy?" Taniko grumbled, crossing her arms and making a face.

Matty gave the female genius another hug and a reassuring smile. "No way. You're awesome, Taniko. You're also more fun to hang around than Ema is!"

"Hey! I'm more interesting than Taniko! She might be a genius, but I'm still cuter!"

Taniko rolled her eyes at Ema and glanced uncertainly at Matty, but the younger twin didn't seem to notice. Instead, he turned to look at Ema and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever, Ema. I think Taniko's a pretty cute kid no matter what you say."

"Matty! And you had the nerve to get mad at me for keeping secrets from you," Mickey scolded, sending his twin a disapproving look.

"What? Hey, wait! That's not what I...I don't...not like...Mickey!"

Matty scrambled over to the older twin's side, but Mickey quickly squirmed away from his brother before Matty could hit him in the chest. Kari gave both of them a stern look, and they grinned sheepishly at her before moving over to sit next to one another again. Almost immediately, Matty began to whisper softly in his twin's ear, and the two of them smiled at each other. Mickey said something that made Matty's whole face turn bright pink, but instead of getting all worked up about it, he merely rolled his eyes and gave the older twin's shoulders a tight squeeze. Taniko glanced curiously at the two golden-haired Digidestined and frowned slightly, but apparently she decided not to open her mouth because she shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the computer screen as if nothing had happened.

"Well, I'm glad all of our digimon are safe. I was worried about Gomamon. Sometimes his big mouth can get him into a lot of toruble," Joe said, changing the subject.

Kari nodded in agreement and smiled slightly. "Gatomon's the same way, but Benjamin and the others knew what they were doing. You'd think we would have learned to trust them after all this time."

"I don't know if I'm ever going to fully trust Gennai," Yolei muttered. "He really likes to live on the edge, and for once it finally caught up to him!"

"Hey, Izzy, who do you think the Ruler of Darkness really is?" Cody asked hesitantly. "He sounds really dangerous."

Izzy frowned thoughtfully at his laptop and shrugged his shoulders. "It's hard to say. Even Gennai doesn't know exactly who he is, and I have a feeling that's going to make our fight against him much more difficult. How can you defeat an enemy you know almost nothing about? I have a feeling he's a digimon we've never met before, but what his true purpose is, I have no idea. Obviously he wants to take over the Digital World, and possibly the human world as well, but how exactly is he going to go about accomplishing his goal? Sorry, guys. I might have a lot of questions, but I don't have very many answers."

"That means we're back to square one," Palmon said glumly.

"Not necessarily. I may not know who Vampiramon's master is, but I think I know someone who does."

"You're kidding!" Dai shouted at the top of his lungs. "How can you possibly know something like that? Spill it, Izzy! We need to know."

"Lucemon."

Mickey flinched and slowly lifted his head. "How would...would Lucemon know?"

"Think about it. Luciamon and Lucemon used to work for Vampiramon's master, right? They might not know everything about the Ruler of Darkness, but they definitely know more than Gennai."

"You're right. I bet Luciamon knew the Ruler of Darkness pretty well. That was the impression I got when she talked about her past just before she died," Ryoko said quietly. "I bet she even knew his real name."

"My thoughts exactly. I think Luciamon wanted to tell you about the Ruler of Darkness herself, but she died before she had a chance to do so. That's why she told Mickey to find Lucemon."

Mickey bit his lip and slowly nodded. "She did say Lucemon would be able to explain everything."

"But if that's the case then why did Luciamon tell us she didn't know who the Ruler of Darkness was before we entered the castle?" Takara asked, looking confused.

Fluttermon beamed at her partner and hopped into Taysuke's lap. "Isn't it obvious, Kara? Luciamon only told us that to protect her true identity. She didn't want us to know about her past until the right moment."

"So all we have to do is find Lucemon and we'll have the answers to our questions," Sam mumbled to himself.

Izzy nodded in agreement and wrapped his arms around Mina's shoulders. "Precisely."

"Poor Luciamon. I feel so bad for her," Taniko sighed.

"It's not fair. Why do the good guys always have to suffer?" Ema complained.

Rosa sat down next to Kenzo and reached out to ruffle Ema's shiny, blue hair. "I know it's hard, but Luciamon will come back eventually. It might take a little time, but you know what they say. It doesn't hurt to practice a little patience."

"I guess that means part of our next move is finding Lucemon," Kenzo said slowly. "It's the least we can do for Luciamon after everything she did for us."

"I won't break my promise," Mickey said stubbornly.

T.K. smiled fondly at Mickey and nodded his head. "No wonder Luciamon liked you so much."

"I have a question," Noah interrupted, looking a little uneasy. "What exactly was that creepy shadow thing you guys met up with in Vampiramon's castle?"

_The Powers of Darkness._

Kari glanced anxiously at her husband, but T.K. pursed his lips together and refused to answer. After a moment of silence, Ken slowly lifted his head and managed a weak smile. "Both T.K. and I think it came from the World of Darkness."

"You mean the Dark Ocean?" Matty gasped.

T.K. frowned at Ken and let out a deep sigh. "I guess you could say that. Like I said before, the Dark Ocean is basically part of a world where all your dark thoughts come to life. I've been to the Dark Ocean, and so has your mother. Ken was there as well, along with Yolei. The first time your mother was there, she was attacked by a bunch of shadows who looked like Divermon but refered to themselves a Scubamon. There is no digimon in the Digital World called Scubamon."

Kari nodded in agreement and smiled at her sons. "That in itself should have made me realize I was walking right into a trap, but I was scared and unable to think straight. Thankfully your father was able to help me find my way home again."

"You...you've been to the Dark Ocean more than once?" Mickey squeaked. The older twin clapped a hand over his mouth in horror and clung tightly to the sleeve of Matty's navy blue hoodie.

"Yes, I have. It's like your father said. The World of Darkness brings your dark thoughts to life in the form of things you are familiar with. In my case, they took on the form of digimon."

"They may not have been real digimon, but I believe their Undersea Master was," T.K. muttered.

Mickey and Matty stared at their father with their mouths hanging open, but T.K. did not bother to explain the meaning behind his words.

"Aunt Kari, you said our dark thoughts take on forms we recognize, so why didn't that shadow in Vampiramon's castle become a digimon or something?" Ryoko asked calmly.

Kari gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure, but I think it's because that shadow wanted you guys to know exactly what it was. I beileve it was warning you not to move any deeper into the castle, but Mickey and Matty got rid of it before it could get violent."

"But how?" Mickey and Matty asked at the same time. "How did we get rid of it?"

Kari beamed at her sons and held out her crest. "Your light."

Mickey blushed, and peeking around Matty's shoulder, he glanced uncertainly at his father. "Dad, about the Dark Ocean, what-"

"Mickey, I think maybe we should leave that conversation for another time. Izzy, why don't you tell us the plan for tomorrow?"

Mickey meekly lowered his eyes to the ground, but Matty wasn't so humble. The younger twin glared furiously at his father before turning his attention to Mickey and giving his brother a reassuring pat on the back. Sam hadn't said a single word throughout the entire conversation about the World of Darkness, but despite that the raven-haired Digidestined's dark blue eyes were as round as saucers and he was staring at his parents as if he had never seen them before.

"Well, Gennai wants us to meet him by the gate at the edge of the forest on File Island, and I think it would be wise to do that first before we go running off to find Lucemon or the Spirit Chips. His information could be very useful to us and it just might be the key to getting our hands on the very things we're so eager to find. Once we've spoken to him, we'll be abe to move onto the next part of our plan."

"That's makes sense. So...who's coming with this time?" Davis asked.

Izzy frowned at the former Digidestined leader and crossed his arms. "Well, I know one thing, I'm definitely coming with."

"So am I," Matt interrupted, glaring at Izzy as if expecting the computer expert to disagree.

Ryoko looked a little alarmed at the thought of being in the Digital World with his father, and the uneasy look in the golden-haired Digidestined's bright blue eyes brought a smile to Kari's face. She had a feeling her nephew was going to be on his best behaviour tomorrow.

"I'm coming, too!" Mina announced.

Davis opened his mouth to speak, but Izzy shook his head and held up a hand for silence. "Sorry, Davis, but I think it's only fair if I send people who haven't had a chance to see their partners yet."

"But-"

"Sora and I will go," Tai said, glancing slyly at his best friend. "I can't let Matt have all the fun."

Izzy smiled to show his approval and turned to face the computer. "Sounds good. I'll give Tentomon and the others some time to get back to File Island before I contact them and let them know what's going on. Five of us are more than enough. I don't want our group to be too big. DarkAngelicmon and the others will already be able to spot us easily enough without seeing the whole team."

"Especially since they've probably already guessed we'll appear on File Island the next time we go to the Digital World," Glimmermon piped up.

"File Island isn't exactly a very big place. It won't be too hard for them to find us," Minomon agreed.

"Exactly, which means we have to be on our guard at all times," Izzy warned. The computer expert held out his laptop for everyone to see and pointed to a glowing yellow dot on the screen. "This is the gate where Gennai wants us to meet him. I suggest we all meet in this room tomorrow and we'll go from there. Anyone who wants to come for moral support if they have the time is more than welcomed to join us. Taniko, I'll leave the computer work up to you while I'm gone."

"Don't worry, Dad, you can count on me!"

"I'd help too, but Yolei and I really need to be at the store tomorrow," Ken said, clearly disappointed.

"Cody and I will be able to make it tomorrow for moral support, but we might be a little late," Rosa offered.

"What about you, Mom?" Matty asked.

Kari gave both her sons a regretful look and tickled Rina's side. "I have some things I need to get done at the school tomorrow, but I think I'll be free to come the day after tomorrow. I hope Gatomon won't be too upset."

"She'll live!" T.K. laughed. "Izzy was the one who put me out of the running."

"I'm coming as soon as I have a chance," Yolei said firmly.

"I wish I could come," Mimi sighed.

Dai frowned and tugged on his uncle's arm. "How come you're not coming, Uncle Joe?"

"I want to, but I have a bunch of appointments scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Don't worry, though, I'll make the time to come."

"Oh." Dai managed to hide his disappointment behind a smile, but Kari could tell he had been hoping his uncle would come along.

Joe must have realized the same thing because he wrapped his arm around Dai's shoulders and tugged gently on his nephew's goggles. "Hey, you know I'll keep my promise."

"I know."

"I'll be coming too, Dai, as soon as I have a chance, and you'd better behave when I do!" Noriko said disapprovingly.

Dai jumped at his mother's tone, and all of a sudden he looked more alarmed than Ryoko had. "Er...that's okay, Mom. If you're really busy and all..."

"I may not be coming tomorrow, but I am coming, Daichi Motomiya!" Noriko glared at her son and promptly threw up her hands in despair. "Why do I even bother? You're never going to listen to me no matter what I say! Well, at least you're safe. Thank goodness for DemiEmbermon."

Daichi's partner beamed at Noriko and glanced hopefully around the room. "Is it time for supper yet?"

"I still can't believe you guys saw Noah and I when we were babies," Miya said, glancing at the four more experienced digimon.

"It just seems so weird!" Noah laughed.

Palmon smiled at them and nodded her head. "I guess it does. You guys were really cute human babies."

"Food, please?" DemiEmbermon piped up.

Kari laughed, and lifting Goldmon into her arms, she quickly got to her feet. "I think that's our cue to get moving."

"Remember, we meet back here tomorrow," Izzy added.

"Yeah, for those of us who can, which doesn't include me!" Yolei complained. "I want to go to the Digital World!"

"At least you have a chance," Mimi muttered.

Kari started down the stairs, with her husband in front of her and her children trailing behind, and stepped out into the cool night air. She had no idea what was going to happen in the Digital World, and although they had the makings of a solid plan beneath their feet, she still could not help feeling as if they were teetering on the edge of darkness...


	123. The Strength of the Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I have to say, this is actually one of my most favorite chapters, and it doesn't even have Mickey in it! Imagine that! But, if you are a fan of Takara (or Sora for that matter) you are definitely going to like this chapter. One more chapter and then we get to the Ishida family. The truth about the Emperor is coming, just so you all know. And DarkAngelicmon...well, I wonder how he's going to talk his way out of this one! A little note to Kingdom Hearts fans, chapter three of 'The Way to the Heart' will be coming next week. (Hopefully) Keep your fingers crossed! And yes! The next chapter of Trinity is coming in July!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 123: The Strength of the Heart

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

DarkAngelicmon stood silently on the South Tower balcony with his chin resting in his hands and wrinkled his nose at the dark sky looming menacingly above him. His black wings were fluttering slightly in the cool breeze blowing gently across the Western Hemisphere, and the sound of the trees rustling in the forest nearby brought a frown to his face.

_Where are you, Lucemon? You may no longer care for me, but your hatred will not save you from the fate Luciamon suffered. After everything I did to protect you from Daemon, this is how you repay me?_

Lucemon had been so frightened of what would happen if Daemon ever broke free from the Dark Ocean and rose to power, but that threat had been eliminated, so why was the rookie angel being so stubborn?

_He truly believed Daemon was a fool, and yet he, himself, is lacking almost as much common sense as the very demon digimon the two of us tried so hard to eliminate. I remember that much, even if I can't remember everything..._

DarkAngelicmon shook his head in confusion and let out a deep sigh. Although he could no longer feel Azulongmon's light tingling through his body, he had a feeling the Digicore's power was still affecting him in a way he was unable to understand. The implications of that made him feel a little uneasy, but he chose not to dwell on such foolish thoughts. At the moment, his mind was focused on something much more important.

_Now that Daichi and the rest of the Digidestined know about Lucemon, I have no doubts they're going to do everything in their power to find my traitorous friend, and if that happens, there's no telling what kind of information Lucemon might reveal to them. I do believe he'll end up growing quite fond of Mickey and Matty, if he manages to meet up with them, and that could be a problem. Somehow I have to find Lucemon before the Digidestined do. This is all your fault, Makiya Takaishi! If only you didn't remind me so much of...of him..._

"DarkAngelicmon? The Ruler of Darkness has returned. He wants to see you."

DarkAngelicmon blinked at the sound of a meek voice coming from somewhere behind him and turned to see Spritemon and a little rookie named Gazimon standing behind him. Gazimon was the one who had spoken, and although the little digimon had a smile on his face, his ears were twitching nervously above his head. Spritemon stood silently in the shadows with her arms crossed over her chest, and judging from the expression on her face, she clearly wasn't looking forward to having a chat with the Ruler of Darkness.

_I suppose I can't exactly hold it against her, but still, after all this time you'd think she would have learned to trust me by now. So much for that idea. I'd rather spend my time coming up with a way to get my hands on Lucemon instead of wasting the next few hours receiving punishment from my master, but unfortunately I don't really have a choice. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, I won't have to endure any kind of punishment for very long._

"DarkAngelicmon? Did...did you hear me?"

"Yes, I heard you." DarkAngelicmon slowly moved away from the railing he had been using as an armrest and frowned at Spritemon before turning to the little rookie whose anxious words had caught his attention. "Did the Ruler of Darkness send you himself?"

The little Gazimon bowed his head and nervously shuffled his feet. "Yes, I was under Vampiramon's command in the forest earlier this afternoon, but...things didn't turn out exactly the way they were supposed to..."

"Yes, I figured as much."

"The Ruler of Darkness sent me to look for you and Spritemon as soon as we got back to the castle. He wishes to speak with the two of you right away."

"I thought he might. I apologize for being so hard to find. Please do lead the way. I must admit, I would like this conversation to be over with as soon as possible."

The little Gazimon blinked in surprise, beamed at him, and promptly scampered back through the South Tower door. DarkAngelicmon followed at a much slower pace and smiled slightly as Spritemon fell in beside him.

"We're in serious trouble, you know that, don't you?"

"Not if I can help it. You worry too much, Spritemon. Our master is more generous than he seems, at least when it comes to me."

Spritemon stared at him as if he were crazy and elbowed him in the ribs. "You've got to be kidding me! Will you wake up and open your eyes? You might think you can talk your way you of this one, but I disagree. If you ask me, we'll be lucky to leave our master's presence with our data still intact!"

"We're no worse off than Vampiramon and the others. As long as you keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking, we'll be just fine."

Spritemon glared at him, but instead of coming up with a creative insult, she merely grabbed onto his arm and proceeded to hover anxiously over his shoulder as they made their way down the corridor. They reached the room where the crests used to be in silence, and DarkAngelicmon frowned at the sight of Persiamon and Phelesmon standing on either side of the door. Phelesmon look up at the sound of their footsteps, and a nasty smile slipped across the fallen angel's face. "Well, well, what do we have here? Greetings, DarkAngelicmon. Our master's not very happy with you at the moment."

"The Ruler of Darkness wishes to speak with Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon. May we please enter the room?" Gazimon interrupted, his tail twitching nervously against the floor.

Phelesmon glared at the little rookie and clenched his right hand into a fist, but Persiamon grabbed the fallen angel's arm before he could hit Gazimon in the face and waved her paw-like hand towards the door. "Go ahead. Vampiramon and the others are already in there, but if I were you, I would proceed with caution."

DarkAngelicmon smiled slightly and bowed to the feline digimon. "Thank you, Persiamon, I'll keep that in mind. Come, Spritemon, we must not keep our master waiting."

"In that case, you go first!"

DarkAngelicmon moved quickly towards the door, but before he could enter the room, Phelesmon suddenly grabbed one of his wings and yanked him close in a tight grip. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and attempted to free his wing from the fallen angel's clutches, but unfortunately his efforts were unsuccessful. "What do you want, Phelesmon?"

"Your time will come, DarkAngelicmon. You know, I've never trusted you right from the very moment I first joined forces with the Ruler of Darkness, and nothing you've done so far has convinced me to change my mind. I do hope our master will let me turn you into data. I'd love to be given the opportunity to destroy you."

"I'll kill you first before that ever happens."

Phelesmon let out a snarl of rage and moved to block the door, but once again Persiamon intervened and pushed the fallen angel out of the way before a fight could break out. "Calm yourself, Phelesmon, our master does not like to be kept waiting."

"As if you would know," Spritemon snorted.

Persiamon ignored the other female digimon and settled herself in the shadows to resume her watch. Clearly Spritemon wasn't used to being ignored because she glared at the feline digimon and sent Phelesmon a rather suspicious look.

_So many fools. None of this would have happened if Lucemon and Luciamon hadn't betrayed me. The three of us together would have made an unstoppable team..._

"Come on, DarkAngelicmon, let's get this over with," Spritemon mumbled, reaching out and once again latching onto his right arm.

DarkAngelicmon slipped smoothly past Phelesmon, and ignoring the seductive look Persiamon sent in his direction, he entered the crest room with Spritemon on his heels.

He had _never _been fond of fallen angel digimon, besides himself, and Phelesmon was a perfect example as to why.

The two of them stopped several feet in front of the Ruler of Darkness, and DarkAngelicmon quickly lowered his eyes to the stone floor. Despite the regretful look on his face, he did not feel at all sorry for what had happened. Spritemon, too, seemed a little bit preoccupied because she kept glaring suspiciously at the door, or more accurately, at the wall where Persiamon was keeping watch on the other side of the door.

"Hey, angel boy. You have no idea how glad I am to see you. The fool has his limits, you know, and being stuck with Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon all day almost sent me over the edge. I hope you had a better day than I did, but judging from the rumours going around the castle, I'd say that's highly unlikely."

DarkAngelicmon glanced up at the sound of Jestermon's voice and spotted the fool standing off to the side with Vampiramon, BlackWidowmon, and Gazimon.

BlackWidowmon stared silently at the floor and refused to look at him, but Vampiramon was a different story. Instead of avoiding his eyes, she looked directly at him, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a rather unpleasant smile. She didn't say anything, but no words were needed in order to tell exactly what she was thinking.

_She wants the Ruler of Darkness to punish me, and clearly she's hoping he'll turn me into data and dispose of me so she can carry on with her plans to destroy the Digidestined. Too bad I'm going to have to disappoint her. I won't let her kill Daichi and the others before I put my plan into action, and if that means I have to destroy her, then so be it._

"DarkAngelicmon, Spritemon, how nice of you to join us," the Ruler of Darkness murmured, the hem of his robe brushing slightly against the floor as he moved towards them.

DarkAngelicmon found himself gazing into his master's deep violet eyes and plastered what he hoped was a sweet smile on his face. "You wish to speak to us, master?"

The Ruler of Darkness hit him hard across the face, and he tumbled to the floor on his hands and knees. Caught off guard, he tried to raise his head and winced when his master suddenly grabbed onto one of the dark, ear-like feathers sticking out of the top of his head and gave it a hard yank.

"Master!" Spritemon gasped, flinging herself to the floor and burying her face against the hem of his robe.

The Ruler of Darkness ignored her, and because of his grip on the feathers sprouting from DarkAngelicmon's long, black hair, the fallen angel had no choice but to look his master directly in the eyes. "Master, I-"

"Quiet, fool! You, my dear servant, have _a lot _of explaining to do."

_Sora Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Sora moved slowly down the sidewalk with her daughter by her side and ran her fingers lightly over the Crest of Love's shiny, red surface. She had been holding the small object in her hand ever since she had left the Motomiya residence, and its comforting presence brought a warm smile to her face. Her husband was walking a little ways ahead of her with Mimi, Palmon, Matt, Ryoko, Iramon, and Taysuke, and she could hear the former leader telling the other six about the fire he had helped put out earlier in great detail. Matt was shaking his head and muttering to himself, and Ryoko looked a little amused about something, but Taysuke was too busy soaking up his father's story to notice. The younger boy was beaming proudly at his dad, and every so often he would glance rather shyly in Ryoko's direction. As for Mimi, she was too busy catching up with Palmon to pay much attention to anything but her digimon partner.

Sora smiled in amusement and shook her head. As much as she loved Tai, she was glad he was a little preoccupied at the moment because it gave her a perfect opportunity to speak to her daughter. "Is something wrong, Kara? You seem a little more quiet than usual. I hope you're not worrying too much about what's going on in the Digital World."

"No, I...Mom, about that conversation we were having before, I..."

"You really like Dai, don't you."

Takara gazed miserably at her feet, and Sora quickly wrapped her arms around her daughter in a tight hug. The two of them continued down the sidewalk without speaking, and after a moment of silence, Takara was finally able to find her voice. "You think I'm too young, right? I know I'm only thirteen, but I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone before. It's stupid, but I...I can't help it..."

_Neither could I._

Sora gently ran her fingers thorugh Takara's dark ponytail, and reaching out, she dropped the Crest of Love into her daughter's hand and nodded her head in Tai's direction. "You know, Kara, I've always been very fond of your father, even when we were kids, but I also loved your Uncle Matt, too, and it wasn't until I finally faced the truth inside my heart that I was able to make a decision about who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. My feelings for Matt were real, and very strong, but over time they began to fade away without me even realizing it and my feelings for your father stayed the same. That's how I knew I was making the right decision. Don't get me wrong, I will always love your Uncle Matt, just not in the same way I love your father. It's strange, but I think I really did love your dad even when we were kids, but I didn't realize what my feelings meant at the time."

Takara beamed at her and managed a shy smile. "You're really lucky, Mom, but...what does any of this have to do with me?"

"Kara, when it comes to love, age doesn't matter. There are adults out there who are over fifty years old and they still have not learned what it truly means to love someone in a romantic way, and yet, at the same time, there are couples out there who married very young, and over fifteen years later they're still standing strong. That's not always the case, though. Sometimes it might be the other way around. Your ability to love is determined by the strength of your heart, not your age. Some hearts mature when they're young, some when they're older, and sadly enough, some never learn the true meaning of love at all. Imagine spending your whole life without having ever learned to truly care for someone, whether it's love for family, a friend, or love for that special person you want to spend the rest of your life with."

Takara's eyes filled with sudden tears, and Sora felt her daughter's arms tighten around her waist. "That's so...sad..."

"It is, but the world is far from being perfect, so we have to do whatever we can to spread our light as far as it will go. You might not realize it now, Kara, but I believe you're one of those people who truly learned to love long before you ever learned to walk."

"Does that mean you don't think I'm being dumb about...about Dai?"

Sora placed a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead and wrapped the female Digidestined's fingers around the Crest of Love. "Let me put it this way. If, say eight or ten years from now, you still feel the same way about Dai, then you will know what you feel is very real, and if that happens, I know your heart will make sure you don't give up on what might very well be the best thing that'll ever happen to you. I don't know exactly how Dai feels, although I have my suspicions, but if his heart is as strong as yours, he won't let you go without doing everything he can to make sure you know how much he cares about you. Until then, enjoy every moment you spend with him, cherish his friendship, and give him time to discover just exactly what his feelings for you really are. Sometimes it takes boys a little longer to make peace with their hearts, but eventually they get there, if you give them a little time and space."

Takara smiled slightly and nodded. "Thanks, Mom. I'll keep that in mind."

"I trust you, Kara. I know you'll do the right thing. The Crest of Love isn't just a part of me, you know. It's a part of every single person who has ever been chosen to be a Digidestined, and even some who weren't. You know what that means, don't you?"

"It's a part of me, too."

"Exactly."

"I'll do the right thing, Mom. I'll make you proud of me."

Sora smiled fondly at her daughter and nodded her head towards Tai. "I'm already proud of you and so is your dad."

"You...you don't think Dad will mind, do you?" Takara asked, glancing nervously in her father's direction.

"Don't worry, honey, your father will probably threaten never to let Dai come anywhere near your room ever again, but I don't think he'll mind too much. Besides, I'm not worried, and that's all that matters. You're still very young, and I know you have more sense than that. Your heart will keep you on the right track, just like mine did."

"Mom! Keep your voice down!" Takara squealed, blushing furiously.

Sora laughed at the horrified look on her daughter's face and reached out to stroke Fluttermon's head. "What do you think about all of this?"

Fluttermon smiled sleepily at her and cuddled against Kara's heart. "I think humans are very confusing, but I don't mind because they make life much more interesting. Takara might act really funny around Dai, but she does have a huge heart, and that's what makes her such a great person."

"Thanks, Fluttermon, now I really feel like a fool!" Takara groaned.

Sora smiled softly to herself and squeezed her daughter's hand. "I love you, Kara."

"I love you too, Mom, and thanks again for everything. I'm glad I get to learn from the best."

"I think we'd better hurry up before Taysuke and the others leave us behind. DemiEmbermon's not the only one who needs some food!" Fluttermon grumbled.

Kara quickly hurried over to her Aunt Mimi's side, and Sora was left to catch up to the others on her own. She picked up her pace a little, and smiling at her daughter's back, she turned to gaze at the Crest of Love, which Kara had dropped into her hand before taking off. It was glowing softly, and she knew this time it wasn't because of anything she had done. _Don't worry, Kara. I think Dai might be closer to the truth than you think..._


	124. Good Advice

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm sorry for the short chapter, but I've been pretty busy lately. I'm not going to say too much about what's to come because I posted a note on my forum about it, so if you want to know the details, check out the FTFOD section. As always, please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 124: Good Advice

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Takara moved slowly down the sidewalk with her arms wrapped around Fluttermon in a tight hug and frowned thoughtfully at the dark sky looming above the streets of Odaiba. She could feel her mother's eyes on her back, but even that wasn't enough to distract her from the uneasy thoughts racing through her mind.

_Ryoko was there. He saw what happened just before Whamon showed up. He must know the truth by now, so why isn't he saying anything?_

As much as she wanted to avoid confronting Ryoko about her feelings for Dai, she knew she didn't have a choice anymore. All of her friends were going to find out what was wrong with her eventually, and if she didn't say something soon, they were going to end up hearing a lot of rumours instead of the actual truth.

_If that happens, my feelings could end up causing a huge rift between Dai and Ryoko._

"Takara, is something wrong?"

Kara glanced at Ryoko's mother, who was walking beside her, and managed a cheerful smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Aunt Mimi."

"If you say so."

_What am I going to do? If Ema ever finds out about my feelings for Dai, there'll be rumours flying around for sure!_

Whether or not Dai returned her feelings made absolutely no difference when it came to Ryoko. At the moment, the only thing that mattered was whether or not the golden-haired Digidestined would support her decision to someday win Dai's heart.

_Ryoko's like a brother to me, and if, in the end, Dai doesn't return my feelings, then there's a good chance I'm going to need a shoulder to cry on. Ryoko's always been pretty protective of me, and I know I don't need his permission to fall in love with someone, but...I don't know. I just don't think I could bring myself to care for anyone who cannot meet his standards. Ryoko takes all relationships very seriously, whether it's between friends, family, or two people who love each other, which is why everyone he cares about is special in a way that can't be explained. That's why I want him to approve of whoever my heart chooses because then I would know for sure the guy I like is someone who's worth keeping._

There was only one problem. Her heart had chosen Dai, and if Ryoko truly didn't like the goggle-headed leader, then that was going to make things extremely difficult.

_No. Ryoko does like Dai. It's written all over his face!_

After everything that had happened lately, there was no way Ryoko couldn't have a soft spot for Dai in his heart. After all, Dai had saved the golden-haired Digidestined's life several times now, and despite his attitude towards the goggle-headed leader, Ryoko had been more than happy to return the favour. That had to count for something.

_How could I have forgotten?_

And yet, despite the overwhelming evidence, she still could not help feeling a little bit worried.

_If Ryoko really doesn't like Dai, then the truth about my feelings is going to upset him a lot. I wouldn't put it past him to believe Dai would end up hurting me somehow, and if Dai ever found out Ryoko felt that way about him, the two of them would more than likely agree never to speak to each other again. Now that's something I definitely want to avoid. It's strange, but deep down inside, I just know there's no way Ryoko could possibly hate Dai. He's done so many things to prove otherwise, but if I really want to know how he feels, then there's only one way to find out the truth. My honesty might just be the very thing that will save his friendship with Dai. _

Besides, if she told Ryoko her secret then he would have no choice but to tell her a secret of his own!

_Well, I'd better get this over with. The sooner I tell Ryoko the truth, the better. At least then I'll have one less thing to worry about._

Takara took a deep breath and quickly made her way over to Ryoko's side. The golden-haired Digidestined glanced at her in surprise, and she gave him a weak smile. "Hey, Ryoko, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Ryoko studied her face for a moment and slowly nodded. "Sure. What's up?"

"Let's move a little further away from the others. I want this to be just between us."

Ryoko raised his golden eyebrows, but instead of commenting on her unusual request, he merely wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards the back of the group. Neither Matt or Mimi noticed Ryoko's sudden disappearance from the place where he had been walking between them, but Takara could see Taysuke glancing back at them occasionally, and the curious look on the younger boy's face made her smile.

_What about my mom?_

The Child of Love had been walking at the back of the group earlier, but somehow she had managed to catch up to Matt and the others without Takara realizing it, and although Takara knew her mother wasn't looking at her directly, she still could not help feeling as if she were being watched.

"What's wrong, Kara?" Ryoko asked quietly, tugging gently on the sleeve of her bright yellow shirt to get her attention. "You seem really worried about something."

"You know, don't you."

Ryoko's sapphire eyes filled with sudden understanding and he turned to gaze silently at the dark sky. Takara placed her hands on her hips and frowned at the golden-haired Digidestined, but even so, he still did not bother to answer her question.

_What's wrong with him? Why won't he say anything?_

"Well, aren't you going to tell me I'm being an idiot or something?"

"Why would I do that? You know, Kara, I was wondering when you were finally going to work up enough courage to tell me. I'm not that scary, am I?"

Takara felt her mouth drop open in surprise, but she quickly recovered and gave the golden-haired Digidestined a triumphant smile. "So you do know!"

"Yes, I know. It is kind of obvious. Well, I mean...to everyone except Dai. Don't worry, though, Mickey and the others won't say anything."

_Of course. I should have known they would all figure it out eventually, but that still doesn't explain Dai. How can he not see what has been right in front of his face this whole time?_

"You're not...mad, are you?"

Ryoko stared at her as if she were crazy and let out a loud snort. "Kara, why would I be mad?"

_Does that mean he really does care about Dai after all?_

Takara shook her head in confusion and anxiously bit her lip. "Listen, Ryoko, we've been friends for a long time and I know you want what's best for me, but..."

"You know what I think, Kara? I think you and Dai would be really good together."

_What?_

Takara stared at the golden-haired Digidestined in complete, utter shock and shook her head in disbelief. "You...do?"

Ryoko smiled in amusement and slowly nodded. "Dai might act like an idiot sometimes, but his heart is strong, and you're exactly the type of girl he needs to keep him on the right track. I swear he has no common sense whatsoever, but you have more than enough for two, and hopefully that will stop him from doing stupid things all the time."

"Ryoko, I..."

"Oh, I almost forgot! Dai might be my friend, Kara, but if he ever does anything to hurt you, I'm going to make him wish he'd never met me."

Takara promptly burst into laughter, and reaching out, she pulled Ryoko into a tight hug. "Thanks, Ryoko. I know it's kind of dumb, but you're approval means a lot to me. There's only one problem. It doesn't really matter how I feel about Dai. I really like him a lot, but unfortunately that doesn't mean he feels the same way."

_Knowing my luck, he probably doesn't._

Takara felt Ryoko's arms tighten around her waist, and she buried her face against his shoulder to hide the sudden emotion in her hazel eyes. As much as she wanted to believe Dai cared about her, she could not help feeling as if she were chasing after an elusive dream.

"Kara, listen to me," Ryoko whispered softly in her ear, "Dai does care about you. He just doesn't know it yet. I know you think he'll never like you, but how will you know for sure if you give up before you've even had a chance to discover the truth? You've always been like a sister to me, and I want you to be happy. If being with Dai makes you happy, then it makes me happy, too."

Takara nodded slowly, and reaching out, she gently placed her hand against Ryoko's cheek. "You really do like Dai, don't you. Please tell me the truth. I told you my secret. It's only fair you tell me a secret in return."

Ryoko hesitated and let out a deep sigh. "I've never once said I hated Dai. Is it my fault everyone else just assumed I did? I know the two of us don't always get along, but that doesn't matter. He's still one of my best friends and nothing is ever going to change that. None of this is really important, though. He's the one who doesn't like me."

"Do you really believe that?"

_He'd better not!_

Ryoko frowned at her, and she gave him a quick hug. "How much do you want to bet Dai feels the exact same way you do? I bet the only reason he hasn't said anything is because he thinks you're the one who hates him. Why are the two of you doing this to yourselves, and each other? Running around in circles has never solved anything before, and I doubt it's going to this time either."

"No, I guess it won't. Kara, how can you be sure Dai doesn't hate me?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Maybe to you."

"Come on, Ryoko. I thought you were more perceptive than that."

Ryoko gave her a faint smile and gently stroked Iramon's furry head. "I know it's hard to believe, but...I've always cared about Dai. He wouldn't annoy me so much if I didn't. This is going to sound really corny, but...do you think Dai and I are really cut out to be good friends?"

"I think the two of you would make great best friends. You _do _want Dai for a best friend, don't you?"

Ryoko blushed and gazed uncertainly at his feet. "That obvious, huh? Well, I guess I should have known you would figure it out eventually. You won't tell Dai, will you?"

Takara rolled her eyes and poked the golden-haired Digidestined in the stomach. "Hey! What kind of a friend do you think I am? Besides, Dai would never believe me if I did. Only you can change his mind, Ryoko. The words won't mean anything unless you're the one who says them."

"Thanks, Kara, and don't worry. I won't tell Dai your secret."

"I know you won't, and it wouldn't matter if you did. He'd think you were making it up just to bug him. I'm glad you finally told me the truth about your feelings for Dai. See? Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Ryoko made a face at her and shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like you really gave me much of a choice. Hey, Kara? I'm glad you like Dai. I'd rather see you with him over some of those other guys in our class."

"How come?"

Ryoko lowered his eyes to the ground and rested his cheek against Iramon's soft fur. "I know Dai will always treat you with the respect you deserve. You'll always be able to trust him, even if there ever comes a day when you find it hard to believe in anyone else."

_He really does understand._

Takara felt her eyes fill with tears, and a warm smile slipped across her face. "Thanks, Ryoko. You know more about friendship than you think."

"I guess that means we don't have any more secrets, right?"

Takara felt her face heat up, and she quickly looked away from the golden-haired Digidestined. "I...I guess so..."

_What about that voice I heard? Did I really hear someone talking to me or was it just my imagination? _

She had almost forgotten about that strange voice telling her to hang onto her friends, which was why she had failed to mention it to the others at the Motomiya residence earlier, but now that she thought about it, she was unable to ignore the realization that she did, in fact, have one more secret left.

_It's not important. I bet it really was just my imagination. If someone else says something about hearing a voice, I'll mention it, but there's no reason to scare anyone when it's probably nothing._

"Well?" Ryoko asked, looking amused. "You don't sound very sure of yourself. "

"Neither do you! What about Ami?"

Ryoko's cheeks turned bright pink and he gave her a dirty look. "One secret at a time, okay?"

_He really does like Ami. I've seen the way he looks at her, but I never thought it actually meant something, until now. I wonder what Dai's going to have to say about that!_

"If you tell Dai, I'll never forgive you," Ryoko warned, as if reading her thoughts.

Takara laughed and gave his hand a quick, reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure he won't mind. Hey, Ryoko, are you ever going to tell Dai how you feel about him?"

"Are you?"

_Maybe._

Ryoko hesitated a moment and finally nodded. "I will...try."

"I guess that's better than nothing. Ryoko, what do you _really _think I should do about my feelings for Dai?"

Ryoko pulled away from her and proceeded to make his way over to his parents, but just before he reached his father's side, he turned to look at her and gave her a brilliant smile. "Do what you always do, Kara. Follow your heart."


	125. A Tale of Friendship

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I apologize a hundred times over for the lateness of this chapter, but I do have an excellent excuse! The computer totally crashed, but now that it's fixed, I finally have this chapter posted! The next chapter will introduce Lucemon. For more info, check out my forum. (Only not just yet, I will be writing that after I post this.) I will post the Lucemon chapter next week. (Keep your fingers crossed!) After that I'm posting a Kingdom Hearts chapter and possibly one for Trinity, and then we'll get to a great Matt and Ryoko chapter! I hope everyone had a great Canada Day weekend, (if you're from Canada, like me) and if you're from the United States, I hope you all had a great Independence Day!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 125: A Tale of Friendship

_Mimi Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Is there something on your mind, Mimi? You look so serious all of a sudden. I hope you're not worrying about Ryoko too much. Alopemon will look out for him, even when the two of us can't be there."

Mimi slowly lowered the fashion magazine she'd been flipping through, without having ever really seen what was displayed on the pages, and let out a soft sigh. Beside her, Matt was sleeping peacefully on his left side, and his golden hair was sparkling softly in the dim glow coming from the lamp on the nightstand. There were shadows lurking in all four corners of the master bedroom, but Mimi barely even noticed them. At the moment, her husband had his back turned towards her, but she could still see the side of his face, and it looked like there was a gentle smile turning up the corners of his mouth.

_I bet he's thinking about Gabumon. And I'm sure he's thinking about Ryoko and our new baby, too. I don't know why some people have trouble coming up with names for their children. Matt and I were able to agree on a boy's name and a girl's name easily enough. Okay, so we argued a little bit, but we definitely weren't as bad as some people!_

"Mimi, what's wrong? Why won't you answer me?"

Mimi turned her attention to Palmon and gently slipped her arms around the little rookie in a warm hug. "I'm sorry, Palmon. I didn't mean to ignore you. I just...have a lot on my mind lately."

"You're not the only one. I wonder if we'll ever be able to find Lucemon. Luciamon said he was somewhere on Server, but that doesn't mean he's still there now."

"I'm sure we will. You know Dai. He won't give us any other choice. If you want to know the truth, I'm actually more worried about Mickey and Sam than I am about Ryoko. Sam's going to find out about Ken's past eventually, and I don't think I want to be around when that happens."

"I know what you mean. I don't think that's something I want to see either."

"And then there are Mickey and Kari. I wonder what those two were talking about earlier?"

"Mickey will tell us when he's ready."

_And if he doesn't, I bet Kari will._

Mimi leaned back against the fluffy pillows she was currently using to prop herself up with and snuggled deeper beneath the pale green blankets covering her body. She turned to look at Palmon, who was sitting next to her on the bed, and a small smile slipped across her face. "What do you think, Palmon?"

Palmon snuggled against her side and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. "I'm not really sure yet, but I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course I do! By the way, Mimi, there's no use trying to hide your feelings from me. I know you're worried about Ryoko!"

Mimi tossed her fashion magazine onto the nightstand and smiled sheepishly at her digimon partner. "I'm always worried about Ryoko. He is my son, after all, but I'm not letting it get to me because I know he'll be fine as long as you, Alopemon, Gabumon, and all of the others are around to protect him. There is one thing that's bugging me, though. I never realized Dai and Ryoko were having so many problems concerning their friendship until recently, and if they don't find a way to work things out soon, their feelings for each other could end up affecting what happens in the Digital World."

"Just like Matt and Tai. That whole situation nearly ended in disaster. Luckily they were able to work things out before the Dark Masters could take over the Digital World by using the fight between Matt and Tai to their advantage."

"Palmon? Do you...do you think I'm a bad mother? I should have realized what was going on with Ryoko a lot sooner, but I didn't..."

Mimi felt Palmon's roots slip around her neck in a hug, and she buried her face against her digimon's shoulder. "No way, Mimi! You're a great mom! It isn't always easy to tell what Matt's thinking either, is it? Ryoko's a lot like his dad in that sense. He's very good at hiding things when he doesn't want anyone to know what he's thinking."

Mimi slowly nodded and frowned at the ceiling. "You're right. I bet Matt feels the same way I do. I don't think he realized something was up until recently either."

"Matt probably feels a little bit guilty, but he doesn't seem worried, does he?"

"Well...no. Not really."

"I bet it's because he knows Dai and Ryoko will be able to work things out on their own. I really don't think he wants to interfere. Friendships are best left to develop on their own."

Mimi stared at her digimon in surprise and slowly nodded. "I guess that makes sense. You can't force people to become friends with each other. It has to happen naturally."

"Exactly. Matt understands that better than anyone else, and that's probably why he hasn't been getting on Ryoko's case about Dai. Do you really think Matt would allow his son to treat Dai with such disrespect if there wasn't a reason for it? Ryoko and Dai have something special, and I think Matt realizes Ryoko needs to discover that on his own."

Mimi smiled and gently brushed her fingers over the petals on Palmon's head. "Thanks, Palmon. You're right, as usual. Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to ask you."

"Really? What is it, Mimi?"

Mimi hesitated and managed a weak smile. "Palmon, are you sure you're okay with the fact that I can't help you fight in the Digital World? What if the others need us..."

"Mimi, my place is wherever you are. There's a lot we can do to help the others fight, even if we're not right there with them. Besides, I have a feeling we might end up going to the Digital World whether we want to or not. We might have no other choice. And if that happens, I'll be right by your side to protect you and your new baby."

Mimi beamed at her digimon partner and hugged the little rookie as tightly as she could. "I know you will."

"Matt will understand," Palmon said quietly, glancing at the sleeping blond.

Mimi poked her husband playfully in the shoulder and shook her head in amusement. "You had to get me pregnant now, didn't you. Why couldn't you have gotten the job done nine months ago?"

Matt shifted slightly at her touch and sighed in his sleep, but he did not wake up.

"Figures," Palmon muttered.

Mimi was about to reply when a soft sound at the door made her look up in surprise. She spotted her son standing hesitantly in the doorway, and smiling softly, she motioned for him to enter the room. "Ryoko, you should have been asleep in your bed a long time ago. How come you're awake at this hour of the night?"

Ryoko gave her a hesitant smile, and after a moment of silence, he made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed. She stared quietly at him, waiting for an answer, but instead of saying something, he lowered his eyes to the ground and began to fiddle nervously with the hem of his blue, plaid sleep pants.

"Ryoko, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just...couldn't get to sleep."

"Why not?"

Ryoko blushed and glanced almost shyly at his father before turning to look at her. "No reason. How come you're still awake?"

"Mimi couldn't sleep either," Palmon said cheerfully.

Mimi rolled her eyes and crossed her legs in order to give Ryoko a little more room on the bed. He quickly squirmed over to sit in front of her, and she gently ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry about me, Ryoko. I just...have a lot of things on my mind. Actually, now that you're here, there's something I want to tell you. This is as good a time as any, I guess. Your father and I were talking earlier, and after only a little bit of arguing, we were able to decide on a couple of names for your new sibling, but we want your approval first before we make our decision final."

"Really?" Ryoko's whole face lit up, and he beamed at her. "Thanks, Mom. So...what are they?"

"Well, I picked a boy's name and your father picked a girl's name. That way we'll be prepared no matter what the baby's sex is. For a boy, I picked the name Ronin, and for a girl, your father picked the name Nanami."

"Ronin Ishida or Nanami Ishida. If the baby turns out to be a girl, we could call her Nami for short, and if it's a boy..."

"Then my two sons will be called Ryoko and Ronin. I thought that would sound kind of nice. What do _you _think?"

Ryoko laughed and threw his arms around her in a hug. "I think both names are great. I wouldn't change them if I were you."

"I'm glad you like them. I'll let your father know you approve. Ryoko...there's a reason why you came in here, isn't there?"

Ryoko glanced at his father again, and his cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red than they had before. "Why do you ask?"

"Did you want to speak to your father?"

"What? No! I...it's not important..."

"Are you sure?"

"I...I don't want to wake him up. He looks like he could use some sleep, especially since he'll be going to the Digital World tomorrow..."

"Ryoko, I'm not asleep."

Ryoko let out a gasp at the sound of his dad's voice, and Mimi turned to look at her husband in surprise. "Matt! How long have you been awake? I thought you were fast asleep!"

Matt rolled over onto his back and gave her a dirty look. "Hey, at least I did get the job done! Well...eventually. I've been awake ever since you poked me in the shoulder, which means you have no one to blame but yourself!"

"You tricked me into thinking you were still asleep!"

"No, I didn't. I just wanted to...forget it."

_He wanted to know whether or not Ryoko's strange behaviour has something to do with him..._

Mimi smiled softly to herself and gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek. "In that case, I've decided I'm not going to get mad at you."

"Why would you be mad at me?"

"For eavesdropping. Actually, I'm glad you were listening because that means you already know Ryoko approves of the baby names we picked."

Matt slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, and his bright blue eyes came to rest on Ryoko's anxious face. The two of them stared at each other for a minute, but Ryoko refused to say a word.

_I wonder why Ryoko's so nervous all of a sudden. He usually gets along really well with his father, and he always comes to me or Matt when there's something on his mind, especially if it involves someone he really cares about. At least, that's what I used to think..._

Matt must have been having similar thoughts because he shoved a pillow behind his back for comfort and frowned at his son. "I thought you would like the names we chose. What's on your mind, Ryoko? You usually don't come wandering in here in the middle of the night unless there's a good reason for it. And where's Iramon?"

"He's asleep, and I..."

"What is it?"

Ryoko twisted his hands together and gazed uncertainly at his feet. "Dad, you...you said you would tell me about Cherrymon, the dark cave, and your friendship with Tai when we had a chance to be alone together. Well...we're alone now. Do you think maybe you could...um..."

_So that's why he came in here. I should have known..._

Mimi smiled in amusement and gently rested her cheek against Matt's shoulder. "Matt, do you want me to leave?"

"What? No, of course not! I...I think this is something we need to discuss as a family. When I said I wanted to tell Ryoko without everyone else hanging around, I automatically assumed you would be by my side for moral support. Palmon can stay, too. I wouldn't dream of excluding her."

Mimi raised her eyebrows and poked her husband in the shoulder. "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

"Thanks, Matt!" Palmon said, smiling happily at the golden-haired Digidestined.

Ryoko perked up immediately and he gave his father a hopeful look. "Does that mean you're going to tell me?"

Matt held out his arm and Ryoko quickly moved over to sit next to his father. Mimi shifted over so Ryoko could sit between them, and the golden-haired Digidestined snuggled against his dad's side. Matt slipped his arm around Ryoko's shoulders, and closing his eyes, he rested his cheek against the top of his son's golden head. Mimi could tell her husband was nervous, but she had seen the determination sparkling in his sapphire eyes just before he had squeezed them shut, and she knew he would tell Ryoko everything, even if it meant he could lose his son's respect.

"I'm ready, Dad," Ryoko said softly.

Matt took a deep breath and managed a weak smile. "I don't really know where to begin, but since it all kind of started with Tai and T.K., I guess I should probably start at the beginning..."


	126. Fallen From Grace

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: The Lucemon chapter is complete and I'm dedicating it to all Lucemon fans out there! Now, my next chapter will most likely be a couple weeks from now because I'm posting another chapter for my Kingdom Hearts story, but it is on the way! Totally off topic, but a few of you have asked me what my theories are with regards to the new Kingdom Hearts game. Just so you all know, I've started a Kingdom Hearts forum and I have posted my entire theory there. It's er...interesting to say the least! The forum is called 'The Realm of Light and Darkness'. Check it out!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 126: Fallen From Grace

_Lucemon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

_Even now the darkness mocks me, and no matter how hard I try to run from the past, I cannot seem to escape my fate. Maybe Daemon was right. Maybe I am a monster. The light of the Digital World is fading, and I have no one to blame but myself. I was a fool and a coward to think I could change things by casting aside an old friend, and if that's not enough, I deliberately abandoned the Ruler of Darkness, which has only made him even more determined to plunge the Digital World into darkness. Luciamon and I both believed we could not save our friend without some help, and in order for that to happen, we needed to find a way to separate ourselves from our former master. We had no choice. We had to leave. No. I am only making excuses for myself. If I had stayed by my friend's side, maybe none of this would have happened. If only...if only I wasn't so afraid to confront him. I could have done something to change his mind, but instead of facing the truth, I'll I've been doing is running from the one digimon who needs me the most..._

"Lucemon? Are you going to be okay? I'm sorry I wasn't able to bring you some good news for a change, but it's getting harder and harder to find something I'd consider to be worth a few smiles. I know how much you care about DarkAngelicmon, and I'm...I'm sorry about Luciamon..."

_I never wanted to join the Ruler of Darkness, but I did it because I knew my old friend had already made up his mind. He would not listen to reason, and it was the only way I could stay close to him. I never should have left. If I had stayed, he never would have let Spritemon destroy our friend. Luciamon, I can't believe you're really gone..._

Lucemon smiled sadly at the dark sky looming above the continent of Server and brushed a stray strand of pale blond hair out of his icy blue eyes. A gentle breeze rustled his wings and the long grass brushing lightly against his bare legs, but he barely even noticed. Luciamon was dead, and the mournful sound of the waves crashing against the cliff where he stood overlooking the ocean made her absence even more real to him than if he had witnessed her death himself.

"Lucemon?"

_Luciamon's dead because of me. I should have gone with her, but instead of trying to help my friends, all I did was abandon them. And for what? I haven't even been able to find Azulongmon, which means Luciamon died for nothing._

He had tried to talk her out of it, of course, but she had insisted it was the only way. Before he could even process what was happening, Luciamon had left to seek out the Digidestined, rescue Gennai, and on top of all of that, she had been determined to find out exactly what DarkAngelicmon and the Ruler of Darkness were planning. Somehow during that conversation, he had ended up with the task of searching for Azulongmon, and almost before he knew it, the two of them were saying goodbye before proceeding on a quest that would take them to opposite ends of the Digital World. Luciamon had insisted they would need help from the Guardian of the Eastern Hemisphere, as well, in order to stop the Ruler of Darkness, but so far the large dragon digimon had eluded him, and despite the need to keep searching, he knew he was on the verge of giving up.

_DarkAngelicmon must have requested Luciamon's help and sent someone to search for her. Obviously she let herself be found because I don't see how else she could have been invited into the castle and stayed on DarkAngelicmon's good side without causing our fallen friend to become suspicious. And yet, DarkAngelicmon's timing couldn't have been more perfect, since Luciamon had been planning on entering the castle with or without our friend's help. She had to find a way in in order to help Gennai and the Digidestined._

"Lucemon, please don't be sad. I know it might not seem like it right now, but there's still hope. Luciamon won't be gone forever. One day she'll come back, and when she does, I'm sure she'll want to hear all about how we helped the Digidestined save DarkAngelicmon."

Despite his efforts to remain cheerful, Lucemon could not stop himself from letting out a small sigh of despair. After a moment of silence, he turned to look at the little mega digimon hovering beside him and managed a faint smile. "I'm sorry, MarineAngemon, but I cannot see the light when there is darkness hovering all around me. I do not want to believe it, but...it looks as if I've lost both of my friends now..."

MarineAngemon floated slowly into his outstretched hands and gave him a disapproving look. "That's not true! You know as well as I do Luciamon will be reborn at Primary Village, and DarkAngelicmon...he..."

"What is it, MarineAngemon?"

"Do you think DarkAngelicmon is going to be okay? I mean...the light from the Digicore knocked him unconscious. You know I didn't actually see it myself, but I heard the Digidestined talking about it. That's how I found out about Luciamon."

"I know. I regret hearing the news you've given me, but you did not leave anything out and for that I am grateful. I'd much rather hear the truth from a friend instead of from some passing digimon long after events have already moved forward."

In order to compensate for Luciamon's rash actions, Lucemon had sent MarineAngemon to the Western Hemisphere in his place, and although the little mega had been eager to fulfill his request, the plan had been doomed to fail right from the very beginning. MarineAngemon's only task had been to watch out for Luciamon and make sure she returned safely to the Eastern Hemisphere, along with Gennai and the Digidestined. Once that part of the plan had been complete, Luciamon would then have had a chance to tell them everything she had learned about DarkAngelicmon and the Ruler of Darkness. On top of that, he would have had a chance to meet Gennai and the Digidestined, and that would have given him the opportunity to tell them the truth about DarkAngelicmon, but more importantly, he would have finally had a chance to help them defeat the Ruler of Darkness. Luciamon, of course, had not known about his plan to have MarineAngemon follow her to DarkAngelicmon's castle because he knew she would have been annoyed with him if she had discovered the little mega's presence, which was why he had decided to keep his plan a secret. Also, by that time the two of them had already gone their separate ways so there was no way he could have told her ahead of time, even if he had wanted to.

MarineAngemon was supposed to have kept himself hidden and watched the female angel from a distance during her time in the castle, but unfortunately the little mega had never made it that far. Instead, MarineAngemon had ended up getting stuck in the forest trying to hide from Vampiramon's scouts, and despite his size, the little mega had almost been caught several times while making an attempt to move towards the castle. In the end, MarineAngemon was forced to retreat towards the shore, but thankfully he had not left the Western Hemisphere empty-handed. MarineAngemon had managed to learn a lot about what Leomon's group had been planning from the digimon hiding in the forest, and luckily he had ended up stumbling upon the Digidestined while the large group of humans and digimon were waiting for Whamon at the gate. It was then the little mega had learned of Luciamon's fate and discovered the truth about what had happened within and around the castle's stone walls.

_The only reason we even knew the Digidestined were planning to find the crests and rescue Gennai on Cyber is because Luciamon heard Agumon's group talking about it on File Island. All of the good things that have happened are because of her..._

"You don't think Azulongmon's Digicore hurt DarkAngelicmon, do you? Gennai kept insisting your friend was still alive, but...I'm not so sure."

Lucemon felt the little pink mega snuggle against his palm, and turning to face the ocean again, he held MarineAngemon tightly against his chest and waved his left hand in the direction of the Western Hemisphere. "He's alive, MarineAngemon. I can feel him, even at this distance."

"Well, that's a relief. Maybe we would be able to save him if he were reconfigured, but I know that's not what you want."

"There must be another way. Even if he were to die and be reborn at Primary Village, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll automatically become a vaccine digimon or even a good virus digimon. He might even come back as an evil digimon if the Digidestined are unsuccessful in their efforts to save him, though that rarely ever happens. We won't really know until he reaches his champion or rookie form. Besides, the process of reconfiguration is a little...different for evil digimon. Who knows what might happen? Yes, he would have a chance to start over, but that won't mean anything if he allows himself to be tempted by evil yet again. I don't want history to repeat itself..."

"Neither do I. And besides, reconfiguration is only a little...different for _truly _evil digimon."

"MarineAngemon, I'm such a fool. I came here to search for Azulongmon at Luciamon's request because I believed he could help us, but so far all of my efforts have left me empty-handed. If Azulongmon really is here, then it's clear to me he does not want to be found, which means my search has been in vain. If I had gone with Luciamon, maybe things would have turned out differently, but I suppose there's no use dwelling on what might have been."

"It's not like Luciamon ever listened to you anyways. At least, that's the impression I got when you told me all about what the two of you were planning. She was every bit as stubborn as DarkAngelicmon!"

Lucemon bowed his head in acknowledgement and gave the little mega a gentle smile. "I will not deny the truth in what you've said, but still...I should have tried to protect her. It was terrible enough when I left my best friend behind to fulfill a promise I seem destined to break, but with Luciamon gone, now I've lost everything..."

"Not yet, you haven't!"

"Huh?"

MarineAngemon smiled shyly at him and turned to gaze at the pale blue moon shining brightly over the ocean. "You still have me. If you had never come to Server, the two of us might not have had a chance to meet each other. My only regret is that I never got the opportunity to meet Luciamon, as well. Maybe you didn't find Azulongmon, but you did find me, and considering what's been going on lately, I think it's pretty safe to say loyal friends are hard to come by these days."

"You're right, MarineAngemon. The two of us haven't really known each other for very long, but despite that you're still one of my best friends. That's why I have to apologize for sending you to the Western Hemisphere. The continent of Cyber is a dangerous place at the moment, and I'm sure it's only going to get worse. I never would have forgiven myself if something bad had happened to you, especially if you had ended up losing your life because of me. I seem to have a bad habit of putting my friends' lives in danger lately."

"Luciamon put her own life in danger, not you. It was her choice, and she gave up her life to help the Digidestined. We cannot fault her for that, and you cannot blame yourself for it either. Lucemon, the reason I went to the Western Hemisphere in the first place was because I wanted to help you. I would have gone anyway, even if you hadn't asked me to. Do you know why? It's because that's what friends do. I told you I would come back in one piece and here I am right in front of you. I...I wanted to reveal myself to the Digidestined, but I wasn't sure if that would have been the right thing to do at the time. Now I can't help wondering if maybe I had made a mistake..."

Lucemon gave his little friend a warm hug and gently fluttered his wings. "I wish I could reassure you, but even I don't know what we should do anymore. It's strange, but I thought for sure Gabrielmon, MagnaAngemon, or Angelicmon would have sensed your presence in the forest, even if you are quite small."

"Well, despite my name, I'm technically not an angel digimon. That's why they weren't able to sense me."

"You're right. I'm sorry, MarineAngemon, but sometimes I forget. There are times when you act more like a celestial digimon than I do."

"Really? You think so?" MarineAngemon beamed at him and let out a musical laugh. "Well, I've always been different from other MarineAngemon. For one thing, I talk a lot more, and that alone makes me very unusual! Still, even if I were an angel digimon, I don't think Gabrielmon and the others would have noticed my presence because they were distracted by Luciamon's death. As a result, they weren't paying close enough attention to their surroundings. Gabrielmon was also quite upset with his human partner at the time, so even if you had been the one hiding in the forest instead of me, I don't think they would have noticed you either. Celestial digimon have a tendency to let things slip by them unnoticed when their minds are preoccupied. If I had been an angel digimon, and they had been watching the forest closely, they would have felt me. After all, I was close enough to hear exactly what they were saying, though I had to strain my ears to listen. Normally, an angel digimon can only sense the presence of another celestial being when they're pretty close by, but for some reason it's different with you and DarkAngelicmon."

Lucemon nodded slowly and gazed thoughtfully at his bare feet. "I've always been able to sense DarkAngelicmon, even when we're on opposite sides of the Digital World, and I think it's because we share some sort of special connection. I can't tell you where he is exactly, but I know he's out there somewhere, and I know he can sense me, too. He probably knows I'm on Server, but he wouldn't know exactly where on this large continent I've been hiding all this time. It was the same with Luciamon. I think the range in which celestial digimon can sense each other is based on how close they are concerning distance and how much they mean to one another. I hope my connection to Gabrielmon and Angelicmon will one day be as strong as the one I shared with Luciamon and still share with DarkAngelicmon. You see, MarineAngemon? In the end, I guess you really didn't need to tell me about Luciamon's fate. I knew the minute she died because I could no longer feel her presence, but I guess I just didn't want to admit it to myself. I kept hoping I was wrong..."

"I'm so sorry, Lucemon, but...there's something else I wanted to tell you. Gabrielmon and his celestial friends are beginning to sense DarkAngelicmon's presence more strongly with each passing day. You know what that means, don't you?"

Lucemon let out a soft gasp and slowly lifted his head. "He is beginning to let them into his heart!"

"You see?" MarineAngemon said shyly. "There's still hope. Besides, you can still feel DarkAngelicmon's presence as strongly as you did when the two of you were best friends, which means you're still in his heart, too!"

Lucemon beamed at the little digimon in his hands and fluttered into the air with a big smile on his face. "Thank you, MarineAngemon. You have given me a reason to smile again, but...there is still a long road ahead of us."

"Maybe, but if DarkAngelicmon is allowing Gabrielmon and Angelicmon to grow closer to him then that means he's allowing their human partners to enter his heart, as well."

_Makiya and Masato Takaishi. They are my only hope, but how can I ask them for help when they do not deserve my trust? Besides, I could not live with myself if anything ever happened to them because of me..._

"Lucemon, I...I'm the one who should be apologizing," MarineAngemon said miserably, avoiding his eyes. "You wanted me to watch over Luciamon, but I...I failed you. If I had made it to DarkAngelicmon's castle, maybe she would still be alive."

"Don't blame yourself, MarineAngemon. You did what you could, and that is all I can ask of you."

_According to the Digidestined, DarkAngelicmon knows I am no longer working for the Ruler of Darkness. He probably believes Luciamon and I have betrayed him._

There were many reasons why he had run from the Ruler of Darkness, but the one thing that had frightened him the most was the path his master had set for him.

_**My dear Lucemon, you cannot change your fate. This is your destiny. With your power, the two of us can plunge the Digital World into darkness. Continue to fight with me and I will reward you for your efforts...**_

Even now, Lucemon could still hear the words echoing in his mind, and the sound of his master's voice caused a shiver to race down his spine.

_No! I will never be a Demon Lord! Never! He's only using DarkAngelicmon and the others to get to me! I know it in my heart, but what can I do to change things? DarkAngelicmon truly believes I'm his enemy. He hates me, and nothing will stop him from believing Luciamon and I are traitors..._

"MarineAngemon, I...I've never met a human before. Do you think they're really as nice as the stories make them out to be?"

MarineAngemon suddenly squirmed out of his arms and happily flew around him in a circle. "I didn't get a chance to watch the Digidestined for very long, but...you should have seen the way they acted towards their partners. They have amazing respect for digimon, and I know they will do whatever they can to save our world. Even the digimon who don't belong with them were treated the way friends are supposed to be treated. Embermon and the others really care about the humans, as well. That's why Gabrielmon was so angry at Mickey for putting himself in danger."

_Makiya Takaishi. The Child of Innocence. He put his life in danger to save my friend. Luciamon heard Gennai call him by that name. It must be important. No, I know it's important, and luckily Luciamon found that out before Gennai was captured. I have a feeling I know what it means, and if I'm right, then Mickey might be able to do what I could not. I do not deserve that kind of loyalty. Will he still feel the same way when he finds out about my past? How could he ever care for a digimon who's destined to fall into darkness..._

"Lucemon, Mickey and the others are going to like you. How can they not care for a digimon who's as loving and nice as you are?"

Lucemon slowly settled himself on the ground, and kneeling in the long grass, he gave his little friend a sad smile. "I...I've never had very many friends. Do you really believe I can find a way into their hearts?"

"Don't throw this chance away, Lucemon. They'll save DarkAngelicmon, and they'll save you, too."

_The fate of all digimon lies in the hands of friendship, but without the light of the humans, there is no hope..._

"What will you do, Lucemon?" MarineAngemon asked, hovering anxiously in front of his face. "Will you go to File Island or continue your search for Azulongmon?"

Lucemon wrapped his arms around himself and gazed thoughtfully at the dark sky. "I will think on it tonight. My answer alone may decide the fate of the Digital World."

"Don't take too long, okay?"

Somewhere across the ocean lay File Island, and beyond that the Western Hemisphere. So many choices, and yet his answer had to be clear before he could set out on another journey. And yet, despite common sense, he longed to find his old friend and fix the rift between them. Everything could be traced back to the moment DarkAngelicmon had let himself be deceived, and now the entire Digital World was suffering for it.

_Your allies and enemies alike call you DarkAngelicmon, and yet, that wasn't always your name. How? How did it all come to this? Oh, my dear friend Angelicmon. What have you done?_


	127. Lone Wolf

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, we've just had a new story posted for the FTFOD challenge by Miss Anonymous hp called 'Uncertainty in the Face of Friendship', and if you haven't read it yet, you'd better or else I'm going to have to get angry! It's really amazing and it's a great look into many of the character's minds. Now, in my opinion, the end of this chapter is actually the most interesting part! As I've said before, Ryoko always was the perceptive one...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 127: Lone Wolf

_Matt Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Matt finished his story with a deep sigh, and unable to look his son directly in the eyes, he turned instead to gaze nervously at his feet, which were hidden beneath the mint-coloured blankets. Throughout his entire tale, Ryoko had not said a single word, and even now the room remained as quiet as a dark forest completely void of life.

_He told me he would always love me no matter what I revealed about my past. Does he still feel the same way now, or have I lost my son forever?_

As much as he wanted to remain positive, Ryoko's lack of communication was starting to eat away at his heart, and unable to stand the silence anymore, he sucked in a deep breath and turned to face his son. Ryoko looked completely, utterly stunned, and yet, despite the horror lurking in the depths of his sapphire eyes, there was still a sense of understanding about him. "You...you made MetalGarurumon fight Tai's partner?"

Matt tightened his arm around his son's shoulders and managed a faint smile. "No, Ryoko, I didn't make MetalGarurumon do anything. He did it all on his own, and he did it for me, but that's still no excuse. I won't deny it's my fault he fought WarGreymon, but the rules of friendship aren't always set in stone. Do you see what I mean, Ryoko? Being a Digidestined doesn't make you perfect. We still make mistakes, even those of us who were lucky enough to be born with a heathly dose of common sense."

"Like Aunt Sora?"

"Exactly," Mimi said quietly, smiling and gently pressing her cheek against Ryoko's golden hair. "Remember, Ryoko, I made just as many mistakes as your father. I was determined to be a princess, and I almost lost all of my friends because of my selfishness. Thankfully Sora was able to help me find myself again and the power of my crest was able to remind me of who I am and what I stand for. Your father was no different. His crest and his friends were able to help him find his way out of the darkness, even though it looked as if there was no turning back. We all mess up once in a while. The important thing is to learn from our mistakes before it's too late, especially if it means the difference between saving the Digital World or letting the home of all digimon fall into ruin."

Despite Mimi's words, Ryoko's whole face crumpled and his big, blue eyes filled with despair. Matt tried to say something, but before he could open his mouth, Ryoko leaned against his side and let out a soft moan. "But why, Dad? Why did you let Cherrymon push you around like that?"

"What would you have done, Ryoko?"

Ryoko blinked in surprise, and to Matt's complete astonishment, his son started to laugh. Although the golden-haired Digidestined's tone sounded a bit shaky, Matt could not help feeling just a little bit relieved. The tense atmoshere in the room slowly began to fade away, and after a moment of thoughtful silence, Ryoko somehow found the courage to plaster a weak smile on his face. "You know, I probably would have done the same thing."

"See? It's not so easy, is it. I think, deep down inside, I knew Cherrymon was wrong all along, but I was confused and I wasn't exactly sure what it was I really wanted."

"Dad...you did some pretty terrible things. You realize that, don't you?"

Matt smiled slightly and slowly nodded. "Of course. Why do you think I ended up in that shadowy cave? I almost lost myself to the darkness because of my mistakes, but that's what happens when you let yourself become tempted by evil..."

"Dad, what exactly was that cave?" Ryoko asked hesitantly, his sapphire eyes troubled. "I mean, even Aunt Sora ended up getting stuck in it, and I always thought she was a lot stronger than...than the two of us. At least, that's what it always seemed like to me..."

"It doesn't matter how strong you are, Ryoko. No one is immune to darkness. Even Davis had his moments of doubt," Mimi said quietly.

Matt gently ruffled his son's golden hair and frowned thoughtfully at the ceiling. He could feel the warmth of Ryoko's cheek nestled against his shoulder, but despite his son's comforting presence, he could not suppress the sudden chill creeping up his spine. "Ryoko, there are still a lot of things I don't understand, but I think that cave works the same way as the Dark Ocean. Both places seem to manifest themselves when we alllow dark thoughts to enter our hearts. It's the darkness inside of us that brings them into existence. In fact, I believe the cave and the Dark Ocean are the same place. It's almost as if they're two parts of a vast territory that make up the World of Darkness. I can only guess at what kind of other places the darkness might hold."

"Really? I guess that makes sense, but there's one thing I don't understand. How do we know there really is a cave or even an ocean in the World of Darkness? Physically your body was in the cave, but your mind was floating in darkness. It was your dark thoughts that brought the cave into existence, or did it already exist and you were sent to that particular area because you felt..."

"Trapped?"

Ryoko blushed and slowly nodded his head. "That's how Aunt Sora felt, too, so it's not surprising you guys ended up in the same place, but...that doesn't explain Aunt Kari."

_And it doesn't explain Daemon either..._

Matt wrinkled his nose in disgust and turned slowly to face his son. "I used to think my dark thoughts created the cave, but now I'm not so sure. I guess they did, in a way, but it's so much more complicated than that. This is going to sound a bit weird, but I think Kari and Ken were sent to that particular area in the World of Darkness because they felt so overwhelmed. An ocean is a vast territory, and no matter how hard you try to see the other side, the only way to do so is to find the courage to cross it. Daemon was definitely sent to the Dark Ocean, so it must really exist, even if an ocean may not be its true form. Maybe, like Sora and I, Ken's and Kari's dark thoughts didn't necessarily create it, like I had first believed, but they were sent to that particular place because to them it had some sort of special meaning. Both places feed off of dark thoughts. The darkness my mind was floating in was the darkness in my heart. My dark thoughts took on the form of a shadowy black ball and I saw it hovering above my head after I was able to release myself from the hold it had over me. Maybe my dark thoughts were what sent me to the cave in the first place, and once I left them behind, I was able to leave the cave behind. Like me, Kari and Ken were afraid of being alone, but most of all they were afraid of what was still to come."

"They were uncertain about the future, and I think they were afraid of what it might hold," Mimi said sadly. "We all come to a crossroads eventually in life, and it's those of us who can overcome our fear and listen to our hearts that eventually choose the right path."

Ryoko beamed at his mother and reached out to give her a hug. "Just like you and Dad did."

_Does that mean he still believes in me?_

Matt felt his heart skip a beat and he laid a gentle hand on his son's arm. "Ryoko, if there's one thing I do know about the Powers of Darkness, it's the fact that they can be very deceiving. I think it's pretty safe to say the World of Darkness really does exist, but as history has shown us, it can take on many forms, and that's where you have to be careful."

"I think Daemon was sent to the Dark Ocean because that's where Ken chose to send him," Palmon piped up.

Ryoko scratched his head and frowned in confusion. "How were Uncle T.K., Joe, and Yolei able to get to the World of Darkness? I'm...really confused."

Matt laughed at the puzzled look on his son's face and blinked in surprise at his own reaction. He had expected his conversation with Ryoko to be very somber, and yet, it didn't feel that way at all. Instead, it felt like they were truly communicating, and despite the seriousness of the situation, his heart felt..light. "Isn't it obvious? They followed their friends to the World of Darkness because they knew we needed help. I think the reason they were able to find us so easily is because they could feel what was in our hearts, and it was our hearts that led them to the places where they needed to be. We were crying out for help and they could hear our screams, even though no one else could. One of the best things about being a Digidestined is the fact that we know each other inside and out. My friends know me better than I know myself, and it was their unwavering belief in me that saved me from myself."

"Dad, did you...ever actually _hate _Uncle Tai?" Ryoko asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Matt raised his eyebrows and smiled in amusement. "There were times when I wanted to hate him, but for some reason I was never quite able to manage it. Everything he did annoyed me, but it wasn't because I disliked him. The reason he irritated me so much was because he represented everything I felt I could never be. I envied the way he could express himself so easily, but most of all, I envied the way he could capture the hearts of everyone around him. He never had to work at it. I think it's because he was so open about his feelings and emotions."

"Tai's the kind of person other people trip over themselves in an effort to get to know," Mimi laughed. "He never shuts anyone out, and he always makes you feel important, even if you're the kind of person who fades into the backround. Tai doesn't have to _make _people like him. They just do, and that's what makes him so unique."

"Kind of like someone else I know," Ryoko muttered, smiling slightly.

"Tai's a pretty amazing human. No wonder Agumon's so proud of him," Palmon said thoughtfully.

Matt tugged on the sleeve of his son's shirt to get the golden-haired Digidestined's attention, and Ryoko turned slowly to look at him. "What is it, Dad?"

"Do you know what I'm ashamed of the most?"

"What?"

"When I first became a Digidestined, I used to come up with all kinds of excuses to give myself a reason to hate Tai. I used to tell myself he was trying to take my place as T.K.'s big brother, and I acted like he was out to steal the little bit of happiness I possessed at the time, but that was just a shield I used to hide behind because I couldn't face the truth. The one thing that bothered me the most about Tai was something I wanted more than anything else in the world, but it always seemed so out of reach."

"What...what did he have that you...didn't have?"

Matt pulled his son close and let out a soft sigh. "Freedom. When I was younger, I always felt like I was trapped inside the walls of a prison cell, and he always seemed so...free. I was jealous of the way it came so easily to him, but now I realize I had that kind of freedom all along. It was just a matter of finding the courage to express myself. I wanted to hurt Tai because I thought that was the only way to make him understand what I was feeling inside. I was wrong, and thankfully I realized that before it was too late."

"Tai understood all along," Ryoko gasped, excitement sparkling in his sapphire eyes.

_Yes, and I think Dai understands, too, even if he doesn't realize it yet._

Matt stared at his son for a moment and let out a soft laugh. "Why do you think he's my best friend? Still, even though we were able to set aside our differences, things haven't always been perfect. Our friendship has been tested several times since then, especially when I was dating Sora, but somehow we've always been able to work things out, and that's how I know Tai was telling the truth when he said he had never doubted me. Even now, twenty-nine years later, he still believes in me, and that means more to me than I could ever put into words. How many people out there can say they're as lucky as I am?"

Ryoko suddenly looked away from him and let out a soft sigh. "I wish I could."

"You're thinking about Dai, aren't you."

"What? How...how did you know?"

Matt watched his son's face turn bright red, and closing his eyes, he pulled the golden-haired Digidestined into a tight hug. One of the things he loved most about his son was the fact that Ryoko never seemed afraid to get close to him. He knew he wasn't exactly the most easy person to get to know, and that made it hard for others to show him affection, but Ryoko didn't seem to care about any of that. His son never hesitated to show him what love was all about, and for that he was grateful.

_It's amazing how good it feels to know there's someone out there who will continue to love you no matter how many mistakes you make. That's something Ryoko definitely inherited from his mother. I know I can count on him, and that's the best feeling in the world. At least, I hope that's still true..._

"Dad..."

"You can tell me, Ryoko. I'm not going to get mad, if that's what you're worried about."

Ryoko mumbled something against his chest, and after a moment of silence, the golden-haired Digidestined slowly lifted his head. "It's so frustrating. There are times when he acts like he hates me, and at other times he acts completely...different. I want to say something, but how can I when I don't have a clue how he really feels about me? I wish he would just make up his mind and be done with it. I mean...what is he waiting for?"

"For you, Ryoko. He's waiting for you to let him in."

"Huh?"

Matt gently ruffled his son's golden hair and smiled to himself. "Dai knows he can't force you to like him. All he's doing is waiting for you to find a reason to trust him. I know it's hard to believe, but his heart is just as vulnerable as yours is. Why do you think he hasn't said anything yet? He's afraid you're going to throw his offer to be friends right back in his face, and that's not something he wants to experience. You're afraid of being rejected, and I can understand that, but...Dai's not made of stone, Ryoko. He might be very brave, but even those of us who are gifted with a lot of courage can't escape the fear of rejection."

"You sound so sure of yourself, but..."

"Tai taught me a lot about friendship, and yet, despite all of his courage, it was my loyalty and commitment to our friendship that finally broke the barriers. And it's all because of the Crest of Friendship. It was my crest that sealed our friendship and brought us together."

"What are you saying?" Ryoko whispered, a spark of emotion flashing somewhere within the depths of his sapphire eyes.

Matt took a deep breath and gazed directly into his son's eyes. "You can't wait for Dai. If you do, it might be too late."

"Don't do something you'll regret," Mimi said quietly, smiling gently at her son.

Ryoko bit his lip and gazed miserably at his hands. "If you guys knew, why didn't you ever say anything?"

_Would it have done any good if we had? No, Ryoko, it probably only would have made things worse._

Matt glanced sheepishly at his wife and managed a weak smile. "I'm sorry, Ryoko, but we didn't realize your situation with Dai had gotten so out of hand until recently. I mean, I've always known the two of you would fight a lot, but I never thought you guys would follow the same path Tai and I took long before you were born. Actually, now that I think about it, I believe a part of me did know all along, but somehow I knew this was something you had to do for yourself. You have to tell Dai the truth in a way that feels right for you."

"But-"

"Ryoko, no one else can do it for you. I know it's hard, but somehow you'll find a way."

"I know. Dad, are you sure you're not going to get mad at me for acting like a jerk towards Dai?"

Matt raised his eyebrows at the suspicious look on his son's face and smiled in amusement. "If I recall, I wasn't exactly all that nice towards Tai either. Look, just try not to be _too _hard on Dai, okay? It's not his fault you're my son."

Ryoko smiled shyly at him, and he jumped in surprise when his son suddenly leaned over him and snatched the Crest of Friendship off the second nightstand, which was located on his side of the bed. At first he was confused, but then he realized his son was smiling at the crest and holding it as if it were a precious gift. "Well, I did sort of promise Kara I would try to fix my friendship with Dai, and now it looks like I don't really have a choice. You're really lucky, Dad. So many people helped you make your crest glow. Joe, Gabumon, Tai...all of them. I'm especially glad, though, about Tai. He really cares about you. I bet that feels...pretty nice."

Matt nodded slowly, and yet, despite how easy the conversation was going, he still found it hard to look his son directly in the eyes. "You'll know what it feels like soon enough. Ryoko...I...do you remember what you said to me earlier?"

"How could I forget?"

"Do you...still feel the same way now, even after everything I've told you?"

Matt felt Ryoko's arms slip around his neck, and unable to suppress a soft sound of despair, he squeezed his son as tightly as he could. After a moment of silence, Ryoko pulled back slightly, and Matt found himself gazing into his son's deep blue eyes. Ryoko's expression was surprisingly sympathetic, and there was something about it that created a lump in Matt's throat. "Dad, we all make mistakes. I might be even more guilty of that than you are. Besides, you're not the only one who lost sight of what was really important. Tai, Joe, Sora, Izzy, and even Mom all made mistakes, too. How are yours any worse than the ones they made? All of your friends did something they weren't proud of during their adventures in the Digital world. The same goes for Davis and his group of Digidestined. You're no different from anyone else."

"Ryoko..."

"Cherrymon tried to hurt you, but you didn't let him! Your dark thoughts tried to consume you, but you pushed them all away! Your anger and pain tried to ruin your friendship with Tai, but your heart refused to let that happen! Don't you see? Those are the things that matter. Yes, you made some mistakes, but you learned from them. That's the important thing, and that's the only thing I care about!"

"He's right, Matt," Mimi said softly, her hand coming to rest gently on his shoulder. "You should be proud of yourself. If no one ever made mistakes, then none of us would ever be able to grow as people and discover what it means to truly appreciate what we have."

"Even digimon make mistakes," Palmon sighed.

"I meant what I said before," Ryoko mumbled, avoiding his eyes. "I'll always love you no matter what you tell me."

Matt clung tightly to his son and buried his face against the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder. "I feel the same way about you. Thank you for being so understanding. I only hope Sam will feel the same way when...when he finally finds out the truth."

Ryoko shifted slightly in his arms and nodded slowly. "Yes...Sam..."

_Wait a minute, what did I just say?_

Matt jerked his head up and gazed apprehensively at his son, but unfortunately he was unable to tell whether or not Ryoko had understood his cryptic words. The expression on his son's face was neutral, almost innocent even, but that did not stop him from glancing anxiously at his wife.

"You worry too much," Mimi snorted, kissing his cheek and rolling her eyes.

Obviously she was convinced Ryoko didn't suspect a thing, but he wasn't quite so sure.

_What if I said too much?_

"Dad, I'm more sensible than Dai gives me credit for," Ryoko said softly, holding out the Crest of Friendship in his hand. "I've always believed in you, now more so than ever. You've never given me a reason not to. Why do you think I'm not upset about your past? Besides, I know you believe in me, too, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure _you _never have a reason to doubt _me."_

_My crest. It's...glowing..._

Matt gently squeezed his son's hand and smiled at the Crest of Friendship glowing faintly between their fingers. This time, he knew it wasn't glowing because of him. It was glowing because of his son. "Ryoko?"

"What is it, Dad?"

Matt slipped his arms around Ryoko, and once again he rested his cheek against his son's golden hair. "I don't deserve a son like you. Now, as much as I'd love to continue this conversation, it's late and you should be getting to bed. I don't want you walking around half asleep in the Digital World tomorrow."

"Sleep well," Mimi whispered, kissing Ryoko's cheek and pulling him into a quick hug.

Ryoko blushed at their words and quickly dropped the Crest of Friendship back on the nightstand before climbing off the bed. Matt scrambled out after his son, and together they silently made their way out the door and down the hallway towards Ryoko's room. Matt quietly watched his son scramble underneath the covers, and although the golden-haired Digidestined was making quite a bit of noise, Iramon never even cracked an eyelid. Instead, the little digimon merely snuggled against his partner's neck and proceeded to snore softly into the pillow.

"I really do like the names you and Mom picked out for the new baby," Ryoko said softly, breaking the silence.

"I know. Good night, Ryoko. I...I love you."

"I love you too, Dad. Uncle T.K.'s lucky to have a big brother like you. No one could ever take your place. I...I can't wait to have a sibling. I'll be a good brother, too. I promise."

Matt smiled fondly at his son's golden head, which was almost hidden beneath the sheets, and reluctantly left the room. As much as he wanted to help his son, there were some things Ryoko needed to discover on his own, including friendship. _He really does believe in me and now he needs me to believe in him. Don't worry, Ryoko. One day Dai will finally realize how special you are, and when he does, I hope you realize you're the lucky one, not him._

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ryoko waited until his father had left the room before sitting up and gazing frantically at the darkness hovering around him. His first thought was to wake Iramon, but the more he dwelled on it, the more he realized that probably wouldn't be a very good idea.

_The Emperor was a human. That much we know, and according to Agumon and the others, a human can't come to the Digital World unless they possess a certain amount of innocence. That innocence is represented by a Digivice, which means...you cannot come to the Digital World unless you are destined to receive a Digivice. Also, Azulongmon, Gennai, and the Digital World itself are guided by...other reasons when it becomes time for certain people to receive Digivices at certain times. The Digital World also has to be in danger for us to be needed. The Digivice itself is a symbol of the Digidestined. If that's true, then the Emperor must have had a Digivice, and if the Emperor had a Digivice, then that means he was a Digidestined. Somehow the Emperor is connected to Ken's past, and no matter how much we bug our parents, they refuse to tell us exactly what that connection is. DarkAngelicmon and the others keep comparing Sam to the Emperor, but why would they do that unless..._

Ryoko clapped a hand over his mouth and stared at the ceiling in horror.

_**I only hope Sam will feel the same way when he finally finds out the truth...**_

_Could it be? Could Sam's father be the Digimon Emperor?_


	128. Bad Karma

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, before I say anything else, this chapter is dedicated to FallenArchangelDD who asked me if I wouldn't mind embarrassing Mickey in one of my chapters. Also, there are two new stories now posted for the FTFOD challenge, so check them out! They are 'A Window to the Past' by FallenArchangelDD and 'My Brother's Keeper' by CrestOfHealing. And make sure you take a look at them because I'm tired of threatening people! Voting is going to be open to everyone. For details check my forum. That's it for news. Enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 128: Bad Karma

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Mickey, will you hurry up? We're going to be late!"

"Well, I wouldn't have to hurry if you hadn't taken so long in the shower before me! Next time I'm going first!"

Masato Takaishi crossed his arms and frowned at the bathroom door, but apparently Mickey's twin psychic abilities weren't kicking in at the moment because the door remained firmly shut and the shower kept running. Growing impatient, Matty proceeded to bang heartily on the aforementioned door and gave it an enthusiastic kick for good measure. "Mickey, I know Mrs. Hanari likes you, but even you're not going to get out of detention if we're late!"

"I'm trying to hurry as fast as I can!"

"Well, you're not hurrying fast enough! Forget Mrs. Hanari. Ryoko's going to kill us if we're late!"

"Matty!"

Matty turned to see Rina coming down the hallway towards him, and he gave her a big smile. "Hey, little sis, you'd better get downstairs before Mom starts yelling at you."

"Mommy's going to yell at you before she yells at me! Why are you banging on the door?"

"Mickey's being really uncooperative today."

"So what? You're like that everyday!"

Matty rolled his eyes and gently ruffled his sister's dark hair. "Get out of here, would you? Mom's probably waiting for you downstairs."

Rina stuck her tongue out at him, and turning towards the bathroom door, she gave it a cheerful bang with her fist. "Bye, Mickey!"

"See you, Rina," came the reply from the other side of the door.

"Say goodbye to Goldmon and Palelymon for me!"

"I will!"

_Speaking of Goldmon, where is he?_

Matty watched Rina scurry down the stairs with a frown on his face and slapped the palm of his hand against the door. "Mickey, do you know where Goldmon is? I think I've lost him."

"He's in here with Palelymon. They're playing in the sink."

"Really? Goldmon, how did you sneak in there without me noticing?"

"Playing in the water is fun!" Goldmon said happily from the other side of the door.

Matty let out a groan, and stepping away from the door, he proceeded to bang his forehead against the wall. "Great, detention here I come."

"Sorry, Matty," Mickey said sheepishly over the noise of the shower. "Goldmon came in here with me when you were busy running around looking for your shirt. I think he's having too much fun with Palelymon right now to bother paying attention to anything else. Neither he nor Palelymon even stopped playing long enough to say bye to Rina!"

Matty was about to answer when the sound of his dad's voice captured his attention. "Matty, Dai and the others are here. You'd better tell Mickey to hurry up. If you guys don't get moving you're going to be late for school."

"I hope you two don't plan on making this a habit," his mother shouted up the stairs.

_Well, at least this time it'll be Mickey's fault instead of mine!_

Matty smiled at the bathroom door in amusement and raised his fist, but before he could start pestering his twin again, the door suddenly burst open, and he stumbled directly into Mickey's outstretched arms. "Yuck! Mickey, you're all wet!"

"Well, what did you expect?"

Matty allowed his twin to push him out into the hallway, but before he could get a word in edgewise, Mickey crossed his arms over his bare chest and gave him a disapproving look. "You shouldn't bang on the door like that. One of these days it's going to break because of you!"

"You're so silly, Matty," Goldmon chirped, hopping into the hallway with Palelymon and beaming at him.

"At least someone's having fun today."

_And it definitely isn't me! Then again, I guess that depends on whether or not I can avoid getting detention..._

Matty glanced at his twin and raised his golden eyebrows. Mickey was standing in the middle of the hallway wearing nothing but a towel around his waist and the carpet was soaked beneath his feet. Smiling slightly, Matty pointed at the pale blue carpet and gazed innocently at his brother. "Uh, Mickey, you're dripping all over the floor."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Mom's going to have a fit when she sees-"

"Will you make yourself useful and bring me some clothes?"

"Why didn't you bring them with you in the first place?"

"I was going to, but you kept trying to hurry me up and I forgot!" Mickey wailed, glancing over his shoulder and gazing anxiously at the clock ticking steadily away on the bathroom wall.

Matty laughed and gave his brother what he hoped was a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. He turned in the direction of their bedroom, but the sound of sudden footsteps on the stairs captured his attention, and instead of responding to Mickey's request, he proceeded to make his way over to the stairs. Ryoko appeared at the top of the steps before he could get very far, and the look of utter disbelief on his cousin's face made him smile.

"Mickey!" Ryoko shouted, disapproval radiating from his body. "What are you doing wandering around half-naked up here when we're supposed to be on our way to school? In case you didn't notice, we're running out of time. Will you stop fooling around and get dressed before Mrs.Hanari forces me to spend all afternoon in detention with Dai?"

"I'm not fooling around! Matty's the one who-"

"We don't have time for excuses!" Ryoko interrupted, crossing his arms and glancing impatiently over his shoulder. "Really, Mickey, I thought you cared about the Digital World enough to at least be on time for school! We can't find the Spirit Chips if we're stuck in detention you know!"

Mickey blushed and gazed miserably at his feet. "It's not like I'm trying to be late on purpose! Besides, we still have a little bit of-"

"Hey, guys! Are you ready to take down Vampiramon and spoil all of DarkAngelicmon's plans?" Dai asked cheerfully, coming up the stairs and throwing his arm around Ryoko's shoulders. "Uh...Mickey, you might want to put some clothes on before we leave."

"You shouldn't drip all over the carpet like that," Sam added, coming up behind Dai and smiling in amusement.

Mickey let out a deep sigh and shook his head. "Why won't anyone let me say something?"

"What's going on up here?"

Matty let out a gasp and grabbed onto his twin's arm, but before he could shove his brother back into the bathroom, Takara, Ami, Ema, Miya, and Taniko appeared at the top of the stairs. Takara was the one who had spoken, and she did not look at all impressed by the commotion taking place in the hallway. Thankfully she did not appear to have spotted Mickey yet, but that was due mostly to the fact that Dai had stepped in front of the female Digidestined and was waving his arms in front of her face in an effort to keep her attention focused on something other than Mickey. "Kara, you might want to go back down-"

"Dai, will you get out of the way! If you don't quit it you're going to hit me in the nose!"

"But-"

_Quick thinking, Dai, but I know Kara and if I'm right, then I doubt your plan is going to work..._

Sure enough, Takara pushed the goggle-headed leader out of her path and stepped into the middle of the hallway with a frown on her face. Matty glanced frantically at his brother, but unfortunately Mickey appeared to have lost his ability to move.

_Uh oh..._

"Mickey!" Taniko squealed, catching sight of the older twin standing in the hallway without any clothes on.

Takara frowned at Taniko before turning to look at Mickey, and spotting her cousin, she promptly clapped her hands over her eyes and let out a gasp of horror. "Mickey! Why didn't one of you boys warn me!"

"I tried but you wouldn't listen to me!" Dai protested.

"Kara!" Mickey cried, his face turning bright red.

"Kara, you'd better get back downstairs before Mickey loses all of his dignity," Ryoko snorted, giving the female Digidestined a gentle push towards the stairs.

Matty smiled sympathetically at his twin, but Mickey was too busy trying to hang onto his towel to notice.

"Mickey, you look like your face is on fire!" Ema giggled.

"Get out of here, Ema!" Dai snarled, grabbing onto his female cousin's arm and dragging her towards the stairs. "Kara-"

"The last thing I needed to see was my cousin in a towel!" Takara moaned, turning on her heel and racing back down the stairs.

_Well, it's never boring around here. I guess that has to count for something!_

Matty smiled to himself, and taking pity on his twin, he quickly stepped in front of Mickey and glared at the group of giggling females who, with the exception of Taniko, were all trying to catch a glimpse of his brother. "Do you guys mind?"

"Nice towel, Mickey. You might want to hang onto it before we see what's underneath!" Miya snorted, bursting into laughter.

"You look so cute wearing pratically nothing!" Ema giggled.

Matty didn't think it was possible, but somehow Mickey's face turned an even deeper shade of red than it had when Kara had first appeared in the hallway.

"Please go away!" the older twin cried.

Unfortunately that only made Ema and the others laugh even more, and Mickey covered his face with his hands.

"But-"

Matty cut Ema off with a wave of his hand and glared at the blue-haired female. "You heard him! Get lost, Ema. And that goes for the rest of you, too!"

"Hey, Matty, you should be just as embarrassed as Mickey," Ami said slyly.

_Huh?_

Matty glanced at his twin, who was cowering behind him, and frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"Well, you are Mickey's identical twin, and now that we've seen Mickey without any clothes on, that means we've pretty much seen you, too!"

Matty blinked in surprise and felt his face heat up. "Ami! That's it! All of you leave, now!"

"Oh, Matty, we're really sorry!" Taniko gasped.

"Don't worry about it. Just get Ema out of here at least."

Taniko blushed and smiled shyly at him. "Of course."

"What is going on up here?" Noah demanded, appearing at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Noah, will you get your sister out of here?" Dai groaned.

"Why?"

"Quit trying to spoil my fun!" Ema shouted, glaring at Dai.

Noah glanced at Mickey and his dark eyebrows narrowed into a frown. "Come on, girls, leave Mickey alone and get back downstairs."

"I don't have to listen to-"

"Now, Ema!"

"Fine, we're going," Miya grumbled.

"We're really, really sorry, Mickey," Taniko said softly.

"See you guys downstairs!" Ami giggled, winking at Ryoko.

Ryoko blushed and glanced anxiously at Dai, but the goggle-headed leader didn't seem to notice.

Miya proceeded to drag Ema down the stairs with enthusiasm, and as soon as all the girls had left, Mickey let out a small sigh of relief. "I never sould have gotten out of bed this morning."

"You won't save the Digital World with that kind of attitude!" Dai smirked.

"Come on, Mickey, we'd better get you back to your room and into some clothes before Ema tries to sneak up the stairs and steal your towel or something," Noah said sympathetically, taking Mickey's arm and leading the older twin away from the bathroom door.

Matty was about to follow Noah, but the sound of sudden footsteps on the stairs again captured his attention, and he spotted his father coming down the hallway towards him. "Hey, Dad, what's up?"

_Great, now we're really in trouble!_

"Aren't you two ready yet?"

Matty smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, we would be if-"

"Mickey! You shouldn't be wandering around like that when we have guests in the house!" his father scolded, ignoring him and frowning disapprovingly at Mickey. "You'd better hurry up and get dressed. I don't want you or Matty sitting in detention all afternoon."

"Dad!" Mickey meekly lowered his eyes to the ground and let out a soft moan. "Why does everyone think I'm doing this on purpose?"

"We'll be down in a few minutes. Come on, Mickey," Dai said cheerfully, shoving the older twin down the hallway. Matty led the others into the room he shared with Mickey, and closing the door behind Ryoko, he proceeded to throw various clothes at his brother. "Hurry up. Mom's going to start yelling at us if we don't leave soon."

"Why do I have a feeling it's your fault?" Ryoko smirked, leaning against the door.

Matty glanced at his cousin, and frowning slightly, he turned to gaze thoughtfully at the ceiling. Normally Ryoko was the type of guy who always appeared cool and calm, but today there was something about the golden-haired Digidestined's expression that seemed a little odd. Despite the comfortable atmosphere in the room, for some reason Ryoko kept glancing nervously at Sam, but the raven-haired Digidestined didn't appear to notice, though that was due mostly to the fact that Ryoko would quickly look away every time Sam's eyes shifted in his direction.

_I wonder what's going on._

"Thanks for helping me out, Noah," Mickey said shyly, trying unsuccessfully to pull on his jeans and socks at the exact same time.

Growing impatient, Matty grabbed his brother's favorite shirts and pulled them over the older twin's head with enthusiasm. Ignoring Mickey's protests, he somehow managed to wrestle his twin's arms through the sleeves, and smiling in satisfaction, he took a step back to survey his handywork. "There, all set! Let's get going."

"Mickey, why were you acting all funny when the girls came upstairs?" Palelymon asked curiously, hopping into his partner's lap.

"It's a little embarrassing to be seen without your clothes on, especially when it's a group of giggling girls who feel the need to start making jokes about it," Sam explained, smiling in amusement. "It works both ways, though. Ami or one of the other girls would have had a fit if a group of guys, namely us, had accidentally seen one of them in a towel."

"Did you have to mention Ami? What are you trying to do, give me nightmares?" Dai groaned.

"I don't get it. Humans are very strange," Goldmon said, his fluffy ears fluttering lightly above his head. "Where are DemiEmbermon and the others?"

"Downstairs. We'd better get them out of here before they eat everything in the house," Dai snorted.

"But-"

"We'll explain why humans are so weird later," Noah interrupted, scratching Goldmon's ears and smiling to himself.

Matty quickly pulled the little gold digimon into his arms, and grabbing onto Mickey's sleeve, he proceeded to drag his twin down the stairs. Dai and Ryoko were walking just ahead of them, and surprisingly enough, Ryoko did not even attempt to leave Dai behind. In fact, now that Matty thought about it, Ryoko hadn't made a single sarcastic comment towards Dai since the two of them had come up the stairs earlier, and Dai, too, had not made a single attempt to get on the golden-haired Digidestined's nerves.

_That's weird. They usually don't act this nice to one another, and when they do finally manage to get along, it's usually not this early in the morning._

The thing that surprised Matty the most, though, was the way Dai had thrown his arm around Ryoko's shoulders and the golden-haired Digidestined hadn't done a thing about it. Normally when Dai tried something like that, Ryoko would roll his eyes and shove the goggle-headed leader away, but this time he had merely stood there gazing quietly at his feet.

_I wonder if Dai even noticed. Probably not. He never notices anything._

"Hey, guys, are you ready to go?" Taysuke asked, getting up from his seat at the table.

"Can we bring some food along?" DemiEmbermon asked hopefully.

Matty glanced anxiously at his mother and winced at the look on her face. "Sorry, Mom."

"Why don't I believe you? Your father's going to take Rina to school. I'd take her myself, but if I do, I'll be late for work. As for the rest of you, get out of my kitchen and get yourselves to school!"

"Yes, Aunt Kari," Takara sighed.

"Don't forget, we're all supposed to meet and Dai's house after school," Kenzo reminded them.

Matty nodded in agreement and turned to look at his father. "Will you be there, Dad?"

"Yes, I'm coming along for moral support. Davis, Mimi, and Jun are also coming. Cody, Rosa, and Noriko probably won't arrive until after you guys go to the Digital World but they're coming too. Remember, Tai, Sora, Mina, Izzy, and Matt are going with you guys so you'd better be on your best behaviour!"

"No kidding," Ryoko muttered, making a face.

"We're all coming, too," Taysuke piped up, gesturing to himself and waving his hand at Noah and the others.

"I'll bring Rina and Nao," T.K. offered.

Taniko beamed at everyone and brushed her long, dark hair out of her eyes. "I know we've got a really serious situation on our hands, but still, this is going to be fun. Don't worry, guys, I've got all the computer work covered."

"See you all later!" Patamon called cheerfully from his seat on the kitchen counter.

Matty waved goodbye to Patamon and his parents, and he quickly left the house with his large group of friends trailing behind him. Somewhere inside his backpack he could hear Goldmon muttering something about being treated like a piece of baggage, but he was too busy watching his friends to pay much attention to his partner's complaints. Mickey was walking with his eyes lowered to the ground, and there was still a faint blush on his cheeks, but luckily the others seemed to have forgotten all about him.

"Hey, Noah, why don't you ever walk around in a towel?" Miya giggled, her lips twitching into a sly smile.

"He does," Ema smirked. "The next time I catch him I'll be sure to snap a picture and give it to you as a gift out of the goodness of my heart!"

"Ema!" Noah blushed and gave his sister a dirty look. "If you do-"

"Can we please talk about something else?" Mickey mumbled, his face turning and interesting shade of purple.

Matty grinned and wrapped a comforting arm around his brother's shoulders. Clearly Mickey was still embarrassed about what had happened earlier, but obviously that didn't seem to bother Ema.

"Will you guys stop fooling around?" Ryoko muttered, wrinkling his nose.

Matty blinked in surprise and frowned when he suddenly realized Ryoko was doing everything he could to stay as far away from Sam as possible. At first Matty thought it was just his imagination, but then he noticed Dai was also giving Ryoko a funny look.

_Maybe Dai's not as blind as I thought he was. I wonder what's going on with Ryoko, but more importantly, I wonder exactly what it is he's hiding..._


	129. Taking Sides

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Back with another chapter! I apologize for some of them being so short, but as much as I would like to make them longer, it would then take me about a month to update this story every time I want to post. Also, I only have two chapters left of my Kingdom Hearts story, and once they're done, I'm going to be focusing all of my energy on this story and Trinity. I doubt I will post anything new until Trinity is done. Also, that way I can update this story faster, as well, since I won't be focusing on three or more stories at once. Enjoy the new chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 129: Taking Sides

_Vampiramon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Vampiramon marched down the long, stone corridor, BlackWidowmon scurrying along behind her, and burst through a set of large, wooden doors into the castle's spacious courtyard. The sun was shining brightly in the east, and there was a gentle breeze blowing through the leaves on the trees, but she barely even noticed. The sight of DarkAngelicmon, Spritemon, and Jestermon lounging in the grass at the foot of an old stone bench had unfortunately captured her attention, and the fact that the fallen angel was surprisingly still in one piece was enough to make her want to hit somebody.

_Better yet, maybe I'll just kill DarkAngelicmon and be done with it. How could our master have let him live after he allowed the Digidestined to escape with the crests?_

"Vampiramon, how nice of you to join us. We were just talking about you," DarkAngelicmon smirked, his emerald green eyes sparkling in the sunshine. The fallen angel was lying on his stomach, his wings fluttering gently in the breeze, and he had his chin propped up in his hands. Spritemon sat next to him, and every so often she would brush the fallen angel's feathery wings out of her face with a sharp flick of her wrist. Jestermon sat on DarkAngelicmon's other side, and as usual the fool was juggling a set of three glowing, black balls in his hands.

"What's the matter, Vampiramon? You seem a little upset," Spritemon said innocently.

Vampiramon ignored the little sprite digimon and turned to glare furiously at the hateful fallen angel. Last night she had been expecting the Ruler of Darkness to finish off DarkAngelicmon once and for all, but apparently the fallen angel's death was not exactly at the top of his priority list at the moment. Still, even so, she had thought the Ruler of Darkness had made the rest of them leave the room because he had wanted to dispose of the fallen angel without any outside interference.

_Unless..._

As much as she didn't want to admit it, DarkAngelicmon and the Ruler of Darkness had an unfortunate habit of keeping their conversations a secret from all of the other digimon in the castle, including herself. More than likely the two of them had been discussing something they didn't want anyone else to hear. They had had similar conversations in the past, and the fact that it looked as if they were making plans together behind her back infuriated her more than she would ever admit, especially in the presence of DarkAngelicmon.

_I'm supposed to be our master's most faithful servant! Why is he confiding in DarkAngelicmon instead of me?_

The answer made her want to rip the fallen angel to shreds, but sadly enough, that was not an option at the moment. Before she could destroy DarkAngelicmon, she needed to figure out what he was up to first. All during the night she had been wondering what had become of DarkAngelicmon and it wasn't until this morning she had learned from a group of passing Bakemon that the fallen angel was, incredibly, alive and sitting comfortably in the courtyard. The only good thing that had come out of the situation last night was the fact that she, along with the rest of her master's most valuable servants, had at least gotten to hear about what had happened in the castle earlier before getting kicked out of the room, but more importantly, they had also learned the truth about Luciamon and Lucemon.

_I never did trust those two, but DarkAngelicmon always spoke so highly of them. If only the Ruler of Darkness had listened to me. If he had, I could have killed them before they started causing trouble. Luciamon might be gone now, but that will mean nothing if Lucemon finds a way to join forces with the Digidestined. He may prove to be more of a nuisance than Luciamon was. It was foolish of DarkAngelicmon to let her inside the castle. He should have known she would turn against him, but obviously he was too blind to see the truth. When is that idiot going to learn never to trust anyone, especially digimon who claim to be your friends?_

She had disliked Luciamon right from the very beginning, and the female angel had never tried to hide the fact that the feeling was mutual. Lucemon, though, had merely acted as if she, Vampiramon, didn't even exist, and that had angered her even more than the attitude she had received from Luciamon.

_Lucemon's no doubt going to try and stop my master from taking over the Digital World, just like that meddlesome Luciamon, so why doesn't the Ruler of Darkness want us to kill off the last of DarkAngelicmon's traitorous little friends? He knows Lucemon has turned against him, so why isn't he doing anything about it? I never did agree with his decision to refrain from killing the Digidestined until after we have the Spirit Chips in our grasp, but at least it made some sense, even if, as I suspect, the plan came from DarkAngelicmon, but keeping Lucemon alive makes no sense whatsoever. Even our master's plan, or should I say DarkAngelicmon's plan, to steal the D-Coders after we get the Spirit Chips makes more sense than allowing Lucemon to live!_

Scowling to herself, Vampiramon placed her hands on her hips and gave the fallen angel what she hoped was a sweet smile. "Tell me, DarkAngelicmon, how are you still alive?"

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows, and ignoring Spritemon's dirty look, he leisurely fluttered his wings. "I will not deny the Ruler of Darkness was angry; you saw that for yourself, but he can be very understanding when he wants to be, especially if you manage to turn your failures into something that just might work to his advantage."

"So in other words, you got lucky."

"Luck had nothing to do with it, Vampiramon. You, of all digimon, should know that. Let's just say our master is well aware of the fact that the Digidestined also need the crests, as well as the D-Coders, to get their hands on the Spirit Chips."

Vampiramon let out a low hiss and tugged angrily on her skirts. "I've put up with enough of your foolishness to last me a lifetime. Why did our master want to speak to you alone? Answer me, DarkAngelicmon! Why did he make the rest of us leave the room?"

"I really don't think that's any of your business. Besides, if our master's plan succeeds, then you'll find out soon enough."

"The Ruler of Darkness may have spared your life, DarkAngelicmon, but that doesn't mean he hasn't lost his faith in you," BlackWidowmon smirked.

DarkAngelicmon slowly sat up and his eyebrows narrowed into a deep frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the Ruler of Darkness spoke to Vampiramon and myself this morning, and he wants us to go to File Island. Like you, DarkAngelicmon, our master believes that is where the Digidestined will arrive when they undoubtedly come to the Digital World this afternoon. I'm guessing Gennai still has a lot of information to pass on to the Digidestined, since he wouldn't have had a lot of time yesterday to tell them everything he knows, and our master wants Vampiramon and myself to find out exactly what that information is and how we can use it to our advantage."

"The Ruler of Darkness wants you to spy on the Digidestined?" Spritemon snorted.

Vampiramon lifted her chin and smiled triumphantly at the little mega. "Exactly. We need to know precisely where the Spirit Chips are before we can attempt to steal them. That way we can get to them before the Digidestined do, and once those little brats get their hands on the Spirit Chips, we can steal them right out from under their noses! How much do you want to bet Gennai will be revealing that information to the Digidestined when they arrive on File Island?"

"If he hasn't already," Jestermon muttered.

"It doesn't matter either way. As long as we can keep the Digidestined in our sights, they'll lead us directly to the very objects they are trying so desperately to keep hidden from us. Our master believes there may be a Spirit Chip on File Island, and he believes the Digidestined will try to go after that one first, but we can't be sure. That's why we can't let the Digidestined slip away from us. Any information Gennai gives them could be useful to our master. He believes we cannot get our hands on the Spirit Chips without the Digidestined."

"And where do you think he got that idea from?" Spritemon smirked, glancing leisurely at DarkAngelicmon.

Vampiramon felt her face heat up and she glared at the little sprite digimon before turning to face the fallen angel. "It doesn't matter who gave him the idea. The point is, because of your failure, DarkAngelicmon, the Ruler of Darkness has chosen BlackWidowmon and myself to fulfill his request. Clearly he believes Spritemon and Jestermon are incapable of following his orders, too, because he has decided to leave them behind as well. I wonder, DarkAngelicmon, how does knowing you are no longer our master's favorite anymore make you feel?"

"What are you three going to do today, stand around and twiddle your thumbs?" BlackWidowmon said innocently, the corners of her mouth turning up in a nasty smile.

DarkAngelicmon slowly got to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you really believe the Ruler of Darkness would let my talents go to waste? I'm sorry to disappoint you, BlackWidowmon, but our master has given Jestermon, Spritemon, and myself an assignment that he believes may be even more important than the one you and Vampiramon have received."

_What? That's...impossible..._

"Came here to gloat, did you?" Spritemon said sweetly, leaping to her feet and slipping her arm around DarkAngelicmon's waist. "Well, look who's gloating now!"

"Were you hoping to become our master's favorite instead of me?" DarkAngelicmon smirked. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but once again it looks as if you're going to have to play second best."

Vampiramon's blood began to boil with rage, and glaring at DarkAngelicmon through a haze of fury, it was all she could do to prevent herself from tearing the fallen angel into pieces. "Where are you going?"

"If our master wanted you to know, he would have told you."

"You're just like Lucemon!" BlackWidowmon snarled, glaring at the fallen angel. "If you betray us, our master will have your data for lunch!"

DarkAngelicmon's green eyes narrowed into angry slits, and his pale cheeks turned an unpleasant shade of red. Normally the fallen angel was usually very much in control of his emotions, but BlackWidowmon's comment seemed to have struck a nerve. "I have no intention of betraying anyone, especially our master. A word of advice, BlackWidowmon, you'd better watch what you say or you may not live long enough to fulfill our master's ambitious plans."

"Is that a threat?"

Vampiramon impatiently shoved BlackWidowmon out of her way, and stepping in front of DarkAngelicmon, she poked the fallen angel sharply in the ribs. "I may not be able to kill the Digidestined, yet, but as soon as our master no longer has any use for them, they will be mine. Do you hear me?"

"I don't think so," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, his voice just barely above a whisper. "Lucemon may have betrayed our master, but he has more nerve than you could ever hope to have."

Vampiramon turned her back on the fallen angel and tossed her long, red hair over her shoulder. "Is that a fact? Say what you want, DarkAngelicmon. The Digidestined belong to me, and when I finally get my hands on them their leader will die first!"

Without waiting for a reply, Vampiramon stalked back towards the northwest entrance into the castle and pushed her way through the doors. BlackWidowmon hurried along behind her and the two of them came to a stop in a dark, deserted corridor.

"Are you ready to go?" BlackWidowmon asked.

Vampiramon nodded and smiled to herself. "Come, BlackWidowmon, let us hurry to File Island. Soon our master will have no use for DarkAngelicmon, and as soon as that moment arrives, we will be the first ones there to see that he is disposed of properly."

"What about Lucemon?"

Vampiramon held up a hand for silence and glanced down the corridor to see if anyone was listening. "I think DarkAngelicmon's orders have something to do with Lucemon, but I can't be sure. We do know our master wants Lucemon alive, and he may have asked DarkAngelicmon to find our traitorous friend. Either way, it doesn't matter."

"It...doesn't?"

"No. Lucemon's time will come one way or another. He can't escape death forever, and if all goes according to plan, DarkAngelicmon will soon be joining him at Primary Village. I'm sure Luciamon will be delighted to have some company."

"Indeed, life as an egg must be pretty boring," BlackWidowmon said dryly.

_And so much more convenient for us. Laugh all you want, DarkAngelicmon. Even the Digidestined won't be able to stop me now..._

_Jestermon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

Jestermon waited silently until Vampiramon's black cape disappeared through the doors before getting to his feet and turning to face the fallen angel standing beside him. The doors to the courtyard slammed shut behind BlackWidowmon, and after a moment of silence, the fool was able to find his voice. "Hey, angel boy, in case you didn't notice, Vampiramon's really got it in for you. I'm not sure what's gotten into her lately, but I'd watch your back if I were you."

"Vampiramon isn't as tough as she likes to think she is," Spritemon snorted, dismissing the vampire digimon with a wave of her hand.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Jestermon muttered.

Spritemon ignored him and fixed the fallen angel with a penetrating stare. "DarkAngelicmon, do you think Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon are lying, or do you really believe the Ruler of Darkness didn't tell them about the assignment he's given us?"

"The Ruler of Darkness only gives us information he feels is necessary for the task at hand. I thought you would have figured that out a long time ago."

Jestermon's sickly green lips twisted into a nasty smile, and he gave the fallen angel an elaborate bow. "So, in other words, you believe our master kept that information a secret."

"Yes, just as he kept Vampiramon's assignment a secret from us," DarkAngelicmon said stiffly, looking none too pleased at the way Vampiramon had clearly ruined his perfectly good morning.

Jestermon gazed thoughtfully at the fallen angel for a moment and resumed his juggling without even realizing what he was doing. For some reason DarkAngelicmon seemed unusually quiet this morning, and the fool was sure it had something to do with their master's orders. Instead of spying on the Digidestined like Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon, the Ruler of Darkness had instructed the three of them to search for Lucemon. They were supposed to bring the rookie angel to him using any means necessary, but unfortunately there was one exception. They had to capture Lucemon alive. Anyone who killed or attempted to kill the rookie angel would be deleted on the spot.

_I wonder why the Ruler of Darkness wants Lucemon alive so badly. There must be a reason for it. Usually our master isn't so generous, especially when it comes to traitors..._

Spritemon must have been thinking along the same lines as him because the female mega suddenly turned towards DarkAngelicmon and frowned in confusion. "I thought you wanted to kill Lucemon yourself. Whatever happened to that idea?"

_Interesting question. Could that be why DarkAngelicmon is in a rather strange mood this morning?_

"The Ruler of Darkness has forbidden me to lay a hand on Lucemon," DarkAngelicmon said stiffly, his bright green eyes glittering in the sunshine. "As you may well have noticed, our master was quite clear about wanting Lucemon alive. It would not do well for any of us to disregard his orders."

Jestermon scratched his wrinkled green forehead, the golden bells circling his wrist jingling softly as he did so, and gave the fallen angel a thoughtful look. The three black balls he had been juggling had fallen soundlessly onto the grass, but he barely even noticed. "I've got a question for you, angel boy. You never did tell us what happened in the crest room between you and our master after the Ruler of Darkness made the rest of us leave the room. I can understand why you wouldn't want Vampiramon or BlackWidowmon to know what the two of you were talking about, but you can tell us."

"Come on, spit it out!" Spritemon snapped, glaring at the fallen angel. "We deserve to know, since we're going to be helping you track down Lucemon. And while you're at it, you might as well tell us how you managed to talk your way out of punishment!"

DarkAngelicmon sent the sprite digimon a very cool look and turned his back on her. "I really don't think that's any of your business either. I got you out of trouble, didn't I? You should be thanking me, but so far all you've done is complain. Really, Spritemon, there are better ways of showing appreciation, but I guess I should have expected no less from someone as ungrateful as you are!"

"How dare you insult-"

"As for you, Jestermon," DarkAngelicmon interrupted, ignoring Spritemon's shrieks, "it really doesn't matter what our master and I discussed earlier. None of it is important at the moment, nor does it apply to the task at hand. Right now we need to focus on capturing Lucemon."

"And just how do you expect us to do that?" Spritemon said sarcastically. "Server is a large continent. He could be anywhere!"

DarkAngelicmon slowly sank down onto the stone bench and turned to gaze up at the sun. At that moment, a large, puffy cloud moved to block the sun's bright rays, and the courtyard was plunged into shadow. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we're not going anywhere near Server today."

_Huh? Why not?_

"Why not?" Spritemon demanded.

Jestermon slowly sank down onto the bench next to his fallen angel companion and bent over to retrieve the black balls he had dropped earlier. "If we're not going to Server, then...where are we going? I thought that was where Lucemon was."

"We're going to File Island."

"What?" Spritemon shrieked, her face turning a nasty shade of purple. She glared at the fallen angel and placed her hands on her hips in what she clearly thought was an intimidating pose. "Have you completely lost your mind? Why would we go to File Island when Luciamon said Lucemon was on Server? I don't care how much of a human lover you are! If you try to disobey our master's orders, he'll turn you into data for sure!"

DarkAngelicmon frowned and impatiently shook his head. "Would it kill you to use your brain once in a while? We know the Digidestined will appear on File Island this afternoon because that would be the best place to start looking for the Spirit Chips, and we know for a fact they were heading east. Lucemon must know what happened here in the castle by now, and how much do you want to bet the first thing he's going to do is try to find the Digidestined? News travels fast in the Digital World, especially with a bunch of nosy humans hanging around, and Lucemon did always have a bad habit of knowing things he shouldn't. He's probably on his way to File Island right now, so it would be pointless for us to go to Server. At first I suspected the Digidestined would make locating Lucemon their number one priority, but now I'm more inclined to think Lucemon will end up finding them first. After all, the Digidestined have business with Gennai, and it will take them a while to locate Lucemon. More than likely my traitorous friend will end up finding the Digidestined before they end up finding him. Lucemon, unfortunately, is too fond of doing the right thing, and in the end, that will be his downfall. He may be uncertain of what to do at the moment, but eventually his heart will lead him right to the Digidestined, and that could be a problem."

"You just want to keep your eye on Vampiramon and make sure she doesn't kill the Digidestined," Spritemon snarled, pointing an accusing finger at the fallen angel.

DarkAngelicmon clenched his hands into fists, and the anger in his green eyes was so fierce, Jestermon was unable to prevent himself from flinching. He quickly inched away from the fallen angel and was pleased to see Spritemon do the same.

"I will not let that useless, pathetic vampire destroy the Digidestined, and if I hunt down Lucemon along the way, then so much the better! Well? What are you two waiting for? We can't let Vampiramon get a head start. You two had better meet me at the front doors of the castle in three minutes otherwise I'm leaving you behind!"

Without another word, DarkAngelicmon stomped out of the courtyard in a flurry of black feathers, and after a moment of silence, Jestermon slowly closed his gaping mouth and turned to look at Spritemon. "I do believe DarkAngelicmon is starting to lose his wits."

"You're not the only one. Come on, let's go. I have a feeling something funny is going on around here, and I'm going to find out what it is before DarkAngelicmon completely loses his head."

Jestermon slowly followed Spritemon back into the castle and frowned thoughtfully to himself. Spritemon was definitely right about one thing. There was something strange going on with DarkAngelicmon, and he was pretty sure it had something to do with Lucemon and the humans.

_DarkAngelicmon seems unusually fond of the humans, and that in itself is rather odd for a digimon who claims to follow the Ruler of Darkness. And then there's Lucemon. DarkAngelicmon insists he wants to kill Lucemon himself, but I find that hard to believe. I don't understand why the Ruler of Darkness wants Lucemon alive, but that's not the part that concerns me. What I don't understand is why do I get the feeling DarkAngelicmon doesn't want to bring Lucemon anywhere near the Ruler of Darkness?_


	130. What the Heart Hides

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I know it's a pretty short chapter, but there will be a really long one coming soon. Oh, and FallenArchangel has started an FTFOD fanart section on my forum where he and Miss. Anonymous have posted their work. Check it out, and if you have your own FTFOD fanart, don't hesitate to post the link and let us all see it! That's it for now.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 130: What the Heart Hides

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Wow, Ryoko, your parents have such good taste! Ronin is a great name for a boy, and I love the name Nanami for a girl. It's so pretty!" Takara squealed, beaming at the golden-haired Digidestined and wrapping her arm around Ami's shoulder.

Daichi rolled his eyes as the two girls began to giggle about something, and turning his attention to Ryoko, he gave his blond friend a curious look. "So, what else did you want to tell us?"

"Well..."

"Come on, Ryoko, you can trust us," Taysuke said eagerly, beaming at the older boy and sticking to his side like glue.

Ryoko hesitated, and glancing around to make sure no one else on the street was listening, he motioned them all to come a bit closer and lowered his voice. "It's about my dad."

"What about him?" Sam whispered, his dark blue eyes widening to twice their normal size.

"You're kidding! He finally told you about Cherrymon and the dark cave?" Matty gasped, excitement sparkling in his amber eyes.

Ryoko frowned and finally nodded. "He told me last night. I asked him this morning if I could tell you guys and he said that was fine. I think he kind of wants everyone to know what happened."

"Well, aren't you going to tell us?" Miya asked, smiling in amusement.

Noah elbowed her lightly in the ribs and gave Ryoko a warm smile. "Ignore her. You can tell us when you're ready."

"If you're going to tell us now then you'd better hurry up about it. You won't have a chance once we get to school. We're probably going to be late as it is, and you know what Mrs. Hanari's like. She's been looking for an excuse to get Daichi into trouble ever since his last detention," Ema snorted.

Dai glared at his cousin and poked her sharply between the shoulder blades. "Like I need to be reminded of that. Just because your teacher hardly gets anyone into trouble, even when they're late, that doesn't mean you have to rub it in."

"Yeah, shut up, Ema, we want to hear what Ryoko has to say," Ami said impatiently.

Blushing furiously, Ryoko avoided Ami's eyes and quickly told them the story his father had recited to him the night before. When he had finished, there was a long moment of silence. Somehow Sam managed to find his voice, and when he spoke his tone was filled with shock and disbelief. "All of that stuff actually happened to...to your dad? He...he almost broke up the entire team! And for him to end up in...in that cave...in the World of Darkness..."

"So?" Ryoko snapped, glaring at Sam. "He made up for it, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but...for him to let himself become so consumed by darkness..."

Ryoko came to a dead stop, and looking absolutely furious, he turned to gaze directly into Sam's deep blue eyes. "There are other people out there who have fallen even deeper into darkness than my dad did. Are you telling me you wouldn't be able to forgive them either?"

"What? Wait! I didn't mean...it's not like that!" Sam's cheeks turned bright red and he grabbed Ryoko's arm to stop the golden-haired Digidestined from hurrying off down the street. "Ryoko, I wasn't trying to say anything bad about your dad. I just-"

"Everyone deserves a second chance! What would you do if you were in my place, disown your own father? Would you never speak to him again? Huh, Sam? Is that what you would do?"

"What are you talking about? Ryoko, why are you acting so weird?"

"I'm not acting weird!"

"Stop!" Mickey cried, leaping between the two of them and trying to push them apart. "You guys are supposed to be friends!"

"Tell that to Ryoko, not me!" Sam shouted, looking thoroughly upset.

Dai frowned thoughtfully to himself and grabbed Ryoko's sleeve to prevent the golden-haired Digidestined from reaching Sam. He quickly pulled Ryoko out of Mickey's grip and the two of them stared at each other. "Ishida, what in the Digiworld has gotten into you?"

"Nothing," Ryoko muttered, avoiding Sam's eyes.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence in which nobody spoke and the air was so thick with tension it was almost unbearable. From the looks of things, Mickey and the others seemed to be having a rather difficult time meeting either Sam's or Ryoko's eyes, but somehow Matty persevered where the others could not, and plastering a weak smile on his face, the younger twin patted Ryoko gently on the shoulder. "Your dad might have made a few mistakes, but he did a lot of good things, too. Doesn't that sort of make up for the bad things?"

Ryoko stared at his cousin in surprise and managed a shaky smile. "Thanks, Matty."

"Don't mention it. Besides, Gabumon believes in Uncle Matt, and that's good enough for me. In my opinion, digimon are better judges of character than humans are."

"That's right!" Mickey agreed, beaming at his twin. "Uncle Matt probably feels really bad about what he did. Why should we make him feel even worse? If you ask me, I think he's learned his lesson."

"Yeah, no one's perfect, not even Mickey," Ema interrupted, grinning at the older twin.

Mickey blushed and smiled shyly at Ryoko. "Matt has always been a really great uncle, and to me that makes up for a lot of things. We might not know all of the things our parents had to go through during their adventures in the Digital World, but we do know one thing. All of them experienced some sort of darkness, some more obvious than others, and all of them were able to overcome their fears and resist the temptation to give in to evil. Why should we forgive some and not others?"

"Anyone can lose their way and become blinded by evil, but not everyone can find their way back," Noah said quietly. "It's not about how many mistakes you make. It's about whether or not you're able to overcome them."

"My dad was partly to blame for what happened," Takara said thoughtfully, a slight smile playing across her lips. "He could have been a little bit more understanding at times."

Kenzo nodded in agreement and gave Ryoko a nervous smile. "It's not always easy to do the right thing. As my dad always says, if it were easy, it wouldn't be worth doing."

"I think Uncle Matt was amazing," Taysuke said enthusiastically, gazing up at Ryoko with an awed sort of look on his face. "He could have left Tai and the others for good, but he came back, didn't he? I bet you would have done the same thing for us."

Somewhere along the line Ryoko's face had turned a handsome shade of red, and for some reason he was having trouble meeting the eyes of his fellow Digidestined. Clearly he hadn't been expecting such a unanimous display of support and forgiveness. With the exception of Sam, everyone else was filled with nothing but praise.

"Matt should be proud of himself. Even though he had plenty of chances to walk away, he never once gave up on his friends. Now that's what I call loyalty," Ami said cheerfully, winking at Ryoko.

Dai didn't think it was possible, but somehow Ryoko's face turned an even darker shade of red. The blond quickly ruffled Taysuke's hair, and leaning over, he whispered something in the younger boy's ear. Whatever he said made Taysuke flush and beam with happiness.

"What do you think, Dai?" Miya asked curiously, glancing at him before turning to look at Ryoko with new respect.

Dai felt Ryoko's gaze on him, and lifting his head, he found himself staring directly into the golden-haired Digidestined's sapphire eyes. Ryoko appeared to be a bit nervous, but Dai pretended not to notice. Instead, he smiled and shook his blond friend gently by the shoulders. "Ishida, in some ways you're a lot like your dad. If we were to ever turn our backs on him, then that would be like turning our backs on you, and you know we would never do that."

Ryoko's mouth dropped open, and the blond stared at him as if he had gone insane. "You...you really think that?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe it."

Ryoko's bottom lip was trembling, but somehow he managed to smile and nod his head. "Thanks, Daichi."

"Sam, what's wrong?" Mickey suddenly gasped, moving over to stand next to the raven-haired Digidestined.

Sam's whole body was trembling, and there was an extremely guilty look on his face. For some reason he seemed unable to take his eyes off Ryoko, and he kept swallowing hard, as if there was a lump in his throat he couldn't quite get rid of.

"Changed your mind, have you?" Ryoko said coolly, his expression neutral. On the outside, the golden-haired Digidestined did not look the least bit concerned about what had happened earlier, but Dai could tell Sam's behaviour had really shaken him up, even if he was doing his best to hide it.

Sam's whole face crumpled and he gazed miserably at his feet. "I'm sorry, Ryoko. You're...you're not mad at me, are you?"

"Should I be?"

"I didn't mean to be rude," Sam whispered, sounding on the verge of tears.

Ryoko's face suddenly softened into a sad smile, and reaching out, he slipped his arm around Sam's shoulders. "Don't worry about it. I just...Sam, don't dwell on the bad things so much that you end up forgetting what's really important. Every Digidestined has some good in them. We wouldn't have been chosen if we didn't."

Sam sniffed and managed a shaky smile. "I know."

"We should get going otherwise we're going to be really late," Kenzo mumbled.

Mickey quickly attached himself to Sam's side and began to pull the raven-haired Digidestined down the street. Matty followed after them, and even though the twins still occasionally had trouble meeting each other's eyes, they seemed to have come to some sort of unspoken agreement with regards to helping Sam. No matter how many problems they had, they were clearly willing to work together for Sam's sake.

Mickey, Ami, and the rest of the group proceeded to talk excitedly about the names Matt and Mimi had chosen for their new baby, but Daichi did not join in on the conversation. Instead, he pulled Ryoko away from the others, and the two of them fell to the back of the group without anyone noticing.

"What do you want?" Ryoko mumbled, glancing anxiously at the others, as if afraid they might be overheard.

Dai quickly put a smile on his face and shrugged his shoulders. "You must be really excited now that your parents have picked out some baby names. Kara's always talking about how Matt and Mimi have really great taste, and I have to agree. The names they picked are really cool."

"I guess."

Dai frowned indignantly at the blond, who was clearly ignoring him, and turned to see what Ryoko was looking at. The golden-haired Digidestined's eyes were glued to Sam's back, and there was a funny expression on his face. His sapphire eyes held no emotion, but they were burning so brightly it was obvious he was trying to hide something. It was strange, but Dai had an odd feeling Ryoko was attempting to read Sam's mind and failing miserably.

"Ishida, is something wrong?"

A flicker of fear and anxiety flashed across Ryoko's face, but it was quickly suppressed. "No, why would anything be wrong?"

Dai hesitated and slowly bent his head closer to Ryoko's. "You can laugh all you want but I'm not as stupid as you seem to think I am. I know something is wrong. Come on, Ishida, you can tell me."

Ryoko stared at him.

"Does this have something to do with Sam?"

"No!" Ryoko said sharply, glancing nervously at Sam. "Why would you think that?"

Dai let out a sigh and put his hands on Ryoko's shoulders. "If none of this has anything to do with Sam, you wouldn't be treating him the way you treat me."

Ryoko blushed and gazed self-consciously at his feet. "I don't...I'm not..."

"Tell me. I won't tell anyone, if that's what you really want. I can keep secrets, you know I can."

"For some people, maybe..."

Dai felt his face turn red with anger and he glared at the golden-haired Digidestined. "Why is it so hard for you to tell me things? Just once can't you at least act like I'm your friend? You never tell me anything! I always have to hear it from someone else, never you! Why is it that you can tell everyone else stuff but you can't tell me? You know what? Forget I said anything. If you want to get swallowed up by your own misery then be my guest, but just so you know, I might not be there the next time you need some help."

"I never asked for help, did I?"

Dai turned his back on Ryoko, intending to leave the blond behind, but before he could move away, the golden-haired Digidestined grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Up ahead, Matty was staring back at them with his mouth hanging open, but Dai pretended not to notice. The younger twin was definitely his closest friend, and probably the one who understood him the best, but in his opinion you couldn't really feel complete unless you had at least two or three best friends, maybe even more. After all, Mickey and Matty were best friends, as well as brothers, and because of that he had had to share Matty with Mickey ever since the day he was born. The same was true for the rest of his friends. He didn't mind sharing Matty one bit with someone else, and he was sure Matty wouldn't mind sharing him with Ryoko. At least, he hoped so...

_Not that it matters because at this rate Ryoko and I will never become really good friends. He's been trying to ruin everything right from the very beginning. And Matty says I'm stubborn._

As far as he could tell, it look like Matty was going to have to share Mickey with Sam, and the younger twin didn't seemed too upset about it. Earlier Matty had pretty much been encouraging Mickey to become better friends with Sam. That was one of the things he admired most about Mickey and Matty. They were so sure of their feelings for each other that they never felt threatened by anyone else.

_At least, that used to be the case..._

"Dai, wait!" Ryoko whispered urgently in his ear.

Dai crossed his arms and gave the blond a dirty look. "Why should I?"

"Look, it's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just..."

Ryoko broke off, and to Dai's complete astonishment, tears began to form in the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes.

Without even thinking about what he was doing, Dai slid his arm around Ryoko's shoulders and pulled him close in a one-armed hug. "Hey, come on, Ishida, I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, it's...it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I..."

"It's about Sam, isn't it. I know it is. I saw the way you were looking at him."

Ryoko didn't answer. Dai turned to face the golden-haired Digidestined and jumped in surprise when Ryoko suddenly grabbed him by the front of his red shirt and dragged him even further away from the others. Glancing fearfully over his shoulder, Ryoko sucked in a deep breath and chewed anxiously on his lower lip. "If I tell you, will you promise me you won't say a word to any of the others, especially Sam?"

Dai stared at the tragic look on Ryoko's face and slowly nodded. There was an air of helplessness and deep sorrow hovering around the golden-haired Digidestined that was so strong it made Dai's heart ache with sadness. "I promise."

Ryoko let out a sound that was half a sob and leaned closer to whisper quietly in his ear. "Daichi, I think...I think Sam's father might be the-"

"Daichi Motomiya! Do you realize how close you are to being late?"

Dai jerked away from Ryoko in surprise and turned to see Mrs. Hanari standing on the steps of the school. There was an unpleasant smile on her thin face, and her dark eyes were sparkling dangerously beneath her finely shaped eyebrows. She looked a little disappointed about something, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what was putting her in such a nasty mood. Clearly she had been looking forward to dealing out some punishment, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. "If you had been one minute later I would have had to stick you and the rest of your friends in detention."

"We'll see you guys later," Taysuke mumbled, glancing fearfully at Mrs. Hanari.

Even Ema looked a little anxious. Without sticking around to see what might happen, Taysuke and his three friends quickly scurried up the steps into the school, casting uneasy looks over their shoulders.

Daichi gave Mrs. Hanari a brilliant smile and made his way leisurely up the steps. "Better luck next time, I guess."

Mrs. Hanari scowled at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I haven't see you or Masato in detention lately. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Matty said innocently, trying desperately not to smile.

Mrs. Hanari peered suspiciously at him and let her sharp eyes travel across each of their faces. "I know you six are up to something, and when I find out what it is, you're in serious trouble. Makiya, I would have expected better from you at least!"

Dai rolled his eyes and bent his head close to Sam's ear. "What's she going to do, tell our parents? They already know!"

Sam clapped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing, and smiling innocently at Mrs. Hanari, Dai proceeded to drag a guilty looking Mickey down the hallway. He glanced over his shoulder at Ryoko, but the golden-haired Digidestined refused to look at him. Mrs. Hanari's presence seemed to have caused Ryoko to lose his nerve, and judging by the look on the golden-haired Digidestined's face, Dai was pretty sure he had just lost his one chance at getting Ryoko to tell him what was wrong.

_This is all Mrs. Hanari's fault! Why does she always have to show up at the worst possible moments? I just don't understand, what does Sam's father have to do with anything, and why is Ryoko acting like it's such a big secret? I hate it when stuff like this happens. Come on, Ryoko, what are you hiding?_


	131. Ryoko's Inner Battle

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Good news for FTFOD fans! I've kept my promise, so you won't be seeing any new stories from me for a while. I'm going to be focusing on FTFOD, which means hopefully the updates will be faster than they have been for the past couple months. Also, there will be the occasional Trinity chapter stuck in every so often, as well, since I want to get back to that story. The next FTFOD chapter will be my long chapter, so it may take me two weeks to write it, but it's coming!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 131: Ryoko's Inner Battle

_Ryoko Ishida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Come on, guys, hurry up!" Takara shouted, tugging on Dai's arm and glancing anxiously in the direction of the Motomiya residence. "We want to have as much time in the Digital World as possible, don't we?"

"And I thought Dai was bad," Matty muttered, earning himself a series of dirty looks from both Dai and Takara.

Ryoko Ishida walked silently next to Ami, and although he was trying his best to keep his sapphire eyes focused firmly on the sidewalk beneath his feet, he could not stop himself from occasionally glancing at Sam when he felt sure the raven-haired Digidestined wasn't looking. At the moment, Sam was trailing along behind the twins at the back of the group, and he appeared to be lost in thought. There was a slightly vacant look on his face, and he was gazing up at the clouds in a way that suggested he was seeing something no one else could see.

All during class, Ryoko had only had one thought in mind, and the more he dwelled on it, the more he felt as if some vile creature was eating away at his heart. The question, of course, was whether or not he should tell Sam his suspicions about the Digimon Emperor. Never before had he ever been faced with such a difficult task, and whatever he decided could very well affect his friendship with Sam. Even though he hadn't had a chance to tell Dai what was on his mind, he still wanted to say something to the goggle-headed leader with the attitude that it had to be kept secret, especially from Sam. Unfortunately, after spending hours mulling the situation over in his head during class, he was starting to wonder if maybe it wouldn't be better just to tell Sam and get it over with. The raven-haired Digidestined was bound to find out sooner or later, and it was probably better if he found out from a friend instead of from someone who wanted to hurt him.

_If I don't tell him, he'll probably accuse me of keeping secrets from him, but if I do tell him, he might accuse me of lying, or he might take his anger out on me just because I was the one who told him the truth. Either way, our friendship is still at risk. I already have enough problems with Dai. I don't want Sam to hate me too..._

"Ryoko, is something wrong?" Ami asked quietly, her lips coming dangerously close to his ear. "You look a little upset. Does this have something to do with your dad?"

Ryoko bit his lip and quickly shook his head. "No way. My dad and I are closer than we've ever been. It has nothing to do with him."

"Well, what is it then?"

Ryoko glanced anxiously at Dai and felt his face heat up. Ami was standing so close to him now he could literally feel the heat of her skin soaking into his arm, and although he would die before he would ever admit it, the intense look on her face was starting to make him feel extremely nervous. "Nothing. There's nothing wrong. Forget I said anything."

Ami raised her eyebrows and shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "You're lying to me."

"What?"

"Don't worry, I'm not upset. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but just so you know, I am here if you need someone to talk to. Oh, and in case you've forgotten, I am Dai's sister, so if you want to know something, or you just want to complain about him, you can always come to me. I might be of some help. In fact, I think you'd be surprised by how much I know about him."

Ryoko froze and stared at her with his mouth hanging open. "What...what are you trying to say?"

"Do you hate my brother?" Ami asked, gazing calmly into his eyes.

_She knows the truth! Either that or she's making a pretty good guess..._

Ryoko blushed and quickly looked away from her. "I...uh..."

"That's what I thought. At first I wasn't sure, but now I am."

Ryoko felt a small stab of panic somewhere within the vicinity of his heart, and before he could stop himself, he pulled the pretty brunette close and glanced over her shoulder to see if Dai was watching them. Luckily, the goggle-headed leader was too busy arguing with Kara to notice what was going on around him. "You won't tell him, will you?"

"Not if you don't want me to. Besides, he'll never believe me."

"Everyone always says that. Ami, you wouldn't happen to know...I mean...has Dai ever..."

Ami smiled mysteriously at him, and to his complete astonishment, she leaned close and gave him a quick hug. "Even if whatever is bothering you isn't about Dai, if you can't tell anyone else, you can always tell me."

For the first time that day, Ryoko finally felt like smiling. "Thanks, Ami, I'll remember that."

The two of them started off again in silence, and once more Ryoko was left alone with his thoughts. Dai was the leader of the Digidestined, and after Sam, he was probably the one who needed to know the truth about the Emperor the most, but unfortunately Ryoko was starting to wonder if telling the goggle-headed leader was the right thing to do.

_I hate this. I should have just told Dai when I had the chance, and what about Sam? I don't think I'll ever be able to work up enough nerve to tell either one of them. Sam deserves to know the truth more than anyone, but what if he doesn't believe me? What if I tell him and he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore? What if I don't tell him and he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore? _

Ryoko felt his eyes sting with sudden tears and he gazed miserably at his feet. At that moment, he would have given anything for a chance to tell Dai because at least then they would have something to build their friendship on, and it would give him a reason to believe his friendship with Sam was strong enough to survive the secrets of the Emperor.

_I can't tell Sam or Dai. I can't tell anyone! I just...can't. What if I'm wrong? What if there's a chance I might have missed some small important detail that could change everything I've come to believe? Sam would never forgive me if I accused his father of being the Emperor for nothing..._

Several minutes later, they came to a stop in front of the Motomiya residence, and because everyone wanted to be the first one through the door, they ended up getting stuck in the doorway with arms and legs poking out in every direction. Taysuke and Taniko managed to wriggle their way through first, and untangling himself from Noah, Ryoko quickly followed the two younger children up the stairs.

"We're here!" Taniko sang out, waltzing into the Motomiyas' small office and giving her dad a brilliant smile. Ryoko spotted his mother, Palmon, and his father sitting on chairs by the computer, and without a word he made his way over to them with what he hoped was a cheerful expression on his face. As usual, Izzy's eyes were glued to the computer screen, but he did look up long enough to return his daughter's smile. Mina sat on the computer expert's right-hand side, and she, too, was staring at the monitor. Since there weren't enough chairs, Davis and his sister Jun were sprawled next to each other on the floor, and T.K. was sitting by Mina's feet, with Rina in his arms and Patamon snoozing on his head. Tai and Sora were sitting on the floor next to Mina's chair, and Dai's dog, Shadow, was chasing DemiVeemon all around the room. The little in-training digimon didn't appear to mind, though, because he was giggling loudly and appeared to be having quite a bit of fun. Nao was curled up on the floor next to Davis, and he was watching Shadow chase DemiVeemon with a smile on his face.

"It looks like everyone is here now," Davis said loudly over the noise, glancing at Izzy for further instructions. "Noriko, Cody, and Rosa are coming later."

"Yes, well, in that case we'd-"

"Uncle Matt!" Matty shouted, crossing the room and flinging his arms around his uncle in a tight hug. "Ryoko told us everything this morning. We think it was really brave the way you were able to overcome the darkness in your heart."

"No wonder you're such good friends with my dad," Taysuke added, beaming at the golden-haired Digidestined.

Tai laughed and reached out to ruffle Taysuke's hair. "I knew you would say that!"

"Matt was just telling us he'd finally told Ryoko the whole story about Cherrymon and the dark cave," Jun explained, slipping her arm around Ema's shoulders and giving Matt a warm smile. "Isn't that right?"

Matt nodded and hugged Matty close to his heart. "Yeah, I did. Rina and Nao loved it. And thanks, Matty. What you said really means a lot to me."

"You're welcome."

"If that's what it took for you and Uncle Tai to become such good friends, then it was worth it," Mickey said shyly. Seeing as Matty still had his arms around Matt, Mickey hugged his uncle around the neck from behind, his cheek resting against the back of Matt's head. Somehow Matt managed to shift around enough to slip an arm around each twin, and the look he sent them was filled with gratitude. "You have no idea how good it feels to hear you two say those kinds of things. I'm going to let Cody, Rosa, and all the others know I told Ryoko, and I'll let them know Ryoko told the rest of you kids as soon as I see them."

"It was unanimous," Dai said importantly, beaming at all those assembled around him and turning to look at Matt. "We all agreed you made some pretty big mistakes, but you made up for them with all the good things you did. Isn't that right, guys?"

"Definitely," Kenzo said firmly.

"Obviously," Ema snorted.

Even Sam nodded vigorously in agreement, and Ryoko could not help feeling immensely relieved.

_I hope he can be just as understanding when he finds out about the Emperor._

"Daichi, I hope you've learned something today," Davis scolded, crossing his arms and frowning at his son.

Dai blinked and scratched his head in confusion. "Uh...like what?"

Davis groaned and shook his head. "You're as hopeless as I am sometimes!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tai interrupted, rolling his eyes.

Ryoko stared at the two former leaders and raised his eyebrows when he realized both of them were looking directly at him. Dai noticed, as well, and turned to see what his father was looking at, and Ryoko felt his face turn bright red. Now all three of them were staring at him.

"Well?" Davis asked, grinning at his son.

Dai blushed, and looking around for something to do, he quickly pulled DemiEmbermon out of his backpack. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Can we come out now?" Goldmon shouted from somewhere inside Matty's backpack, taking advantage of the sudden silence.

Ryoko quickly pulled Iramon out of his own backpack, and soon the little digimon was joined by the rest of his in-training friends. Despite Ryoko's efforts to avoid looking at Dai, he could not help feeling as if he were being watched.

_Were Tai and Davis talking about me?_

"Let's go, let's go!" Fluttermon said eagerly, hopping up and down on the carpet.

"You two be good!" Taniko giggled, grinning at her parents and kissing them both on the cheek.

Ryoko turned to his mother and gave her a quick hug. "I'll see you later."

"Stay safe."

"We'll be back before you guys know it!" Dai said confidently.

Ami glared at the goggle-headed leader, and without warning, she suddenly scrambled to her feet and threw her arms around her brother in a tight hug. "Don't you dare do anything dumb, or else!"

"Ami! What in the Digiworld has gotten into you? Will you get off? You're embarrassing me! Besides, when have I ever done anything dumb?"

"Didn't we have this conversation once before?" Matty smirked.

"Oh, come on, Dai, you do something dumb at least once a day!" Ami snorted.

Instead of getting angry, Dai just rolled his eyes and patted his sister gently on the back. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"Do the exact opposite of what I would do and you'll be fine!" Davis laughed, ruffling his son's hair. "Go on, get going."

"You two look out for each other," T.K. added, frowning at his sons.

Mickey nodded and smiled shyly at his twin. "We always do."

"So, who wants to do the honours this time?" Taniko asked, waving her hand at the computer screen.

"I will!" Takara squealed, picking up Fluttermon and making her way towards the computer. She held up her green D-Coder and pointed it excitedly at the screen. "Everyone ready?"

Ryoko watched his father give his mother one last kiss on the cheek before coming over to him, and the two of them quickly gathered around Takara.

"We're ready, Kara," Sora replied, smiling at her daughter.

"Next stop, File Island! Digiport open!"

Ryoko felt the familiar sensation of being pulled into the computer screen and he quickly grabbed onto his dad's arm. "This is the part I hate."

"Same here," his dad said softly in his ear. "By the way, Ryoko, thanks for telling the others. I appreciate it."

Ryoko didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped an arm around his dad's waist and let himself be swept through the gate.

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Matty landed in the grass on his stomach and felt Celestimon bounce off his back. Muttering to himself, he quickly got to his feet and glared accusingly at the television on his left. Taniko was peering at him through the screen, and there was a small smile of amusement on her face. "Have a nice trip?"

"It's not funny, Taniko! This place is trying to kill us!"

Taniko shrugged her shoulders and started to giggle. "It looked funny!"

"Hey, Taniko, you'd better keep your eyes on our signals in case we're attacked and I have to send someone from Dai's group back for reinforcements," Izzy instructed, crouching in front of the screen.

"No problem, Daddy. I'll take care of things on this end. You just make sure Gennai tells you everything we need to know about the Spirit Chips."

"I will."

"See you soon, honey," Mina called out, leaning over Izzy's shoulder and blowing her daughter a kiss.

The computer screen went blank, and Matty once again turned his attention to the landscape. "I don't see anyone."

"Maybe they're in the forest," Celestimon suggested, fluttering into the air and pointing at the thick line of trees stretching off into the distance and curving slightly to block the base of a large mountain from view. "I think I feel Gatomon around here somewhere."

"Gennai did say our digimon were going to meet us here, too, right?" Mina asked, glancing curiously at her husband.

"Definitely," Dai interrupted before Izzy could answer. "I wonder where they are."

"Look, I think that's them now!" Dovemon piped up, hovering leisurely next to Takara's shoulder and nodding her head towards the forest. Several of the bushes were rustling at the edge of the trees, and a moment later Agumon came bursting out of the forest. Gabumon and the other digimon were right on his heels, and before anyone could move, several of the rookies threw themselves at their various partners and began to chatter in loud, happy voices.

"Tai! I knew you'd come back! I knew it!" Agumon cheered, hugging his partner around the legs.

Tai knelt next to Agumon and wrapped his arms around the rookie's large head. "It's great to see you again, buddy. I was a bit worried there for a few years when the gates didn't open again. How are you doing?"

"Great! We've been helping your daughter and her friends in every way possible."

Tai gave Agumon a brilliant smile and pulled the rookie into a tight hug. "I know. Thanks for all your help. It made it easier on me to know you've been watching out for Kara. You're the best digimon partner I could have asked for."

"Thanks, Tai. Does this mean you're going to help us find the Spirit Chips?" Agumon asked, gazing hopefully at his partner.

Tai nodded and grinned at the little rookie. "You bet I am."

"Oh, Sora, I feel like I've been waiting forever to see you again," Biyomon cried, hiding her face against her partner's shoulder. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

Sora gently stroked Biyomon's feathers and smiled to herself. There were tears in the Child of Love's eyes, as well, but her face was glowing, and for the first time since finding out the gates to the Digital World had opened again, she looked truly happy instead of anxious. "Trust me, Biyomon, I know exactly how you feel. I've felt the same way for the last fifteen years. I can't thank you enough for keeping an eye on Kara. I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to her."

"She's a great human," Biyomon said softly, "just like you are."

"Mina, I'm so glad you're here! We've never really had much time to spend together," Candlemon said sadly, gazing mournfully at his partner.

Taking extra care not to let her skin come in contact with any of Candlemon's flames, Mina quickly slid her arms around her partner in a tight hug and gave him a warm smile. "I know what you mean, but we're with each other now, and that means we'd better make the most of our time together."

Candlemon's face lit up, and the sad look in his eyes immediately disappeared and was replaced with a brilliant smile. "I was hoping you would say something like that. Can I meet your daughter sometime?"

"Of course you can. Taniko's going to love you."

"She thinks digimon are extremely fascinating creatures," Izzy added, grinning at his wife.

Mina laughed and gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek. Straightening her short, purple dress, she reached out to stroke Tentomon's head and gave the insect digimon a small smile. "I bet you're glad to see Izzy again."

Tentomon nodded vigorously and fluttered into Izzy's arms. "I've missed your theories, Izzy! The Digital World just isn't the same without you here."

"Really, you think so?" Izzy asked, clearly flattered by his partner's unusual compliment.

"Yes, you're the best partner ever and I love your theories, even if I don't understand them half the time! By the way, I want to meet Taniko, too."

Izzy smiled fondly at Tentomon and hid his face against the top of his partner's head. "You're the best, Tentomon."

_It's too bad Mom couldn't come along. I know she's anxious to see Gatomon again._

Matty smiled to himself and turned to look at his uncle, who was kneeling a couple feet away from him. Matt had his face buried in Gabumon's fir, and his arms were wrapped around the little rookie in a tight hug.

"It's good to see you again, Matt," Gabumon said quietly, beaming at his partner.

Matt slowly lifted his head and managed a weak smile. "I told him, Gabumon. I told him everything."

Gabumon nodded and buried his head against Matt's shoulder. "I knew you could do it."

"It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

"Did you really think Ryoko wouldn't understand? I was sure he would and I was right," Gabumon said firmly, nodding his head again for emphasis. "I'm glad you're back. We need to make up for lost time."

Matt let out a shaky laugh and gently let go of his partner. "I've always been able to talk to you. That's one of the things that makes you such a great partner."

"It helps to have such a great human to talk to. Tell me everything. I want to know exactly what happened."

"I will as soon as I have a chance."

Ryoko was standing just behind his father, and although the golden-haired Digidestined hadn't said anything, Matty could tell the conversation between Matt and Gabumon had deeply affected his cousin. Ryoko looked fiercely proud of his father, and he was beaming at Gabumon in a way that suggested he was just as fond of his dad's partner as he was of his own digimon. Alopemon stood in front of Ryoko, his bushy tail flicking gently against the golden-haired Digidestined's legs, and he was gazing approvingly at Matt, his sharp blue eyes taking in every detail of the scene before him. Obviously the little rookie had heard Matt's story from Ryoko before anyone else had, and clearly he thought Matt had done the right thing by telling Ryoko the truth about Cherrymon and the dark cave.

"Where are Veemon, Patamon, Wormmon, and Palmon?" Penguinmon asked curiously.

"They're back in the human world with their partners," Takara explained. The female Digidestined had been beaming at her parents, but Penguinmon's sudden question appeared to have snapped her out of her thoughts and brought her back to the situation at hand.

Gatomon's whiskers twitched and she let out a disgruntled sigh. "Izzy told us some of our partners wouldn't be able to make it today. I was hoping Kari would come, but obviously she wasn't able to."

"It's not fair," Gomamon grumbled.

"They'll come as soon as they have a chance," Gotsumon said firmly, crossing his arms. "I know Rosa will come eventually."

"Same with Cody. Until then I'm quite content to take a nap," Armadillomon said mildly.

Mickey cuddled Halomon gently against his chest and sent Gatomon an apologetic smile. "Mom really wanted to come, but she has a lot of work to finish."

"All of your partners wanted to come, and trust me, they'll be here before you know it," Sam added.

"Let me guess, Yolei wasn't exactly thrilled about being left behind, was she," Hawkmon said dryly.

Glowmon laughed and fluttered onto Hawkmon's head. "You could say that!"

"Where's Gennai?" Embermon asked, glancing suspiciously at the forest. "He said he would meet us here."

"I'm right here."

Matty turned just in time to see Gennai step out of the trees, and he watched silently as the robed figure started across the grass towards him. Benjamin, Hogan, Jackie, Iyla, and Jose were hurrying along behind Gennai, and all of them came to a stop directly in front of Izzy. The one standing on Gennai's left held out his hand to Izzy and beamed at the computer expert. "It's been a while, hasn't it. I'm glad we have a chance to work together again."

"Thanks, Jackie, I feel the same way. Why were you guys hiding in the forest?" Izzy asked, shaking the robed figure's hand.

"We wanted to keep ourselves hidden in case Vampiramon and her followers showed up," Gennai explained. "They're bound to make an appearance on File Island eventually, and we want to be ready for them when they do. I'm sure they're going to try and figure out what we're up to, and they may try to capture me again. For all we know, they could try to steal the crests back, but more importantly, I think they're going to try and find out as much as they can about the Spirit Chips. We took cover in the forest in case they arrived before you guys did. That way they would think no one was here and move on to some other area of File Island."

"Gennai even made all of us digimon hide!" Gomamon complained.

"But what about Gatomon?" Mickey asked, gesturing towards the little champion.

"Rookies are harder to sense than champions," Gennai explained, "and although Gatomon is a champion, she doesn't have a celestial form, which makes it harder for celestial digimon to recognize her for what she is. That isn't the case when she's Angewomon. Also, since DarkAngelicmon hasn't had any contact with Gatomon before, I doubt he would have noticed her presence. This is quite unrelated to what I'm talking about, but celestial digimon who have never digivolved past rookie cannot sense their own kind. How can they when they first have to discover exactly what they will become? Anyways, I felt it was best to take precautions."

"It makes sense," Hawkmon said reasonably. "If we had stayed out in the open, and they had spotted us, we would have been leading them right to the Digidestined; to you, our human friends."

"It would have complicated things," Gennai agreed. "They may have tried to use us to lure all of you right into a trap."

"Well, Vampiramon's going to have a hard time getting the crests back since only four of them are currently in the Digital World," Alopemon snorted.

"And we'll know if DarkAngelicmon tries to sneak up on us," Halomon added.

"Even so, we should still keep our eyes open," Benjamin warned, glancing suspiciously over his shoulder. "Vampiramon and her followers have proven themselves to be-"

"You!" Ryoko shouted, pointing at what appeared to be Hogan's right shoulder. At first Matty was confused, but then he realized his cousin wasn't pointing at Hogan at all. The golden-haired Digidestined was actually pointing at a small digimon hovering next to Hogan's shoulder who resembled a pink ball of cotton candy.

_Piximon!_

"Hey, Piximon, I was wondering when you were going to show your face again. What's up?" Dai asked cheerfully, beaming at the little ultimate.

Piximon slowly fluttered fowards and gave the goggle-headed leader a shrewd look. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he turned instead to gaze at the group as a whole. "Greetings, Digidestined. You have done well to come this far in such a short amount of time. I'm impressed."

"Yes, well I'm not!" Ryoko snapped, his sapphire eyes sparkling dangerously in the sunshine. The golden-haired Digidestined looked furious, and before anyone could stop him, he grabbed one of Piximon's wings and dangled the little ultimate in front of his face. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Hey, careful!" Piximon yelped.

Ryoko lifted his chin and glared at the little digimon. "It was real nice the way you just up and disappeared without even bothering to tell us what was going on! Do you realize how close we came to being killed? If Crystalmon had managed to destroy every single last one of us, it would have been all your fault!"

"Put me down this instant, young man, or I'll have you doing laps around File Island!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I'd watch your mouth if-"

"Put him down, Ryoko," Matt interrupted, trying desperately not to smile and failing miserably. "Look, I know you're upset, and trust me, I don't blame you, but right now we have to focus on the Spirit Chips."

"But-"

"_Now, _Ryoko."

Ryoko scowled, and smiling innocently at his father, he promptly dropped the little ultimate onto the grass.

Piximon bounced across the ground several feet before rolling to a stop, and before he could prevent it, Matty started to laugh. The little ultimate's pink fur was sticking up all over the place and he looked like a piece of clothing that had just come out of the dryer.

"You must excuse my partner," Alopemon said apologetically, helping the little ultimate into a standing position. "He has a short fuse."

"The reason Piximon wasn't able to help you search for Embermon is because I had another job for him to do," Gennai explained. "If you recall the e-mail I sent you, I was supposed to meet you in the Digital World, but things did not go according to plan. I'll get to all of that in a minute, but first-"

"Tai Kamiya! You owe me thirteen years worth of training, and the same goes for the rest of you!" Piximon shouted, fluttering into the air again and glaring at all of the adults. "You had thirteen years to tell Daichi and his friends about the Digital World and you've wasted every single one of them! Gennai suspected you might not have said anything, and he seemed to feel it was probably better that way, but I certainly don't think so! I thought for sure you would have told them about the Digital World! I think a year of training for every year you kept the truth from the new Digidestined will suffice."

Tai winced and managed a sheepish grin. "Yeah, about that..."

"No excuses!" Piximon interrupted, glaring at the former leader. "You could have at least told them about me! Mark my words, Tai, we'll be having a talk later, and trust me, you're not going to enjoy it very much!"

"Yes, Piximon," Tai said gloomily, a sigh escaping his lips.

"You should have told them," Agumon said thoughtfully, patting his partner's leg.

"Agumon, you're not helping."

Matty choked back a laugh, and moving towards the thick line of trees, he seated himself comfortably on the ground. By mutual consent, everybody else followed his example and soon they were all sitting in a large circle just inside the forest. "Well, Gennai? You have quite a lot of explaining to do."

"Tell us about the Spirit Chips!" Dai said eagerly.

Gennai nodded and rested his chin in his hands. "First of all, I want it understood that even I don't know everything about the Spirit Chips, but I will tell you what I do know."

"Great, I feel so much better now," Ryoko said sarcastically. "I thought you were the one who came up with them in the first place. How can you not know?"

"Is that what Centarumon told you? Well, technically that's not exactly true. I had some help. Almost everything I've done for the Digidestined has been at the request of the Digital World itself, and I've always had other allies working with me. This world of data is very much alive, and it speaks through the internet's living entities, which were created by kilobytes from the internet. Even so, they, too, are very much alive. I suppose Leomon and the others have made my involvement out to be more than it is. They seem to think very highly of me."

Matty held Celestimon close in his arms and gave Gennai a quick smile. "Tell us what you do know and maybe we can help fill in some of the blanks. At least, I hope we can..."


	132. Digimon Lore

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Finally, I've finished writing this chapter! First, I just want to say that I apologize if you find it really boring, but it had to be written for parts of the story to start coming together. This was a very frustrating chapter to write. In fact, I had to rewrite it about seven times, and at one point I was so annoyed, I nearly chucked the whole story in the garbage, but I persevered and here it is! And of course it will continue. Also, I did what I could to stick to the English version as close as possible, but in some areas I had to either expand on things from the show or make some stuff up for my theories. I haven't actually seen an episode of season one or two since the last episode of season two first aired in Canada what, like six years ago now, so I apologize for any bloopers. I'm sure there are tons in this chapter, but I did the best I could, and after seven rewrites this is about as good as it's going to get. Also, there are a few bloopers in earlier chapters I need to fix so this chapter makes sense, which I will do as soon as I can. They're not big ones anyone would notice, but they're bugging me so I have to fix them. Oh, and if you can't figure out which Spirit Chip belongs to who, all I can say is, where have you been for the last 132 chapters?! Hope you enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 132: Digimon Lore

_Sam Ichijouji_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Wait! I just have one thing to say before we start," Ryoko smirked, looking suspiciously innocent. "Hey, Piximon, did Gennai tell you he was captured?"

Piximon indignantly fluttered his wings and scowled at the golden-haired Digidestined. "Yes, he did, and I'd like to know why nobody bothered to inform me a long time ago!"

"Well, you see, we had no idea where you were," Benjamin said dryly, his lips twitching into a smile. "Gennai never bothered to tell us he had sent you on some sort of secret mission. How were we supposed to give you a message when we had no clue where to find you?"

"Always an excuse!"

"You certainly made quite a spectacle of yourself when you did finally find out what happened," Biyomon joked, trying desperately to keep a straight face. "Ogremon insists it was the most entertainment he's had in years!"

"You mean I missed it?" Ryoko asked, clearly disappointed.

"Young man, you should learn to respect your elders!" Piximon snapped.

Sam Ichijouji glanced uncertainly at Ryoko and chewed anxiously on his lower lip. Normally he got along very well with the golden-haired Digidestined, and because of that he could not understand why the two of them had almost gotten into a fight before school that morning. Had he said something wrong? He was pretty sure every word out of his mouth had been perfectly innocent, so why had Ryoko acted as if he had said something really horrible?

_Maybe he thinks I don't agree with him about Matt, but that's not true at all! I forgive Matt, just like all of the others do, and I know he's learned from his mistakes. It could have been so much worse, but he found a way to break free from the darkness before it could completely consume him. I know I didn't sound very sure at first, but that's only because I was still trying to make sense of it all in my head. I never meant to make it sound as if I didn't think Matt should be forgiven. Ryoko knows that, doesn't he?_

Although Ryoko wasn't looking in his direction, he could tell the golden-haired Digidestined was aware of his every move. Despite what Ryoko seemed to think, he wasn't stupid. He knew very well the golden-haired Digidestined was avoiding him, and the blond's attitude made him feel like there was a giant hole inside his heart.

_What if he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore? I know he can be pretty harsh sometimes, but I never thought he could be this cruel. And why do I get the feeling he's hiding something from me? _

Surprisingly enough, the thought of losing Ryoko's friendship hurt him just as much as the thought of losing Mickey's friendship, and considering how much he liked the older twin, that was saying something.

_What am I going to do? I'd feel better if I knew Ryoko was avoiding me because of our fight, but I know that's not true. He was avoiding me even before he mentioned Matt..._

"Quit wasting time, Ishida!" Dai shouted, glaring at the golden-haired Digidestined. Ryoko glared back at him, but the goggle-headed leader pretended not to notice. Instead, he turned to Gennai and gave the robed figure a brilliant smile. "Go on then, tell us about the Spirit Chips."

Gennai nodded and folded his hands together in his lap. "Very well, but before I do, I should tell you a bit about the D-Coders. Do you like the name? Azulongmon and I came up with it when we first created the Digivices."

"Too bad you didn't tell us that!" Jose snorted. "It would have been nice if you had bothered to inform us about the fact that the Digivices were given new names. We helped you make those Digivices, you know!"

Gennai bowed his head in acknowledgement and patted his counterpart's shoulder. "Yes, you did. Now, where was I? Oh, that's right, the Digivices. As Izzy discovered many years ago, the D-3 Digivices have three unique features, hence the name. They are, digital, detect, and discover. Each of these three functions refer to digivolving, keeping track of fellow Digidestined, and finding things like Digi-Eggs respectively. They are also capable of doing many other things, though these are their three primary functions."

"That's right. For such small gadgets, they pack quite a punch," Izzy agreed, the usual manic gleam in his eyes whenever he spoke about anything related to the Digital World.

"Well, that's one way of putting it. The D-Coders we created with help from Azulongmon's Digicores work pretty much the same way as the D-3 Digivices, with one small difference. Instead of having three primary functions, the D-Coders have four. They are digital, detect, discover, and decode. They have the ability to help your digimon digivolve, they can detect fellow Digidestined when you become separated, they can find important items like your digimon partners, the crests, and the Spirit Chips, and they also have the ability to decode the computer language of the Digital World. Remember that last point especially. You will realize why it's so important when I've finished telling you about the Spirit Chips."

"So that's why they're called D-Coders," Takara said quietly, gazing at Gennai with new respect. "It's because they can decipher the Digital World's unique computer language. We were wondering about the name."

"Do you remember the strange markings on the walls of the ancient stone fortress where you found Embermon?" Gennai asked. "Those markings are actually the language of the Digital World. The walls of that fortress are a written record of the Digital World's long history. I'm sure you noticed one section of the wall appeared to have been carved more recently than the rest of the history recorded in that sacred place. That section refers to all the hardships and battles your parents had to overcome when they were trying to save the Digital World. If you had known how to correctly use your D-Coders at the time, you would have been able to decipher the writings on the walls, and as a result, you would have known the truth about your parents right from the very beginning."

"What a cheap trick!" Ryoko shouted, looking absolutely outraged. "I bet you planned for that to happen right from the very beginning!"

"We're always the last ones to know everything," Alopemon grumbled.

"It wouldn't have helped us, that's for sure," Tai muttered, smiling slightly.

_If we had known at the time how to decipher the writing on the walls, I'd already know all about the Emperor..._

Sam gave his purple D-Coder an accusing look and frowned at all the adult Digidestined. Apparently they were thinking along the same lines as him because every single one of them looked extremely relieved at what they obviously considered to be a great stroke of luck.

"It's great to know more about the D-Coders, but what does all of this have to do with the Spirit Chips?" Mickey asked curiously.

Gennai gazed thoughtfully at the older twin for a moment and stuffed his hands into the sleeves of his robe. "I think it's time for a little history lesson. Like Benjamin said earlier, our main job here in the Digital World is not only to keep the Digital World a secret from the majority of the human world, it's also to monitor the positive and negative forces of light and darkness and make sure one does not become greater than the other. They must maintain a sense of balance and work in perfect harmony for the Digital World to remain peaceful."

"I guess that makes sense," Matty mumbled, though he looked a bit confused.

"The Digital World itself determines the shift in balance between light and darkness. When the balance shifts too far in favour of the darkness, that is when the gates to the Digital World open. It's the Digital World's way of telling us it needs help."

"The rest of us should have known the gates had opened again, but Gennai had us running all over the Digital World looking for signs of any suspicious digimon," Ilya explained. "Unfortunately, Vampiramon and her allies were lying low at the time so we weren't able to find out anything that would be of use to us. I'm guessing they knew what we were up to and clearly they wanted to announce their presence as a powerful force in the Digital World in a way that suited them. The balance of power must have shifted while we were absent from Server because when we did finally return and meet up with Gennai, he told us he'd already put the first steps into action. We were going to ask him what he meant, but before we could say anything, Vampiramon showed up and captured him."

"I take it Gennai was captured during the morning on the same day we received our Digivices?" Takara asked, her arms tightening around Dovemon.

Jackie nodded, and for some reason he looked a little bit sheepish. "After Gennai was captured, the rest of us returned to our base, which is also on Server. It was then we discovered the gates to the Digital World were open, but we were confused because at that point there was no sign of the Digidestined and we also did not know just how long the gates to the Digital World had been opened. The next day, we were going to send Benjamin off to discover what had become of the Digivices when Leomon arrived and told us the Digidestined had already arrived and gotten their hands on Embermon."

"What do you mean you were going to have Benjamin discover what became of the Digivices?" Mickey asked slowly, exchanging a look with his twin.

"We did not keep the D-Coders stored in our base on Server, and with good reason," Benjamin said quietly. "Many years ago, our base was attacked by the Dark Masters. They were attempting to steal the crests that belonged to Tai's group. I'm not sure whether Piedmon wanted the Digi-Eggs and Digivices, as well, though we think he did, but Gennai wasn't taking any chances. He took the Digi-Eggs to File Island, but unfortunately he lost Gatomon's Digi-Egg along the way, which proved to have severe consequences later on. It was during that time when Piedmon placed a dark ball of energy inside Gennai and he became an old man. The point is, we weren't going to make the same mistake twice. Instead of keeping the digimon in our base, Gennai hid Embermon and his friends on various continents with a trusted digimon to look after them until they were needed. Vampiramon and her followers couldn't have taken your partner digimon from the pedestals or moved the pedestals themselves, but we were still worried. Dark digimon have a way of doing the impossible, so we wanted to make absolutely sure they were safe."

"That explains Leomon and the others," Tai agreed. "Good idea."

Benjamin smiled at the former leader and bowed his head. "We did the same thing with Veemon, Hawkmon, and Armadillomon, though they didn't have guards. We hid them in the Digital World itself instead of in our base, and it worked that time, so we thought we would try it again. As for the D-Coders, we left them in the care of Azulongmon, the Guardian of the Eastern Hemisphere. That's why we did not know whether the Digidestined had arrived or not. I was just about to go looking for Azulongmon to ask him what had become of the Digivices when Leomon showed up."

"You wouldn't have found Azulongmon," Piximon said importantly, looking pleased with himself. "The Guardian of the Eastern Hemisphere was with me. I met up with him after I gave Daichi and his friends their Digivices, but I'm sure Gennai will tell you all about that."

Gennai cleared his throat loudly and smiled in amusement. "Yes, well, I would if the rest of you would let me continue."

"Right, go ahead," Jackie said cheerfully.

"As I was saying, after millions of Digidestined from all over the human world came to the Digital World and defeated MaloMyotismon, the gates to the Digital World should have closed, but for some reason they didn't. It was only approximately fifteen years ago when they did finally close. That means the gates stayed open for ten years after MaloMyotismon was destroyed. Why? Well, we're not really sure, but we think it had something to do with the Powers of Darkness. You see, after MaloMyotismon disappeared, the balance of power between light and darkness should have once again shifted back into a state of harmony, but that didn't happen. Despite Yukio Oikawa's life force protecting the Digital World, for ten years the balance of power remained in favour of the darkness, but there was nothing we could do about it. There were no signs of anyone or anything threatening the Digital World, at least nothing we were aware of. We did everything we could to search for the source of the disturbance, but our efforts were in vain. Then, at one point in time about fifteen years ago, the darkness became so overwhelming, we thought for sure the source of the disturbance would finally show itself."

"What happened?" Halomon whispered, his big, blue eyes fixed intently on Gennai's face.

"Nothing. Once again we tried to figure out what was going on, but the Digital World remained as peaceful as ever. There were no signs of darkness anywhere. We didn't know what to think."

"Why didn't you tell us this a long time ago?" Matt asked, glaring accusingly at Gennai. "We were still visiting the Digital World at the time. Maybe we could have helped you find out what was going on!"

"Yes, Matt, you and your friends were still coming to the Digital World, which means you know as well as I do that the Digital World was peaceful! What was the point of worrying you when there was nothing out there to fight? Trust me, we were keeping a close eye on the situation. If we had witnessed anything out of the ordinary in the Digital World, we would have informed you."

"Well, that's a relief," Mina sighed, shaking her head.

"Now, just when the darkness was at its most dangerous, and we were on the verge of panicking, it suddenly just disappeared. One minute the darkness was almost overwhelming and the next minute both forces that influence the Digital World, light and darkness, had shifted back into a state of harmony. It was then that the gates to the Digital World finally closed. We were completely baffled, but at least we could breath a little easier."

"Strange," Sora murmured, gazing thoughtfully at the white, puffy clouds floating leisurely across the sky. "Has something like this ever happened before?"

Gennai leaned back on his hands and quickly shook his head. "No, never. Now, from what all of you have told me about Lucemon, Luciamon, and DarkAngelicmon, they must have joined up with the Ruler of Darkness just after the gates to the Digital World closed. Strangely enough, that would have been fifteen years ago. Whether or not the Ruler of Darkness came into existence after the gates closed, or whether he was the cause of the disturbance that went on for ten years, remains to be seen. Only time will tell. I'm more inclined to think he appeared after the gates closed because if he had been the source of the disturbance, he wouldn't exist anymore. The gates would not have closed unless he had been defeated. There are a lot of things I'm not sure of, but one thing I do know for a fact is that somehow, some way, whatever was causing the darkness after MaloMyotismon had definitely been defeated fifteen years ago. Like I said before, the gates would not have closed otherwise. That's why I think it's pretty impossible for the Ruler of Darkness to have existed before then."

"But why would the gates close if the Ruler of Darkness came into existence that quickly after another force of evil had just been defeated?" Glowmon asked, peeking over Sam's arms. "You'd think they would have remained open."

"The balance of power did not remain in harmony for long. The gates had only been closed for an extremely short amount of time before the balance once again began to shift in favour of the darkness, only it wasn't enough to cause a great amount of alarm. That's why the gates remained closed. The Ruler of Darkness may have come into existence, but at the time, he obviously wasn't doing anything to threaten the Digital World. More than likely he was gathering followers at the time. From what Dai has told me, I get the feeling Vampiramon, Jestermon, BlackWidowmon, and Spritemon didn't really know Lucemon or Luciamon very well, which leads me to believe they joined the Ruler of Darkness shortly before Lucemon and Luciamon left. As you know, Luciamon and Lucemon had been spying on me thirteen years ago so they obviously left the Ruler of Darkness before then. According to you, Daichi, it sounds like they had been spying on me for quite a while. I believe that means they probably left the Ruler of Darkness about fourteen years ago, shortly after Vampiramon and her three allies were recruited. DarkAngelicmon, as we all know, has been with the Ruler of Darkness ever since the beginning and he's never left his master's side since. He's made that pretty plain."

"Buy why?" Mickey moaned. "Why?"

"I'm sorry, Mickey, but we can't answer that," Hogan said sympathetically.

Gennai nodded in agreement and let out a deep sigh. "It is time to take you back thirteen years ago. By this time, the Ruler of Darkness had gained many powerful allies, and as we know now, Lucemon and Luciamon were trying to find a way to stop him from fulfilling his plans. It was approximately thriteen years ago when the balance of power once again really started to shift in favour of the darkness at a steady rate. We were worried and so was the Entity who watches over the Digital World and acts as our guide. As you all know, the voice that spoke through Kari Kamiya twenty-nine years ago is a living entity created by kilobytes from the internet on Earth. We refer to this Entity as a 'she' because it makes it easier to talk about her. She is data, yes, but she is still very much alive. The same is true for the Digital World itself. It is also made of data, but it is still a living entity, which is evident when you look at the landscape and all of the digimon who live in this world. They are just as real as all the humans who live in the human world. The Entity who spoke through Kari is one of many like her kind, but she speaks for all of them and acts basically like their leader. Together, they are the Voice of the Digital World, and all of the other entities speak through the one who inhabited Kari's body because she is the strongest of them all. They are as real as digimon, and digimon are as real as humans."

"That's for sure," Izzy agreed, smiling fondly at Tentomon.

"As I said before, the Digital World is very much a living life form in itself, and it has the ability to speak through the internet's living entities, and they in turn, speak through the one who inhabited Kari's body. Of course, being the strongest, the Digtal World often speaks through her directly. She is the one who chose the Four Guardians and myself, along with my counterparts, to protect the Digital World, but she did it at the request of the Digital World itself."

"Weird. So...this world is actually alive?" Dai asked, gazing in awe at the landscape.

"Precisely. As I was saying, thirteen years ago, the darkness had become very strong, but it wasn't yet strong enough to justify opening the gates to the Digital World. According to the Digital World's living entites, only the Digital World itself can decide when the gates will open, but the one who spoke through Kari was worried. In the end, the Digital World recognized her fear, and we knew the time had come. One day, the Entity contacted us and she told us the Digital World had decided it was time for new Digidestined. After all, all of the other Digidestined were getting older, and as you know, the darkness can never really be defeated, so we always need a steady supply of Digidestined. It was growing stronger, and I just knew, once it reached its true potential, it was going to be like nothing we had ever seen before."

"I take it this is where we come in?" Ryoko snorted.

"Indeed. Out of the six new Digidestined, Sam is the youngest. It was just after Sam's birth when the Entity travelled to the human world through the internet and began to scan all the vital information of every single child in the human world. Unlike the rest of us, the Entity can travel to the human world through the internet even when the gates are closed. Meanwhile, myself and my counterparts did what we could to help out with the scanning process from the Digital World. It took quite a long time, but when she finally came back, she had the informaton she needed on every human child. Scanning all the data faster than any human ever could, she narrowed down our choices to those who had the most potential to be Digidestined, and in her opinion, would make the most powerful Digidestined."

"So, in the end, there was a chance none of us would have been picked after all!" Takara gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

Sam thought of a life without Glowmon and felt a sudden stab of pain in his heart. Without a word, he buried his face against his partner's little wings and squeezed his eyes shut. _We're really lucky. I don't know what I would do without Glowmon. I just can't imagine life without him anymore._

"That's right, in a sense, but perhaps not completely," Gennai said quietly. "Normally the Digital World chooses people to become Digidestined when they're young, but there can be exceptions, and as we know, once a Digidestined, always a Digidestined. This time, though, they were younger than even we could have ever imagined. At the time, we had many candidates who had the potential to be Digidestined. In fact, three of those candidates were Nobunari Kido, Ami Motomiya, and Miya Ichijouji."

"What?" Tai shouted at the top of his lungs. "You're kidding, right?"

"I don't believe it! My sister could have become a Digidestined instead of me! Then again, I guess that's not really surprising. She would make a good Digidestined..." Dai said thoughtfully.

_Same with Miya..._

Suddenly, everyone started talking at once and Gennai had to shout over the noise to be heard. "I'm not kidding. They were definitely potential candidates."

"How come they weren't chosen then?" Dai demanded.

Gennai shrugged and smiled at the goggle-headed leader. "I don't know. The Entity, with help from myself and my counterparts, find potential candidates, but the Digital World itself, speaking through the Entity, ultimately decides who will become a Digidestined. That's not to say Ami, Noah, Miya, or any of the other candidates will never become Digidestined. If the darkness becomes too great for the six of you and your parents to manage on your own, then they may be called to the Digital World. That's what happened twenty-nine years ago when Myotismon attacked the human world. Digimon were appearing all over every continent and there were too many for Tai's group to handle alone. That's when all the candidates we scanned during Myotismon's attack who had come in contact with digimon at that time became Digidestined right away. They didn't know they'd been scanned, but they were, just like Tai and his friends at Highton View Terrace four years before that, only this time we had expanded our search to more than just a few people and one area. As you may well already know, the largest existing gate to the Digital World is right over Highton View Terrace. We needed more variety and more candidates. Frankly, we needed a lot more Digidestined. In the end, because of the time difference between the human world and the Digital World, they ended up becoming Digidestined on the same day as Tai's group, including Ken. The only ones who were scanned during the Myotismon incident and didn't receive Digivices were Davis, Yolei, Cody, and the children who eventually had spores placed in them by Oikawa. We kept them in reserve in case we needed new Digidestined somewhere down the road, and we also placed Ken, Kari, and T.K. on the new main team, with the Spore children as alternates for reasons I'll explain later. Sure enough, the Digital World approved of our decision and all of them became Digidestined four years after the Myotismon incident, with Ken, Kari, and T.K. on the main team. Actually, like I said, it wasn't really us who decided any of that. It was the Digital World, and this time the Digital World chose you and your friends, Daichi. It also chose you to be the new leader. It was a new opportunity for new Digidestined, and this time around we went all out and scanned every human child so we could be prepared if we needed them in the future."

"But why, at the time, did it choose us over everyone else?" Mickey asked quietly.

"Well, I'm not sure, but I can give you my opinion," Gennai said slowly. "Almost every Digidestined on Davis' team, minus Ken and the Spore children, and now your whole team, have the ability to use the powers of the original eight Digidestined. Tai's group, to be exact, although calling them the original Digidestined is a bit untrue. There was a group of Digidestined before Tai's group, but their powers were lost. Well...not lost exactly. It's more like they were put to a greater use. Now, it takes a lot of energy to create things like crests. Sometimes the amount of energy it takes can even weaken the barriers of the Digital World, which is why it's much more efficient and effective to use powers that already exist. Ken was already a Digidestined and had a crest, so it was just a matter of recruiting him to the new team. Same with Kari and T.K. Fours years after Tai's team, Davis and his group were called because MaloMyotismon was threatening the Digital World, though we didn't know that was the reason at the time. We thought it was because of the Emperor. I think the Digital World knew or suspected the truth. We thought the Digital World had originally chosen Davis, Ken, Yolei, T.K., Kari, and Cody to be the main Digidestined team during Myotismon's attack on the human world because they were compatible with each other, and given the right digimon, they could DNA Digivolve. Of course, it was only later when we realized they would need the power from Gatomon's tail ring in order to do so and that Paildramon would be able to digivolve to mega with help from the Digicore. Those six could have created all kinds of combinations, but for the sake of simplicity they ended up, probably subconsciously, settling on three separate DNA teams. The point is, it can't be done by just any two Digidestined. Two humans and two digimon have to be compatible for it to work, and these six were all compatible with each other. That's what we originally thought, but it's almost as if the Digital World knew about the Emperor long before he even took on that identity. Although DNA Digivolving still played a huge role, in the end, it was Davis and the rest of his team's ability to use the powers of the original Digidestined, with the exception of Ken for reasons you'll find out later, that brought an end to the Emperor's reign of terror, which allowed them to find out the truth about Oikawa and MaloMyotismon. Originally the six of them were supposed to work togther to defeat MaloMyotismon, but early on something went wrong. Something we had not foreseen, though, like I said, I think the Digital World may have suspected it might happen right from the very beginning. It came in the form of the Digimon Emperor. He was never supposed to exist, but the Powers of Darkness have a way of making the situation work to their advantage. We had not counted on the Digimon Emperor twenty-nine years ago when we recruited millions of Digidestined. So, yes, in the end, though not because we had foreseen it at the time, one of the main reasons the last two teams were chosen was because they could use the powers of Tai's group. Even Ken, in a way, because he became a Digidestined at the same time as T.K. and Kari, so technically his crest is one of the powers of the original Digidestined, and it became very important later on. Also, with the six new Digidestined, the design of the original Digivices took on a new form. Surprisingly enough, because Ken was the one who willed his Digivice to subconsciously change, in the end, in order to compete with Ken's Digivice, Davis and his group also had their Digivices subconsciously changed into D-3s. That is not the case with the D-Coders. They were purposely made differently to begin with, but more about that later on."

Sam let out a gasp and clapped his hand over his mouth. _The Emperor wasn't supposed to exist?_

"Anyways, with all the Digidestined standing against Myotismon, and again when he became MaloMyotismon, it wasn't necessary for most of the Digidestined to digivolve all the way to ultimate. As you know, the battle with MaloMyotismon used up a lot of the Digital World's energy, so you can see why we were reluctant to waste any more energy, even with Oikawa's life force protecting the Digital World. Although we had to use some energy to create the Spirit Chips, it didn't take as much because they work with the crests."

"So we were chosen because we have the ability to use the powers of the crests?" Matty asked.

"I believe so. Also, you have that special something that all Digidestined have that gives you something in common with Tai, Kari, and the first Digidestined. And unlike the true original Digidestined, Tai's team still have their power firmly intact. Most importantly, you have the ability to help digimon digivolve and you have that right amount of innocence that allows you access to the Digital World; some of you more than most."

For some reason Gennai looked at Mickey, but other than Sam, everyone else was too busy hanging onto the robed figure's every word to notice.

"I believe that was the criteria used to choose your team and the team before you, with the exception of Ken, who could not use the power of the eight original crests but had been given a crest of his own, which, like I said, kind of makes it one of the original powers of the Digidestined."

"What about Noah, Miya, and Ami? Don't they have all of those things, too?" Celestimon asked.

"Yes, but the Digital World seemed to feel only six new Digidestined were necessary, though that may yet prove to be false. It has before. When you're a Digidestined, teamwork is a must. I think you six were chosen above them because you were the same age, and it's almost as if the Digital World knew you would work well together and end up being good friends."

"Some more than others," Ryoko mumbled, glancing sadly at Dai.

Dai stared at the blond for a moment and smiled slightly. "Maybe not. Hey, Gennai? What would have happened if the gates had opened when we were still too young to be Digidestined?"

"An interesting question. Never before had babies been chosen to be Digidestined, so we were very surprised when it happened. Although, we did know who your parents were, so it made sense. We had the same question, but the Entity told us, if that happened, other children from our list of candidates who were old enough to fight would have been chosen to fill your vacant positions until you were ready to help us save the Digital World."

"That's a relief," Matt snorted.

"Now, to tell you about the Spirit Chips. Based on the data we had and speaking with the Voice of the Digital World, the Entity had the Four Guardians, myself, and my counterparts find suitable digimon who would one day become the partners of the new Digidestined. She also had myself and my counterparts create the D-Coders. I've already explained where we hid them and why, so I'll get to the Spirit Chips. There's a reason why Benjamin and the rest of my counterparts didn't know about the Spirit Chips. They were under the impression that the new Digidestined would be using the powers of the crests, and they were right, in a sense, but it's so much more complicated than that. The only ones who knew the truth were myself, the Entity, and Azulongmon. The Entity didn't correct Benjamin and the others because she wanted to keep the Spirit Chips a secret for as long as possible. Think about it, the less people who knew about them, the less chance we had of evil digimon trying to steal them, and since, at the time, we didn't know what was causing the darkness, it was more important than ever to keep them a secret. That's also why I kept the name Azulongmon and I had chosen for the new Digivices a secret."

"Well, you could have at least told us that!" Benjamin said indignantly.

"I was forbidden to tell anyone about the Spirit Chips and the name for the D-Coders. Izzy came up with the name D-3 Digivice and we liked the idea so much we decided to name the new Digivices, too. Now where was I? Right, I remember. Again, speaking with the Voice of the Digital World and honouring its request, the Entity instructed myself and Azulongmon to forge the Spirit Chips in secret."

"Of course," Gatomon muttered.

"And now, our story truly begins. I bet you're wondering why all the Digi-Eggs disappeared. When Tai's group gave up their crests, we had a small amount of their power stored away in case we ever needed it. After all, we could not use the crests in their current state, and we had a feeling their power might be needed somewhere down the road. We were right. A couple years later, the Digimon Emperor began his quest to conquer the Digital World and we used that stored power to create the Digi-Eggs, though it was a surprise that some of the team could carry more than one Digi-Egg. We never thought we would use them all. The D-Terminals were unexpected. We hadn't counted on them appearing, though I bet the Entity knew, even if we, including Azulongmon, didn't. Unfortunately, thirteen years ago, we needed that power back. As you may have guessed, the crests came back after Oikawa died, but because the Digi-Eggs still existed, they weren't at full strength. They were vulnerable, so we had them hidden away for safekeeping. When we set about making the Spirit Chips, we realized they weren't going to be as effective without the crests at full power. Since the gates were closed, and Davis and his team no longer needed the power of Armor Digivolving, we decided it was time that power was returned to the crests. The Siprit Chips would not work as well without it. It was the Entity who collected the Digi-Eggs from the D-Terminals and returned them to us. At last the crests had returned to full power, and it was a good thing because we were going to need them."

"So that's what happened to them!" Izzy said thoughtfully. "Davis had a fit when I couldn't give him an answer for their sudden disappearance."

Gennai nodded and smiled in amusement. "I'm sure he did. There are, naturally, six Spirit Chips, one for each new Digidestined. Each one has its own colour, symbol, and of course, its own special meaning. Do you remember the symbols on the pedestals?"

"Mine looked like a shield," Dai said cheerfully. "Mickey's was a rising sun, Matty's looked like a shooting star, and...uh..."

"Mine looked kind of like a bird's wing," Takara said thoughtfully.

"Sam's looked kind of like a half moon," Mickey said shyly, "and Ryoko's looked like the shape of an eye."

"That's right. Each of those symbols corresponds with the symbol on your Spirit Chips. Some of them may not reflect the meaning of your Spirit Chip necessarily, but they did give us a way to tell one from the other. Same with their colours. The colour of your D-Coder Digivice also corresponds with your Spirit Chip. Therefore, Dai's is red, Takara's is green, Ryoko's is blue, Sam's is purple, Mickey's is orange, and Matty's is yellow."

"Cool," Dai said happily, beaming at his D-Coder. "So...uh...what do they mean?"

"Like the crests, the Spirit Chips reflect one of the strongest qualities you possessed as babies, and considering what I've seen so far, you still possess to this day. I say _one _of your strongest qualities because all of you possess the qualities your parents have, so the Digital World chose ones that were different, yet still connected, to distinguish the Spirit Chips from the crests. Dai's especially is almost exactly, if not exactly, like one of the qualities his father possesses, but that is because it is the mark of a leader and it is something all Digidestined leaders must have in order to lead their team to victory. It is his or her other teammates who provide all of the other qualities needed to unite a team and give it the necessary assets needed to succeed. Like I said, there are six Spirit Chips. They are, bravery, loyalty, wisdom, compassion, faith, and innocence, but in order for each one to work to its fullest potential, each one must be fused together with one of the nine crests."

"What do you mean by that?" Agumon asked, clearly confused.

"Only one crest can be fused together with each Spirit Chip, and the six crests that were chosen for the job also represent one of your strongest qualities. In many ways, they are closely connected to the qualities of the Spirit Chips."

"So, which Spirit Chips belong to who, and which crests belong with each Spirit Chip?" Matty asked eagerly.

Gennai raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly. "That is something you'll have to discover on your own."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ryoko shouted, glaring at the robed figure. "After all the trouble we've gone to just to learn more about the Spirit Chips, let alone find them, and you're not even going to tell us which one belongs to who?"

"Well, Ryoko, personally I think it's pretty obvious which one belongs to who. The best way to understand who you are is to find yourself on your own personal journey. This isn't the kind of thing someone else can do for you."

"I bet Dai's Spirit Chip is bravery," Kara said quietly, glancing shyly at the goggle-headed leader.

Dai blinked in surprise and beamed at the female Digidestined. "Thanks, Kara!"

"I may not be able to tell you which crest goes with each Spirit Chip, but I can give you a hint," Gennai interrupted, a pleasant smile slipping across his face. "Each Spirit Chip is kept safe by two protective barriers, so in order to get your hands on them, you have to break both seals. The first seal has to do with the crests. Each of the six Spirit Chips is surrounded by a powerful force field that was created using a small amount of power from three of the nine crests, though not enough power was used to diminish the power of the crests. Basically, what that means is each of the Spirit Chips is protected by three crests, one of them being the crest that will be fused together with the Spirit Chips. The other two are also strong qualities of the person who owns that particular Spirit Chip. Because the barrier is so powerful, the three original Digidestined who own those crests must be the ones to break the seals. The crests can respond to other Digidestined who can use their power, but the signal isn't as strong. That's why it has to be the original Digidestined. The Spirit Chip of Bravery is protected by the Crests of Courage, Reliability, and Friendship; the Spirit Chip of Loyalty is protected by the Crests of Sincerity, Friendship, and Reliability; the Spirit Chip of Compassion is protected by the Crests of Kindess, Knowledge, and Sincerity; the Spirit Chip of Wisdom is protected by the Crests of Love, Courage, and Knowledge; the Spirit Chip of Faith is protected by the Crests of Hope, Light, and Love; and last, but certainly not least, the Spirit Chip of Innocence is protected by the Crests of Kindess, Light, and Hope. They are the key to digivolution and will help your digimon digivolve to the ultimate level."

"That's good to know. So, what's the second seal placed around the Spirit Chips?" Gomamon asked curiously.

"The second seal can only be broken by a D-Coder Digivice. It is an encrypted message written in the language of the Digital World that relates to the Spirit Chip it protects, and it can only be broken by the D-Coder Digivice the Spirit Chip belongs to. Do you see now why I said the fourth function of the new Digivices was going to be so important? Both seals need to be broken in order to get your hands on the Spirit Chips."

"Wow, Gennai, you weren't taking any chances, were you," Izzy said cheerfully, nodding his head in approval. "If we're looking for the Spirit Chip of Wisdom, for example, I take it the D-Coder it belongs with and the three crests protecting it will start to glow as soon as they're close enough to pick up the signal?"

"That is correct, with a bit of a complication I'll explain later."

"DemiVeemon thought the empty space at the top and towards the back of the D-Coders is where the Spirit Chips are supposed to go. Is that true?" Mina asked.

Gennai beamed at her and nodded. "DemiVeemon's a smart little digimon. That is true. The Spirit Chips are placed directly into the D-Coders."

"You were right, Izzy," Dai said enthusiastically. "You said our Digivices were special because they could decode the computer language of the Digital World."

Izzy, looking quite pleased with himself, reached out and ruffled Dai's hair. "I never did get a chance to study the D-Coders very closely, but it is nice to know my theory was correct. I was right about there being more to the D-Coders than just being able to understand computer code, too. They also have the ability to decipher specially encrypted messages that would be unrecognizable to any digimon here in the Digital World who does not possess enough wisdom or hasn't been around long enough to decipher the computer language of this world. That's probably true for digimon who have been around a long time, as well, because I bet these special messages have been slightly altered to disguise them from the everyday written language of the Digital World."

"Very true," Gennai replied.

"I know one thing, we sure haven't been around long enough to learn computer code!" Embermon said cheerfully. "At least, I don't remember if we were."

"We encrypted the codes protecting the Spirit Chips to stop any digimon from reading them, though I will admit, not even very many digimon understand the language of the Digital World, specially encrypted or not, but we wanted to make sure no one recognized the Spirit Chips for what they were if some digimon happened to come across one of them. Like the eight partners belonging to the original Digidestined, Embermon and his friends were newly created digimon, although they were around a bit longer than Agumon's group when they were recruited, or maybe not. Agumon's group had been waiting a long time for their partners because of the time difference between worlds. Embermon and his friends were already at their rookie stages when they were chosen whereas Agumon's group were still Digi-Eggs. The same is true for Veemon, Hawkmon, and Armadillomon, who had also been around for a little while before being chosen. Also, when I say newly created, I mean they did not exist at the dawn of the Digital World and were never reconfigured multiple times like other digimon. They literally just came into existence. That's not to say there weren't digimon like them around already. For example, there were a lot of Halomon in the Digital World before there were Digidestined, but Mickey's Halomon didn't exist until recently. Remember, all digimon are unique. Just because Mickey and Halomon turned out to be compatible with each other doesn't mean Mickey's automatically compatible with every Halomon out there. Personality has a lot to do with it, but...it's not everything. Far from it. There has to be that special something that makes humans and digimon click with each other. Now, Veemon, Hawkmon and Armadillomon were drafted because they were compatible with the new Digidestined and they had the ancient ability to use the power of Armor Digivolving."

"Yeah, talk about cool," Dai muttered, gazing off into space.

"Although Davis, Yolei, and Cody were chosen to be Digidestined four years before they arrived in the Digital World, they didn't receive their Digivices until MaloMyotismon put his ambitious plans into action. All of his hard work showed itself through Oikawa and in the form of the Digimon Emperor. Because the Control Spires, which prevented digimon from digivolving to their champion stages, we needed digimon who still had the ancient ability of Armor Digivolving. The Control Spires couldn't affect Armor Digivolving and that made it an excellent way to combat the darkness. Because Veemon, Armadillomon, and Hawkmon all had this power and were compatible with the new Digidestined, they were drafted to the team. Although we intended for Kari and T.K. to be on the new team from the beginning, it was an excellent stroke of luck that Patamon and Gatomon could both Armor Digivolve as well. Then again, like I said before, it's almost as if the Digital World knew the Emperor would come into existence before it actually happened, which would explain why the Entity was so insistent that Kari and T.K. should be part of the new team, though she wouldn't tell us why. Because of that, I believe Kari and T.K. were also drafted to the new team and so does Azulongmon. Wormmon could Armor Digivolve, as well, but because of certain circumstances, and by that I mean the Digimon Emperor who created the Control Spires unknowingly for Oikawa and MaloMyotismon, it was of little importance."

"What do you mean?" Ryoko asked, an uneasy look creeping slowly onto his face.

"Well, it turns out Ken did not need a Digi-Egg, and I think the Digital World knew he wouldn't before the Emperor showed up. There's also the fact that the Crest of Kindness was unavailable at the time. It was merely coincidence Wormmon could Armor Digivolve. As I've just explained, at the time, Armor Digivolving was a last minute addition when the situation took a sudden startling twist, something we had not foreseen, and we had to compensate, but I believe the Digital World itself knew things we had no way of knowing. The gates to the Digital World closed after Apocalymon was destroyed, but once again the Digital World wasn't safe. The balance of power was still in favour of the darkness because of Oikawa and MaloMyotismon, though we didn't know that at the time, but for four years they weren't causing enough trouble to justify opening the gates to the Digital World. The gates only opened once in that time to allow Tai's team to give up the powers of their crests. It wasn't until Oikawa and MaloMyotismon had fully manipulated the Emperor that things started to spiral out of control. That was when all of the reasons Davis and his friends were chosen really started to make sense, and that was when we realized what the Digital World had known all along. And to think we thought it all began with DNA Digivolution to stop the forces of darkness. I know Azulongmon didn't tell Davis and the others all of this, but I think it's because he didn't want to confuse them so he only told them parts of it."

"Figures," Ryoko grumbled.

"Many of the other digimon who belong to Digidestined from all over the world were also drafted. Some were newly created and some weren't. We've noticed newly created digimon tend to come into existence when new Digidestined are needed, but they are few in number. After all, digimon never really die so if new digimon kept coming into existence at the rate humans do, this world would become overpopulated. That's why they're very rare and only come into existence at certain times. It's almost as if the Digital World creates them specifically for Digidestined because they make perfect matches. Sometimes, though, as we found out when Myotismon attacked the real world, there aren't enough newly created, honourable and worthy digimon to match up with Digidestined, so we must find digimon already in existence who make suitable matches with the humans who were chosen. Also, like with Davis, we do it for special reasons. The crests, and in the end, Armor Digivolving are perfect examples."

"Veemon and Armadillomon never bothered to learn the Digital World's language," Hawkmon sniffed, sending Armadillomon a disapproving look. "I understand a little bit of it, but I do wish I had the time to continue learning more."

"What about the crests?" Alopemon asked. "When did Vampiramon get her hands on them?"

Gennai gazed thoughtfully at the sky for a moment and let out a deep sigh. "They were stolen about two days before I was captured. I had contacted Leomon to let him know, and he was quite worried. I'm sure Vampiramon and her allies stole the crests because they knew they would need them to get the Spirit Chips. How could they know that before they captured me? Well, I have a theory. Remember how I said Azulongmon, the Entity, and myself were the only ones who knew about the Spirit Chips? Well, that's not technically true. From what Daichi has told me, Luciamon and Lucemon had been spying on me for quite some time. I don't think they knew everything about the Spirit Chips, but I think they knew enough to understand they were going to play a huge role when it comes to the fate of the Digital World. I also don't think they're the only ones who had been spying on me. It is my belief that, although DarkAngelicmon didn't know the purpose of the D-Coders yet, he did find out the truth about the crests and told the Ruler of Darkness what he had heard. Naturally, Vampiramon was sent to capture me in order to find out more."

"Of course," Matt muttered, making a face.

Gennai nodded in agreement and held out his hands. "Once again, I'm going to take you back thirteen years ago. After we created the Digivices, and after I helped Azulongmon and the Entity created the Spirit Chips with help from the Digicores, the D-Coders were giving to Azulongmon for safekeeping. At the same time, Azulongmon gave each of us, myself and my counterparts, one of his twelve Digicores to hold for purposes known only to him. I suspected what mine might be for, but my theory wasn't confirmed until later. We still don't know what the other ones belonging to Benjamin and my other counterparts are for. Azulongmon wasn't specific, but I'm sure they'll come in handy. One has already. This is one of the two conversations Luciamon's spies found out about, though Luciamon herself admitted she did not know exactly what the conversation had been about, just that it had taken place and Azulongmon had given us something. Thirteen years later, Azulongmon spoke with me again, only this time I was alone. Both of these conversations took place on Server. He told me the gates had opened, which I had already realized at that point, though Benjamin and the others didn't know because they were searching for the source of the disturbance, and he said it was time for the new Digidestined to come to the Digital World. He also mentioned the crests and the Spirit Chips. That day, he placed the D-Coders within the Digicore that had been left in my possession, and I was to give it to Piximon. As you all know, Piximon was to take it to the human world and give the Digivices to the new Digidestined. I gave it to Piximon the day after my conversation with Azulongmon, and the day after that I was captured. It happened in the morning, and it was that very afternoon on the same day when Daichi and his friends first came to the Digital World. That's why I wasn't able to meet them that afternoon. I sent my message to them the day before I was captured so it would be ready when Piximon arrived in the human world. Unfortunatley, I wasn't able to act on it when Daichi's group did finally show up in the Digital World. Izzy, I'm sure you realized the D-Coders were able to decipher my message?"

"Yes, that was what helped me come up with my thoery about the D-Coders."

"I thought so. Unfortunately, because of reasons I've already stated, Benjamin and my other counterparts had not been present during my second conversation with Azulongmon, and that's why they thought the Guardian of the Eastern Hemisphere still had the D-Coders in his possession. After all, I didn't tell them I'd sent Piximon to the human world with the Digivices. Like with the Spirit Chips, Azulongmon and I kept our meeting as secret as possible because we didn't want our conversation to get into the wrong hands. Obviously we didn't do a good job of it. This is the second conversation Luciamon's spies found out about, though, once again, they didn't have any exact information concerning what was said. Not that it mattered. Luciamon found out soon enough that the Digidestined had arrived in the Digital World. I think this was also the conversation DarkAngelicmon overheard, but unlike Luciamon's spies, he knew exactly what we had said. Azulongmon had mentioned the crests and Spirit Chips, though without specific details, and that's how DarkAngelicmon knew the crests were important before Vampiramon captured me. The Ruler of Darkness had his allies steal them before coming after me. They also seemed to know Daichi's group would be arriving in the Digital World ahead of time. My theory explains how all of this is possible. I don't think Spritemon and the others knew DarkAngelicmon had overheard that particular conversation, though, because according to Dai, Spritemon acted surprised when Luciamon mentioned it. More than likely they thought the Ruler of Darkness had figured out about the crests and Digidestined on his own. Do you see now why the D-Coders were created differently on purpose instead of taking on new forms like the D-3s? It's because we needed them to be able to decode the language of the Digital World."

"I have a question," Ryoko said loudly, glaring suspiciously at Gennai. "Where exactly are the Spirit Chips?"

Gennai stared at Ryoko for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, we're not really sure."

_What?_

Sam felt his mouth drop open in surprise and he stared at Gennai in shock. "What do you mean you're not really sure?"

"The Entity, Azulongmon, and myself agreed it would be best if nobody knew exactly where the Spirit Chips were. That way if something happened to any of us, the information couldn't get into the wrong hands. It was a good plan. I was captured, wasn't I? There was no way I could have told Vampiramon and her allies where the Spirit Chips were, even if I'd wanted to because even I don't know exactly where they are. Torturing me would have put them no futher ahead. I did, unfortunately, tell them some things about the Spirit Chips, but I don't think I told them enough to give them the upper hand. We wanted to keep the Spirit Chips as secret as possible until the day when more information about them, like where they are, became necessary."

"Do you have _any _idea where they are?" Glowmon asked weakly, his wings drooping slightly at the news.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Azulongmon and I sent the Spirit Chips out to all four continents of the Digital World. Like I said before, we don't know exactly where they are, but we do know there is one on File Island, one on Server, one on Cyber, one on Text, and there are two on the continent of Net in the Northern Hemisphere."

"Well, that's something, I guess," Gotsumon muttered.

"And now I will tell you where Piximon has been all this time. Once the Digivices had been sent out, it was time to find out where the Spirit Chips had hidden themselves. I sent Piximon to help the four Guardians of the Digital World to find out anyting they could about the Spirit Chips. There are digimon out there who must have seen something, and I don't doubt there are rumours. Azulongmon, Piximon, and the other three Guardians are trying to find and decipher these rumours. That is why Azulongmon has lately been absent from the Eastern Hemisphere. Piximon was to act as my messenger, bringing information back and forth between myself and the Four Guardians, and that is why he is here now. The Four Guardians have managed to find the first Spirit Chip. They did so a few days ago, but since I was captured, he's been having a hard time finding me."

"Like I said, someone could have told me!" Piximon said indignantly.

Gennai bowed his head and smiled in amusement. "Why don't you tell Daichi and the others where they can find the first Spirit Chip?"

"If you insist. The only one we've been able to locate so far is right here on File Island. It's at the top of Infinity Mountain."

"Wonderful. We have to climb a mountain?" Matty complained.

"It'll do you some good!" Piximon shot back.

"Yes, I suggest you head to Infinity Mountain first while we try to locate the other Spirit Chips," Gennai said seriously. "As you may have noticed, there are a few holes in my story, but if we can locate Lucemon, I think we'll be able to fill in the blanks. I will warn you, though, finding the Spirit Chips is your first priority, but keep your eyes peeled for Lucemon."

"We will," Halomon said firmly.

"Also, the Spirit Chips are well protected, but Vampiramon and her allies can still try to steal them once you've released them from their seals. Remember that. A lot of effort has been put into this plan. I will not take credit for all the work, but it is a good one, and you have to be careful for it to succeed. Do the best you can, and you will be helping every digimon in the Digital World."

"If only we had known about the Spirit Chips," Jackie sighed, frowning at Gennai.

"Gennai?"

Sam jumped at the sound of Matt's voice and turned to look at the golden-haired Digidestined. Matt's face was pure white and he looked a little sick to his stomach.

"Yes?" Gennai asked, glancing curiously as Matt.

"Do you remember what you said about the original Digidestined needing to break the seals on the crests? Does that mean... is Mimi going to have to come to the Digital World?"


	133. The Importance of Mimi

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another long chapter. Again, I had to make up a lot of stuff using the little bit of information they gave us in the show so hopefully it makes sense. I sort of refer to the Digimon movie, as well, and although it might not fit as well as I'd like, it's still pretty good. Besides, the English version of the movie didn't quite fit with the show, so I'm not too worried about it. A lot more information, but they'll be on the move again in the next chapter. Have fun reading!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 133: The Importance of Mimi

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Makiya Takaishi turned slowly to gaze at his Uncle Matt and felt his heart skip a beat. As much as his aunt wanted to come to the Digital World, Mickey knew the rosy-haired Digidestined had decided to stay behind for the sake of her new baby. The decision had been a hard one, but she had made it clear her unborn child was her number one priority, and Mickey was positive that was why she hadn't put up a fight when Matt, Tai, and the rest of the adult Digidestined had agreed it was better for her and the baby if she stayed behind. Although her final decision had meant she would be unable to perform more of an active role in saving the Digital World, she had been willing to accept her fate. At least, that had been the case before the Spirit Chips. Unfortunately, after what Gennai had just told them, it now looked as if Mimi's choice was going to be made for her.

_But...but Aunt Mimi can't come to the Digital World! She could end up getting hurt and so could her new baby. If anything were to happen to either one of them, Uncle Matt and Ryoko would never be the same again, and neither would the rest of us, for that matter..._

Ryoko must have been having similar thoughts because the golden-haired Digidestined's face turned pure white and he stared at Gennai in horror. "That's impossible! She can't come! I mean..."

Gennai bowed his head and gazed solemnly at his hands. "I'm sorry, Ryoko, but I'm afraid your mother will have to come to the Digital World."

"But-"

"Are you crazy? I'm not letting my wife set foot in the Digital World if she's just going to be attacked by evil digimon like Vampiramon!" Matt snapped, interrupting his son and glaring at the robed figure sitting across from him. "It's bad enough you've put my first child in danger! If you think for one minute I'm going to let you hurt either my wife or my second child-"

"As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think Mimi really has a choice," Gennai said slowly, frowning slightly. "At least, not if you want to get your hands on the Spirit Chips."

"You can't be serious!" Ryoko gasped, glaring furiously at Gennai and shaking his head in denial.

"We did not know Mimi would be pregnant when we created the barriers protecting the Spirit Chips," Gennai said quietly.

"Don't drag the rest of us into this!" Jackie scolded. "You helped the Entity create those barriers with Azulongmon. The rest of us had nothing to do with the Spirit Chips."

"Now that I think about it, that's probably a good thing," Jose muttered, gazing apprehensively at the angry look on Matt's face.

Takara sighed and smiled sympathetically at both Ryoko and Matt. "Listen, guys, I know you're upset, but you can't blame Gennai for any of this. How could he have possibly known Mimi was going to get pregnant right when the gates to the Digital World were about to open again? He was only doing what the Digital World wanted him to do. No one, not even evil digimon, have complete control over the Powers of Darkness, even if they like to think they do. Evil will show its face whenever it wants to, and it doesn't care who gets in the way."

"Even mothers and little babies," Sam whispered, hugging Glowmon tightly.

Mickey glanced anxiously at his twin, but Matty just shook his head and buried his face against Celestimon's long, fluffy ears. After a moment of silence, Gennai slowly lifted his head and gazed directly into Matt's eyes. "I know you're upset, and you have every right to be, but I don't think the situation is as terrible as it might seem. Although Mimi will be in danger, I do not believe her unborn child will come to any harm in the Digital World. Like I said before, this world is made up of living data, and when humans travel through the gates and enter the Digital World, they take on a data-like quality themselves. So, in other words, they too become living data, just like digimon take on a more human-like quality when they travel to the human world."

"Are you saying we've been turned into data?" Matty gasped, glancing down at himself and running his hands over his arms.

"In a sense. It's a little hard to explain, but I will say it has its advantages. For one thing, you can endure the Digital World's sometimes harsh environment much more easily when your data becomes the shield that protects you. It even helps against physical abuse caused by digimon attacks and other injuries you might acquire. What happened to Daichi is a perfect example. The injuries he received from BlackWidowmon could have and rightfully should have been a lot worse, but the subtle change his body, mind, and soul underwent while in the Digital World protected him from a blast that more than likely would have killed him if he had been in the human world."

Takara let out a gasp and stared at Dai in horror, but the rest of the Digidestined, other than Mickey, were too busy staring at Gennai in shock or relief to notice._I knew Dai was lucky to escape with only bruises, but I didn't realize he was that lucky!_

"Obviously, humans are created differently from digimon, but when it's all said and done, the two species really aren't that different from each other. When you think about it, humans are also created by data, just in a different way. Scientists call it DNA, the human genome, or to put it simply, the genetic code that all humans are created from. It's all really just a bunch of data mixed into many different strands of DNA to create different people, making each of them unique from everyone else in the human world. That data becomes a source of protection here in the Digital World, and it takes on a digital-like quality. For example, the Digivices respond to the compatibility between you and your partner and that is what allows the Digivice to help your digimon to digivolve."

"Crazy," Ryoko muttered, shaking his head.

"Fascinating," Izzy murmured, typing furiously on his laptop. "I've had many theories about the Digiworld; some of them right, and some, especially from my younger days, about as far from being right as you can get, but this puts a lot of things in perspective. And to think I used to believe we were just data here and our real selves were still back in the human world. I was way off on that theory!"

"You understand what all this means, though, don't you? Ultimately it is your heart that allows your digimon to digivolve, and the Digivice is just a tool to help with the process. That's because everything about you, including your heart, and everything that comes with having a heart, although still unique, takes on some of the same properties as the Digital World. Data can be many things, but ultimately it is knowledge or a group of facts that, when combined together, make up the composition of something larger and bring it into existence. This world does not recoginize you by your flesh. You are recognized by all the data and components that make you who you are. Why do you think digimon can be reconfigured after they die?"

"But we're still capable of losing our lives," Izzy countered.

"Yes, but that's because you're not originally from the Digital World, and you aren't created the same way as digimon. That still makes you vulnerable because your genetic makeup, although taking on properties of the Digital World, is still recognizable as being human. It works the same way for digimon when they're in the human world. Take Wizardmon, for example. Because he was in the human world, he took on the qualities of a human. After he died, he became sort of a ghost. Why? Well, it's because he died in the human world, and since Earth isn't made of data, he was unable to reconfigure himself. That's not to say he won't come back. He will, just as soon as his data finds its way back to the Digital World, most likely through the internet. So you see, even though he was in the human world, he didn't actually die because, although he had taken on human properties, he was still recognizable as being from the Digital World. Instead of dying like a human would have, his data took on a ghostly appearance, and as I said before, once he returns to the Digital World, he'll come back."

"So the only way a digimon can travel between worlds without a gate or a breach in the Digital World's barriers, which is technically the same thing, is if they're pure data," Izzy said slowly.

"Exactly. Now do you see why it's important for all of you to be even more careful when you're battling digimon in the human world instead of the Digital World? You're more vulnerable and you're more at risk of getting hurt. And incidentally, you may have already figured this out, but the only time a digimon can truly die is if their human partner dies. We're not sure why, but we think it has something to do with the connection between a human and their digimon partner."

"That's all very interesting, but what does all of this have to do with Mimi?" Matt snapped.

Gennai tucked his hands inside his robe and smiled at the golden-haired Digidestined. "When Mimi comes to the Digital World, her baby will also take on more data-like qualities and become less vulnerable to all the dangers in the Digital World; more so even than you, Mimi, or any of the other Digidestined because he or she is protected not only by his or her ability to take on a more digital form, but by Mimi, as well, who has also become better able to endure the forces of the Digital World. The fact of the matter is, Mimi should be worrying more about herself than the baby."

"Will being in the Digital World hurt the baby?" Ryoko asked anxiously. "I mean, with becoming data and everything..."

Gennai raised his eyebrows and smiled in amusement. "It hasn't hurt you, has it?"

"Well, no, but only if you ignore the fact that I've almost been killed several times by evil digimon. Taking on a more digital form might not hurt me, but that's not going to help me if some digimon ends up blowing me to pieces!"

"Gennai, will Mimi even be able to come to the Digital World?" Sora asked curiously, glancing uncertainly at her husband before turning to face the robed figure. "I mean, technically she'll be attempting to take another human into the Digital World who isn't a Digidestined."

Gennai smiled at Sora and reached out to stroke Halomon's ears. "Infants are the most innocent humans of all. I do not think the Digital World will object to the presence of a human baby. Besides, Mimi is a Digidestined, and as long as the gates are opened, the Digital World cannot prevent her from coming. That fact alone would be considered above all others."

"I agree with Ryoko. This is crazy," Tai muttered, shaking his head. The former leader turned to look at Matt and managed a weak smile. "Well, what do you think? As much as I still don't like it, we need Mimi or the Digital World might not make it."

"It's never easy being a Digidestined, is it," Mina sighed, her dark eyes troubled.

Matt squeezed his own eyes shut and put his face in his hands. After a moment of tense silence, the golden-haired Digidestined slowly looked up and scowled at Gennai. "I guess we really don't have a choice, but if anything happens to Mimi or my unborn child, I will never forgive you."

Gennai nodded solemnly and smiled warmly at the golden-haired Digidestined. "Fair enough, but just so you know, I never would have even made the suggestion for Mimi to come along if I thought she was in real danger. Your friends, your son, Palmon, and the new Digidestined will keep her safe. You know that as well as I do."

"If DarkAngelicmon and his creepy friends come anywhere near my mom, I'll have Alopemon turn them into little piles of data!" Ryoko said fiercely.

"I will protect Mimi with my life," Gabumon vowed, gazing solemnly at his partner.

Matt buried his face in the little rookie's soft fur and reached out to wrap an arm around his son. "Thank you, both of you."

"We've got Mimi's back," Dai said enthusiastically. "So, one of our Spirit Chips is on Infinity Mountain?"

"That's right," Piximon replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find it!" Embermon said loudly, impatient to get moving.

Gennai quickly got to his feet and motioned for the rest of them to stand. "Dai, while you and your friends are searching for the Spirit Chips on Infinity Mountain, myself, my counterparts, and Piximon are going to join up with the Four Guardians to see if we can find out the locations of the other five Spirit Chips. Leomon and the others have already met up with Azulongmon. Gatomon and the rest of the digimon whose partners haven't arrived in the Digital World yet will wait here on File Island until they're needed."

"What a waste of time," Gatomon muttered, sticking her nose in the air and giving Gennai a haughty look.

"Sounds good. Let us know if you find anything," Agumon said cheerfully.

Gennai nodded and smiled at the little dinosaur digimon. "I will. Listen, before you leave, there's something else you need to know. As I stated earlier, a D-Coder will only glow if it comes in contact with its rightful Spirit Chip. That means a D-Coder will not glow if it comes within range of any other Spirit Chip, but you have to remember, the Spirit Chips are protected by the crests. We created the seals and placed them around the Spirit Chips before we actually sent them out to the various continents here in the Digital World. The first seal we created uses a small amount of power from the crests and that's why they will only respond to the three crests that were used to create the seals for each. The amount of power we used wasn't enough to diminish the power of the crests, but it was enough to create six protective barriers around the Spirit Chips. It certainly didn't take as much power as the Digi-Eggs did, and even then the crests, though not at full strength, could still make an effective barrier protecting the Digital World. Since the barriers are connected to the crests, and the crests are connected to the D-Coders, the Digivices will start to glow if they detect the power of a crest they're connected to. As a result of the barriers being connected to the crests, several D-Coders will glow for one Spirit Chip."

"In other words, we won't know which Spirit Chip belongs to who until the seal created by the powers of the crests are broken," Izzy finished, excitement sparkling in his dark eyes. "Brilliant idea. Because of the crests, Vampiramon and her allies won't be able to keep their attention focused on just one Digidestined. After all, they won't know who the Spirit Chips belong to until we actually have them in our grasp. I was worried they would know exactly which Spirit Chip belonged to each Digidestined. If they did, they could ambush each of the new Digidestined as soon as they find out where the Spirit Chips are and force the members of Dai's group to hand over their best chances of reaching a new stage of digivolution. Since they don't know which Digidestined will be attempting to get their hands on each Spirit Chip, it'll cause confusion and give us a better chance of escaping with our prizes."

"I hate to burst your bubble, Izzy, but that will only work for the first few Spirit Chips," Tai snorted. "There are only six, and once we've found a few of them that will narrow down Vampiramon's choices concerning who will receive the next one. The process of elimination sort of makes that kind of thing hard to avoid. Also, each crest barrier is only going to glow for maybe three or four new Digidestined at the most. Take the Spirit Chip of Loyalty, for example. It's protected by the crests of Friendship, Sincerity, and Reliability, right? Well, if that's true then only Ryoko's, Dai's, and Sam's D-Coders will glow. Ryoko's will respond because of his parents' crests, Dai's because of his father's connection to the Crest of Friendship, and Sam's because of the Crest of Sincerity. Yolei was able to use the power of Mimi's crest, remember? We know the Spirit Chip of Loyalty has to belong to one of those three because one of the three crests I mentioned earlier will end up merging with the Spirit Chip. Also, those three are the only new Digidestined who have a connection to those crests."

"Unless you're missing something. Didn't Gennai say all three crests protecting each Spirit Chip are qualities that person possesses?" Ryoko countered.

"Well yes, but so far it's your family tree that seems to be guiding the crests. And what I said seems to be the most logical thing that will happen. Look at you, Ryoko. You're a reliable person, but Joe's crest doesn't glow for you. Why? It's because the Digital World doesn't recognize reliability as one of the traits that defines who you are and stands out more prominently than the rest."

"Like friendship," Takara said softly.

Ryoko blushed and quickly ducked his head.

"See what I mean?" Tai smirked.

"Yeah, but...uh...what's your point?" Dai asked, glancing curiously at Ryoko.

"Isn't it obvious? The confusion will only take place with three Digidestined instead of all six, as far as the Spirit Chip of Loyalty is concerned, and in some cases, it might be even less than three, or more if we're lucky. And, as I said before, our choices will narrow down even further than that once we have our hands on a couple of the Spirit Chips."

"You're right, Tai, but even though everything you said is true, the barriers that were created using the powers of the crests will at least buy you some time for a little while," Gennai said reasonably.

_I wonder which Spirit Chip belongs to me?_

Mickey smiled at the thought and ran his fingers over Halomon's fluffy ears. "Are you ready to go?"

"Of course I am! Don't worry, Mickey, we'll have your Spirit Chip really soon, and I promise I'll help Palmon, Alopemon, and Gabumon protect Mimi."

"Thanks, Halomon. I really appreciate it."

Halomon fluttered out of his arms and gave him an adorable smile. "Anything for you, Mickey."

"I'm ready to go," Matty said enthusiastically, Celestimon spiralling lazily around the younger twin's head.

Mickey glanced shyly at his brother and chewed anxiously on his lower lip. At the moment it looked as if Matty had decided to drop the subject of DarkAngelicmon, but Mickey knew it was only a matter of time before his twin started demanding answers.

_I saw the way he was looking at me after the talk I had with Mom about DarkAngelicmon. What am I going to tell him when he finally decides he won't take no for an answer? I wish we could find Lucemon. He'd be able to answer all of my questions about DarkAngelicmon, and then maybe Matty would finally see why I want to help the fallen angel so badly..._

Mickey watched his partner tug gently on Celestimon's wings, and hovering several feet above the ground, the two little rookies bent their heads together and began to whisper softly to one another in what appeared to be a surprisingly serious conversation.

_Celestimon understands. I know he does, so why is Matty refusing to see what's right in front of his face? _

"Good luck, Digidestined. We'll meet again," Hogan said, giving them a quick bow.

"And stay out of trouble!" Piximon scolded.

"We'll contact you as soon as we find out anything new about the rest of the Spirit Chips," Benjamin added.

"Dai, do you remember how I said there was a chance you and your friends might not even have been chosen to become Digidestined?" Gennai asked.

Dai exchanged a look with Takara and slowly nodded. "I remember."

"Well, technically that's true, but I believe the six of you were always meant to be Digidestined. Before any of you were born, a prophecy sprung up on File Island about humans possessing the ability to merge the powers of the crests with a new kind of power. Six humans, one destiny, and a gift that will continue to be passed on through many generations still to come. So you see, it's almost as if the Digital World knew you would be chosen, had in fact already chosen you before you ever came into existence. Where do you think the Entity got the idea for the Spirit Chips from? Of course, she didn't know about the prophecy until just after scanning your data and she didn't tell me about it until several weeks ago. Yes, Benji, I know that's another thing I conveniently forgot to tell you and the others. You don't need to give me that look."

"I most certainly will, Gennai! You-"

"Well, there you have it, Dai. Now you can see why the Voice of the Digital World that speaks through the entities is our guide. It knows things the rest of us don't know and has never been wrong, but again, that's not to say others won't be chosen sometime down the road to help you. It's happened before and could very well happen again."

"What is meant to be will happen," Mina said softly.

Mickey gazed quietly at his twin, and the two of them turned slowly to look at their partners. Even though Matty hadn't said anything, Mickey knew his brother was thinking the exact same thing he was. From the very first moment he had laid eyes on Halomon, he had known the two of them were meant to be partners. They were made for each other, and it felt like it had been decided long before they had ever met each other. Halomon must have been thinking the exact same thing, as well, because the little digimon looked up and beamed at him.

"The part of the prophecy that mentions being able to merge the crests with a new kind of power...well, that could have referred to Ami, Noah, and Miya as well. If they had turned out to be Digidestined, the crests would respond to them too," Ryoko said slowly.

Gennai smiled and nodded in agreement. "True, but if they ever do become Digidestined, I don't think the Spirit Chips will play a role in their destinies. Maybe something different perhaps, or maybe nothing at all. There are some things even I don't know, but I'm sure the prophecy was referring to the six of you. It fits perfectly."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"That's for sure," Dai snorted.

"Yet still, you could have been overlooked. Prophecies don't come true unless we make them come true," Gennai added.

_It's like the Digital World knew it wouldn't need other Digidestined to fill our places until we were old enough._

"I can't believe we're stuck waiting on File Island!" Gotsumon groaned.

"Tell Joe and the others to hurry up and get here!" Gomamon ordered.

Dovemon laughed and gave Joe's partner a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, we will."

"Wait, don't we need the right combination of original Digidestined to break one of the seals surrounding the Spirit Chips?" Sam asked hesitantly. "There's no point in climbing to the top of Infinity Mountain until we know for sure which original Digidestined need to come with us."

"The only way we're going to find that out is if we get close enough to the Spirit Chip for the crests and D-Coders to start reacting, and the only way that's going to happen is if we get close to Infinity Mountain," Ryoko said shortly.

Sam blushed and gazed meekly at his feet. "I...I guess that's true..."

"In that case, we should get moving. We only have so much time before the sun sets and I don't want to be climbing Infinity Mountain in the dark," Sora said firmly.

"Wait!" Tai suddenly shouted, turning to look at Gennai. "Twenty-nine years ago, you told us about a group of kids who once came to the Digital World and defeated something that, like Apocalymon, had come out from behind the Wall of Fire. That happened before the members of my group came to the Digital World. You mentioned those same kids again today, and I was just wondering...uh...who...who were they?"

Gennai gazed silently at the former leader for a moment and a hint of a smile appeared on his otherwise solemn face. "Do you remember the fight between a Parrotmon and a Greymon that took place four years before you came to the Digital World?"

"Of course. How could I forget?"

"Everyone thought it was a terrorist attack, but you and I know better and so do the first Digidestined. Like your team, the first Digidestined were part of a small group of children who had had their data scanned at Highton View Terrace, only they were scanned four years before the supposed terrorist bombing. Out of that group of children, five of them were chosen to become the first Digidestined. They, like you, Tai, lived at the Highton View Terrace complex, along with the children who weren't chosen, and that is where their story begins. Although not all of your team lived at Highton View Terrace at the time, you were all living there when your data was scanned four years later. That, of course, was when Parrotmon and Greymon appeared in the human world. The year of the 'terrorist bombing' was when the first Digidestined received their Digivices; four years after their data had been scanned. In fact, just as your team had your data scanned, the first Digidestined were attempting to restore the Digital World's barriers from right here in the human world. They were attempting to stop any more digimon like Parrotmon from entering the human world, and to send Parrotmon and Greymon back. You probably don't know this, since I believe I forgot to mention it twenty-nine years ago, but as I said the first Digidestined appeared briefly back in the human world during the supposed terrorist bombing, and they too saw the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon, doing what they could to send the two digimon back and to temporarily restore the barrier between the human world and the Digital World. It was due to their efforts that Parrotmon and Greymon disappeared before any real damage could be done, and once the first Digidestined returned to the Digital World that's when the real test began. When the first Digidestined had their data scanned, there was only one official existing gate between the Digital World and the human world. Four years later, a new gate appeared over the campgrounds where you and your friends were staying, and soon there were gates popping up all over the world. Davis and his team know that better than anyone, since they used those gates to help other Digidestined from all over the world bring down Control Spires, and of course, those same children were the ones who had received Digivices when Myotismon found a way to enter the human world through the gate in his castle. Since the barriers of the Digital World were weakened, it was possible for him to do so. With the first two teams, it's almost like the Digital World knew we would not need to look for more Digidestined. At least, not to begin with. I believe that's why the Entity only scanned children who lived at Highton View Terrace. The Digital World seemed to know back then that we wouldn't need as many Digidestined as we do now. To me, that's a clear sign that the Powers of Darkness are growing stronger and will continue to do so for years to come, but so are the Powers of Light. It could also have something to do with the fact that, before Myotismon attacked the human world, there weren't many gates around for Digidestined from all over Earth to have easy access to the Digital World. More gates open when the barrier protecting the Digital World becomes weaker, and that only happens when darkness upsets the balance of the Digital World. Do you now see why I believe the Powers of Darkness are growing stronger? Gates are opening more frequently than they did when the first Digidestined came to the Digital World. You may not know this, but the computers are connected to the gates. If a gate opens within range of your computer, you can always use it to travel to the Digital World. By range, I mean whichever country you live in. That's why Mimi could travel to the Digital World when one of the gates above the United States of America opened. Many smaller countries, though, are close together so if a gate opens above one of them, the other small countries around it would also be affected. The gates to the Digital World have evolved a lot since the first one appeared over Highton View Terrace and they're much more accessible with the computers, since you don't have to actually be right under a gate for it to let you in."

Tai crossed his arms and frowned at Gennai. "You didn't answer my question."

"The first Digidestined were kids, just like you and your friends. They lived at Highton View Terrace, and so did you. You probably walked right by them many times without ever knowing who they were and what they became. You may have even spoken to them, but even if you don't know who they are, they know about you. They were there when MaloMyotismon attempted to cover both worlds in darkness. The light of their Digivices shone in harmony with the Digivices belonging to millions of Digidestined from all over the world. They were fighting with you, even if they weren't at full strength."

"If only we had known..." Sora whispered, shaking her head. "I would have loved to have a chance to talk to them."

"Who says we still can't?" Izzy said cheerfully.

Matt nodded in agreement and gazed uncertainly at Gennai. "They sound like a pretty modest bunch. Not once did they ever try to take credit for being the 'first Digidestined.' Who...I mean what..."

"Their leader was a blond-haired boy by the name of Takahiro Kuroki. Everybody called him Tal."

"Tal Kuroki," Tai murmured, gazing thoughtfully at his crest.

Gennai beamed at the former leader and nodded. "He used to wear a pair of goggles on his head, just like you do. The other members of his team were Kenji Iwamoto, Inca Sasaki, Mai Nakaniwa, and Seta Sugiyama. I believe Tal and Inca are married now, and the same goes for Kenji and Mai."

"What did they look like?" Matt asked curiously.

"Kenji had black hair and dark green eyes, while Tal was blond with grey eyes. Mai had blond hair, as well, but her eyes were blue. Both Inca and Seta had brown hair and brown eyes. Ring any bells?"

Most of the adults exchanged looks and shook their heads, but Tai suddenly smiled and started to laugh. "When I lived at Highton View Terrace, I saw a blond boy wearing goggles and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I'd never seen anyone wearing them before as part of their everyday attire, and it was after I saw that boy that I started wearing goggles, too. In fact, now that I think about it, I saw him the same year I saw the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon. You don't think..."

"At one point during the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon, T.K. and I had gotten separated. I was pretty young at the time and I remember I was scared. I thought something bad must have happened to my little brother," Matt said slowly. "I'd also lost track of my parents, and just when I was about to give up, a blond boy wearing goggles found me and asked me where my parents were. I told him I had lost my brother, and you know what he did?"

"What?" Ryoko whispered, gazing wide-eyed at his father.

Matt smiled and wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders. "He took my hand and promised me he would help me find my brother. We ended up running into a black-haired boy who was holding T.K. in his arms. My brother and I never found out what their names were, but they stayed with us until they were able to locate our parents. My mom was so grateful, she couldn't thank them enough. I'd forgotten any of that had happened, until now. I guess that would have been after my data was scanned."

"I also got separated from my parents that night," Sora said quietly, "and a dark-haired girl with brown eyes helped me find them."

"Now that you mention it, I do remember a bossy blond-haired girl who kept trying to order everyone around," Tai said thoughtfully. "She ran past Kari and I, and she kept yelling at all the kids hanging around to stick close to their parents."

"A brown-haired boy not much older than I was at the time helped me find my parents," Izzy said quietly. "Everyone was panicking that night and a lot of families had gotten separated."

Mickey stared at the adult Digidestined in shocked silence and hugged Halomon tightly against his chest. Somehow, without even realizing what was going on, his parents had met the first Digidestined and had even received some help from them when it looked as if MaloMyotismon would win. It was like it had always been meant to happen.

_There's no other way to explain it. It was destiny, and now destiny has decided to follow a new team of Digidestined. _

"After we defeated MaloMyotismon, why didn't they come and find us?" Tai asked slowly. "It would have been nice if they had bothered to take the time to introduce themselves."

"There were millions of Digidestined there that day," Gennai said gently. "It would have been very difficult for you to talk to everyone. I'm sure they would have loved to spend some time with you, but since they didn't get much of a chance, I think they were willing to settle for knowing they had done everything they could to help you."

"Maybe, but it still would have been nice if we had gotten a chance to thank them."

Gennai smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "I remember them well, especially Kenji. He was a troubled soul, but I should have known things would work out in the end. After all, his digimon partner is a Halomon, just like yours, Mickey."

Mickey stared at Gennai and felt his mouth drop open. "Oh. _Oh..._he...an angel digimon..."

"In that case, he must have turned out to be a pretty good guy," Matty said happily, his lips twitching into a smile.

Mickey felt his face turn red, and ducking his head, he glanced shyly at his digimon partner. Halomon was snuggled in his arms, and the little rookie had a huge smile on his face. The two of them stared at each other and after a moment of silence, Mickey felt Halomon's small hand come to rest gently against his cheek. "What do you think, Halomon?"

Halomon smiled fondly at him and cuddled against his chest. "A digimon, just like me?"

"Yes, only Kenji's partner was a lot more aggressive and not nearly as shy!" Gennai laughed.

Halomon's cheeks turned pink, and he hid his little face in his hands. "I can't help it!"

Mickey laughed and gently stroked his digimon's fluffy ears. "Don't worry about it. Neither can I."

"That's for sure," Matty snorted.

Mickey poked his twin gently in the ribs and turned to look at Gennai. "I was wondering...Uncle Tai said the first Digidestined fought something that came out from behind the Wall of Fire. Um...what were they fighting and why did they end up losing their powers?"

"After the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon, Tal and his friends went back to the Digital World, and it was then when they fought a dark, and incredibly evil digimon who had come out from behind the Wall of Fire. That digimon's mere existence caused a warp in space that threatened to swallow both worlds and plunge them into darkness. Of course, the time between worlds wasn't synchronized at the time. That only happened after Apocalymon appeared. You understand what that means, don't you? On Earth, Tal's team came to the Digital World four years before Tai's team and fought an evil digimon that came from behind the Wall of Fire, but in the Digital World, Tai's group didn't show up until many, many years after Tal's group had already saved the Digital World. Needless to say, the Digital World has a long history. The history of Tal's team is also recorded on the walls of the old stone fortress where Embermon was hidden. After battling several dangerous digimon, and even the darkness itself, Tal and his friends managed to discover what had been causing the balance of power to shift in favour of the darkness. It was because of the digimon who had come out from behind the Wall of Fire."

Mickey shivered and tightened his hold on Halomon's small wings. "You know his name, don't you. You know the name of the digimon who came out from behind the Wall of Fire before Apocalymon."

_Whoever he was, he must have been really evil..._

Gennai hesitated and slowly nodded. "I wonder...but no. It can't be the same digimon. If that were the case, the barrier would be broken and I know it's still intact. It has to be! The Data Cores are still in place, but the name...the Ruler of Darkness..."

"What was his name?" Ryoko snapped, glaring suspiciously at the robed figure. "How did Tal's team lose their power, and why do you keep trying to avoid answering our questions?"

Gennai let out a deep sigh and shook his head. "I told you, they didn't lose their power. Not exactly. I'm sorry, Ryoko, but I'm going to have to leave your questions for another time. The same is true for Tal's story."

"But-"

"There are a few things I must think about before I can continue my story. I have a couple of theories, but I won't tell you what they are yet because I believe I'm only now beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together. You have the information you need to find the Spirit Chips, and for now that is enough."

"But-"

"Enough, Ryoko. Gennai will tell us when he's ready. Right now we've got some work to do," Matt said quietly.

The robed figure looked thoughtful all of a sudden, and his mind appeared to have travelled back in time to a place where no one else could follow. It was like he had gotten himself lost in some memory, and judging from the look on his face, it wasn't exactly a pleasant one.

_Why does he look so uneasy? He's definitely hiding something, and why do I get the feeling it could be the key to all the answers we've been searching for ever since we got our D-Coders? Tal, Kenji, Inca, Mai, Seta...wherever you are, thank you..._

Ryoko scowled at his father, but Mickey ignored the golden-haired Digidestined and glanced anxiously at Gennai. "Well, when you do find some answers, let us know."

"Goodbye, Gennai. Keep us informed and we'll do the same," Izzy said happily, shaking the robed figure's hand.

Mickey said goodbye to Gennai, as well, and took a few moments to say farewell to the other members of their little group. The visit had been relatively short, and before he could fully grasp what was happening, he found himself walking along the edge of the forest towards a large mountain looming in the distance. Gatomon and the other digimon they'd left behind had promised to stay near a gate for the sake of making it easier to contact them, and Gennai's last words had been a warning not to underestimate Vampiramon, but despite the hopeful atmosphere, Mickey could not help feeling a little bit uneasy. It didn't help that once again Sam and Ryoko were avoiding each other's eyes and trying unsuccessfully to act as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

"Something is wrong," Matty murmured, nodding his head towards Ryoko and Sam. "They usually get along really well. Do you get the feeling Ryoko's hiding something?"

Mickey let out a soft sigh and slowly nodded. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. I bet Kara and Dai have noticed too, but neither one of them seems all that eager to mention it. I wish Ryoko wouldn't act so secretive all the time. He knows he can trust us, so why won't he tell us what's going on?"

"Your guess is a good as mine. Mickey, I have a feeling something really big is about to happen, and I don't mean something good."

"I know. I feel the same way."

_Poor Sam. He looks so miserable and Ryoko doesn't exactly look very cheerful at the moment either. I wish there was something I could do to help them, but how can I when they won't tell me what's wrong? And then there's Mimi. That whole situation has probably only made things even worse, especially for Ryoko. It's not fair. Sam and Ryoko are supposed to be friends. This isn't supposed to be happening._

Mickey blinked at the sudden tears stinging his eyes and blushed when he realized his Uncle Matt was watching him. As much as he cared about Ryoko's father, the golden-haired Digidestined always had a way of looking at him that made him feel extremely shy, but at the moment he had other things to think about. Matty was right. Something big was about to happen, and Mickey had a feeling it was going to turn their whole world completely upside down...


	134. The Call of the Ocean

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Just a little note, for all those interested in the FTFOD challenge, I am now setting a date for when your stories have to be in. The main reason is because the part of the story where the winner will contribute is coming up pretty soon. So, if you are interested in writing a story, make sure you have it in by November 16th. Voting will then begin on the 20th. If you are not planning on writing a story, please do vote because there are some really amazing ones that have already been written. Remember, this is your chance to get an OC character created entirely by you into FTFOD! As usual, check my forum for details. Here's another chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 134: The Call of the Ocean

_Vampiramon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Vampiramon crept slowly towards the edge of the forest and peered cautiously through the trees. To her left, she could just make out the Digidestineds' small figures in the distance, and in the opposite direction she could see Gennai and his counterparts, along with Piximon, moving away from Infinity Mountain. Gatomon and the other remaining digimon were heading towards the shoreline and it looked as if they were arguing about whether or not to stay close to a gate by the water or to make their way towards a gate near the edge of Primary Village.

_Fools, all of them. They dare to challenge the Powers of Darkness? A lot of good it will do them, now that we know exactly what they're up to. The Ruler of Darkness will be pleased, and it's all thanks to me. I wonder if he will give me a reward..._

"So, they intend to climb Infinity Mountain, do they?" BlackWidowmon murmured, peering over the bushes and flexing her eight, long spider legs. "An excellent place for a Spirit Chip. Gennai certainly knew what he was doing, I'll give him that much. It's not an easy place to get to. Even digimon have trouble making it to the top of Infinity Mountain, including flying digimon. For some odd reason, misfortune tends to befall those who attempt it, and most have to turn back."

Vampiramon glanced at the spider digimon crouching beside her and made a face. BlackWidowmon was not exactly the digimon she would have chosen to accompany her, but as much as the female mega annoyed her, she had no choice in the matter. When the Ruler of Darkness gave an order, you followed it whether you wanted to or not. If she had had a choice, she would not have brought any of her four companions along for the journey. Unless it was necessary to provide a scapegoat, she preferred to work alone.

"BlackWidowmon, have you been listening to Gennai at all? He didn't choose Infinity Mountain. The Spirit Chip sort of chose that area for itself. The only thing he did was send one to File Island."

BlackWidowmon tossed her long, raven hair over her shoulder and waved her hand impatiently in the air. "Whatever. The result is still the same. We need to make it to Infinity Mountain before the Digidestined do."

_I'll put up with her for awhile, but somewhere along the line she'll need to be dismissed from our master's service. The Ruler of Darkness can't afford to have too many incompetent digimon on his side. That much, at least, is obvious, especially after yesterday._

Pushing thoughts of DarkAngelicmon out of her mind, Vampiramon smirked at the dark outline of Infinity Mountain in the distance. It looked as if the Digidestined were planning to circle around the forest in order to reach their destination. The worn path they were following had clearly been used many times before, and Vampiramon was sure it was because most digimon did not want to encounter something unpleasant in the forest.

_The Digidestined would have done well to watch the forest a bit more closely today, but clearly they're too full of themselves to bother with that sort of thing. All the more better for us. Every single mistake they make will bring us one step closer to the Spirit Chips._

Shortly after arriving on File Island, Vampiramon had spotted Gennai and his companions heading into the forest. The group had clearly been waiting for the Digidestined, and taking advantage of the situation, Vampiramon and her companions had entered the forest from the opposite direction and had proceeded to sneak up behind the large group of digimon and men in robes. Keeping their distance, Vampiramon and the two digimon on either side of her had waited patiently for the Digidestined to arrive, and Vampiramon had been delighted when Masato Takaishi had led Gennai and the others just inside the forest to talk. As a result, she had heard every word of the conversation, and now she knew exactly what the Digidestined were up to and what it was going to take to obtain the Spirit Chips.

_And more importantly, to get our hands on the Spirit Chips, we no longer need to capture Gennai. What would be the point when there's nothing he could possibly tell us anymore that we don't already know? As much as I'd like to destroy Gennai, allowing him to walk free will speed things up considerably. I could always kill him another time. So, Daichi and his friends are more vulnerable in the human world, are they? I'll remember to keep that in mind. It will be of great use to my master when he finally puts his plans into action. Soon, the Digital World and the human world will be his. I'm sure that is his main goal..._

"Well, are we going to steal the Spirit Chips today or sometime next week?" BlackWidowmon said dryly, her lips twitching into a small smile. "The Digidestined are getting closer to Infinity Mountain even as we speak."

Vampiramon scowled at her female companion, and pushing her way through the bushes, she stepped out into the open with her nose in the air. Dark and forbidding, Infinity Mountain stood on her left, and she could still see the shadowy forms of the Digidestined walking steadily along the edge of the forest towards their destination, and now that she could see the mountain a little more clearly, it was obvious the Digidestined were beginning to circle around the trees in an effort to reach the first Spirit Chip from the other side of the mountain. As usual, her theory had been right.

"Soulmon, BlackWidowmon and I are going to try and make it to the top of Infinity Mountain before the Digidestined do. We should be able to manage it since they're obviously going to walk. Dragermon is too easy to spot in the air. In the meantime, I want you to tail Daichi and his little friends, and for the love of our master, keep your eyes on them, would you? If they do anything even remotely suspicious, especially if it goes against their plan to reach Infinity Mountain before sunset, warn us immediately. I don't think I need to tell you what will happen if you don't. Do I make myself clear?"

The digimon hovering on her right swept off his hat and gave her a quick bow. "As you wish, my lady."

Vampiramon smiled in satisfaction and poked BlackWidowmon sharply in the ribs. "Come on. Since you clearly can't fly, we'll have to ride on Airdramon again. Lucky for you I was able to bully him into taking us to the Eastern Hemisphere."

"Yeah, well at least I don't turn into a big, ugly bat!"

Vampiramon ignored the spider digimon and the two of them made their way back towards Airdramon. Although everything was going according to plan, Vampiramon could not help feeling just a little bit uneasy. DarkAngelicmon had been mentioned several times during the conversation between Gennai and the Digidestined, and although nothing they had said was really a cause for growing suspicious of the fallen angel, she still couldn't ignore the sudden uneasiness in her heart.

_I wonder where DarkAngelicmon is at the moment, and more importantly, I wonder what that foolish angel is planning behind my back..._

_DarkAngelicmon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

DarkAngelicmon stood alone on a deserted beach, gazing silently at the waves lapping gently against the shore. Although he could not actually see the continent of Server, he knew it was somewhere across the ocean, but more importantly, he knew what was no longer on it.

_Lucemon, my old friend, so you have decided to come to File Island after all, have you? Foolish angel. You should have stayed where you were. You would have been safe there, but now you're in more danger than you could have ever imagined..._

Turning his back on the ocean, DarkAngelicmon wrapped his arms around himself and shivered at the cool breeze blowing gently through his long, black hair. It would be awhile before Lucemon actually arrived on File Island. After all, the rookie had only just left Server, and it was a long journey. Unfortunately that little piece of information did nothing to comfort the fallen angel. He knew why Lucemon had taken so long to decide which path to follow.

_I am a source of pain and misery to all those who cross my path. That is why he avoids me. He knows I'm here, and although he may long to see me, he's obviously too afraid to take that first step. Either that or he does not want to see me at all. Why else would it have taken him so long to make up his mind? He must have decided to help the Digidestined sometime last night and was planning on making the trip in the morning, but as soon as he found out I was also on my way to File Island, he started having second thoughts. There is no other explanation for his behaviour. Ironically enough, it appears his desire to help the Digidestined is stronger than his fear of me. How unfortunate for him. His terror at the thought of confronting me is probably the one thing that would have kept him alive, but it seems he is determined to die, just like Luciamon..._

DarkAngelicmon smiled bitterly at a passing Falcomon and watched it fade away into the distance. _Are you ashamed of me, Lucemon? Am I nothing but a black stain that has tarnished your past? If our master finds you, he will utterly destroy you. Of that, I am certain. He won't kill you. Oh no. At least, not right away. That would be too easy. He'll do much worse, and soon you won't even recognize yourself anymore. Are you willing to take that chance? He will make you suffer, and in the end you will be deleted. Is that what you want?_

The Ruler of Darkness had many secrets, and although DarkAngelicmon spoke with his master quite often, there were still many things even he didn't know. Unfortunately, Lucemon's fate was one of those things his master had failed to mention to him. He knew the Ruler of Darkness had big plans for the rookie angel, but whether they were good or bad was something he couldn't quite figure out, and more often than not he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Never before had his master given him a task he did not feel he could complete, but now he was starting to wonder if maybe he had just been asked to do the impossible.

_I failed to stop the Digidestined from stealing the crests and rescuing Gennai, didn't I? Who's to say something like that won't happen again? I wonder...is this a test of my loyalty? Have I been assigned to capture Lucemon in order to prove I am still faithful to the Ruler of Darkness? Does my master no longer trust me?_

DarkAngelicmon let out an angry hiss and clenched his hands into fists. _I would never betray my master! Never! Lucemon, why did you have to come here? Why do you keep forcing me to hurt you all the time?_

Instead of dying away, the breeze continued to pick up and the air around him began to turn almost chilly. Oddly enough, the sun was still shining, but its warm rays failed to caress his pale skin. It was almost as if the light from the sun was having trouble reaching the beach. The sand, the sky, and even the hulking form of Infinity Mountain in the distance all looked a little more gloomy than they had before.

Unable to suppress a faint twinge of curiosity, DarkAngelicmon turned to face the ocean and blinked in surprise. It looked darker somehow than it had the last time his gaze had rested upon its deep blue surface. Before his very eyes, the beach began to lose all its colour and even the ocean began to take on a greyish, almost washed out appearance.

_It looks...familiar. I've been here before. The darkness. The World of Darkness. Lucemon, I made a promise. I vowed to protect you from...from him. I kept my promise, but it will mean nothing if the Ruler of Darkness gets his hands on you. How can I save you when I couldn't even save myself?_

"DarkAngelicmon!"

DarkAngelicmon jerked around at the sound of his name and spotted Jestermon and Spritemon hurrying towards him. For some reason he felt rather annoyed by their appearance, and turning his back on them, he once again focused his attention on the ocean. It looked the same as it always did. The water sparkled a serene blue and he could feel the warmth of the sun between his shoulder blades.

_What the...it can't be. Unless...maybe I was only imagining things, but no...it was real. What just happened here? What was I saying before? I can't remember..._

"Hey, angel boy, have we got some good news for you!" Jestermon cackled, coming to a stop at the edge of the beach and doing a little victory dance.

DarkAngelicmon quickly put his back to the ocean and gave his companions an expectant look. "I suppose that's a start. What have you found out?"

Spritemon glared at him and tugged irritably on her dark green ponytail. "Just who do you think you are making us do all of your dirty work? If you want to know what Vampiramon is up to then why don't you follow her yourself?"

"You know as well as I do that would have been a very foolish thing to do. If I was following her and she came in contact with the Digidestined, Halomon, Celestimon, Patamon, and Gatomon would have known I was there."

"Not Patamon. He isn't here. He's still in the human world with his nuisance of a partner."

DarkAngelicmon felt his blood turn to ice at the mention of T.K.'s name and sent the sprite digimon a whithering look. "Even so, someone would have discovered my presence. Tell me what you've managed to discover."

"Well, we followed Vampiramon and her companions just like you wanted us to and they somehow managed to stumble upon the Digidestined," Jestermon interrupted, much to Spritemon's obvious annoyance. "Basically they got lucky. They spotted Gennai's gang going into the forest and pretty much assumed the Digidestined would arrive there soon after. They were right. We heard the entire conversation between Gennai and the Digidestined, and-"

"We know where the first Spirit Chip is!" Spritemon blurted, frowning at Jestermon. "It's at the top of Infinity Mountain."

"Infinity Mountain? Interesting."

"Quite interesting, I would say, but unfortunately Vampiramon also heard the entire conversation and she's on her way to Infinity Mountain right now," Jestermon grumbled.

DarkAngelicmon listened in silence as Jestermon and Spritemon took turns explaining what they had overheard. When they were finished, the fallen angel could not help himself from smiling triumphantly at the sky. "Well, well, I was right all along. We _do _need to keep the Digidestined alive in order to get our hands on the Spirit Chips. I believe someone owes me an apology."

Spritemon scowled at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "There's no need to rub it in! Let's just hope Vampiramon heard that part and takes it seriously."

"Yes, indeed, otherwise I'll have to delete her. Interesting that the humans are more vulnerable in their own world. I'm sure our master can use that information sometime down the road, but as of now, it is not something we need to worry about. After all, at the moment we're not trying to kill the Digidestined. We're trying to keep them alive. I see Gennai has told Daichi and his friends a lot of interesting history about the Digital World."

"Including his theories about Lucemon and Luciamon," Jestermon said slowly, watching him closely.

"I wonder what did happen fifteen years ago to make the gates to the Digital World finally close," Spritemon said nonchalantly, a dangerous sparkle in her deep brown eyes. "You wouldn't happen to know, would you?"

_Daemon..._

"Well?" Spritemon insisted. "They didn't say it in so many words, but...I got the impression that the Digidestined are very interested in your past. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if maybe they think you might once have been on the same side as them, at least as far as Makiya Takaishi is concerned."

"Excuse me?"

"Makiya Takaishi, remember him? Yes, well, he didn't say anything exactly, but something about the look in his eyes whenever he talks about you makes me wonder. I don't think the other Digidestined, including his brother, have noticed anything out of the ordinary yet, but they will, DarkAngelicmon. It's only a matter of time. So, is there anything you'd like to tell us before we make our next move?"

DarkAngelicmon stared at the little mega and felt his heart skip a beat.

_They know too much, and so do the Digidestined. That could be dangerous. You fool, Gennai! Do you realize what you've done? All of the things I've worked so hard to achieve could be taken away from me in an instant because of you!_

"DarkAngelicmon, you...uh...you don't look so good," Jestermon said slowly.

"Are you going to answer me or not?" Spritemon snapped.

_Mickey, is that what you really believe or is Spritemon only seeing what she wants to see?_

DarkAngelicmon smiled at the female mega and placed his right hand on Jestermon's shoulder. "What the Digidestined believe is of no concern to me. The past is the past, and it will not secure our future."

"But-"

"Enough, Spritemon! Let the Digidestined believe what they want to believe. In the end, it will prove to be their greatest weakness. Won't they be surprised when they find out I can be just as vicious as Vampiramon, if not worse. If what you say is true, the Digidestined, particularly Mickey, are beginning to think I'm not a threat to them. They're starting to believe I'm harmless, and that could work in our favour."

"That's all well and good, but what about Gennai's little history lesson?"

"I told you, it is of no importance. The only thing we need to worry about is the information Gennai gave the Digidestined about the Spirit Chips."

"Yes, of course," Jestermon murmured.

"You know, it could just be Mickey who believes you're not evil," Spritemon sniffed. "He's the one who seems to show the most interest in you. I doubt the others were really paying all that much attention to your past. I could be wrong about them, but then again, I could be right."

DarkAngelicmon wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but somewhere along the line Gennai's little history lesson had become extremely dangerous, and although he wasn't exactly sure why he felt that way, he knew it to be true. "What did Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon have to say about Gennai's information?"

"You mean, about all the stuff that happened between fifteen and thirteen years ago?" Spritemon smirked.

DarkAngelicmon remained silent and kept his gaze focused on the sand beneath his feet. For the first time in his life, at least as far as he could remember, he was starting to wonder if what he felt was fear inside his heart. Never before had he known what it felt like to panic, but now he was starting to realize just how unpleasant a sensation it could be.

"I think Vampiramon was a little too focused on the Spirit Chips to pay much attention to that part of the conversation," Jestermon said slowly, apparently coming to the conclusion that Spritemon's question would remain unanswered. "She certainly never mentioned it, and she didn't mention your name either. The only thing she seemed to care about was making it to the top of Infinity Mountain before the Digidestined could get there first."

"Speaking of Infinity Mountain, what are we going to do now?" Spritemon asked.

DarkAngelicmon barely heard her. The relief he felt at Vampiramon's outrageous lack of attention was almost overwhelming. In fact, it was so powerful he almost let out a sigh of relief, but somehow he managed to keep his feelings under control and was pleased when his voice came out calm and steady. "What do you think we're going to do? We finally have all the information we need on the Spirit Chips and it's all thanks to Gennai. And to think he was so determined not to tell us what he knew. I wonder how he'll feel when he finds out he ended up telling us anyways, whether he wanted to or not. Well, what are you two waiting for? We need to get to the top of Infinity Mountain before Vampiramon can mess everything up."

Spritemon's mouth dropped open and she stared at him as if unsure of whether or not he was still entirely sane. "Are you crazy? What about Lucemon? Have you forgotten our master's orders already? We're supposed to be capturing your worthless little friend!"

DarkAngelicmon glanced over his shoulder at the ocean and briefly closed his eyes before allowing them to fly open again. Earlier, when Lucemon had still been on Server, he had told Spritemon and Jestermon there was a chance the rookie angel was already on his way to File Island in order to convince them to go along with his plan, but now that Lucemon actually had left Server, he wanted nothing more than to keep that information a secret. Unfortunately, though, for his plan to work, that was not an option. "I have not forgotten. Lucemon is coming, of that I am sure, but until then we will do what we can to stop Vampiramon from ruining our master's plans."

Spritemon and Jestermon exchanged looks and silently shook their heads. Both of them appeared curious as to how he could possibly know Lucemon was heading towards File Island, but neither one of them appeared to want to bring it up. Both megas knew angel digimon could sense one another, but obviously neither one of them was aware of the fact that angel digimon who were close friends could sense each other even at great distances.

Pushing between his two companions, DarkAngelicmon strolled across the sand towards Infinity Mountain in the distance. At the edge of the beach, he stopped, and the two megas nearly walked straight into his dark wings. "Oh, and Spritemon? If you ever question my loyalty again, I will delete you. Do I make myself clear?"

Spritemon let out a squawk of outrage, but he ignored her and continued to make his way towards Infinity Mountain. He could hear the sound of the ocean ringing in his ears and whispering softly in his mind, but despite the fact that it was calling to him, he did not look back.


	135. Lighting the Way

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter done, and I'm dedicating this one to all the Daikara fans out there! There'll be more to come, trust me. Anyways, the poll for the FTFOD contest is going to open soon, so please make sure you place your vote for the story you feel best represents not only the FTFOD characters, but the original characters, as well. Remember, the winner will get to place a character of their own creation into FTFOD. It'll only take you about two seconds to vote, so please make sure you do. The authors have taken a lot of time and effort to write their entries and they deserve some recognition. Visit my forum for details. As usual, enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 135: Lighting the Way

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Come on, Dai, why can't we just fly to the top of Infinity Mountain on my back?" Embermon complained, his forked tail twitching irritably in the air behind him. "I don't mind digivolving into Dragermon and carrying everyone directly to the Spirit Chip. If we walk, I doubt we'll reach our destination by the time the sun sets and I don't know about you, but I don't want to be climbing Infinity Mountain in the dark. Isn't that what you and your friends were trying to avoid when you made us leave Gennai and the others behind so abruptly?"

Daichi Motomiya frowned down at his partner and crossed his arms over his chest. Embermon's scarlet skin was shining brightly in the sunshine and his green eyes were sparkling like jewels beneath his pointed ears. At the moment, the little lizard digimon didn't look too pleased about being unable to digivolve and clearly he didn't like missing out on a chance to stretch the wings he lacked as a rookie, but unfortunately there was nothing Dai could do about his partner's obvious disappointment. At least, not until they got a little bit closer to Infinity Mountain. "Embermon, how many times do I have to tell you? No offence, buddy, but when you become Dragermon, you stick out like a sore thumb, and we can't afford to have Vampiramon coming after us until we've gotten our hands on the Spirit Chip."

"Dai's right," Takara said sympathetically, bending over and gently scratching Embermon between the ears, "you're too easy to spot from the air. It was one thing when we were trying to escape from DarkAngelicmon's castle; at that point we were too busy running for our lives to worry about being seen, but it's another thing when you're purposely trying to be inconspicuous. If Vampiramon or one of her evil digimon allies spotted you, they would know instantly what we were up to."

_And then we would be lucky to come anywhere near the Spirit Chip, much less get our hands on it. Either that or Vampiramon will just wait until we have the Spirit Chips in our grasp and then force us to hand them over to her._

"It's still not fair," Embermon grumbled, wrinkling his pointy nose and glaring stubbornly at his clawed feet.

Dai stifled a sigh, and crouching next to his partner, he gave the little rookie a quick, reassuring hug. "Look, maybe we can risk it once we get a little closer to Infinity Mountain, but right now I think it's best if we avoid any unwanted attention as much as possible."

"Dai's right. There's no use announcing our presence in the Digital World until we absolutely have to," Tai said firmly, Agumon nodding vigorously in agreement.

Matt snorted loudly and raised his eyebrows. "Tai, did I just hear you say something sensible? Since when have you ever given up a chance to be reckless? I guess times really have changed since the days when you and I were trying to stop evil digimon from taking over the Digital World."

Tai shrugged his shoulders and grinned at the golden-haired Digidestined. "Maybe you're rubbing off on me."

This time it was Ryoko's turn to snort and roll his eyes.

"Cheer up, Embermon. You've helped us out a lot of times in the past, and I'm sure you will again if Vampiramon gets her way," Dovemon said encouragingly, hovering anxiously over the scarlet rookie's head. "In fact, you'll probably be helping us out sooner than you think, if Vampiramon's previous attempts to destroy us are anything to go by."

"You're not still upset about being unable to help us fight in the castle, are you?" Takara asked, gazing curiously at Embermon.

The little rookie allowed Takara to give him a warm hug and let his large, emerald eyes flutter closed. "I don't like having to stand by and watch when my friends are in trouble."

"Oh, Embermon, you're just like your partner."

Dai blushed and quickly turned away from Takara and Embermon to hide his embarrassment and his dark eyes came to rest on the forest off to his left. For a moment, he thought he saw a shadow past through the undergrowth beneath a dense canopy of leaves hanging from the branches of several large trees, but when he jerked around in order to get a better look at what he was seeing, there was nothing there.

"Dai, is something wrong?"

Dai jumped at the sound of Takara's voice and quickly turned to look at the female Digidestined. "Huh? No, not really. I just...I thought I saw...don't worry about it. It was probably just my imagination."

"You thought you saw something in the forest? Well, that's better than hearing voices. At least, to me it doesn't sound half as crazy."

"What?" Dai nearly dropped his D-Coder, which he had not realized he had been holding, in surprise and felt his heart leap into his throat. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure the others were still going over their options with regards to climbing Infinity Mountain, he crouched next to Takara and placed his hand on her shoulder. Frowning slightly, he leaned towards the female Digidestined and placed his lips close to her ear. "Did you just say you've been hearing voices?"

Takara's cheeks turned red and she quickly lowered her hazel eyes to the ground. "Dai, I..."

"What is it?"

"Well, you see..."

_Could it be? Did she hear the same voice I heard when we were waiting at the gate for Whamon to arrive, or did she somehow find out about the strange voice I heard inside my head?_

Dai studied Takara's face for a moment and raised his eyebrows. For some reason the female Digidestined seemed unable to look at him and she kept glancing at the hand he had placed on her shoulder, as if she couldn't quite believe it was really there. "Come on, Kara, since when have you ever been afraid to tell me what's on your mind?"

The blush on Takara's cheeks began to spread to the rest of her face and she quickly looked away from him. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to laugh at me?"

Dai gently slipped his arms around his female friend and rested his cheek against the top of her head. "I would never laugh at you."

Takara snuggled against his chest, and before he could fully grasp what was happening, she had hidden her face against the side of his neck. He could feel her warm breath caressing his skin, and a shiver raced down his spine. The warmth of her hands resting between his shoulder blades was a bit distracting, but the sensation was more pleasant than it was annoying, and for the first time in his life, he was fully aware of the sound of his own heart beating almost painfully in his ears.

"Do you remember when we were trying to escape from DarkAngelicmon's castle?"

Dai was so busy admiring the female Digidestined's shiny brown hair that it was almost a full minute before he suddenly realized she was speaking to him. "Huh? Oh, yeah, of course I remember. What about it?"

_I can feel her heart beating. Why...why is it beating so fast?_

"Well, just after I managed to escape through the East Tower door, I...I thought I heard a voice speaking to me. It told me to...to hold onto my dreams...and my friends."

Dai froze and pulled back slightly so he could look into his female friend's hazel eyes. "Are you serious?"

_I don't believe this..._

Takara shrugged and tugged nervously on her ponytail. "Look...I know it sounds crazy, but-"

"I believe you. You know I do. I'm sorry if I sounded a bit skeptical, but I never expected you to...I mean..."

"Dai, what is it? What's wrong?" Takara asked hesitantly, gazing anxiously at him from beneath her eyelashes.

Dai slowly slid his arms back around his female friend's slim waist and felt her lean comfortably against his chest. Tai and the other Digidestined were still huddled in a circle, their hands waving every so often in the direction of Infinity Mountain, and Ryoko appeared to be having an argument with Izzy. As a result, no one seemed to have noticed there were several members of the group who had failed to join in on the conversation.

"Listen, Kara, you're not the only one who heard a voice yesterday. When we were waiting by the gate on Cyber for Whamon to show up, I thought I head a voice speaking to me on the wind. It seemed familiar somehow, and yet I know I've never heard that voice before. It told me to hold onto my friends, which is pretty much the same thing you heard when you were standing outside DarkAngelicmon's castle. Do you think the voice I heard and the voice you heard could have been the same voice? I mean, was it the same person speaking to both of us?"

Takara shifted slightly in his arms and cuddled her cheek against his shoulder. "What did the voice you heard sound like?"

Dai wrinkled his nose, trying to remember, and frowned thoughtfully at the D-Coder he held in his right hand. He didn't remember pulling it out of his pocket, but he must have sometime after coming to the Digital World, since he had almost dropped it a couple of minutes ago. Shrugging slightly, he held his female friend a little closer, and his D-Coder came to rest gently against her back. "It was definitely a man's voice, and to me it sounded kind of...sad. It was also pretty deep."

"Well, from your description, it sounds like we heard the same voice, but...who do you think it could have been? Now that you mention it, it did sound kind of familiar, but it can't be someone we know. I mean, no one we know has a voice like that, and none of the people we met yesterday, like Gennai's counterparts or any of the digimon guarding the castle, had a voice like that."

"Good point. I hate to admit it, but I don't have a clue who would have wanted to waste their time talking to us. Do you think Ryoko and the others might have heard something?"

Takara frowned and shook her head. "I don't think so. None of them seem to be hiding anything. Well, not anything new. Just the same stuff they've been hiding since long before yesterday ever happened."

"What about Ryoko? He's been acting really funny today."

"If he has been hearing voices then his behaviour today would make at least a little bit of sense, but I don't think that's what's bothering him," Takara said softly, her expression growing cloudy. "Remember, Dai, Ryoko didn't start behaving oddly until today. If he had heard a voice like the two of us, I think he would have starting acting weird around the time we escaped from DarkAngelicmon's castle yesterday evening."

"Unless he only started hearing voices today, but I guess that's pretty far-fetched. What do you think is wrong with him?"

Takara sighed and tightened her arms around his neck. "I don't know, Dai. I just don't know."

_If Ryoko's not hearing voices then what could possibly be bothering him? He wanted to tell me something about Sam's father, but why would anything having to do with Ken upset him so much? Kara's right. Ryoko can't be hearing voices. That wouldn't make sense with what he tried to tell me earlier._

"Maybe he's just having a bad day," Dovemon suggested, nudging Kara gently in the back with her beak.

"If you guys want, I could singe his shoes for you and see if that snaps him out of his nasty mood," Embermon suggested.

Dai rolled his eyes and smiled in amusement. Embermon looked just a little too delighted at the thought of Ryoko hopping up and down with his shoes on fire, and Dai could tell the little rookie was eager to test a theory that more than likely would have amusing, yet disastrous, results.

_Not that I blame him. Ryoko has got to be the most frustrating person on the planet. I'm willing to try anything if it'll get him to open up to me, especially if it'll start making him treat me like a real friend._

"Oh, Embermon," Dovemon scolded, shaking her head and pecking the scarlet rookie lightly on the nose.

"Hey, Dai?" Takara asked. "Why didn't you tell the others about the voice you heard?"

"Why didn't you?"

Takara blushed and let out a small sigh. "I wanted to, but...I kept making excuses for myself because...well...I guess I was afraid they weren't going to believe me. I mean, hearing voices isn't exactly normal. I didn't want everyone to start thinking I was going crazy or something."

"Same here. You know what Ryoko's like. How much do you want to bet he would have accused me of lying?"

"Well, I don't know about lying, but you do have a tendency to get just a little bit overly dramatic when something interesting or unusual happens to you, especially if it makes a good story," Takara giggled into his shoulder.

"Hey, I get enough of that from Matty and Ryoko. Don't tell me I'm going to have to put up with it from you, too!"

"I'm sorry, Dai, but look on the bright side. You definitely know how to capture everyone's attention!"

Dai rolled his eyes and let his fingers slide through his female friend's dark ponytail. The two of them had been good friends ever since they were babies, and yet, only now, after thirteen years, did he suddenly realize just how perfectly she seemed to fit in his arms. It was almost as if they were made for each other.

"Dai, do you think maybe we should tell the others?" Takara whispered, turning slightly to watch his fingers brush gently through her ponytail. She looked a little flustered, but instead of pulling away, she merely smiled and let her eyes flutter closed again. "Now that I know I'm not the only one hearing voices, I don't feel so nervous about what my parents and our friends might think. What we heard was real, and that scares me a lot, but it also forces me to confront my fears and do what I know is right. We don't have a choice anymore. Besides, they'll have to believe us. There's no way we could have imagined the same thing."

"You're right. It's not like they can accuse us of being crazy, since like you said, we both heard pretty much the same thing. Well, unless they just assume we've both lost our minds. I don't know, Kara. I think maybe we should still keep what we heard a secret for now, at least until we find out a little bit more about what it might mean. Right now, we definitely have more important things to worry about. I don't want to cause the rest of our friends even more problems than the ones they have to deal with already. Besides, I think we should tell all of the Digidestined about that voice we heard, not just a few of them, and that means we'll have to keep our secret anyways, at least until we can get everyone all together."

Takara slowly opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "I hate keeping secrets from our friends, but...I guess we don't really have a choice. They've all been under a lot of stress lately, and I really don't want to make them feel even worse."

"We'll go along with whatever you two want to do," Embermon said firmly, leaping into Kara's lap and wrapping his forked tail lightly around her wrist. It was a surprisingly affectionate, almost protective, gesture and it made Dai's face feel like it was on fire. He wasn't really sure how he felt about Takara, but for some reason she kept drifting into his thoughts a lot more often than usual.

_It's like I can't get her out of my mind. She's really pretty, but that's not why I like her so much. The best thing about her is the fact that she's really nice, and she's also really fun to hang around with. This must be how Ryoko feels when he spends time with Kara, or is it the other way around? Does Kara have feelings for Ryoko? They are really close..._

Dai felt a sudden stabbing pain in his heart and he hid his face against Takara's shiny, brown hair to stop himself from letting out a loud gasp. Earlier, he had started to suspect that Ryoko may in fact not be guilty of having feelings for Kara, and instead of having a crush on her, he merely cared for her as he would a sister, but what about Kara? Just because there was a chance Ryoko didn't intend to cross the boundaries of friendship, that didn't mean Takara felt the same way.

_Why wouldn't she like Ryoko? He's handsome, blond, charming, at least when he wants to be, and pretty much everything else I'm not. Most girls would probably choose him over me..._

He was neither angry at Ryoko for the possibly of capturing Takara's heart nor jealous of the blond's seemingly effortless friendship with the female Digidestined, but he knew if they ever got together it would hurt _a lot. _He would still support them, of course, but that wouldn't stop the thousands of needles he knew would be piercing his heart every time he saw them together.

_Why does the thought of Kara being with someone else bother me so much? It couldn't be...well...maybe I do like her a little bit..._

"Dai, why do you have such a funny look on your face? You're not getting sick or something, are you?" Takara asked, tilting her head towards him and studying his face.

Encouraged by Embermon's earlier actions, Dai felt a sudden desire to do something bold, and before he could stop himself, he leaned into Takara's embrace and gently pressed his lips against her smooth cheek. It was a quick kiss, and it was over before he could even fully grasp what he had done, but the same could not be said for Takara. Her hand flew to her cheek as soon as he pulled away, and she stared at him in shocked silence. He couldn't blame her. Not once in all the years of their friendship had he ever tried to make a move on her before, so her astonishment at what he had done was entirely understandable. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had slapped him, but instead she turned a brilliant shade of pink and gazed uncertainly at her hands. Dai did not know how it was possible, but somehow she looked even prettier when she blushed.

_She doesn't look angry. Does that mean she might like me after all?_

Grinning at his small amount of success, he leaned his forehead against Takara's forehead and gazed directly into her eyes. "Don't worry, Kara, somehow we'll manage to make things work. We always do. It's not like we're never going to tell the others about the voice we heard."

Takara beamed at him, her face inches away from his own, and shyly brushed her fingers against his cheek. "I know. You're a great guy, Dai. How can I not trust you?"

"I'm not as great as _you _are."

"A lot of people think you're great, like...like Ayako, or Yukari, and what about Megumi?"

For a moment Dai had no clue what Takara was talking about, but then he suddenly realized the three girls she had mentioned were actually students from their class at school. Ayako Kobayashi was a raven-haired girl who always said hello to him in class and when they passed each other in the hallways, and Yukari Kamata was a green-eyed, sandy-haired girl who was always sitting in the stands during his soccer games. The last girl Takara had mentioned was Megumi Takayama, a girl with long, blond hair and grey eyes the colour of silver, who was always smiling and fluttering her eyelashes at him in class. Feeling confused, Dai scratched his head and gazed curiously at his female friend. "Megumi? What about her?"

"Are you two coming or are you just going to sit there staring at each other all day? The Spirit Chips won't find themselves, you know."

Dai jerked his head up at the sound of Ryoko's voice and he felt his face heat up when he realized everyone was staring at both him and Takara. Somewhere along the line, the group must have finally come to a decision about the best way to climb Infinity Mountain, but unfortunately he hadn't caught on quite soon enough to place a respectable distance between himself and his female friend before the others could start getting ideas. He wouldn't have minded so much if Takara's parents had remained in the human world, but that was not the case, and as much as he hoped Tai and Sora hadn't noticed anything, it was obvious they had. Tai was gazing curiously at him, a slight frown on the former leader's face, but it was Sora's expression that had captured his attention. Takara's mother was watching him with a gentle smile on her face, and there was a look of understanding in her ruby red eyes.

_She doesn't seem angry or upset, but...what about Tai?_

Dai turned slowly to look at Takara and frowned when he realized she had somehow managed to pull herself out of his arms without him noticing. As much as he hated to admit it, her sudden desire to put some space between them made him feel a little bit downhearted, but the female Digidestined didn't seem to notice. At the moment, she was gazing nervously at her parents, and her cheeks were once again beginning to turn a rosy shade of pink. Surprisingly enough, both Tai and Sora chose not to comment on the fairly intimate scene they had just witnessed. Instead, they merely studied their daughter's face for a moment before turning back to Izzy.

"Oh, are we going now?" Dovemon asked cheerfully, fluttering around Takara's head in a lazy circle and beaming at Ryoko.

"Does this mean we do get to fly to the top of Infinity Mountain?" Embermon asked hopefully.

Dai let out a sigh and shook his head in amusement. As expected, the two digimon were being their usual clueless selves, since neither one of them appeared to have noticed the sudden tension or the electricity crackling between their partners, but unfortunately the same could not be said for Ryoko and the other Digidestined. Dai could feel Ryoko's eyes on him, but he did not dare look at the golden-haired Digidestined for fear of what he might see.

"I think I'm going to have to agree with Daichi and Tai," Izzy interrupted, acting just as clueless as Embermon and Dovemon. "We don't want to be seen trying to make our way to the top of Infinity Mountain. We might be able to risk it once we get a bit closer and the D-Coders start to react, but for now it's best if we walk."

"Forget the Spirit Chips. I think Dai has other things on his mind at the moment!" Matty smirked.

"I'll say," Ryoko snorted.

"Guys!" Takara squealed, glaring at the two cousins and burying her face in her hands.

Dai slowly turned to look at Ryoko and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not through with you yet, Ishida. We'll finish our talk later whether you want to or not!"

"What talk?" Ryoko snapped, his face turning a ghostly shade of white.

"You know which one I mean, and next time I'll make sure there's no Mrs. Hanari hanging around to get you off the hook again."

Without waiting for a reply, Dai turned his back on Ryoko and quickly made his way towards the front of the group. They had only been walking for a few moments when the goggle-headed leader suddenly realized he was being watched. Tilting his head slightly to the side, he was surprised to find himself strolling down the worn path next to Matt, and the look on the golden-haired Digidestined's face made him blush. Matt's sapphire eyes were watching him closely, and for some reason he felt suddenly vulnerable in the former musician's presence. "What?"

Matt raised his eyebrows and his lips twitched into a small smile. "You know, last time I checked, I'm sure Mimi and I gave our son a first name when he was born. Would it kill you to use it?"

"Forget it, Matt! I'm not calling him _Ryoko_ until he stops calling me _Daichi_!"

"Wait a minute, did I miss something here? Your name is Daichi, isn't it?" the former musician said dryly, clearly amused.

Dai ducked his head, feeling extremely embarrassed, and determined not to look at the golden-haired Digidestined, he glared furiously at the forest. "He...he's supposed to call me_ Dai_."

_Great, now I sound like a complete idiot! This is all Ryoko's fault! Why do I let him get to me all the time? _

After a long moment of silence, Dai felt Matt's hand on his shoulder, and lifting his head, he found himself gazing into the golden-haired Digidestined's bright blue eyes. Matt's expression was hard to read, but the sympathy in his gaze was something that could not be suppressed and it created a lump in Dai's throat. "If it means that much to you, why don't you just ask him to use your nickname, or better yet, give him a reason to call you Dai."

"You're kidding, right? No offence, Matt, but just so you know, your son is evil."

Matt stared at him and promptly burst into a fit of laugher. "Evil? Dai, if you only knew..."

Dai crossed his arms and frowned suspiciously at the former musician. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, only...I wish Tai could have heard you say that."

"Why?"

"Evil is a bit harsh, don't you think? Listen, Dai, I won't deny my son has his moments, but if you keep trying to get through to him, I think you'll find he's full of surprises."

Dai glanced anxiously over his shoulder and spotted Ryoko deep in conversation with Mickey. The two cousins were so absorbed in their conversation, it was obvious neither one of them had heard Matt's laughter or noticed anything out of the ordinary. The same was true for Matty and Sam, who were whispering softly to each other behind Ryoko and Mickey, and even Embermon was too busy chatting with Gabumon, Agumon, and Dovemon, to pay much attention to what his partner was doing. In other words, the situation couldn't have worked out better if Dai had planned it himself. In his opinion, it was a perfect opportunity to ask Matt something he'd been dying to know for quite some time now.

_Not that I expect Matt to give me an answer, but it's worth a shot._

Taking a deep breath, Dai turned his back on Ryoko and gazed directly into the former musician's sapphire eyes. "You know, don't you. My act isn't fooling you at all."

"Act? What act?"

"You know how I really feel about Ryoko. I know you do."

Matt smiled slightly, and lifting the Crest of Friendship over his head, he held it out in the palm of his hand. "Of course I do. How could I not know? I once felt the same way, or have you forgotten already? You think you know what's going on in Ryoko's head, but you don't. At least, not yet. I once made the same mistake with Tai and look what nearly happened to us. If there's one piece of advice I can give you, it's don't make the same mistake I made."

Dai smiled at the golden-haired Digidestined and placed his hand on the smooth surface of the Crest of Friendship. To his astonishment, it suddenly started to glow a pale blue and he jumped back in surprise.

"Dai, look!" Takara suddenly squealed, pointing at his back pocket where he had stored his Digivice. "Your D-Coder. It's starting to glow!"

"So is Ryoko's!" Matty announced, grabbing his cousin's arm and holding it up so everyone could see the glowing, blue D-Coder in Ryoko's hand.

Matt jerked around to stare at his son, but it was Takara's father who had captured Dai's attention. Tai was holding the Crest of Courage in his hand, and it too was glowing faintly in the afternoon sunshine.

"You guys know what this means, don't you?" Sora asked, reaching out to run her fingers over Tai's crest.

"That Spirit Chip belongs to either Dai or Ryoko," Sam whispered.

"And since both Matt's and Tai's crests are reacting, it must be the Spirit Chip of Bravery," Mina said quietly.

Dai turned slowly to look at Ryoko and blushed when he realized the blond was staring back at him. He wasn't exactly sure how it had happened, but somehow Ryoko had managed to step in front of him without him noticing any signs of movement, and he jumped when he suddenly realized the golden-haired Digidestined was standing less than a foot away from him. Feeling self-conscious, he quickly snatched his hand away from the Crest of Friendship and gazed uncertainly at his feet. _Bravery. Does that mean Takara was right about me, or...does it really belong to Ryoko?_


	136. Chasing Shadows

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter! Well, in case you didn't know, the voting has now begun for the FTFOD challenge. You can place your vote on my forum 'Digital Connections' under the thread entitled 'Following the Footsteps of Destiny Challenge: Your Votes Here!'. Now, please make sure you do vote. It'll take you less than two seconds to click on your favorite FTFOD oneshot and then click on the vote button, so I don't want any excuses! And if you don't vote, (And I'll know if you don't. I do have access to how many people are voting) I'll do something drastic like...not update this story! And trust me, you don't want that because something you've all been waiting for for the last 136 chapters is going to happen very soon in chapter 143. And if you don't believe me about updating, as Roxas said in my Kingdom Hearts story: "I can be evil when I want to be!" On that note, forget about reading this chapter, just go vote!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 136: Chasing Shadows

_Sam Ichijouji_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sam Ichijouji glanced anxiously between Daichi and Ryoko, but neither boy appeared to be aware of anything but each other. They both clutched their D-Coder Digivices tightly in their hands and the two little gadgets shone brightly in the afternoon sunshine, casting a luminescent circle of red and blue light around both boys, but it was the crests that had captured everyone's attention. According to Gennai, the crests were the key to the identity of each Spirit Chip, and since both the Crest of Friendship and the Crest of Courage were glowing, there was no doubt that the Spirit Chip waiting for them at the top of Infinity Mountain was indeed the Spirit Chip of Bravery.

_It has to be. The powers of Tai's crest don't work together with the powers of Matt's crest to maintain any of the other seals protecting the rest of the Spirit Chips. They only work together to protect the Spirit Chip of Bravery. Now all we need to figure out is who the Spirit Chip actually belongs to. Bravery..._

Sam studied both of his friends' faces, but more often than not his gaze would settle on Daichi. In his opinion, both Dai and Ryoko were very brave, but like Takara, if he had to pick between the two of them, he would probably choose Dai over Ryoko as the proud owner of the Spirit Chip of Bravery. He hadn't expected to find out exactly which Spirit Chip they were looking for so quickly, but that was the least of his concerns. What surprised him the most was the expression on Ryoko's face. The golden-haired Digidestined should have been happy his D-Coder was glowing, but instead he looked disappointed.

_That's strange. I wonder if it's because Ryoko was hoping one of the other Spirit Chips would belong to him..._

"Finally, now we're getting somewhere!" Embermon cheered, beaming at his partner.

Izzy nodded happily in agreement and motioned for Tai to hand over the Crest of Courage. "Well, this proves Gennai was right about one thing. There's definitely a Spirit Chip on Infinity Mountain and Mina's theory is the most logical one. If what Gennai said is true, the Spirit Chip of Bravery is the only Spirit Chip that could cause both Tai's crest and Matt's crest to react at the same time."

"Great, so now that we know what we're looking for, where do we go from here?" Sora asked curiously, crossing her arms and resting her cheek comfortably against Tai's shoulder.

Izzy gazed thoughtfully at the Crest of Courage for a moment and gently ran his fingers over its glowing, orange surface. "Give me a minute. I haven't thought quite that far ahead yet."

"You can do it, Izzy! I have faith in you!" Tentomon interrupted, hovering encouragingly next to his partner's shoulder and nodding his head for emphasis.

Sam rested his cheek against Glowmon's small body and turned his face away from the shadowy form of Infinity Mountain looming in the distance. Instead, his gaze shifted in the direction of the ocean, and although the shore was still too far away from him to see the water, he could almost hear the waves calling out to him.

"Wait a minute, if the Spirit Chip we're looking for really is the Spirit Chip of Bravery then there's no point in us climbing to the top of Infinity Mountain," Ryoko suddenly snapped, shaking his head and frowning irritably at his D-Coder.

"Why not?" Celestimon demanded.

Halomon fluttered over to Ryoko and poked the golden-haired Digidestined in the nose. There was a smile on the little rookie's small face, and the wind stirred up by his feathery wings ruffled the blond hair falling into Ryoko's sapphire eyes. "You're so silly, Ryoko."

"No, he's right," Dai said quietly, avoiding the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes. "One of the two seals protecting each Spirit Chip was created using the power of three crests. In order for us to get our hands on the Spirit Chip of Bravery, we need Joe. The Crest of Reliability is the third crest connected to the Spirit Chip of Bravery. At least, that's what Gennai said."

"Are you saying we should give up and go home?" Takara asked hesitantly.

"It's either that or we go back to the human world and convince Joe to come along with us," Ryoko snorted.

Sam bit his lip and gave Dai a hopeful look. "Can't we at least go take a look at the Spirit Chip?"

"Do you know how dangerous that would be?" Ryoko shouted. The golden-haired Digidestined impatiently batted Halomon out of his face, and Sam suddenly found himself gazing into his friend's angry, sapphire eyes. For some odd reason Ryoko looked extremely annoyed all of a sudden, but it was the uneasy look on the golden-haired Digidestined's face that made Sam flinch and lower his eyes to the ground. "What if Vampiramon caught up to us and demanded we give her the Spirit Chip? There's no way we could even pretend to hand it over to her while we tried to come up with an escape plan. How much do you want to bet she would try to capture both Daichi and myself and keep us prisoner until the rest of you could find a way to allow her access to the Spirit Chip? The only way to do that would be to bring Joe to the Digital World, so in other words, climbing Infinity Mountain now would not only be dangerous, it would also be a complete waste of time. Besides, weren't you the one who didn't want to climb Infinity Mountain earlier?"

Sam blushed and gazed meekly at his feet. "It...it was just a suggestion."

"Well, it wasn't a very good one! I want to see the Spirit Chip just as much as everyone else, but that doesn't mean I'm going to put myself or my friends in danger just to have a look at it. It'll be safer for all of us if we stay away from the Spirit Chip until we can physically get our hands on it."

Dai nodded in agreement and let out a deep sigh. "I hate to say it, but Ishida's right. Vampiramon and her lame buddies can't touch the Spirit Chips until we break the seals that were put in place to protect them. That means Vampiramon can't steal the Spirit Chips until we get them first. You guys know what that means, don't you? If Vampiramon can't physically get her hands on the Spirit Chips, she's going to go after the next best thing. Us, the Digidestined. Since even we can't get the Spirit Chip of Bravery at the moment, why should we walk right into a trap and possibly get ourselves captured for nothing?"

"Dai and Ryoko have the right idea," Alopemon said firmly. "Before we do anything, we need Joe."

Sam frowned at Ryoko and shook his head. "You're the one who said climbing Infinity Mountain was the only way to find out which original Digidestined needed to come with us."

"Well, we know now, so what's the point of looking for the Spirit Chip if we can't even get our hands on it?" Ryoko shot back. "We have the information we need now without climbing Infinity Mountain, which means we should use it to our advantage."

"There's no point in putting ourselves in danger if we don't have to," Dai agreed.

"What do you think, Izzy?" Tai asked, turning to face the computer expert.

"Well, Dai does have a good-"

"Of course he does!" Ryoko interrupted, rounding on Izzy and glaring at the computer expert. "Don't tell me you think we should climb Infinity Mountain!"

"Dai and Ryoko are actually agreeing on something? What a surprise," Dovemon muttered.

Biyomon laughed and the two little bird digimon smiled at each other. "Well, you know what they say, Dovemon, there's always a first time for everything!"

"According to Kara, this wouldn't be the first time. Ask her about the time Jestermon almost dropped Mickey off a building!"

"Oh, right. She told us about that."

Sam slowly took a step closer to Ryoko and chewed anxiously on his lower lip. "Listen, Ryoko, you know I would never want to put any of our friends in danger, but-"

"Well, if you really mean that then why do you keep trying to argue with me?"

"Ryoko! Is that any way to treat your friends?" Matt scolded, frowning at his son. "You've been acting really strange lately. Is something wrong?"

Ryoko blushed and held his D-Coder protectively against his chest. "No, I'm fine. Why does everyone keep asking me that all the time?"

"You don't usually yell at people for no reason," Mickey said quietly, his face a mask of sorrow. "Well, unless you're yelling at Dai."

"Don't be dumb, Mickey! I'm not yelling at anyone!"

"Hey! Don't call my brother dumb!" Matty snapped, glaring at his cousin.

Unable to look at Ryoko, Sam squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face against Glowmon's small body. He knew why Ryoko was acting like a jerk, and it was all because of him.

_Maybe Ryoko's behaviour isn't because he's disappointed about the Spirit Chip of Bravery possibly belonging to him. I bet it's because he hates me..._

"Oh, Sam, don't be sad," Glowmon whispered quietly in his ear. "Ryoko still wants to be your friend. He's just a little bit upset right now, but once we find the Spirit Chip of Bravery, I'm sure he'll start acting like his usual self."

_How...how did he know I was thinking about Ryoko?_

Sam slowly lifted his head and raised a hand to his cheek. It felt wet, and he realized with some surprise that there were tears in his eyes. Somehow they had managed to slide down his cheeks without him noticing, and Glowmon must have felt the salty drops soaking into his leathery skin. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, I'm not! Ryoko really likes you. Come on, Sam, you know he's one of your best friends. There's no way he would ever turn his back on you."

_He will if he thinks I'm a lousy friend. Glowmon must have guessed what I was thinking about Ryoko, but he doesn't understand. The Crest of Bravery has nothing to do with his feelings for me. He was treating me like an enemy long before we ever met up with Gennai. It has to be because of what I said about Matt, but...what if it's not? He was acting weird around me even before he mentioned Matt..._

Sam quickly wiped the tears off his cheeks before anyone else could notice them and turned back towards where he knew the ocean was waiting for him in the distance. A cool breeze stirred the raven hair on his forehead, and a shiver raced down his spine. Even though the sun was shining brightly in the sky, he felt strangely cold, and the horizon looked oddly dark and distorted.

_The ocean. It's calling to me. Maybe that's where I'll find my answers..._

"Sam? Sam, where are you going?"

Sam jumped at the sound of Glowmon's voice and blinked in surprise when he realized he was no longer standing with the rest of the Digidestined. Instead, his feet were moving him steadily towards the ocean, and even though his common sense was telling him to turn back, his body did not seen to want to cooperate with his brain.

"Sam, what are you doing? We're supposed to stay with the others!" Glowmon whispered, his voice taking on a frantic tone.

Sam ignored his partner and began to run towards the ocean, the sound of his heart pounding frantically in his ears. Glowmon squirmed out of his arms and made an attempt to stop him from getting too far away from the others, but instead of coming to a stop, he merely ducked under his partner's small body and continued to race towards the shadowy horizon. He could hear Glowmon fluttering madly behind him, but he pushed the sound of his digimon's small wings out of his ears, determined to reach his destination. The darkness was coming. He could feel it in his heart. It was going to take Ryoko away from him, and if he didn't do something to stop it, all of his friends were going to leave him...

_The Emperor. It's because of the Emperor..._

He was sure of it. The Emperor was haunting him, and he had to reach the ocean before it was too late...

_Vampiramon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Vampiramon stood on Airdramon's back and gazed suspiciously at the dark outline of Infinity Mountain looming above the trees in the distance. As ridiculous as it might seem, she could not help feeling as if the mountain was watching her, and the closer they got to their destination, the more she felt like turning around and heading back to the Western Hemisphere. Something didn't feel right. The Digidestined were supposedly on their way to Infinity Mountain, but she had a feeling they were going to do something that would end up ruining her plans before she could even put them into motion.

"Will you sit down before you fall off?" BlackWidowmon smirked, leaning back on her hands and letting the cool wind blow strongly through her long, black hair. "You do realize you've been staring at Infinity Mountain for twenty minutes now, don't you? No offence, but glaring at it isn't going to get us there any faster."

Vampiramon clenched her hands into fists and turned to glare at her female companion. "Not that it's any of your business, but I was thinking about the Spirit Chips and the Digidestined."

"Aren't we all?"

"Indeed, but...BlackWidowmon, do you think we're heading in the right direction?"

"Excuse me?"

_The Digidestined are up to something, and what about DarkAngelicmon? Where is that fool angel? I just can't see him standing by while I take all the glory for successfully handing the Spirit Chips over to our master. What if he tries to get the Spirit Chips for himself and ends up ruining my plans? I'm sure the Ruler of Darkness has ordered him to capture Lucemon, but that doesn't mean he won't put it off long enough to get his hands on the Spirit Chips. It wouldn't be the first time he's disobeyed our master's orders and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he somehow managed to get away with it. He has before. In fact, he could be tailing the Digidestined right now for all I know..._

"Vampiramon, what is wrong with you?" BlackWidowmon snapped, angrily brushing her dark hair out of her deep red eyes. "You're getting as bad as Spritemon."

Vampiramon frowned and shook her head. "I know the Digidestined said they were going to climb Infinity Mountain, but...I have this strange feeling something big is going to happen, and if I'm right, whatever it is could end up ruining our plans."

"Why would the Digidestined suddenly decide not to climb Infinity Mountain? That doesn't make any sense."

"I'm aware of that, thank you. Listen, I won't pretend to know what's going on, but there's one thing I'm sure of."

"And what would that be?" BlackWidowmon asked slowly, glancing warily in the direction of the ocean.

Vampiramon glanced at the ocean, as well, and wrapped her arms around her body to ward off a sudden chill. "The Digidestined aren't going to make it to Infinity Mountain tonight."

BlackWidowmon stared at her and let out a loud snort. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course they will, and knowing them, they'll reach the top without any difficulty. In case you didn't notice, the Digidestined have a rather annoying habit of getting their greedy hands on everything we want to steal."

"No. Something is wrong. I can feel it."

"Great. It's bad enough you start acting like Spritemon, but now you have to act like DarkAngelicmon, too? Hey! Are you even listening to me? Vampiramon! Where do you think you're going?"

Vampiramon had just been about to leap off Airdramon's back, but BlackWidowmon's shrieks made her pause, and she turned to look over her shoulder at the angry spider digimon. "You're right, of course. There's always a chance the Digidestined will make it to the top of Infinity Mountain, but we can't be sure. That's why I want you and Airdramon to continue on towards Infinity Mountain while I head back and check on Soulmon. I don't trust that fool to keep an eye on our prey, and besides, I won't feel satisfied until I see the Digidestined reach the Spirit Chip with my own eyes."

"Why are you the one who gets to go back and follow the Digidestined?" BlackWidowmon complained.

"Because, you idiot, I'm the one who can fly, remember? Make sure you reach the top of Infinity Mountain before the Digidestined do, and since I'll be following Daichi and his friends, I'll know if you don't. As much as I would like to do it myself, I'm going to have to put you in charge of greeting the Digidestined, and for goodness' sake, don't screw it up, or else! You know I'll have no problem reporting you to our master!"

"Get out of my sight!" BlackWidowmon snapped, her red eyes narrowing into angry slits.

"As you wish. Lamia Transformation!"

Vampiramon felt her body reform into the shape of a bat, and spreading her wings, she quickly flew back towards the trees in the distance. Somewhere along the line, DarkAngelicmon was bound to make an appearance, and when he did, she would be ready for him.

_The Spirit Chips are mine! You'd better stay out of my way, DarkAngelicmon, or you're going to regret it!_

One day she would destroy him, and when she finally got her chance, she was going to make the most of it.

_Ryoko Ishida_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Ryoko, are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Takara asked quietly, watching him closely.

Ryoko blushed and lowered his sapphire eyes to the ground. "No, I told you, I'm fine."

"Well, in that case you owe Mickey an apology!" Celestimon said furiously, hovering next to Matty's shoulder and crossing his arms over his snow-white chest. The little rookie looked just as angry as his partner, and Ryoko flinched when he realized they were both scowling at him, the expressions on their faces showing just how plainly they didn't approve of what he had said. Mickey stood on Celestimon's other side, and there was a faint blush on the older twin's cheeks. Despite the fact that Matty was watching him, Mickey kept his amber gaze focused firmly on the ground, but he did look up long enough to beam at Celestimon and give the little rookie's small wings a fond tug.

_Dai's right, I really should learn how to keep my big mouth shut._

Letting out a deep sigh, Ryoko took a step closer to his cousins and gave Mickey an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Mickey. Celestimon's right, I do owe you an apology. I shouldn't have called you dumb. You act a lot smarter than I do most of the time, that's for sure."

Mickey slowly looked up and gave him a warm smile. "Don't worry about it."

_I'm such a jerk. Why do I always have to take out all of my frustrations on my friends? It's not their fault I know about the Emperor._

"That's better," Matty said approvingly, nodding his head in satisfaction.

Ryoko turned to look at Halomon, who was still hovering beside him, and blinked in surprise when the little rookie suddenly let out a small gasp and fluttered a few paces away from him. "Hey, what's with you?"

Halomon peeked at him from between his little fingers and gave him an anxious look. "You're not going to dangle me in the air by my wings, are you?"

Ryoko stared at the little rookie and burst into a fit of laughter. "No way! Unlike Piximon, you're a really cool digimon. You never tried to get us killed! Besides, I like you too much."

Halomon slowly fluttered closer to him, and before he could so much as blink, his vision was obscured by a pair of large, fluffy ears. He felt Halomon's little nose rub happily against his cheek, and turning slightly, he watched the little rookie zoom back into Mickey's arms. The older twin whispered something softly to his partner that made Halomon blush and hide his face against Mickey's shoulder.

_Now if only I could fix things just as easily with Sam. Gennai knows the truth, and obviously he knows how it will affect Sam. Throughout our entire conversation with him, he never once told us the true identity of the Emperor, even though he had had plenty of opportunities to do so. He said Ken never needed to Armor Digivolve, and he also said the Crest of Kindness was unavailable for use at the time when the Emperor was trying to take over the Digital World. Agumon didn't really explain how, but the Crest of Kindness had something to do with the Emperor's base, which would explain why the crest was unavailable for use, and then there's the fact that Ken was late joining the Digidestined during their fight to save the Digital World. It all fits. Everything Gennai said about the Emperor was somehow connected to Ken. It really is true. Sam's father was the Digimon Emperor..._

"Dovemon's right, you know. I'm usually the last person you tend to get along with," Dai suddenly whispered in his ear, making him jump.

"Huh?"

"I never thought I'd see the day when you would be the one backing me up."

Ryoko felt his face turn red and he gazed self-consciously at his feet. "Even you have to be right once in a while."

_The Spirit Chip of Bravery...it can't be mine. I'm...I'm not like Dai. It doesn't fit me like it does him. Besides, if what Gennai said is true, then it has to belong to Dai. All the hints were there. Bravery pretty much means the same thing as courage, and the Crest of Courage is the only thing I can think of that would qualify as being the 'mark of a leader'. I mean, come on, Gennai pretty much told us the Spirit Chip of Bravery belongs to Dai, even if he didn't say it in those exact words, but...what if I'm wrong? What if the Digital World can see something in me that no one else has been able to see? No! It has to belong to Dai! He deserves it, and we're going to need a brave leader if we want to stop the Ruler of Darkness. What I need has nothing to do with Bravery. Well, it does, but not in the same way. I want to be a good friend, just like my dad, but...which Spirit Chip would I need for that? They all have really nice meanings, but...none of them seem to fit me at all. What if there's been a mistake? What if I'm not supposed to get a Spirit Chip? What if I wasn't really supposed to be a Digidestined in the first place? What if Ami or one of the others was supposed to be on the team instead of me?_

"What do you think?" Dai asked, holding out his D-Coder.

_Then again, if Uncle Tai was right and Gennai isn't lying to us, then that would mean either the Spirit Chip of Bravery, the Spirit Chip of Loyalty, or the Spirit Chip of Compassion would belong to me, but that doesn't sound right either..._

"Well?"

Ryoko gazed directly into the goggle-headed leader's dark eyes and placed his hand on the Digivice's glowing, red surface. "It belongs to you, Daichi."

"Really? You think so?"

"Of course I do. Don't let us down, not when we need you so much."

Dai's face suddenly crumpled, and he stared miserably at the dark form of Infinity Mountain. "But...what if I can't? What if I can't be a good leader?"

Ryoko let out a soft sigh and gave his friend's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You can, and even if you can't, I'll still follow you anyways, no matter what."

Dai stared at him in shock, but before he had a chance to study the emotion in the goggle-headed leader's eyes, the expression on Daichi's face turned into a look of awe and wonder. _I didn't just say what I think I said, did I? I did! Uh oh..._

Ryoko stared at Dai in horror and quickly snatched his hand away from the goggle-headed leader's D-Coder. "We should get-"

"You know what, Ishida? I think you're right."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Dai stared at him in a way that suggested the goggle-headed leader was seeing something he had never noticed before, and Ryoko quickly looked at the ground. "I'm talking about the Spirit Chip of Bravery. You don't believe it belongs to you, and I think you're right. I'm not completely sure, but...I think I might know which Spirit Chip really does belong to you."

Ryoko froze and clutched his D-Coder tightly against his chest. "You...do? Um...which one?"

Dai raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. "You figure it out. After what you just said, it can't be that difficult to do."

"Wow, Dai, you've gotten along with Ryoko for almost fifteen minutes now. That must be a new record!" Tai laughed. "Come on, Izzy, you've had enough time to think things over. What should we do?"

Determined to avoid looking at Dai, Ryoko glanced in Izzy's direction and spotted the computer expert sitting on the grass with his laptop in his hands. At Tai's words, Izzy suddenly looked up and made a face. "It's too bad my laptop only works as a gate in the human world."

"What do you mean?" Candlemon asked, leaning over Izzy's shoulder and glancing curiously at the map his partner's husband had pulled up on the computer screen.

"Unless the barriers to the Digital World have been greatly weakened, or special circumstances require what I call emergency gates, nowadays, the only way to travel to the human world from the Digital World is through one of the television monitors that are scattered all over the place on all four continents. When I'm in the human world, Digidestined who are in the Digital World can use my laptop to travel back to the human world and they will appear out of my computer screen, but when I'm in the Digital World, I can't send people through my computer back to the human world and have them appear say out of one of the school computers for example. That's because human technology is unreliable in the Digital World, and although I'm still able to use my laptop here, it doesn't always do what I want it to do. In fact, most human technology won't even work here, and yet, oddly enough, technology created in the Digital World, like the Digivices for example, work perfectly fine in the human world. I've never been able to figure that one out."

"And what does all of this have to do with anything?" Tai snorted.

"Well, it would come in pretty handy right about now if I could send people back to the human world. In answer to your question, Tai, I've come to the conclusion that Dai and Ryoko are right. There's no point in climbing Infinity Mountain until we have Joe with us."

"Avoid danger when you can and fight when you have to," Gabumon said quietly.

"Exactly. I know we're all anxious to get our hands on the Spirit Chip of Bravery, but we have to think things through carefully before we go rushing into a situation that could put us all in danger. I'm worried about the Spirit Chip, too, but it's not going to go anywhere. Ironically enough, it's perfectly safe as long as we don't go anywhere near it. Joe should be done work in about an hour or so, and if we're lucky, the moon might be out tonight in the Digital World, and that way we won't have to climb Infinity Mountain in total darkness. Like Embermon said, even if we didn't go back to get Joe, I doubt we would be able to make it to the top of the mountain before the sun sets. And if we can't reach our destination before it gets really late, we can always come back tomorrow. After all, you kids have school tomorrow and you need your rest."

"Are you telling me we're going to have to walk all the way back to the gate?" Dai shouted in disbelief. "If that's the case then we came all this way for nothing!"

"Actually, since we're heading towards Infinity Mountain, we might as well use the gate that lies relatively close to its base. It'll be faster than walking all the way back."

Ryoko exchanged a look with his partner and rolled his eyes. "Uh, Izzy, why didn't we just use that gate to begin with? If we had, we could have made it to the top of Infinity Mountain long before the sun set, and it would have saved us a lot of walking."

"I'd forgotten there was a gate that close to Infinity Mountain until just now when I checked my map of the Digital World. Besides, I don't think Gennai wanted us to be seen talking to him that close to Infinity Mountain. Even if an evil digimon couldn't hear what we were saying, they might start getting ideas if they saw us that close to a mountain most digimon tend to avoid. After all, there's always a chance some digimon spotted us at the edge of the forest, but since we weren't that close to Infinity Mountain, I doubt they would have suspected what we were trying to do."

"If, like you said, they weren't close enough to hear us plainly say we're going to try and climb Infinity Mountain," Alopemon muttered.

"If we can get Joe to come with us, or if we do have to wait until tomorrow to get the Spirit Chip, we'll use the gate closer to Infinity Mountain," Izzy promised, "although it does look more suspicious and it'll definitely be more dangerous. Now let's hurry. We need to get back to the human world and talk to Joe as soon as possible."

_Gennai thought of everything. I think I understand now. He wanted to protect Sam. That's why he didn't tell us the Emperor's true identity. He knew it wasn't up to him to give away Ken's secret..._

"Where's Sam?" Mickey suddenly cried, his words shattering the uneasy silence Izzy's words had cast upon the group.

Ryoko whirled around and stared at the spot where Sam had been standing at the edge of the group not that long ago and felt his heart leap into his throat. He glanced frantically around at the rest of the Digidestined to make sure he hadn't missed anything, but it was no use. The raven-haired Digidestined was gone.


	137. DarkAngelicmon's Warning

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: We're starting to get to the really good parts slowly! Just a bit of a reminder, the FTFOD challenge is still open for voting until January 1st so please make sure you place your vote. I'm not sure if I will get to a chapter next week, but I will do my best. Oh, and for Sam, this is only the beginning...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 137: DarkAngelicmon's Warning

_Sam Ichijouji_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Sam, we should go back," Glowmon said urgently, his small wings beating frantically to keep up. "If Dai finds out you've wandered off from the group, he's going to be really mad."

"I don't care."

"But...what about Mickey? He's already worried about you, and if he-"

"He's only worried because he thinks I'm going crazy."

"That's not true! Sam, wait for me! I can't fly that fast!"

Sam abruptly came to a stop and frowned at his surroundings. He was now close enough to the beach to have a faint view of the ocean, and the smell of salt was strong in his nose, but even though he could see the sun reflecting off the water, for some reason the sky seemed dark and the ocean looked menacing.

_It feels like the forest where my friends and I found Glowmon. This place is covered in darkness..._

"Sam? Sam, something doesn't feel right. We shouldn't be here," Glowmon whispered, hovering anxiously above the ground.

Sam turned slowly to look at his partner and pulled out his D-Coder. "Glowmon, I think you'd better digivolve."

"Oh, Sam, I guess I don't have a choice. Glowmon digivolve to, Dracomon!"

As soon as the violet light around Dracomon disappeared, the champion digimon angrily fluttered his multicoloured wings and crossed his arms over his chest. "You shouldn't have let me digivolve, Sam. Now that I'm Dracomon, if I have to drag you back to Dai and the others, I will."

Sam ignored his partner and clutched his purple D-Coder tightly in his hand. "This place feels...evil. Do you think DarkAngelicmon might be around here somewhere?"

"What do you mean?"

"It feels kind of like the forest where Centarumon was keeping watch over you. Only...it's different somehow. I can't really explain it, but I feel...strange."

Dracomon shook his head, his long, white hair blowing gently in the cool breeze, and let out a soft sigh. "I wish either Angelicmon or Gabrielmon were here. They would know."

"Come on, we need to reach the beach."

"Why?" Dracomon snapped, his violet eyes growing dark and stormy.

Sam hesitated and gently placed his hand on his partner's arm. "I need to know. This place, this darkness, is connected to the Emperor, and so am I. How many times have other digimon compared me to the Emperor? I need to know why. I can't stand all the secrets anymore. I just...I can't...I don't know why, but...I have a feeling the ocean is where I'll find my answers."

"Sam, this place is dangerous! You can find your answers just as easily with the others by your side, if not more so."

"And risk losing the rest of my friends? Ryoko hates me! Don't look at me like that, you know it's true, and it's only a matter of time before the others start feeling the same way he does."

Dracomon continued to stare at him, and he quickly looked away before the champion digimon could see the tears in his eyes. After a moment of silence, he felt his partner's hands come to rest gently on his shoulders, and lifting his head, he found himself gazing into Dracomon's deep violet eyes. The insect digimon looked sympathetic, and there was something comforting about his presence and the way he seemed so sure of himself. "Sam, you and I both know that's not true. I don't know who the Emperor was, but does it really even matter? It doesn't change who you are, even if he is connected to you in some way."

"No, you're wrong. I may not know how or why the Emperor is connected to me, but I do know it's definitely not a good thing. When the truth does finally come out, it's going to be bad, and Mickey and the others are going to hate me for it. Why do you think I don't want them around right now? If I do find out why everyone keeps comparing me to the Emperor, I don't want the others to be close enough to hear about what a horrible person I am."

"You would keep the truth a secret from your friends?" Dracomon gasped, looking shocked.

"If I have to, I will. Don't you get it, Dracomon? If keeping the truth about the Emperor means keeping my friends then I'll take that secret with me to the grave. Now, are you coming or not? If you're going to keep wasting time, I'm leaving you behind."

Without waiting for a reply, Sam started off towards the ocean again, determined not to glance over his shoulder. He could feel Dracomon's eyes on the back of his head, and although he felt guilty for the way he was acting towards his partner, he wasn't quite ready to admit it yet. Even though he couldn't see Dracomon's expression, he knew his partner was shocked by his harsh words, and that only made him even more determined to keep his eyes focused on the ground. To his complete astonishment, he had only taken a couple of steps when the ground beneath his feet started to turn almost grey in colour, and without warning, the sun suddenly disappeared. Glancing around at the landscape, he felt his blood turn to ice. The Digital World's beautiful scenery seemed to have lost all of its colour, and in its place was a shadowy, forlorn valley that appeared to be deserted. The trees in the distance looked dark and slightly out of focus, and Infinity Mountain was a black shape looming over the forest. Even the sickly grey grass beneath his feet looked like it was whithering away, and there were thick, black clouds in the sky that definitely hadn't been there several minutes ago. "What's...what's going on?"

"Who's there?" Dracomon shouted, spreading his wings and glancing nervously towards the ocean.

Sam slowly began to back up in the direction he had come from, but before he could get very far, a dark shape suddenly shot out of the trees lining the ocean, dived towards them, and landed on the ground about five feet away. Immediately, Dracomon stepped in front of him, and clapping his hands over his mouth, he allowed himself to utter a small gasp of fear.

"What do you want?" Dracomon growled, crossing his arms and glaring at the new arrival.

Sam gripped his partner's arm and stared in horror at the fallen angel standing before him. DarkAngelicmon's black wings were fluttering gently in the icy breeze, and he was clutching his dark, intricately carved spear tightly in his right hand. There was a quiet, serious look on his pale face, and he frowned at the insect digimon's words, but instead of answering Dracomon's question, the fallen angel merely tightened his grip on the spear in his hand and turned to gaze uneasily at the ocean.

_Could DarkAngelicmon's presence be what's causing the landscape to turn all shadowy? The darkness is strong here, and it reminds me of the evil I felt in the forest where Glowmon was hidden, but I can still see what's going on. If DarkAngelicmon had used his Dark Teleportation attack, everything would have turned pitch black. At least, that's what happened when he used it in the forest on Text. I definitely feel like I've been transported to another place, and unless DarkAngelicmon's attack works differently every time he uses it, then something else must have brought me to this place. Besides, I felt the Powers of Darkness in the Southern Hemisphere even before DarkAngelicmon used his attack, so it must just be his presence I feel. No, not his presence. I feel the very source of evil itself, which has not only entered DarkAngelicmon's soul, but is now trying to enter my soul, too._

"Well? Answer me!" Dracomon snapped, his words shattering the tense silence caused by DarkAngelicmon's sudden arrival.

Sam tugged anxiously on his partner's colourful wings and felt the insect digimon's arm wrap protectively around his shoulders. DarkAngelicmon completely ignored Dracomon and turned instead to glare at the trees and the dark form of Infinity Mountain looming in the distance. Without warning, the fallen angel suddenly stabbed his spear into the ground and Sam let out a squeak of surprise. His quiet, yet audible, outburst caught DarkAngelicmon's attention, and before he could even clap a hand over his mouth, he found himself gazing into the fallen angel's bright green eyes.

_What is he doing here? Unless...what if he heard us talking to Gennai? No wait, that's impossible. He couldn't have. If he had somehow found a way to spy on us, Halomon and Celestimon would have known..._

For some reason, DarkAngelicmon looked extremely angry and there was a deep frown on his face. "You shouldn't be here."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't talk to him, Sam, he'll only try to hurt you," Dracomon warned, his words full of contempt.

"But-"

"Leave this place at once!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, his face a mask of fury. "You do not belong here."

Sam slowly stepped away from his partner and gave the fallen angel a suspicious look. "What do you mean, and what exactly are you doing here? Spying on us, are you?"

"Lucky for you I sent Jestermon and Spritemon to scout ahead because this is one conversation I don't think either one of us wants anyone else to overhear. My companions are on their way to Infinity Mountain right now, and you'd better hope they get there before Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon do otherwise Daichi and the rest of your friends are in serious trouble. I don't trust Vampiramon, and frankly, neither should you."

Sam stared at the fallen angel in shock and felt his heart skip a beat. "That's...impossible. How could you and your evil friends know about our plan to climb Infinity Mountain?"

"It's not important how we know. What matters is the fact that the truth is in our possession and that's all you need to worry about. Daichi and his friends could be in trouble, even as we speak. You want to help them, don't you?"

"Of course I do!"

_But what if I'm too late? What if Vamipramon has already caught up to them? There's no way she could miss seeing the glow coming from Dai's and Ryoko's D-Coders. And what about Jestermon and Spritemon? My friends might already be captured! Dai and the others definitely haven't reached Infinity Mountain yet, but that doesn't mean they're not in danger. Vampiramon might have gotten impatient and decided to go after them before they reach the Spirit Chip, and even if she hasn't that doesn't mean they're safe. If Vampiramon has already reached Infinity Mountain then that means Dai and the others are walking right into a trap! And then there's Jestermon and Spritemon. They too must have seen the glow coming from the crests and D-Coders. What if they run into Dai's group or Vampiramon's group before either group can reach Infinity Mountain? Wait a minute, did DarkAngelicmon just say he's trying to _stop _Vampiramon from capturing my friends and reaching the Spirit Chip? But...that doesn't make any sense. DarkAngelicmon and Vampiramon are working for the same side, aren't they? _

"Why should we believe anything you say?" Dracomon snorted, his violet gaze following DarkAngelicmon's every move.

Sam slowly stepped closer to the fallen angel and frowned in confusion. "Why don't you trust Vampiramon?"

_I don't know how it's possible, but somehow Vampiramon and her allies overheard our conversation with Gennai. That includes DarkAngelicmon, even though Halomon and Celestimon never felt his presence. There's no other explanation that makes sense. What is going on? How did everything get so confusing all of a sudden?_

_"_Does it really even matter?" DarkAngelicmon said softly, the anger slowly fading from his emerald green eyes. "Listen to me, Sam, you do not belong here. Go back to the light."

"The...light?"

DarkAngelicmon glanced uneasily over his shoulder and slowly nodded. Something about the look on the fallen angel's face caused a shiver to race down Sam's spine, and before he could change his mind, he wrapped his fingers around DarkAngelicmon's wrist and tugged anxiously on the fallen angel's arm. "The light? What is that supposed to mean, and what are you looking at?"

DarkAngelicmon turned to face him, and he let out a gasp as the fallen angel's hands suddenly came to rest comfortably on his shoulders. He could still feel the taint of evil radiating from DarkAngelicmon's body, but for some reason it felt like it was coming from far away, and it didn't feel nearly as strong as it had in the Southern Hemisphere. "Don't you understand? You can't help your friends find the Spirit Chips if you let yourself become corrupted by the darkness. Besides, I need those Spirit Chips, as well, and if you think I'm going to let you ruin my plans then you are sadly mistaken. What happens to you after that is of no concern to me, but until then you must stay away from this place."

"Why?"

"If you stay here, you will become like _him_," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sam slowly sank to the ground in front of the fallen angel and clenched his hands into fists. He knew what was coming, but that didn't stop his heart from leaping into his throat or his blood from turning to ice. "Like...like who?"

"The Digimon Emperor."

_No! I'll never be like him. Never!_

Letting out a soft sob, Sam quickly covered his face with his hands and violently shook his head. "No, you're wrong! I don't believe you!"

"I didn't expect you to, but even so, I thought you would have learned your lesson by now. Sam Ichijouji, have you forgotten already? I have never once lied to you or any of your friends, and I never will. You have no choice. You have to believe me."

Sam slowly lifted his tear-stained face and gazed into the fallen angel's bright green eyes. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"You can't find your Spirit Chip if you become like the Digimon Emperor."

"But-"

"And you won't be able to help your friends find their Spirit Chips either. Go back to where you belong or the darkness will enter your soul."

"Are you threatening my partner?" Dracomon shouted, his violet eyes narrowing into angry slits.

DarkAngelicmon let out an angry hiss and poked Dracomon sharply in the ribs. "I am trying to help your partner, in case you didn't notice, now keep quiet and don't take your eyes off the ocean. The darkness is strong here, and if you let it get too close, it will devour us all. I'd handle the task myself, if I wasn't too busy trying to stop your partner from doing something incredibly stupid."

Dracomon caught the fallen angel's arm and gave him an odd look. "You seem to know a lot about this place."

"I have experience with the Powers of Darkness. It is difficult to take advantage of their power without becoming corrupted. So many humans and digimon have failed. They let it consume them, and then they are lost, sometimes forever, but not the Digidestined. Somehow they always seem to find their way back to the light."

"What are you saying?" Dracomon asked slowly.

"That is the key, isn't it? To use the Powers of Darkness without losing your soul. Tell me, Dracomon, is that even possible?"

_He's trying to tell us something, but I don't understand what it is. What does he want from us? An answer, obviously, but...why is it so important? Why does it matter so much?_

Dracomon bowed his head and placed his hand against the fallen angel's heart. "You don't understand, do you. Whether or not that's possible makes no difference. Your soul may or may not have been corrupted by darkness, but no matter what the truth is, we'll still find a way to bring you back to the light."

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly. "By any chance, have you been talking to Mickey?"

"No, why?" Dracomon asked, frowning in confusion.

"You digimon and your human partners are so naive."

Sam blushed and gave the fallen angel a dirty look. "Don't make fun of Mickey."

"I wasn't doing anything of the sort. We have a lot in common, Sam. Your friend is so much like Lucemon, and you...you remind me of myself."

"I'm nothing like you!"

"If that is what you believe."

Sam wiped angrily at his eyes and clenched his hands into fists. "You still haven't answered my question. What are you doing here, and where are we exactly? What is this place?"

DarkAngelicmon knelt in front of him and placed a hand on the top of his raven head. The fallen angel's touch was surprisingly soft, but the fire burning in his eyes made Sam's heart beat rapidly in his chest. "Do you not know?"

"Tell me. Tell me right now!"

"The World of Darkness."


	138. Vampiramon's Targets

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, this will be my last chapter until after Christmas, so I hope you enjoy it! Also, this is your last chance to vote for the FTFOD challenge so make sure you have your say. The winner will be announced after the poll closes on January 1st. As usual, visit the forum for details. Also there's a new fun poll up where you can vote for your two favorite main FTFOD characters. Poor Dai and Matty need more votes, and Mickey's leaving the competition in the dust! Also, I have not forgotten about WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. They're coming, just wait! Merry Christmas everyone!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 138: Vampiramon's Targets

_Ryoko Ishida_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

_Sam! No...why? Why did you leave? Is it because of...of me? Oh no! This is all my fault!_

"Sam? Sam, where are you?" Tai shouted, turning around in a full circle and glancing anxiously around at the landscape. "Answer me!"

"No, this can't be happening," Mickey moaned, covering his face with his hands.

Ryoko slowly sank to the ground and let his D-Coder tumble half-heartedly across the grass. The glow coming from its screen cast a bright beam of blue light straight up into the sky, but he barely even noticed. He knew why Sam had left, and he had no one to blame but himself.

_Sam left because he thinks I hate him, and if something happens to him, it'll be all my fault. I shouldn't have been so rude to him. I should have just told him the truth about the Emperor, but there's nothing I can do about it now. We have to find him! I need to tell him before...before it's too late._

"Uh...guys, are you sure he didn't just leave to use the bushes or something?" Dai asked hesitantly, glancing hopefully at his partner before turning his attention to the rest of the group.

Mina slowly shook her head and let out a deep sigh. "No, if that were true, he would have been back by now."

"He would have told us," Mickey whispered, tears forming in his big amber eyes. "Sam's very conscious about things like that. He doesn't like causing trouble or making his friends worry about him, if he can avoid it. He wouldn't want us to think something terrible had happened to him. Don't you guys feel it?"

"Feel what?" Tentomon asked.

"The darkness," Matty murmured, glancing nervously at the ocean.

"What do you mean?" Takara squeaked.

Mickey turned to look in the direction of the ocean, as well, and he slowly shook his head. "We can't feel it exactly, but there's something not right about Sam's disappearance. I didn't really notice while you guys were all arguing, but now I know it in my heart. Whatever it is we feel must be the Powers of Darkness, but it's too far away for us to confirm that."

"I'm not sure, but...I think it might be coming from the ocean," Matty mumbled.

"It's different from what we've felt before," Mickey whispered. "I think what we're feeling might be the darkness in Sam's heart. That would explain why it isn't as strong as what we felt in the forest. Well, that and the fact that it's still quite far from us."

_No, Sam...why are you doing this to yourself?_

Ryoko slowly lifted his head and he glanced fearfully at his father. "What are we going to do?"

_I shouldn't have been so mean to him. I should have apologized for acting like a total jerk. I should have...I don't know...I should have done something! Sam, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for being such a lousy friend..._

His father stared at him for a second and turned slowly to face Takara's father. "Tai, we're in big trouble. If Vampiramon or DarkAngelicmon finds Sam, they're going to keep him captive until we give them the Spirit Chips. And even if we do find the Spirit Chip of Bravery, or any of the other Spirit Chips, and hand them over, there's no guarantee they won't just kill Sam instead of making a trade. That'll be one less Digidestined getting in the way of their plans. Why weren't you keeping an eye on him?"

"Me?" Tai yelped, glaring at the golden-haired Digidestined. "How is this my fault? You were the one standing next to him! Is your eyesight going or what? You can't be getting old that fast!"

"In case you didn't notice, I had other things on my mind!"

"Well, so did I!"

Ryoko glanced at Dai and the two of them rolled their eyes. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ryoko couldn't help smiling at the ridiculous argument going on between his father and the former Digidestined leader, and he could tell Dai felt the same way.

_Is that how Dai and I sound when we argue? No wonder Kara and the rest of our friends think we sound like a couple of idiots._

It had only lasted a few seconds, but that brief moment of understanding between himself and Dai made him feel slightly better, and suppressing a burst of laughter, he stared at his father and Tai in amusement.

"Like what?" his father snorted, poking Tai in the chest. "Don't tell me you were listening to Izzy because I know what you're like. You lose interest halfway through one of Izzy's theories, and then when it becomes important, you expect the rest of us to fill you in."

"Is it my fault Izzy rambles a lot? You only need to listen to half of what he's saying in order to get the gist of it."

"Hey, I put a lot of thought and effort into my theories! Thanks a lot, Tai!" Izzy said indignantly.

Ryoko exchanged another look with Dai, but his father hadn't finished yet. "Tai, Ken is going to kill us if he finds out we lost his son!"

"Oh, right. I hadn't thought of that."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Forget Ken. Yolei's going to murder you two," Izzy muttered.

"Will you guys give it a rest?" Sora groaned, frowning at her husband and poking Matt in the shoulder. "I guess some things never change."

"I kind of missed their arguing," Agumon said thoughtfully.

"I know what you mean," Gabumon agreed.

"We're not arguing!" Tai and Matt both shouted, glaring at their partners.

Alopemon sniffed and turned his attention to Izzy. "What do you think we should do?"

"Well..."

"Isn't it obvious?" Dai interrupted, stepping into the middle of the circle and holding up his glowing D-Coder. "We have to find Sam before he gets into trouble, and the best way to do that is to use our D-Coders. We can use them to track our friends, remember? Sam's purple dot is right here on my screen, and look, Mickey and Matty are right. He's heading towards the ocean."

Without a word, Ryoko scrambled to his feet and snatched his D-Coder off the ground. The purple dot indicating Sam's whereabouts was glowing brightly on the Digivice's small screen and it stood about halfway between the ocean and the large group of glowing dots representing himself and the rest of the Digidestined.

_Of course! Why didn't I think of that? I have to admit, Dai might get a bit carried away sometimes, but he sure knows how to stay calm and cool when something unexpected happens. That's why he's such a great leader. He really knows how to keep his head in dangerous situations._

The rest of the Digidestined must have realized the same thing because all of them were staring at Dai in surprise, and some of them looked a little bit sheepish, including the former Digidestined leader.

"Great idea, Dai! If we hurry, we should be able to catch up to Sam before he reaches the ocean," Embermon said, beaming proudly at his partner.

"But...why did he stop?" Candlemon asked anxiously, nodding his flickering head at Dai's D-Coder.

"Do you think Vampiramon might have found him?" Mickey whispered.

Mina wrapped her arm around the older twin's shoulders and glanced nervously towards the ocean. "There's only one way to find out."

"I think we'd better digivolve just in case," Dovemon piped up.

Takara nodded in agreement and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Sounds good to me. We want to be ready in case Sam needs some serious help."

"Finally! I've been waiting a long time for this moment!" Tentomon said enthusiastically.

"Let's go save Sam!" Biyomon cheered.

"You're not going anywhere!" a voice shrieked from somewhere behind them.

Ryoko felt his heart skip painfully in his chest, and turning to face the forest, he let out a gasp of fear. Vampiramon was standing at the edge of the trees, her long, red hair swirling in the breeze, and there was a small digimon who looked similar to a Bakemon hovering beside her. The ghost digimon had a hat on his head, and he looked entirely too pleased with himself for Ryoko's liking.

"You!" Dai snapped, his grip tightening on the D-Coder in his hand. "What have you done to Sam?"

Vampiramon glided slowly towards them and placed her hands on her hips. She was staring at Dai with a slight smile on her face, and there was a hungry look in her eyes that made Ryoko take a few steps closer to the goggle-headed leader. "Me? I've done nothing to your useless little Emperor friend. In fact, until you mentioned the ocean, I didn't have a clue where he was, and at the moment, I could care less what he's up to. He wandered off all on his own and you were too stupid to see it. I will warn you, though, you should learn to keep better track of your friends before something...happens to them."

"Leave Sam alone!" Halomon shouted, fluttering out of Mickey's arms and glaring fiercely at the evil vampire digimon.

"We're not going to let you get away with this!" Mickey snapped.

Vampiramon dismissed the older twin's words with a wave of her hand and tugged irritably on her long red and black skirts. "I told you, your little Emperor is of no importance to me at the moment. Oh no, Makiya Takaishi, right now it is your fool of a leader and your cousin who concern me."

Ryoko frowned in confusion and turned to look at Dai, but the goggle-headed leader merely shrugged his shoulders and sent the vampire digimon a dirty look.

"What do you mean?" Alopemon asked slowly, his pale blue eyes growing icy cold.

"You really are a bunch of fools. Did you not think to cover your D-Coder Digivices, and what about the crests? Four glowing beacons of light shooting high into the sky aren't exactly hard to miss. Not that we needed to see them, but it did make it easier for Soulmon to keep an eye on you."

Ryoko rested his forehead against the palm of his hand and let out a soft groan. Vampiramon hadn't been staring at either him or Dai when she had mentioned them to Mickey. She had been staring at their D-Coder Digivices._ We're so stupid! Why didn't we think to cover them a long time ago? Any digimon who happened to be in the area would have been able to see the light, but...wait a minute, what did she mean about Soulmon keeping an eye on us?_

"You must be Vampiramon," Tai said calmly, his tone suggesting he had been expecting her to be much more impressive. "And here I thought you were actually going to be a challenge."

"You're going to regret trying to hurt our children!" Matt snapped.

Vampiramon smiled at the two adult Digidestined and stroked one of her pearly white fangs. "Tai Kamiya. So, you finally decided to show up, did you? I don't know if you knew, but you've become something of a hero here in the Digital World. It's pathetic really. Digimon looking up to a human. It's sickening is what it is, but no matter. My master will take care of all the humans and all the digimon who support them. Soon, you will all be either destroyed or under our control, starting with the new Digidestined leader. What do you think, Tai? After I have the Spirit Chips in my possession, your little apprentice gets to die first. I wonder what Davis Motomiya will think of you then."

Tai's dark eyes narrowed into angry slits and he took a step closer to the evil mega. "You're not getting anywhere near Dai. Agumon, it's time to digivolve!"

"The rest of you had better digivolve too," Sora added, holding out her Digivice.

Biyomon nodded and turned to Agumon. "Let's do this."

"Just like old times! Agumon digivolve to, Greymon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to, Birdramon!"

"My turn! Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

"Candlemon digivolve to, Meramon!"

"Don't forget about me! Dovemon digivolve to, Ibismon!"

"Alopemon digivolve to, Tirimon!"

"Gabumon digivolve to, Garurumon!"

"Our turn now! Come on, Halomon! Celestimon digivolve to, Angelicmon!"

"Halomon digivolve to, Gabrielmon!"

"Wait for me! Tentomon digivolve to, Kabuterimon!"

"Time to take out the trash!" Greymon growled, advancing towards Vampiramon.

"I'm right behind you!" Dragermon called out, swooping over the orange dinosaur digimon's large head.

Vampiramon held up a hand to stop them, and growing suspicious, both Dragermon and Greymon came to a stop a few feet away from the evil vampire digimon. "Attacking me isn't going to help you find the Spirit Chips, is it?"

"What do you mean?" Sora asked quietly, her fingers tightening around Tai's upper arm.

Vampiramon rolled her eyes and let out a loud snort. "You're pretty slow for someone who's been a Digidestined for twenty-nine years. Did you really think you could keep your conversation with Gennai a secret? The forests in the Digital World are full of digimon. Someone was bound to overhear you, and that someone happens to be me."

"And me!" the ghost digimon cackled, bobbing up and down in the air and twirling around in a circle. "And then there's BlackWidowmon. She overheard your conversation with Gennai, too, and Vampiramon has sent her on a little mission."

Vampiramon smirked and nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Sora, but thanks to the conversation you and your friends had with Gennai, we know exactly how to get our hands on the Spirit Chips. In fact, Soulmon's been following your little group ever since you fools left the forest."

"So that's what I saw!" Dai shouted, sending the ghost digimon a dirty look.

Ryoko whirled around to face the goggle-headed leader and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you talking about, Daichi?"

"I thought I saw something moving in the forest a while ago, but I just assumed I was letting my imagination get the better of me. I...er...sometimes get a bit carried away, so I didn't think it was important. I guess, for once, I really was seeing things."

"Daichi, you jerk! Have you learned nothing since coming to the Digital World? As if you would keep something like that a secret from-"

"Ryoko, now is definitely not the time," Tirimon said quietly, nudging him in the ribs.

"Ryoko, be quiet," his father said sharply, glaring not a him, but at Vampiramon and Soulmon.

Ryoko scowled at both Tirimon and his father and rubbed his side where Tirimon's nose had poked him rather harder than necessary in the ribs. As much as he wanted to scream and shout at Dai, he contented himself with a series of dirty looks directed at the goggle-headed leader before lapsing into a sullen silence. Tirimon seemed to sense how he was feeling, though, because the fox digimon gently nuzzled his side, and smiling to himself, he stroked his partner's large, furry head.

"I've heard about Soulmon before," Kabuterimon said suddenly, hovering above Izzy's head. "They're ghost digimon who can disappear and reappear at will. Dai must have caught a glimpse of him in the trees just as he was disappearing."

"A tricky digimon who likes to disappear. This should be fun," Ibismon said dryly.

"Did you not think to place any guards in the forest to watch for anyone trying to listen in on your conversation?" Vampiramon hissed. "We saw Gennai's gorup head into the trees before you and your partners even showed up in the Digital World. We were there the whole time, and now we know exactly how to stop you from ruining our plans."

"But...that's impossible!" Mickey wailed, his hands wrapping tightly around his D-Coder. "There's no way you could have been in the forest. Halomon and Celestimon would have known..."

"We felt nothing," Gabrielmon murmured, glancing at Matty's partner for confirmation.

Angelicmon slowly nodded and frowned at Vampiramon. "DarkAngelicmon couldn't have been anywhere near us. If you were in the forest, we would have felt his presence."

"Unless _DarkAngelicmon_ was never in the forest!" Matty gasped, turning to look at Vampiramon. "You said you were with your companions when you were spying on us in the forest. If that's true, why weren't Halomon and Celestimon able to sense DarkAngelicmon's presence? Wasn't he with you when you were listening in on our conversation?"

"Where is he?" Mickey shouted, his cheeks turning pink with anger. "Where's DarkAngelicmon?"

Vampiramon let out an angry snarl and tugged viciously on her skirts. "Did you not listen to what Soulmon just said? I have no idea where DarkAngelicmon is, but I do know that fool angel definitely wasn't with me in the forest. You should have taken that into consideration, but obviously you didn't. You and your brother rely too much on your angel digimon, Makiya Takaishi. One of these days it's going to get you killed! Although, that would certainly make my life easier."

"Don't you dare threaten our partners!" Angelicmon snapped, holding out his spear and pointing it straight at Vampiramon's chest.

The female mega gave Angelicmon's weapon a contemptuous look and wrinkled her nose. "Only fools ignore good advice. Next time keep in mind that DarkAngelicmon might not always be around to warn you when there's danger close by."

"Are you threatening one of your own allies?" Mina asked, raising her eyebrows.

"What have you done to DarkAngelicmon?" Mickey snapped. "If you've hurt him..."

"I haven't done anything...yet," Vampiramon snarled, her emerald green eyes focusing on the older twin's face. "Your precious DarkAngelicmon is probably off trying to capture Lucemon if, for once, he's actually following our master's orders. I suppose there's a first time for everything."

"No!" Mickey whispered, clapping his hands over his mouth in horror. "Lucemon..."

"He can't!" Matty cried. "Lucemon was his friend!"

_I can't believe it. The Ruler of Darkness has ordered DarkAngelicmon to capture Lucemon? That can't be true. DarkAngelicmon wanted to kill Lucemon! Besides, I thought he was supposed to try and stop us from getting the Spirit Chips. None of this makes any sense. Why does the Ruler of Darkness want Lucemon in the first place? Is it because Lucemon betrayed him? Obviously Vampiramon's been sent to steal the Spirit Chips, so why wasn't DarkAngelicmon ordered to help her?_

"Tell me, Makiya Takaishi, why are you so interested in DarkAngelicmon?" Vampiramon asked suspiciously. "What use would you have for a fallen angel digimon?"

"Your companion has caused my partner a lot of pain and sorrow," Gabrielmon said before Mickey could answer. "He must be stopped, especially if it means saving Lucemon."

"Really, then why do you care what happens to him? If I kill him or not, why would that matter to you?"

"Because, that's our job," Angelicmon said simply.

Ryoko raised his eyebrows and stared at the two angel digimon in disbelief. What they had said made sense, but he had a strange feeling there was a hidden message behind their words. Mickey seemed unusually interested in DarkAngelicmon, and often the older twin would defend the fallen angel if anyone said something bad against him.

_DarkAngelicmon does have a pretty mysterious past and Lucemon's story suggests he may not have always been seduced by the Powers of Darkness. Is that why Mickey keeps defending him? Does Mickey really believe DarkAngelicmon used to be a good digimon?_

"Forget about Lucemon," Vampiramon smirked, her green eyes glittering maliciously in the light from the sun, "You know what DarkAngelicmon's like. He probably isn't even looking for that little traitor like he should be. Who knows? Maybe he's gone after your little friend. Sam Ichijouji might not be so alone after all."

_No, Sam!_

Ryoko turned to look at Mickey and winced at the expression on the older twin's face. Without a word, Mickey turned towards the ocean, but before he could get very far, Angelicmon grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. "Let go! We have to fin-"

"You're not going anywhere!" Angelicmon snapped, keeping a firm grip on the older twin's arm.

"But, Sam..."

"Don't you think I know that?"

Mickey frowned at Angelicmon and turned towards his own partner. "Gabrielmon, tell him to let me go! We have to-"

"I'll do no such thing! You're staying right where you are!"

"But-"

"Mickey, you're going to drive me crazy one of these days," Matty groaned, shaking his head.

"Matty, tell-"

"Not a chance."

"Gabrielmon, how can you-"

"I'd let _DarkAngelicmon _order you around if it meant stopping you from doing something stupid," Gabrielmon shot back, frowning at his partner.

Mickey blushed, and letting out a soft moan, he buried his face against Angelicmon's chest. "I don't know how I know, but I can feel it. DarkAngelicmon's gone after Sam. He's going to take advantage of the darkness in Sam's heart! We have to save him!"

"We will," Angelicmon said softly, his hand coming to rest gently on the top of Mickey's golden head, "but it won't help if we lose you, too."

"He's right," Matty said firmly.

"Mickey, I think you try to make me worry," Gabrielmon sighed.

"Welcome to the club," Matty muttered.

The two of them smiled at each other, and Matty gave Gabrielmon a sympathetic pat on the arm.

"Don't forget about me!" Angelicmon laughed.

"That doesn't mean you three have to gang up on me all the time!" Mickey complained, but despite his words he smiled fondly at his brother and the two angel digimon.

"If I were you, I'd worry more about your leader and your cousin than Sam!" Vampiramon snapped, annoyed at being interrupted.

Ryoko turned to face her and let out a loud snort. "If you're trying to scare me it's not going to work."

"We need a plan," Izzy muttered, tapping frantically on his laptop.

Vampiramon snapped her fingers and a small, thin knife appeared in her right hand. "Have you forgotten already? I know everything. That Spirit Chip on Infinity Mountain belongs to either you, Ryoko, or your goggle-headed leader. The light coming from both your D-Coders and the crests proves it, which means the two of you are about to become my prisoners. You're going to hand that Spirit Chip over to me whether you like it or not, and it Tai, Matt and Joe refuse to break the seal connected to their crests then I will have both of you killed! How does that sound?"

"You're not getting anywhere near my son or his friend!" Matt shouted.

Ryoko turned to look at his father and slowly shook his head. _Forget about me, Dad. What about Sam? If Mickey's right and DarkAngelicmon really is after Sam then...if Sam gets hurt, it'll be all my fault..._


	139. A Noble Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: It took a while, but I finally have another chapter up! Well, before I say anything else, I want to congratulate CrestOfHealing for being the winner of the FTFOD contest! Her story,_ My Brother's Keeper_, was the clear favorite and earned her her own OC character in this story! Her character Renmi Igawa (Ren for short) will be appearing in the story after the gang gets back to the human world. She is the daughter of Yolei's sister Chizuru and is Sam's cousin. Also, I always try to do my best to make the attacks of the digimon as accurate as I can (especially for the digimon we all saw in the show) but for others like Soulmon, who didn't have a chance to do much in Savers, it's very hard to find an accurate description of their attacks, so please forgive me if anything is out of place. Happy reading!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 139: A Noble Heart

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Enough talk!" Tai shouted, clenching his hands into fists. "You might know what we're planning, but don't think we didn't count on that! It doesn't matter what you do. We're still going to find the Spirit Chips, and when we do, there's no way we're going to hand them over to you! Get her, Greymon!"

"You too, Garurumon!" Matt added.

"Now, Soulmon!" Vampiramon shrieked. "Scarlet Lightning!"

Several bolts of bright red light suddenly shot out of the sky and streaked towards the ground straight for Garurumon. Ignoring the barrage of electricity raining down around him, Garurumon began to weave through the bolts of lightning at a run in an effort to reach Vampiramon. Tirimon raced up behind the wolf digimon and the two of them began to circle Vampiramon, their eyes focused intently on her every move. Vampiramon slowly backed up, trying unsuccessfully to keep them both in view, and let out an angry hiss. "Try all you want, but your pathetic attempts to stop me aren't going to work!"

"We'll see about that," Garurumon growled. "Stay away from Ryoko! Ready, Tirimon?"

"Ready! Arctic Blast!"

"Howling Blaster!"

Tirimon's snowy blast and Garurumon's icy stream of energy shot at Vampiramon in opposite directions, but before either attack could hit, the vampire digimon turned herself into a bat and launched herself into the air. Garurumon's and Tirimon's attacks collided beneath Vampiramon and exploded on impact.

"Don't worry, I'll get her," Greymon shouted, charging forwards and launching his attack at the vampire digimon. "Nova Blast!"

Vampiramon easily dodged the huge fire ball, wings flapping furiously to keep her airborne, and swooped between Greymon's legs out of reach. By the time Greymon turned to face her, she had already switched back to her human form, and immediately she sent bolts of lightning raining down on the dinosaur digimon's head. Greymon disappeared in a huge explosion, and by the time the smoke cleared, Vampiramon had already sent another attack at Tirimon and Garurumon, which they barely managed to avoid.

"Hey, not fair!" Greymon growled, struggling to stay on his feet. Wisps of smoke drifted into the air around him and he shook his large head to clear his vision. "Stay put so I can hit you! Nova Blast!"

"Lamia Transformation!" Vampiramon shouted.

Once again, the vampire digimon turned into a bat and launched herself into the air. Greymon's attack slammed into the ground where she had been standing a split second earlier, and the blast left a huge smoking crater in the earth.

"You're not going to get away that easily!" Dragermon growled, swooping around the vampire digimon in a circle. "Dragon Fire Spin!"

A swirling beam of fire shot out of Dragermon's mouth straight for Vampiramon, but she quickly swooped under the large dragon's body and the blast missed her by several feet. Growing frustrated, Dragermon tried to hit her with his tail, but she darted out of range and sped back towards the ground.

"It's no use!" Sora moaned, gazing helplessly at Tai. "Greymon and Dragermon are just too big for their attacks to have any effect. Vampiramon's small and quick, especially when she turns into a bat. The chances of their attacks hitting her are slim at best."

"In that case, I won't be much use either," Birdramon grumbled, hovering anxiously in the air above Sora's head.

"Great, so now what do we do?" Tai groaned, making a face. "Any ideas, Izzy?"

"I'm working on it. Some of our smaller champions might be able to slow Vampiramon down and give the larger ones a chance to attack. If not, our partners will have to digivolve again."

"Vampiramon's the same size as Ibismon," Takara said quietly, glancing hopefully at her father. "My partner was able to hold Vampiramon off once before. She can do it again. I know she can!"

"Yeah, too bad Ibismon's a little tied up at the moment," Matty replied, pointing at something beyond Vampiramon.

Dai turned to see what Matty was looking at and spotted Ibismon, Gabrielmon, Kabuterimon, and Meramon attempting to subdue Soulmon.

Kabuterimon and Ibismon were hovering above the other three digimon, but unlike the Bakemon guarding DarkAngelicmon's castle, Soulmon didn't look the least bit concerned about being surrounded by four strong digimon who were attempting to delete him.

"Let's see how smart you are compared to those Bakemon we fought earlier! Feather darts!" Ibismon shouted, spreading her wings and sending a barrage of pink feathers straight at Soulmon.

"I'm right behind you!" Kabuterimon called out, swooping beneath Ibismon and aiming his attack at Soulmon's back. "Electro Shocker!"

Soulmon managed to duck under Kabuterimon's electric blast, but some of Ibismon's feathers embedded themselves in his hat. Unlike the Bakemon, though, instead of running away, or even pulling his disappearing act, he let out a triumphant cackle and rushed straight towards Ibismon.

"Stop him!" Meramon ordered, motioning for Gabrielmon to move ahead of him. "You take the right and I'll take the left. Magma Blast!"

"Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon shouted, launching himself into the air and pointing his sceptre at the top of Soulmon's head.

Soulmon managed to avoid Meramon's fiery blast, but Gabrielmon's attack made contact with the back of his head and he nearly lost his hat. The force of the blast should have sent the ghost digimon flying through the air, but unfortunately it did not seem to have any effect. Instead of taking a tumble, Soulmon shot towards Ibismon and knocked the bird digimon off her feet.

"Leave her alone!" Gabrielmon cried, diving out of the sky and swinging his sceptre at the ghost digimon's back.

"Soul Cry!" Soulmon countered, shooting into the air and flying over Gabrielmon's head.

"Look out!" Ibismon shrieked.

Ghost-like creatures resembling spirits shot out in all directions and sent Kabuterimon and Gabrielmon crashing to the ground. Ibismon threw her arms over her head just as several of the spirits flew through the air towards her and they just missed the pink feathers sprouting from her long, emerald green hair. Two of the ghosts knocked Meramon off his feet and he narrowly avoided falling on top of Gabrielmon.

"Hey, why aren't you two helping out?" Matty asked, glancing between Angelicmon and Birdramon.

Angelicmon raised his eyebrows and gently placed his hand on Matty's shoulder. "Someone has to protect Dai and Ryoko."

"That's what we're here for," Birdramon added. Dai glanced up at Sora's partner and rolled his eyes. Birdramon was circling slowly above their heads and her gaze was focused intently on Vampiramon and Soulmon. Clearly she wasn't about to give Vampiramon a chance to capture either himself or Ryoko. _Angelicmon and Birdramon should be helping the others instead of standing, or in Birdramon's case hovering, here acting like babysitters. Dragermon and the rest of the digimon need their assistance. If Vampiramon wants to capture me, then I say let her try. I'll teach her what happens when you mess with the leader of the Digidestined!_

Angelicmon must have guessed what he was thinking because the angel digimon suddenly looked at him and frowned in disapproval. "Don't even think about it, Dai. You stay where you are. The only reason Vampiramon bothered to confront us today is because she wants to get her hands on you and Ryoko. This whole fight is merely to cause a distraction while she comes up with a plan to separate the two of you from the rest of our group. The minute we take our eyes off you, she'll put her plan into action, which is why we're not going to leave you on your own, even for a few minutes."

"But the others need your help!" Ryoko insisted.

"Let go!" Ibismon suddenly squealed, her voice carrying above the sounds of the battle.

Dai jerked around in surprise and let out a loud gasp. Soulmon's ghost-like creatures had somehow managed to pin Ibismon to the grass and she was struggling furiously in an attempt to free herself. Meramon, Kabuterimon, and Gabrielmon were all trying to avoid more ghost-like creatures circling around them, but at Ibismon's shout Gabrielmon managed to break away from the group and he fluttered towards Ibismon.

"Let her go!" Gabrielmon shouted, twirling his sceptre in a large circle. "Heavenly Vortex!"

A large golden gateway sharing the same symbol as Mickey's pedestal appeared in the sky above the spirits, and one by the one they were sucked into its shining depths. The last one disappeared in a blaze of light, and before the gate had even closed all the way, Gabrielmon was kneeling next to Ibismon's side. "Are you okay?"

Ibismon slowly sat up and gave one of Gabrielmon's gold and white wings a fond tug. "I am now, thanks to you."

"You won't be for long!" Soulmon cried gleefully, his slimy blue arms shooting out and wrapping tightly around Meramon. "Energy Drain!"

"What's happening?" Meramon gasped, sinking to his knees and letting out a soft groan. He tried to struggle free, but he didn't seem to have enough strength to overpower Soulmon.

Kabuterimon landed on the ground next to the flaming digimon and nearly lost his balance in an attempt to help Meramon escape. "I don't know. Hey, let go, you puny floating bed sheet!"

Soulmon immediately pulled away from Meramon and turned his attention to Ibismon and Gabrielmon. Before either one of them could move, he reached out his slimy blue arms and caught both of them in his large, ugly hands. Both digimon tried to struggle free, but it was no use. "He's draining our energy!" Gabrielmon groaned, sticking his arms between Soulmon's fingers and holding onto Ibismon's shoulder for support. "We can't stop him!"

"At this rate we're going to turn back into rookies!" Ibismon moaned, her emerald green eyes falling shut and her pink wings drooping behind her back. "That's so not fair!"

"Gabrielmon, no!" Angelicmon cried, taking a few steps towards his fellow digimon. "If they don't get some help, Soulmon's going to win!"

Dai raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Matty's partner. "Why don't you go help them?"

"But..."

"Go and help our friends, I'll watch Dai and Ryoko," Birdramon interrupted. "It doesn't look like Dragermon's group will be able to help. They're too busy just trying to keep up with Vampiramon."

"We're so going to lose!" Matty groaned.

"What do you expect with that kind of attitude?" Tai snorted, frowning at his nephew.

Dai found himself gazing into Angelicmon's green eyes, and the angel digimon stared back at him for a moment before turning to glance anxiously at Ryoko. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"I won't, but I can't speak for Daichi," Ryoko smirked.

Dai glared at the golden-haired Digidestined and waved Angelicmon away. "Go on, we're not little kids, you know. We can take care of ourselves. This really stinks! What's the point of being the leader of the Digidestined when nobody ever listens to you?"

"Welcome to my world," Tai said dryly, glancing at Matt.

Dai grinned at the former leader and turned to face Angelicmon. "Well? Get going!"

Angelicmon bowed and gave him a salute, but before the angel could launch himself into the air, Vampiramon, in her bat form, suddenly swooped over Tirimon and Garurumon and grabbed Ryoko by the back of his shirt.

"Ryoko!" Matt shouted, staring at his son in horror.

"Birdramon, do something!" Sora cried.

"I can't, I might hit Ryoko!"

"Let him go," Angelicmon commanded, pointing his spear at Vampiramon in a threatening manner.

"I don't think so! That Spirit Chip is mine, and blondie here is going to help me get it!"

Dai clenched his hands into fists and glared at the vampire digimon. "Leave Ishida alone or you're going to have to deal with me!"

Vampiramon turned back into her human form and wrapped her arm tightly around Ryoko's neck. Dai found himself staring into Vampiramon's angry green eyes, and smiling evilly, she tightened her grip on the golden-haired Digidestined and poked him roughly in the side with her small knife. "Really? What could a human possibly do to me?"

"Get your hands off my son!" Matt snarled, advancing towards Vampiramon.

Izzy and Tai grabbed onto Matt's arms before the golden-haired Digidestined could do anything drastic, and he glared defiantly at them, his sapphire eyes narrowing into angry slits.

"Calm down, Matt. Don't do anything stupid," Tai warned, keeping a firm grip on the former musician's arm. "You don't want Ryoko to end up getting hurt, do you?"

"There's no way I'm going to let her make my son a prisoner!"

"Putting your son's life in danger isn't going to help him," Izzy blurted out, tugging anxiously on Matt's other arm.

"Yeah, well what do you suggest I do?"

"Give me a moment. Even geniuses need some time to think!"

"How about I make a decision for you?" Vampiramon snarled, glaring at Izzy.

Dai glanced at the computer expert, but Izzy just shrugged and scratched his head.

_What in the Digiworld is Vampiramon talking about?_

Frowning slightly, Dai crossed his arms and turned to look at the vampire digimon. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Daichi Motomiya, if you come with me quietly, I will refrain from hurting your little friend. If you refuse, he will experience a great deal of pain. I might not be able to kill you or any of the other Digidestined at the moment, but I can still make all of you suffer, and if you don't willingly come with me, Ryoko Ishida will most certainly suffer."

"Don't listen to her, Daichi!" Ryoko snapped, struggling in Vampiramon's grip. "She's just trying to trick you into coming with her."

Dai ignored his golden-haired friend and glared at Vampiramon. "If I come with you, will you let Ishida go?"

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Ryoko shouted, staring at him in disbelief. "Do you realize what you're saying?"

"Don't be stupid," Vampiramon said coldly, her green eyes narrowing into angry slits. "You're both coming with me. I can't afford to pick the wrong person when it comes to the Spirit Chip of Bravery. It just means your friend won't suffer too terribly at my hands."

_What am I going to do? It's probably a trap, but if she really does hurt Ryoko..._

"Well? What is it going to be?"

"I don't believe you."

"Oh, really?"

Before Dai could respond, Vampiramon pressed the sharp edge of her knife into Ryoko's side and the golden-haired Digidestined let out a gasp of pain.

"Ryoko!" Matt cried, struggling in Tai's grip and trying desperately to reach his son.

"You humans may be less vulnerable in the Digital World, but that doesn't mean you're invincible," Vampiramon hissed. "You still experience pain, and with enough effort you can be killed."

"Let him go!" Matt snapped.

Vampiramon ignored the former musician and pressed her knife even further into Ryoko's side. Dai stared at his golden-haired friend, unable to look away, and the fear in his heart finally exploded. "Stop! Fine, you win. I'll go with you. Just...just don't hurt him."

"Daichi, you noble idiot!" Ryoko moaned, wincing in pain.

"Oh, Dai," Takara whispered, reaching out and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"You're just like your dad," Tai sighed, smiling slightly.

Dai gently let go of Takara's hand and slowly made his way towards Vampiramon. He could hear Matt shouting at him not to put himself in danger, but he ignored the former musician and kept his attention focused on Ryoko. Out of the corners of his eyes, he could see Kabuterimon's group still fighting against Soulmon, who had resorted to using his disappearing act, but he stopped when he spotted Dragermon hovering in the air just behind Vampiramon. Greymon was standing below Dragermon, and in front of the large dinosaur digimon, standing silent and ready to pounce, were Garurumon and Tirimon. He caught Tirimon's eye and the digimon nodded ever so slightly.

"Now!" Garurumon shouted.

Dai raced forwards, and grabbing onto Ryoko's arm, he yanked the golden-haired Digidestined out of Vampiramon's grip just as Garurumon and Tirimon leaped onto the vampire digimon's back.

"Your turn, Greymon!" Tai shouted.

"Nova Blast!"

Garurumon and Tirimon quickly moved to either side of Vampiramon, and Greymon's fiery blast engulfed her in a cloud of smoke.

Taking advantage of the situation, Dragermon swooped out of the sky and shot a stream of fire at Vampiramon.

"Daichi, you jerk! How could you just offer yourself up as a sacrifice like that?" Ryoko said angrily, hitting him hard in the stomach and trying to squirm out of his grip.

Dai gazed directly into Ryoko's sapphire eyes and tightened his grip on the golden-haired Digidestined's arms. "You're more important than any stupid Spirit Chip."

Ryoko stared at him in shock, but before the blond could answer, Matt suddenly ran up to them and pulled up Ryoko's shirt. "Are you hurt?"

There was a faint line where Vampiramon's knife had dug into the golden-haired Digidestined's skin, but it didn't look too serious. "I'm fine, Dad."

Matt held his son protectively against his chest and shook his head. "No you're not!"

"Listen, Tai, we need to get Dai and Ryoko out of here, but more importantly we need to find Sam," Izzy interrupted, turning to the former leader. "I think Mickey's right about him being in danger."

"It's the ocean," Mickey whispered, gazing off into the distance. "Sam is losing himself to the darkness."

"You...you don't think it's the Dark Ocean, do you?" Matty asked hesitantly, tugging anxiously on his twin's arm.

"I don't know, but...it could be."

"In that case, we're going to have to split up," Tai sighed, shaking his head.

"Why don't Izzy and I stay behind and keep Vampiramon busy long enough to give you guys a head start?" Mina suggested.

"Will two of you be enough?" Sora asked, looking concerned. "I mean, Vampiramon is a mega."

"I want to find Sam!" Mickey said stubbornly.

Takara hesitated and let out a deep sigh. "I'll stay."

Dai jerked around and stared at his female friend in surprise. "What did you say? You...can't...Tai, tell her!"

Tai smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I trust Izzy and Mina. They'll keep Kara safe."

"Of course we will," Mina said softly, patting Tai's shoulder.

"Mina's right," Izzy insisted. "Three of us are going to have to be enough. You guys might run into Vampiramon's other allies, and if you do, you're going to need a lot of digimon to fight against them, especially if they have Sam. Vampiramon only wants Dai and Ryoko. Killing or hurting the rest of us would take too much time, so she's probably just going to try and get around us. She said it herself. She can't kill us until her master gives the order. Besides, Kabuterimon, Meramon, and Ibismon seem to be holding their own now."

Dai glanced at Kabuterimon's group and let out a sigh of relief. Ibismon, Gabrielmon, and Meramon were all back on their feet again, and for once their attacks seemed to be affecting a now visible Soulmon. The ghost digimon was doing his best not to get hit, but some of the blasts made contact and sent him flying through the air. "They're doing fine now, but what will happen when Vampiramon joins the fight?"

"We'll be fine, Dai," Takara interrupted, rolling her eyes. "We're just going to distract Vampiramon long enough to give you guys a head start and then we'll follow you, okay?"

_How am I supposed to protect everyone when we keep having to split up all the time?_

Sighing loudly, Dai pulled his female friend into a fierce hug and hid his face against her shoulder. "Fine, but if you do anything crazy you're in big trouble."

"Yes, leader, I'll behave."

Dai pulled back and glanced suspiciously at the female Digidestined, but Kara just smiled at him and touched his cheek. Her own cheeks looked unusually pink, but despite the uncertainty in her hazel eyes, she looked pleased about something.

"Be careful," Sora whispered, kissing her daughter's forehead.

Dai turned and waved his arm to get Dragermon's attention. "Dragermon, come back! Gabrielmon, Greymon, Garurumon, Tirimon, you guys are coming with us!"

Almost immediately, Dragermon and the others abandoned their positions, and Dai blinked in surprise. _Wow, they actually listened to me this time!_

"Let's go!" Angelicmon shouted.

"This way!" Birdramon called out.

Tai hugged his daughter and whispered something in her ear before climbing onto Birdramon with Sora, and Dai quickly made his way over to his own partner's side. Ryoko dragged Mickey onto Tirimon's back, and the older twin's arms went around his cousin's waist.

"Hang on, Mickey."

"I'm scared, Ryoko," Mickey mumbled into his cousin's shoulder. "Sam's in danger."

"I'm scared too, but Sam's fine. I know he is. He'd better be or...or..."

"Come on, Matty," Matt said quietly, pulling the younger twin up behind him on Garurumon's back and frowning thoughtfully at his son.

"Angelicmon, Gabrielmon, and I will cover your backs," Greymon called out.

"Get back here!" Vampiramon shrieked, attempting to follow them.

Luckily, Ibismon reached Vampiramon before the mega could turn into a bat, and Dai smiled as Takara's partner hurtled out of the air and landed on top of Vampiramon with a loud thud. "Now is our chance! Everyone, move out!"

They started off in the direction of Sam's signal, Garurumon and Tirimon leading the way, but Dai barely noticed the scenery zooming by on either side of him. Even the fact that he was one of Vampiramon's main targets didn't frighten him as much as it should have. At the moment, all he cared about was Sam, Kara's group, and what was going on inside Ryoko's head.

_It's Sam. Ryoko knows something about Sam, or at least something that has to do with Sam. What could it be? Kara, you always have an answer for this kind of thing, but just when I need you most, you're out there fighting to stay alive. Please, please don't die. I could never live in a world that doesn't have you in it..._


	140. A Fool's Errand

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I love it when you can just feel the chapters building up to something big!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 140: A Fool's Errand

_Miya Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

_What is Sam doing? Why is he so far away from the others?_

Miya Ichijouji frowned at the computer screen from her seat next to Taniko and turned to glance anxiously at Davis. The former leader was staring at the computer screen, as well, and he looked a little bit worried. "Davis, what do you think is going on? You don't believe Sam's been captured, do you?"

Davis shrugged his shoulders and rested his chin in his hands. "I have no idea. Maybe he was captured, but then again, maybe it's part of the plan to find the Spirit Chips. You never know with Izzy's plans. What I don't understand is why the others aren't going after him."

"Maybe that's part of the plan, too," DemiVeemon suggested, settling himself comfortably on Shadow's back and smiling hopefully at his partner.

T.K. slowly shook his head and let out a deep sigh. "No, something is definitely wrong. There's no way Dai would let someone from his team wander off on their own."

"Thanks, T.K., we all feel so much better now," Davis said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I'm scared," Nao whimpered, hiding his face against the former leader's side.

_Sam..._

Miya gazed helplessly at her little brother for a moment and let out a soft sound of distress. The fear in her heart must have shown on her face because she felt Taniko's arm slip around her shoulders, and Noah gave her fingers a tight squeeze.

"We're all scared," Ami said quietly, "including me, but I know Dai won't let anything happen to Sam."

"Cheer up, Nao!" Rina said enthusiastically, scrambling out of her dad's embrace and throwing her arms around the lavender-haired boy in a big hug. "My brothers will keep Sam safe. They're good at that kind of thing."

After a brief hesitation, Nao slowly nodded and smiled shyly at his dark-haired friend. "I guess so."

Patamon nodded in agreement, and leaping off T.K.'s head, the little digimon settled himself on Nao's lavender hair and used one of his long ears to stroke the little boy's smooth cheek. "You can trust Mickey and Matty. They won't let Sam get hurt."

"I wish we knew what was going on," Mimi complained, giving the computer screen a dirty look.

"Well, Izzy's got his laptop with him. Why don't we send him an e-mail?" Palmon suggested.

Kenzo leaned over the back of Taniko's chair for a closer look at the glowing dots on the screen, and his dark eyebrows narrowed into a deep frown. "It might not do any good. I get the feeling Izzy's a bit tied up at the moment. I doubt he has time to be answering e-mails."

"What kind of attitude is that?" Ema snorted, poking Kenzo sharply in the ribs and leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen herself.

"Ouch, Ema! Will you cut it out? You're crushing me, by the way."

"I am not, you big baby. You're even worse than Tay sometimes."

"I heard that! Ema, quit trying to flatten Kenzo! Oh, and you're in the way. I can't see the computer screen," Taysuke added, nudging his female friend aside and leaning over Kenzo's shoulder for a better look.

"Hey, that was my spot!"

"Now who's being a baby."

"Quit it, guys! It was bad enough with just one of you, but now you're both crushing me!" Kenzo shouted.

Jun frowned and gave the group surrounding Taniko a stern look. "Cut it out, you three! You're giving me a headache."

"Now you know how I feel," Davis smirked.

Jun elbowed her brother in the ribs, but before she could say anything Mimi suddenly pointed towards the door and held up a hand for silence. "I think I hear someone coming."

Shadow immediately raced for the stairs, with DemiVeemon on his back, but before the little puppy could make it through the door, Noriko, Cody, and Rosa entered the room.

"You're back!" DemiVeemon said excitedly, leaping into Noriko's arms. Noriko cuddled the little digimon against her cheek and turned to look at her husband. "What's going on? Did we miss anything?"

Davis made a face and motioned for his wife to take a seat. "We have a problem. Sam's gotten himself separated from the rest of the group."

"What do you mean?" Cody asked, stepping around Shadow, who was attempting to lick his feet.

"Sam's signal has detached itself from the rest of the group," Taniko explained, tapping rapidly on the keyboard and bringing up a clear view of the map. Miya immediately recognized it as the area where Sam was currently located. "It looks like he's heading towards the ocean."

"Why would he be heading towards the ocean?" Rosa asked, reaching down to scratch Shadow's ears.

Taniko let out a deep sigh and shrugged her shoulders. "No idea."

"Yolei's going to go ballistic when she finds out," Cody muttered.

"Can we just not tell her what's going on?" Davis asked hopefully.

Noriko frowned at her husband and sat down next to Nao on the cream-coloured carpet. "Davis, don't be ridiculous. Yolei deserves to know what's happening with her son."

"In that case, you can be the one to tell her because if she reacts the way I think she will then I'm not going anywhere near her. How much do you want to bet she'll find a way to blame me for Sam's disappearing act?"

Noriko sniffed and gave her husband a dirty look, but the former leader's words seemed to have caught her attention because all of a sudden she didn't look too eager to have a conversation with Yolei either.

"Daddy's going to be really scared when he finds out," Nao whispered, pulling Patamon into his arms and squeezing the little rookie tightly against his chest.

Noriko let out a deep sigh and gently ruffled Nao's lavender hair. "As if Ken didn't have enough problems to worry about."

_Too bad nobody will tell us what they are._

Miya rested her elbows on the desk and turned to look at Taniko. The younger girl's dark brown eyes were filled with sympathy, but Miya barely noticed. All she could think about was Sam. "My brother has been acting really funny lately, and I know he's been worried about the whole thing with the Digimon Emperor, but...it's more than that. You saw the way he was arguing with Ryoko earlier. Those two never fight. I don't know what's going on, but something is definitely wrong. Sam has always been a cautious person. He would never wander off by himself in the Digital World unless there was a good reason for it."

"Come on, Miya, I know you're worried, but I'm sure Sam's fine. I'll send my dad an e-mail. I'm not sure if he'll have a chance to get back to me, but it's a start," Taniko said softly.

Miya slowly nodded and gave the younger girl a quick hug. "Thanks, Taniko."

"Until Izzy does get back to us, you'd better keep an eye on Sam's signal," T.K. warned, smiling at Taniko and shooting Davis a look. The former leader's rant about Yolei's behaviour quickly subsided and he nodded in agreement, though he looked a little annoyed about the fact that nobody had been listening to him.

"Well, I would if these three would quit assaulting me," Taniko grumbled, waving her hand at Ema, Taysuke, and Kenzo. Taysuke and the other two were crowded around Taniko in a semi-circle and they kept trying to lean over her for a better look at the screen.

_If only we knew who the Emperor was. Maybe then Sam would finally be able to move on and concentrate on what's really important._

"Look!" Ema suddenly shouted, pointing at something on the map. "Dai must have realized Sam has gone missing because his dot has started moving towards the ocean, too."

"Matt, Sora, Tai, Ryoko, and the twins are with him," Taniko added, "but why have my parents and Kara stayed behind? I'd better ask Dad in my e-mail."

"How can you tell who is who?" Taysuke asked, gazing curiously at the screen. "I mean, Izzy's dot is purple, too. How do you know he's not the one heading towards the ocean instead of Sam?"

Taniko raised her eyebrows and gestured towards the screen. "Their signals are different shades of purple, just like Matt's and Ryoko's signals are different shades of blue. It's the same for all the Digidestined. Add Ken into the mix, and you'll find that his signal is a different shade of purple from both Izzy's signal and Sam's signal. Really, Tay, you should learn to be more perceptive."

"You mean like Ryoko? I can be like that. I can!" Taysuke protested.

Miya ignored the younger kids and continued to gaze anxiously at Sam's signal. Noah's hand was still wrapped tightly around her fingers, and she gave it a quick squeeze. In response to her nervous gesture, Noah leaned forwards and placed his lips close to her ear. "Sam will be fine, Miya. He's a tough kid. He's made it this far, hasn't he?"

Miya didn't bother trying to come up with a reply. Instead, she buried her face against Noah's shoulder and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She felt him grow tense in surprise, but instead of pulling back, she squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her arms around him. The warmth of his body and the feel of his heart beating against her chest were comforting, and right now she needed all the comfort she could get. The sound of Taniko's fingers flying across the keyboard to type a message that would eventually make its way to Izzy was starting to make her nervous.

_Sam might be tough, but what is he going to do if DarkAngelicmon or one of the others find him?_

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Daichi Motomiya wrapped his arms tightly around Dragermon's long, scarlet neck and glanced down at the other Digidestined and digimon racing over the grass below him. Tirimon and Garurumon were still in the lead, their sleek, long bodies loping easily over the uneven ground, and at Dragermon's side, Birdramon was scanning the landscape for any signs of trouble. At the back of the group, Greymon and the two angels were keeping watch in case Vampiramon managed to catch up to them, but so far it looked as if Izzy's group had every intention of keeping their word.

"We're getting closer!" Ryoko shouted, waving his glowing, blue Digivice in the air to capture everyone's attention.

"Careful," Matt called out, gesturing at his son's D-Coder, "we don't want that thing to attract DarkAngelicmon's attention."

Ryoko quickly covered his Digivice, and even though Dai was speeding through the air about a hundred feet above the golden-haired Digidestined, it didn't take a genius to realize Ryoko's face had turned a deep shade of red.

_Too late, Matt. We didn't cover the crests and D-Coders when they first started glowing, so it's kind of pointless to do it now._

Shaking his head at Ryoko's obvious embarrassment, Dai took a quick look at his own glowing D-Coder and was surprised to discover that Ryoko was right. Slowly but steadily they were getting closer to Sam's purple dot, but despite the impending reunion, Dai could not help feeling a little bit unsettled. There was no telling what they might encounter when they did finally catch up to Sam, and even if DarkAngelicmon or one of Vampiramon's other allies weren't holding the raven-haired Digidestined hostage, that didn't necessarily mean Sam was going to willingly join up with them again.

_Something must be really wrong. Sam's always been a very careful person. He would never wander off on his own unless he encountered something intriguing enough to capture his attention and draw him away from his friends, but what could have that kind of power over him? Could Mickey be right about the Dark Ocean, or maybe this has something to do with the Digimon Emperor..._

Dai frowned thoughtfully at his shiny, red D-Coder and jumped in surprise when its screen suddenly stopped glowing. "Hey, what happened?"

"Why did they suddenly stop glowing?" Mickey shouted from down below, peering over Ryoko's shoulder for a closer look.

Dai turned to face the couple sitting on Birdramon's back and held up his D-Coder. "What's the deal with these things?"

"We're getting too far away from Infinity Mountain," Sora shouted over the sound of the wind in their ears. "The D-Coders and the crests aren't close enough to the Spirit Chip to pick up its signal anymore."

"Dai, we should land!" Tai shouted, his voice barely audible over the noise of the wind. "If DarkAngelicmon is with Sam, I don't want him to see us coming."

"Tai's right," Angelicmon called out. "We don't want to put Sam in danger, and we definitely don't want DarkAngelicmon to try and make an escape. Dracomon will do his best to protect Sam, but if something has happened to him, then Sam could be in big trouble."

"How much do you want to bet DarkAngelicmon will try to escape with Sam and Glowmon?" Greymon growled.

Dai let out a deep sigh, and waving his hand in the air, he motioned for Gabrielmon to join him. Immediately, the celestial digimon landed next to him on Dragermon's back and pointed towards the ocean.

Frowning slightly, Dai turned to look at the ocean, as well, and made a face. Gabrielmon's message was only too clear. "You feel him, don't you."

"DarkAngelicmon's presence is growing stronger, even as we speak. He's definitely close by and Sam is with him."

"How do you know? I mean...how can you be sure?"

Gabrielmon gazed quietly at his hands for a moment and fluttered his wings in frustration. "I'm not sure, but I feel it in my heart. I can't feel Sam the way I feel DarkAngelicmon, but I can feel the darkness. I know he's in trouble. Mickey is very worried. We have to do something."

"We will. I just hope Sam doesn't do anything stupid before we can reach him. Watch Mickey for me, will you? He might try to do something crazy, and I don't want him to end up in the same situation as Sam."

Gabrielmon managed a slight smile and gently patted his shoulder. "I will do what I can. I believe you may be right about my partner. Mickey is a very shy human, but he can be aggressive when he wants to be."

"Yeah, I'm finding that out the hard way. Do you think this would be a good place to land?"

Gabrielmon leaned around Dragermon's neck for a better look and nodded his head in approval. "We don't want to get too close to DarkAngelicmon."

_Not when Sam's freedom could depend on it._

Dai winced at the thought and gave Gabrielmon's right wings a quick nudge. "You'd better join your partner. Mickey's an awesome friend, but I don't trust him to refrain from making my life difficult. He's done it before."

Gabrielmon slowly stood up and gently placed a hand against the top of his spiky hair. "You're a good leader, Dai. Don't ever forget that."

Dai felt his mouth drop open in surprise, but before he could say anything, Gabrielmon launched himself into the air and fluttered off to join Tirimon.

_Gabrielmon thinks I'm a good leader? Does that mean all the digimon feel the same way he does? I know Embermon believes in me, but I've never thought about what the other digimon might think..._

Growing slightly more confident, Dai turned to look at the large bird digimon keeping pace next to Dragermon and placed his hands in a circle around his mouth. "Sora, Birdramon, let's land! Gabrielmon says there's trouble up ahead."

"Great," Tai grumbled, grabbing Sora around the waist as Birdramon began to descend towards the ground.

Dragermon landed smoothly on the pale green grass, and a moment later Dai was racing towards his friends. He came to a stop next to Matty and quickly held out his D-Coder Digivice. "Sam should be somewhere up ahead."

"DarkAngelicmon, as well," Angelicmon murmured.

Mickey let out a soft moan, but Dai barely noticed. He had just spotted two figures moving steadily towards them through the thick clumps of bushes dotting the landscape. The two digimon must have been using the bushes to conceal themselves from anyone who happened to be passing by on the ground or in the air because Dai definitely hadn't spotted them before when he had been keeping watch on Dragermon's back.

_They must have spotted Dragermon and Birdramon flying overhead, but why would they want to hide from us?_

"We've got trouble," Ryoko muttered, nodding his head towards the two newcomers.

"Who are they?" Sora asked curiously.

Dai took a closer look at the two digimon and clenched his hands into fists. "Jestermon and Spritemon."

"What are they doing here?" Matty asked. "You don't think they know about the Spirit Chips, too, do you? From what Vampiramon and Soulmon had hinted at earlier, they weren't in the forest. At least, they weren't in the forest with Vampiramon and Soulmon."

_Good point. I can't answer that, but one thing does make sense. Jestermon and Spritemon knew we wouldn't land here if we spotted them and that's why they hid themselves in the bushes. They could have spotted both Dragermon and Birdramon easily from the air, even from a distance. They were probably hoping we would land, but even if we didn't, they still would have known exactly where we were going..._

"I bet they were just waiting for a chance to ambush us," Matty grumbled.

"Looks like they got their chance," Tirimon snorted.

"Jestermon? Isn't he the one who tried to kill Mickey?" Matt said indignantly.

Tai rolled his eyes and elbowed the former musician in the ribs. "Not now, Matt."

"But, but that Spritemon tried to kill your daughter!"

"Let's get out of here!" Mickey cried.

"No time," Greymon growled, moving to stand in front of Tai. "They're here."

Dai jerked around in surprise and found himself standing about twenty feet away from Jestermon. _Great, now what?_

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Spritemon said sweetly, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "See, Jestermon? He was right to send you along, despite all your complaints. And here I thought we were going to have to work at getting our hands on the Spirit Chips."

Jestermon let out a loud cackle and began to caper around Spritemon in a dizzying circle. "Spirit Chips, D-Coders, and everything inbetween. It's time to have a little fun so let the games begin!"


	141. Two Halves of a Whole

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Time for some familiar faces! Now, I wrote this chapter before Christmas back when I was really busy and lacking my usual inspiration, so if you're a bit disappointed with how the chapter turned out, trust me, I won't be offended. I'm actually quite disappointed myself. I wanted our two favorite megas to have a more dramatic entrance, but as you will see, it didn't quite work out as well as I had hoped it would, though I do make up for it with some nice chapters coming up! Also, a big thank you to RoyalKnightX for for the awesome chapter title!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 141: Two Halves of a Whole

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Don't tell me you two losers know about the Spirit Chips, too!" Ryoko groaned, shaking his head in defeat.

_I knew it! So, they really weren't with Vampiramon. I wonder why..._

Spritemon clasped her hands together behind her back and gave the golden-haired Digidestined a wicked smile. The triumphant look on her face wasn't exactly encouraging, and neither was Jestermon's enthusiastic little victory dance. "Ran into Vampiramon, did you? That would explain why some of your little friends are missing. Of course we know what's going on. Did you honestly believe Vampiramon and her companions were the only ones lurking in the forest? You really should pay more attention to your surroundings. We know everything, and we intend to make good use of Gennai's information. Isn't that right, Jestermon?"

"For once, the fool agrees with you. As unlikely as it might seem, you have been known to be right on occasion, much to Vampiramon's annoyance."

"I do wish someone would tell DarkAngelicmon that."

Dai turned slowly to look at Ryoko and managed a sheepish grin. "She does have a point, you know."

"Who, Spritemon?" the blond snorted. "I don't like it either, but she's right about one thing. We really do need to start paying more attention to what's going on around us."

"Where's DarkAngelicmon?" Mickey suddenly shouted, his sharp words cutting through the air like a knife. "Tell me right now, and what have you done with Sam?"

Jestermon tripped over his own feet in surprise at Mickey's outburst and fell face first onto the grass. Muttering to himself, the fool slowly lifted his head and stared at Spritemon in confusion. "The little Emperor?"

Spritemon ignored the fool and gave Mickey a suspicious look. "Not that it's any of your business, but as far as I know, DarkAngelicmon is around here somewhere. As for your little Emperor friend, we have no idea where he is. Isn't he with Vampiramon and the rest of your annoying Digidestined allies? The last time we saw him, he was with you."

"That's a lie! If you've done anything to hurt him..."

_It's not a lie, it's the truth._

Dai quickly placed a restraining hand on Mickey's shoulder and turned to gaze curiously at Jestermon and Spritemon. Both megas seemed genuinely surprised at the news of Sam's sudden disappearance, and their eyes kept traveling over the group, as if expecting to see Sam standing in their midsts.

"We know DarkAngelicmon's close by," Matty snapped, glaring angrily at Jestermon. "That's not what Mickey was asking. You say you don't know where Sam is, but what about DarkAngelicmon? Why isn't he with you, especially since he's obviously in the area."

"We're the ones asking the questions here, not you!" Spritemon snapped.

Jestermon slowly stood up and began to juggle his customary set of three black balls in his deft hands. The fool's deep red eyes were narrowed in concentration, and there was a frown on his wrinkled, green face. "Angel boy also knows exactly what you're planning and he sent us on ahead to follow you on your journey to reach Infinity Mountain before nightfall."

"How come?" Angelicmon asked suspiciously.

"Who knows?" Spritemon snapped irritably, rustling her wings in frustration. "Since when has DarkAngelicmon _ever_ made sense?"

"He said something about needing some time alone to think," Jestermon murmured, gazing thoughtfully at the black balls spinning effortlessly in front of his face.

"Like we're going to believe that," Tirimon growled.

"How could DarkAngelicmon know what we're planning? He wasn't in the forest," Gabrielmon said quietly.

Spritemon rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "You're pretty dumb for a champion, Gabrielmon. In case you didn't notice, DarkAngelicmon is not exactly stupid. At least...not most of the time. Do you really think he wouldn't have taken the presence of other angel digimon into account? He knew you would sense him if he came anywhere near the forest, so he got us to do his spying for him."

"Speaking of spying, we overheard you and your friends talking about finding one of the Spirit Chips," Jestermon smirked, his glowing red eyes traveling over Gabrielmon's handsome face. "If that's true, then why are you heading in the opposite direction of Infinity Mountain?"

"It's none of _your_ business what we do," Matty shouted before Gabrielmon could answer.

"I don't care about the Spirit Chip of Bravery!" Mickey snapped, his whole body growing tense beneath Dai's hand. "I just want to find Sam."

"I told you," Spritemon hissed, "we don't know where your depressing little friend is, and to tell you the turth, we don't really care. His Spirit Chip isn't on top of Infinity Mountain, is it. We saw the blue, orange, and red lights shooting into the sky, and don't think we don't know exactly what it means. Even Jestermon can put two and two together when it counts. If we cut you out of the equation, Makiya Takaishi, then it's easy to figure out what's going on, especially since you pretty much told us which Spirit Chip you're looking for. At the moment, the little Emperor is of no use to us, but your goggle-headed leader and his little blondie sidekick are. They're the ones we want, and we don't intend to leave here today without them!"

"I don't believe you," Mickey said stubbornly, shaking his head in denial.

Before Dai could even blink, Spritemon suddenly reached out and grabbed a fist full of Mickey's golden hair. The older twin stumbled, nearly falling on his face, but Spritemon's grip on his hair kept him from losing his balance. With a little bit of effort, he somehow managed to stay on his feet, but in order to do so he had to grab onto one of Spritemon's fragile, transparent wings for support. Despite the fact that Mickey had nearly banged his nose against Spritemon's forehead, the female mega refused to relinquish her grip on his golden hair. Instead, she forced the older twin to look her directly in the eyes, and she gave his silky, blond tresses a sharp tug. "Listen to me, you fool, if Sam Ichijouji really is with DarkAngelicmon, then you can be sure he's in good hands. If I were you, I'd be more worried about-"

"Let go of me!" Mickey gasped, struggling in Spritemon's grip.

"Birdramon!" Sora shouted, pointing at Spritemon.

Dai felt a strong breeze ruffle his spiky brown hair, and lifting his gaze, he looked up just in time to see Birdramon dive out of the sky and wrap her large talons around Spritemon's small body. With one powerful sweep of her wings, Birdramon took off into the air again and circled around Jestermon with the female mega still gripped in her talons.

Now that Spritemon was no longer holding him up, Mickey's strength finally gave out and he tumbled to the ground in a heap. Angry at himself for losing his grip on the older twin's arm, Dai quickly hurried over to his friend's side and helped the golden-haired twin into a sitting position. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Mickey blushed and gave him a shy smile. "No, I...sorry, Dai. I'm doing it again, aren't I."

Dai let out a soft laugh and patted his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I should yell at you, but I'm not going to. I'm sure Matty will be happy to do that for me."

Sure enough, Dai could see Matty and Gabrielmon standing a few feet behind Mickey, and both of them looked completely exasperated with the older twin's behaviour. Mickey must have sensed their gazes on him because he turned to glance sheepishly at his brother, and receiving a dirty look in return, he shifted his attention to Gabrielmon instead and gave his partner a weak smile. Like Matty, Gabrielmon was not at all impressed, but he did soften up enough to shake his head in amusement.

"Get your filthy claws off me!" Spritemon shouted, her muffled shrieks just barely audible over the sound of Birdramon's attempts to keep them airborne. The breeze stirred up by the force of her large wings ruffled the grass beneath Jestermon's feet and made the bells on his hat sing a catchy little rhythm. Gaping at the sky, the fool let his black balls tumble to the ground in a heap, and they rolled across the grass, eventually disappearing beneath a large clump of bushes tangled with weeds. Unable to escape, Spritemon continued to scream at the top of her lungs.

"Now, Birdramon!" Sora called out, beaming at her partner.

Birdramon immediately let go of Spritemon, but before the little mega could do much more than spread her wings, Birdramon let her attack fly. "Meteor Wing!"

Spritemon disappeared in a blaze of light and her small body began to descend towards the ground at an alarming pace. Streams of fire trailing behind her, she resembled a meteor falling out of the sky, and unfortunately for Jestermon, the female mega's smoking body was heading right towards him. Crying out in surprise, the fool attempted to duck out of the way, but before he could take more than a step, Spritemon crashed into him. They ended up in a tangled heap on the ground, but despite the fact that tendrils of smoke were drifting into the air from Spritemon's skin, the little mega appeared entirely unhurt by Birdramon's attack. "You're going to pay for that, human!"

"More like the other way around. That was for trying to hurt my daughter!" Sora shot back, smiling in satisfaction. "And you'd better keep your hands off my nephew, too, or there'll be more where that came from!"

Tai glanced at his wife and managed a weak smile. "Remind me again never to make you angry. I think you've been hanging around Mimi a little too long."

"Tell me about it," Matt muttered, gazing cautiously at Sora before turning to look at Tai. "I thought you would be the one to try and take out Spritemon."

"So did I!"

"Why aren't you with Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon?" Ryoko asked slowly, frowning at the two megas. "I'm assuming BlackWidowmon is with Vampiramon's gang, even if we didn't see her. At least, that's what Soulmon hinted at earlier. I mean, you said it yourself. You want to get your hands on me and Daichi, as well as the Spirit Chip of Bravery. According to Vampiramon, she and her allies want the exact same thing, so why aren't you guys working together, or are you?"

"Don't talk to me about that power hungry, little witch!" Spritemon shrieked, leaping to her feet.

"I thought she was a vampire digimon," Matty snorted.

"You know what I mean! She wants all the glory, does she? Well, I'll show her who's better at fulfilling our master's orders!"

Dai crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "It sounds like you and your evil buddies are having a bit of a fight. Don't you know that's bad for teamwork?"

"You're one to talk!" Spritemon snapped, angrily fluttering her wings. "You argue with your stupid human friends all the time. That doesn't exactly make you a very good leader, does it."

Dai glared at the female mega, but before he could say anything, Ryoko pushed past him, walked straight up to Spritemon, and poked her sharply between the ribs. "What would _you_ know about having a good leader? Your master doesn't stand a chance against Daichi! Where is he, huh? If the Ruler of Darkness is so strong and powerful, then why is he hiding like a coward? Why doesn't he fight us like a real dark digimon would? Instead of sitting here yakking about the Spirit Chips and trying to capture people, why don't you take that message back to your precious master?"

"Why you little-"

"Ryoko Ishida! What do think you're doing? I swear you're getting as bad as Mickey. Get back here!" Matt snapped, catching hold of his son's arm and pulling the golden-haired Digidestined behind him.

Ryoko tugged on his father's navy shirt and whispered something Dai wasn't quite able to catch, but whatever the golden-haired Digidestined said must have been pretty significant because Matt's expression suddenly softened into a smile, and shaking his head, the former musician gently ruffled his son's hair.

"You know I'm right," Ryoko mumbled, avoiding his father's eyes.

"Of course you are, but putting yourself in danger isn't going to stop your enemies from insulting your friends!"

"Dad! Keep your voice down, would you?"

_Are they...are they talking about me?_

"Why?" Matt asked, smiling in amusement.

Ryoko blushed and gave his father a dirty look, but Matt pretended not to notice. Instead, the former musician turned to Spritemon and his sapphire eyes narrowed into angry slits. "Since, for whatever reason, you obviously aren't working with Vampiramon, why would your master have bothered to split you guys up into two different groups if you were all just going to spy on us? Why wouldn't he have just made all of you work together? Unless...are you sure DarkAngelicmon hasn't just run off and left you here in order to look for Lucemon or something? He might not have gotten very far yet, but that doesn't mean he isn't trying to leave you behind."

Jestermon jerked his head up in surprise and quickly straightened his red, blue, and green hat before it could slip off his head. "Hey, how do you know we were ordered to capture Lucemon?"

"Lucky guess," Tai smirked, glancing at Matt.

"Yeah, something like that," the former musician snorted.

"Are you-"

"You idiot, Jestermon!" Spritemon shrieked, stomping on the fool's foot. "What do you think you're doing telling them our master's plan?"

"I didn't! They just-"

"Vampiramon certainly seems to think you've been ordered to capture Lucemon," Ryoko smirked.

"I had a feeling she suspected us of being involved in our master's plans concerning Lucemon's fate," Spritemon muttered, making a face. "I suppose I'll have to warn DarkAngelicmon, if he hasn't come to the same conclusion on his own already."

"I can't take this anymore!" Mickey suddenly cried, tugging anxiously on Tai's arm. "We have to find Sam right now!"

"The longer we take to find him, the more danger he's likely to be in," Matty said quietly, tugging on Tai's other arm.

Jestermon snapped his fingers, and immediately the three black balls he had dropped earlier appeared right back in his hands. He began to juggle them in a wide, lazy circle and a small smile appeared on his sickly green face. "We meet again, Makiya Takaishi. As much as I enjoy your company, your constant whining is starting to get on my nerves. The same is true for your brother. The fool can only handle so much, and I'm afraid I've just gone over my limit. I ought to capture you both, just to keep you quiet. It's only fair, after all, and you know I'm a firm believer in fair play."

"In case you didn't notice, our idea of fair play is a lot different from yours!" Matty shouted.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the cells in our dungeon back on Cyber are quite comfortable. Ask Gennai if you don't believe me. Would you and your brother care to try them out?"

"Leave our nephews alone!" Matt and Tai shouted at the exact same time.

Jestermon quickly ceased his juggling, and red eyes narrowing into angry slits, he glared at the two adult Digidestined. "The fool should have destroyed your nephews while he still had the chance! Shadow Spheres!"

"Watch out!" Ryoko shouted.

Tai grabbed onto Matty's shoulders and dragged the younger twin out of the glowing orb's path just in time. One of Jestermon's three dark balls had flown straight at Matty, and despite the fact that Tai had been quick to react, the dark sphere just narrowly missed hitting the younger twin directly in the forehead. The other two spheres headed for Matt and Mickey, and letting out a gasp of surprise, Matt shoved Mickey towards the ground and covered the older twin's head with his arms. Both orbs streaked through the air just inches above Matt's golden hair and flew harmlessly off into the distance.

"That's it! Now you've gone too far!" Tai shouted, leaping to his feet and depositing Matty into Sora's arms. "Come on, Matt, let's show this jerk what happens to evil digimon who try to mess with our nephews!"

"Oh, are we supposed to be scared?" Spritemon smirked, raising her eyebrows.

Matt glared at her and tightened his arms around Mickey. "You two think you're so tough, but let's see what happens when you have to face WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon!"

"Now you're talking!" Greymon growled, advancing towards Spritemon and Jestermon.

"Finally, a real challenge!" Jestermon said gleefully, twirling around in a circle and doing a little jig.

"You won't be so cheerful when we're done with you!" Matt snapped. "Come on, Garurumon, it's time to fight mega with mega! You know what to do."

"You too, Greymon!" Tai shouted.

Dai watched in awe as Greymon and Garurumon returned to their rookie stages. Both digimon turned to face their partners and Tai and Matt quickly held out their Digivices. The two digimon disappeared in flashes of orange and blue light, Agumon surrounded by orange light and Gabumon surrounded by blue light, and immediately they began to take on new forms.

"After you, Agumon!"

"Right! Agumon warp digivolve to, WarGreymon!"

"Gabumon warp digivolve to, MetalGarurumon!"

Where Agumon and Gabumon had been standing only moments ago, there now stood two large, impressive digimon whose shiny armour sparkled in the afternoon sunshine. WarGreymon stood on two feet with the image of the Crest of Courage split into two halves on what looked like armoured wings on his back. When the two halves were placed together, the image of the crest became whole and created a shield. MetalGarurumon stood on four legs, and he too had shiny armour all over his body, those his was mostly a silvery blue colour instead of a combination of yellow, red, and silver.

"Wow," Ryoko said weakly, reaching out a trembling hand and touching MetalGarurumon lightly on the nose. The large mega gently nuzzled Ryoko's shoulder, and face glowing, the golden-haired Digidestined turned to look at Tirimon. "Hey, Tirimon, do you think you'll ever become a mega?"

"For you, Ryoko? If that's what it takes to defeat the Ruler of Darkness, then with your help, I will do everything I can to become a mega. You know I would do anything for you."

"I know."

"Hey, don't forget about us!" Sora interrupted, holding up her glowing, red crest. "Birdramon may not have reached mega yet, but she's still a powerful ultimate!"

"That's right, I almost forgot!" Matty gasped, smiling up at his aunt.

"Do your thing, Birdramon!"

"One ultimate, coming up! Birdramon digivolve to, Garudamon!"

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon shouted, leaping into the air and launching a huge ball of energy at Jestermon and Spritemon.

"Metal Wolf Claw!" MetalGarurumon growled, ducking under two of Jestermon's black spheres and hitting the fool in the face with his icy, blue blast. The wolf digimon quickly leaped out of the way just as WarGreymon's attack reached Jestermon and Spritemon, and seconds after WarGreymon's feet touched the grass and MetalGarurumon had joined him, Jestermon and Spritemon disappeared in an explosion of fire.

"Time to teach these two a lesson!" Garudamon shouted. "Wing Blade!"

"Run, you fool!" Spritemon shrieked, abandoning Jestermon and leaping behind a clump of bushes to avoid Garudamon's attack.

Somehow the two megas had managed to survive WarGreymon's Terra Force attack, but despite that the results were encouraging because neither Spritemon nor Jestermon appeared to be too steady on their feet. On top of that, both digimon looked a little caught off guard at the power of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, but Dai knew it was only a matter of time before they recovered, and when they did, they would fight back with a vengeance.

"Dai? Dai! Earth to Dai, are you listening to me?"

Dai reluctantly dragged his gaze away from WarGreymon and found himself staring directly into Tai's deep brown eyes. The former leader was gripping him tightly by the shoulders and there was an anxious look on his face. "Dai, listen to me. Don't worry about Spritemon and Jestermon. Matt, Sora, Matty and I can keep them busy while you, Mickey, and Ryoko find Sam. Both you and Ryoko are in danger if you stay here, and there's no telling what DarkAngelicmon might do to Sam."

"But...Tai, there's no way only three of us can stand up to DarkAngelicmon! He's oddly strong for a champion."

Tai shrugged and gave him a warm smile. "I have faith in you. I wouldn't have asked you to confront DarkAngelicmon if I didn't think you could. You don't even necessarily have to fight him. What you need to do is find Sam, and if you can get him away from DarkAngelicmon without a fight, all the more better."

"I...I guess so. Okay, I'll do it! Mickey, Ishida, come with me. You too, Gabrielmon, and you, Tirimon!"

"Be careful," Angelicmon said quietly, catching Gabrielmon's arm and giving his fellow angel a meaningful look.

Dragermon quickly reverted back to his rookie form, and Dai turned to look at his partner in surprise. "What's up?"

"I can digivolve again if you need me. Right now we need to be inconspicuous. You don't want DarkAngelicmon to see us coming, do you?"

Dai lifted his partner into his arms and gave the little rookie a big smile. "Thanks, Embermon."

"Dai, please, please make sure Mickey doesn't do anything crazy," Matty suddenly whispered in his ear, giving him a pleading look.

Dai nodded and patted the younger twin's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll watch him."

"Come on, Dai!" Mickey wailed, coming up behind him and tugging anxiously on his arm. "Sam needs us!"

Dai turned to look at the older twin and crossed his arms. "Mickey, normally I let you and the others get away with a lot, but this time I'm going to have to put my foot down. Stay close to me, and if you put so much as one toe out of line, I'm going to handcuff you to my arm the next time we come to the Digital World, understand?"

Mickey blushed and meekly lowered his eyes to the ground. "Yes, Dai."

"Be careful," Sora said anxiously.

"You know how much I hate this, don't you?" Matt said quietly, staring at his son.

Ryoko nodded and bit his lip. "I know. I'll be careful."

"You be careful, too," Mickey mumbled, hiding his face against Matty's shoulder before quickly pulling away.

Matty nodded and smiled at his twin. "Go before I'm tempted to stop you from leaving."

"Lead the way, Embermon!" Gabrielmon said softly.

Embermon settled himself on Tirimon's large head and pointed towards the ocean. "Don't worry, Sam. We're coming!"

Dai raced after Tirimon, with Mickey and Ryoko on either side of him, and glanced uncertainly over his shoulder at the battle still taking place behind him. He couldn't understand why, but for some reason Tai believed in him, and he had a feeling Matt did, too, even though the golden-haired Digidestined hadn't said a word. There was only one thing he wasn't quite sure of, and that was whether or not he believed in himself.


	142. The Power of a Mega

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, the next few chapters are going to jump around a bit between all the groups of people, but I've tried my best not to make it too hard to follow, so hopefully you guys won't get lost! And yes, one hundred and forty-two chapters later and finally the next chapter is the one we've all been waiting for! (Including myself) I hope to post it next week! As usual, I will check the whole chapter over again to catch any mistakes I might have missed.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 142: The Power of a Mega

_Mina Izumi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Mina Izumi stood next to her husband, her long, dark hair whipping out behind her in the breeze, and gazed upon the battle with fear in her eyes. Ibismon and Meramon had decided to take on Soulmon while Kabuterimon took care of Vampiramon, but so far the battle was not working out in their favour. As a champion, all Kabuterimon could do was try to avoid Vampiramon's attacks in the air and hope his own blasts managed to hit the vampire digimon in a vulnerable area. He was a quick digimon, fast in the air, and smaller than Dragermon, but even he couldn't keep up with Vampiramon's speed. As for Ibismon and Meramon, they weren't having much luck either in stopping Soulmon. Although the ghost digimon was only a champion, unlike the Bakemon, he did not fear the Digidestined or their partners, and he was willing to do just about anything to win, even if it meant being deleted. The odds of a victory didn't look too good at the moment and Mina was starting to feel extremely worried.

_We can't hold on much longer. I hope Dai and the others have managed to find Sam because if they haven't, we're in big trouble._

"Look out, Ibismon! Don't let him drain your energy!" Takara shouted, bouncing up and down on the grass and waving her hands in the air.

"You can do it, Kabuterimon!" Izzy cheered.

Shaking her head, Mina glanced anxiously at the sun, which was starting to sink lower in the west, and let out a deep sigh. When she was younger, she hadn't had a chance to spend much time in the Digital World, virtually none in fact, and now that she was right in the middle of the action, it made her realize just how much effort it had taken for Izzy and his friends to save the Digital World. She had always had a lot of respect for Tai and the other Digidestined who had taken on more responsibilities than Digidestined like herself, but now her respect for them had just reached a new level. For the first time in her life since she became a Digidestined, she was finally starting to understand what a daunting task it was just to reach that point where you finally found that small sliver of faith you needed to have in order to increase your small chance of winning a victory over the darkness, and it scared her like nothing else had ever scared her before. She had been there to stop MaloMyotismon from taking over both worlds, and to help bring digimon back to the gate when Control Spires had started appearing in the human world, but she had never witnessed or experienced the amount of pain, uncertainty, sadness, and terror it had taken just to reach that point, nor the amount of suffering it had taken just to give them even a chance of defeating MaloMyotismon. She had heard the stories, but now that she was finally experiencing it for herself, she could not help feeling a deep sense of awe and admiration for not only her husband and the other adults, but for Daichi and his friends, as well. They were doing the impossible, and that was what made it truly possible.

_I have to be strong. I need to believe in myself for my friends, my husband, my partner, for Taniko. She would never give up, and I won't give up either!_

Lifting her chin, Mina turned to look at her husband and gently placed her hand against his cheek. Izzy immediately lifted his gaze from the laptop in his hands, and catching sight of her expression, his dark eyes began to grow cloudy with concern. "Mina, what's wrong?"

"We're running out of time, Izzy. We need to do something now before our digimon end up reverting back to their rookie stages."

"I know, but even MegaKabuterimon won't be-"

"It's still worth a shot," Takara pleaded, tugging on Izzy's arm. "One ultimate is better than nothing!"

Izzy slowly nodded and lifted the Crest of Knowledge over his head. He held it out in the palm of his hand and immediately it began to glow a bright purple, its thin, violet rays shooting into the sky. "Digivolve again, Kabuterimon! You might not be a mega, but an ultimate is still stronger than a champion!"

"You got it, Izzy! Kabuterimon digivolve to, MegaKabuterimon!"

Vampiramon waited until the light around MegaKabuterimon had disappeared before picking up her small knife and twirling it lightly in her hands. "Do you honestly believe one lone ultimate digimon is going to defeat me? Even Daichi's six champions can do a better job than you can! At least then I have to keep my eyes on several digimon instead of just one. How pathetic."

"All your talking is starting to get on my nerves," MegaKabuterimon growled, launching himself into the air and hovering confidently, although still with the right amount of caution, above the vampire digimon.

Vampiramon looked up at him and placed her hands on her hips. "You don't understand, do you. I haven't even fought against you with my full strength yet and you still can't defeat me! I'm sure the same is true for Jestermon, Spritemon, BlackWidowmon, and even that nuisance of a digimon, DarkAngelicmon, champion though he may be. We've been toying with you all this time, but now the game has come to an end, and it's time to show you what real power looks like!"

"That's not true!" Takara shouted, shaking her fist at Vampiramon. When the mega didn't answer, Takara turned to Izzy instead and gave him an anxious look. "It's not true, is it?"

Izzy's eyebrows narrowed into a frown, and Mina felt his fingers suddenly close around her hand. "I believe she's telling the truth. I remember what it was like when we fought the Dark Masters, and even Apocalymon. Without WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, I don't think we could have won against such powerful digimon. Hope and determination can only get you so far. You still need to put in the work in order to win."

"Great, just what I needed to hear!" Takara moaned. "But still, I believe in our partners. Even if they can't win, they'll still get us safely out of here. The bond between humans and digimon is a lot stronger than Vampiramon!"

Mina nodded in agreement and pulled Takara safely into her arms. "Well said, Kara. It's easy to tell why the Digital World chose you to be a Digidestined."

Takara blushed and smiled at her. "Thanks, Mina."

"If there's one blame that can be placed upon us, it's the fact that we underestimated you," Vampiramon hissed, turning in a circle while still keeping her emerald eyes focused on MegaKabuterimon. "We thought six humans and their rookie digimon would be easy to defeat. How could they possibly be a threat to a group of megas and one champion? Even after Embermon and his fellow digimon were able to digivolve to the champion level, they still weren't a match for us. Why bother putting in more effort than what was needed to defeat a bunch of champions? That is what we believed, but I see now we were wrong. After all, Tai Kamiya's group was able to defeat the Dark Masters, all of whom were megas. Those digimon who have human partners seem to be stronger than the usual digimon you find in the Digital World, but they still aren't strong enough to defeat megas who are fighting at full strength. That could have been what did the Dark Masters in. I've often felt they were a little too easy on the Digidestined."

"What are you saying?" MegaKabuterimon asked slowly.

Vampiramon smiled at him and ran her fingers over the sharp edge of her small knife. "DarkAngelicmon tried to warn us. He didn't say it in so many words, but he hinted that Angelicmon and Gabrielmon were strong champions. I'm sure he believed the same thing about Embermon and the other digimon. He has known all this time, so why is he still putting very little effort into trying to stop the Digidestined..."

"Food for thought?" MegaKabuterimon suggested.

Vampiramon scowled and tightened her grip on the knife in her hand. "The point is, there's no holding back anymore. We know you're strong, but we're still stronger, and I'm going to prove it to you. And don't think you're going to get off lightly with my other companions. I'll make sure they take you seriously and fight with every bit of their strength, including DarkAngelicmon. Now, witness the true power of a mega! Dark Stiletto!"

The dagger in Vampiramon's hand started to glow with a bright, eerie red light, and she threw it at MegaKabuterimon as hard as she could. Luckily, the insect digimon managed to veer out of the way before its sharp tip could pierce him right in the middle of the forehead, just below his horn, but he had barely recovered before Vampiramon launched another attack.

"Watch out!" Izzy cried.

"Scarlet Lightning!"

Mina watched in horror as six huge bolts of lightning streaked through the sky and connected with all four of MegaKabuterimon's long arms. The force of the blast was so strong, it caused Izzy's partner to roll over several times through the air in a downward spiral before he hit the ground with a large crash. Normally Vampiramon's lightning bolts were long and thin, and they glowed with a pale red light. This time, they had been thick and huge, and the light shining from them had been so bright, it had hurt the eyes to look directly at the glowing bolts crackling with energy. On the ground, MegaKabuterimon still hadn't moved, and even at a relatively safe distance, Mina could almost feel the electricity swirling around the insect digimon's large, red body. There was even a bolt of electricity crackling between the two points on the end of the oddly shaped horn sprouting from MegaKabuterimon's forehead.

"We are in big trouble!" Takara gasped, gripping the end of her dark ponytail tightly in her hand. "Vampiramon's finally starting to show her true strength, and if we don't get out of here soon, our digimon are done for!"

Mina nodded in agreement and turned to look at her partner. "Meramon, listen up! MegaKabuterimon needs some help. You and Ibismon had better get rid of Soulmon right now!"

"Right!" Meramon shouted. "It's time to heat things up! Roaring Fire!"

Immediately Soulmon was engulfed in a blaze of fire, and a moment later Ibismon's swirling tornado of pink feathers sent him careening through the air. He landed in a tangle of bushes at the edge of the forest, and realizing the top of his hat was still on fire, he let out a startled cry and began to bang his head against the trunk of a tree in an effort to put out the flames.

"You're going to pay for trying to drain our energy!" Ibismon snapped, her green eyes blazing with fury. Using one of her emerald green, knee-length boots, covered in an intricate design of pink armour, she darted through the air towards Soulmon and kicked the ghost digimon directly in the back of the head. Fluttering backwards a few paces, she spread her bright pink wings as far as they would stretch and let her attack fly. "Feather Darts!" A storm of pink feathers flew through the air and embedded themselves into Soulmon's back, and thanks to her swift kick, the streams of fire trailing along the edges of the ghost digimon's hat abruptly went out.

"Take that, Soulmon! You make a lame ghost!" Takara cheered, pumping her fits in the air.

"Nice one!" Meramon commented, giving Ibismon a high five.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Soulmon cackled, whirling around and zooming towards the two champions. "Let's see how you survive my next attack! Finishing Trance!"

"Move! Get out of there!" Izzy shouted at the two champions before glancing anxiously at his own partner. MegaKabuterimon was only now just starting to stir and Vampiramon was slowly advancing towards him.

"You heard him, move!" Meramon ordered, nudging Ibismon one way and racing off in the other direction.

Mina stared at the forest in shock and wrapped her arms around Izzy's waist for support. Right before her eyes, several of the trees at the edge of the grove began to uproot themselves and hurtle towards Ibismon and Meramon. Next came thick tangles of bushes and they were immediately followed by fallen branches, twigs, several good-sized rocks, and a variety of other debris that moments ago had been lying motionless on the grass. A large, jagged rock hit Ibismon between the shoulder blades, and she fell on her face in a tangle of pink wings and twigs. One of the uprooted trees smashed into Meramon and pinned him to the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

"Do something, quick!" Takara shrieked. "Come on, guys, you have to get up!"

"I won't let you down, Kara!" Ibismon cried, twisting around and pointing her fist at Soulmon. "Emerald Flare!"

Ibismon's bright green beam of light wasn't strong enough to turn Soulmon into data, but it did stop the ghost digimon from uprooting more trees.

"What a cheap trick!" Meramon growled. "Fire Blast!"

The tree pinning the fire digimon to the ground exploded into flames, and Meramon quickly leaped to his feet, ignoring the flaming pieces of bark shooting into the air around him.

"Meramon, we have to combine our attacks! It's the only way to defeat him!" Ibismon called out, leaping to her feet.

"I'm ready when you are."

"What are you doing?" Soulmon asked suspiciously, glancing left and right between the two champions.

Ibismon smoothed out her short green skirt, which was covered in pink feathers, and quickly leaped into the air, leaving a trail of pink feathers floating leisurely to the ground. Long, emerald hair streaming out behind her, she glared at Soulmon and began to twirl around in a circle. "You'll find out. Cyclone Fury!"

"Magma Blast!" Meramon shouted from the ground. The fire digimon's flaming rocks connected with Ibismon's feathery cyclone, and the two attacks combined together creating a huge, fiery tornado. Swirling through the air, it engulfed Soulmon before he had a chance to vanish and it exploded on impact. The ghost digimon managed to let out an ear-piercing scream before he exploded into data and finally disappeared.

"Now that's what I call a victory!" Takara cheered, twirling around in a circle. "Wait until Dai hears about this one."

Mina let out her own cheer and pulled Takara into a quick hug. "We did it! Ibismon and Meramon were wonderful!"

"That's what teamwork is all about!" Takara said softly, beaming at her and returning the hug.

"It's not over yet," Izzy warned, nodding his head towards MegaKabuterimon.

The insect digimon had gotten himself back into the air again, and he was weaving between Vampiramon's bolts of lightning, trying desperately to avoid them. Realizing what was going on, Ibismon and Meramon quickly joined in the battle and proceeded to shoot their attacks at Vampiramon from the ground.

"I've also just gotten an e-mail from Taniko," Izzy added, pointing at the screen on his laptop. "She wants to know what's going on. Apparently Miya, and I'm sure Nao as well, are really worried about Sam. They know he's heading towards the ocean and Taniko wants to know why he's wandered off on us. She says she can tell Dai's group has gone after him. She also wants to know why we're not going after him."

Mina wearily rubbed her eyes and rested her cheek against her husband's shoulder. "You'd better write her back and let her know what's happened. I don't want Tay and a few of the others to let their imaginations get the best of them."

"Good idea."

_As much as I'm glad about the fact that Taniko is still safely in the human world, I almost wish she was a Digidestined, just so she could be here to help us out. She has many of my qualities, but she's also a lot like her father, and with my daughter and my husband working together, I'm sure they could come up with a way to get us all out of this mess. I can't even imagine what Sora and the others are going through, wondering every moment of every day if their children are still safe in the Digital World, but as much as I would never ever want Taniko to be in danger, she would make an excellent Digidestined..._

"Mina? Izzy? We've got trouble."

Mina turned to look at Takara and frowned in confusion. "What's wrong, Kara?"

Takara bit her lip and she held out her Digivice, which she had obviously just pulled out of her pocket only moments ago. And yet, despite the fact that Dovemon had already digivolved, for some odd reason it was still glowing. "Dai, Ryoko, and Mickey have broken away from my dad's group and they're heading towards Sam and the ocean. For some reason my mom, my dad, Matt, and Matty have stayed behind. You don't think they're in trouble, do you?"

"Maybe they've met up with some of Vampiramon's allies," Izzy suggested, settling himself on the ground and frowning at his laptop. "I'd better put this in my e-mail, too."

Mina let out a gasp and sat down next to her husband. "You don't think they've met up with DarkAngelicmon, do you?"

"I doubt it. I was thinking more along the lines of Jestermon and Spritemon. If DarkAngelicmon has gone after anyone, it's probably Sam. The only other people I could see him wanting to torment are the twins, but according to Davis, for some odd reason DarkAngelicmon seems to be ignoring them."

"Maybe they've met up with BlackWidowmon?" Takara interrupted, putting her D-Coder away. "Soulmon said Vampiramon sent her off to do something."

"That's another possibility."

"She's too quick and powerful!" Meramon suddenly shouted, capturing Mina's attention. "We're not going to be able to defeat her if she won't stand still long enough for us to hit her with our attacks!"

"Watch out for her lightning bolts," MegaKabuterimon warned.

"You will never stop me!" Vampiramon hissed. "Lamia Transformation!"

"Get her, MegaKabuterimon!" Izzy shouted.

"Horn Buster!"

MegaKabuterimon's blast burst from the horn on his head and flew towards Vampiramon. In her bat form, the vampire digimon easily avoided the attack and flew between Meramon and Ibismon.

"Emerald Flare!"

"Magma Blast!"

Both attacks missed Vampiramon and collided with each other, causing a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, Mina spotted Vampiramon standing behind the two champions in her human form, a twisted smile on her face.

"Oh no!" Takara shrieked.

"Scarlet Lightning!"

"Run!" Izzy shouted.

Vampiramon's new and improved attack rained down on the three digimon and once again knocked MegaKabuterimon out of the sky.

Mina let out a gasp as Meramon and Ibismon flew towards her, and to her dismay, both digimon landed on the ground in front of Izzy in their rookie forms. Somehow, MegaKabuterimon hadn't reverted back to his rookie stage, but unfortunately that wasn't very reassuring because the ultimate was currently unconscious.

"Dovemon, speak to me!" Takara wailed, gathering her digimon into her arms and burying her face against the rookie's small wings.

Mina quickly pulled Candlemon into her own arms and tugged anxiously on the sleeve of Izzy's rust-coloured dress shirt. "I think it's time for us to leave."

"You're right. MegaKabuterimon, get up! We have to get out of here!"

Vampiramon twirled her glowing red knife in her hand and aimed it at MegaKabuterimon. "I don't think so. Once I'm through with you fools, your precious leader and his little blond sidekick will be mine. They can run all they want, but that won't stop them from becoming my prisoners. What in the..."

Mina turned to see what Vampiramon was looking at and spotted a dark shape in the sky moving steadily towards them. As the digimon came closer, Mina felt her heart sink. "That digimon riding on Airdramon can only be BlackWidowmon..."

"Soulmon wasn't lying. BlackWidowmon really was with them in the forest at some point, but if Vampiramon sent her on a mission, then why is she here now?" Takara said thoughtfully. "She couldn't have finished what she was supposed to be doing already."

"I guess we'll find out," Izzy muttered.

BlackWidowmon leaped off Airdramon's back and landed on the ground in a crouch, but before she could straighten up, Vampiramon was upon her. "What do you think you're doing here? I thought I told you to wait for us on Infinity Mountain!"

BlackWidowmon rolled her eyes and let out a loud snort. "I was going to, but I had a feeling you might need me so I decided to follow you instead. Looks like I was right. It seems you have a bit of an issue on your hands. If you ask me, I think I came just it time."

"I'm not the one who's in trouble!" Vampiramon snapped. "It's the Digidestined who are in trouble."

"For once."

"Yes, well you would know, wouldn't you. Come on, now that you're here, you might as well make yourself useful, and if you ever disobey my orders again, I'll have you deleted along with DarkAngelicmon!"

"It sounds like Vampiramon and her allies are fighting amongst themselves," Izzy murmured. "That could definitely work in our favour."

"Who cares!" Takara wailed. "Let's just get out of here!"

"Hurry!" Dovemon moaned.

"Oh right. MegaKabuterimon!" Izzy shouted.

MegaKabuterimon slowly got to his feet, and taking advantage of BlackWidowmon's sudden distraction, he quickly flew over to Izzy's side.

Mina followed the others onto MegaKabuterimon's back, and placing Candlemon in her lap, she clung tightly to her husband's waist. Takara was sitting in front of Izzy with Dovemon in her arms, and she glanced at the computer expert over her shoulder. "Let's go."

"Takara's right. In our current state, we can't hope to defeat one mega, let alone two," Izzy shouted to his partner. "Let's meet up with Tai's group. I'd better tell Taniko about BlackWidowmon, and while I'm at it, I might as well tell her what our plans are. This e-mail is going to be longer than I thought!"

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" BlackWidowmon shouted.

"Great, now look what you've done!" Vampiramon snarled, tugging hard on one of BlackWidowmon's eight spider legs and hitting her in the ribs.

Mina felt the wind rush through her dark hair as MegaKabuterimon took to the skies and she buried her face between Izzy's shoulder blades. Sam was in trouble, but what could they possibly do to help him?

"It'll be okay, Mina. Sam will be fine," Candlemon said quietly, lifting his head just enough to smile at her.

She managed to nod in agreement, but deep down inside her heart was still pounding with fear. She wanted to believe Candlemon, but what if they were too late?


	143. The Dark Side of Ken

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Finally it's here, the chapter we've all been waiting for! I hope it was worth the wait. It's one of my favorites, and there's so much in it that will be important later on. Also, Fallen Archangel was nice enough to upload a picture I drew of the kids onto the forum, so if you have a chance, check it out. The only one who doesn't look quite as much as I imagined him to look is Dai, and oddly enough, he was the hardest one to draw. And thank you to Fallen Archangel for the excellent chapter title and to everyone else on the forum who offered some great ideas of their own. I loved all of them, but unfortunately, I can only have one chapter title! I chose this one because I felt it best represented the chapter as a whole. If you're not happy with the way Sam finds out the truth, there is a reason why I chose for it to happen this way. Let's just say it's for drama later on. And just so you know, while this is going on, at the same time, there's someone else who's also learning the truth...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"It's going to hurt for a while, Ken, but Sam will come around. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but he will see the truth buried in the truth..." -Yolei Ichijouji (From the FTFOD oneshot 'Truth' written by Shire Folk)_

Chapter 143: The Dark Side of Ken

_Taniko Izumi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Look, Taniko, your father just sent you an e-mail!" Miya gasped, pointing excitedly at the screen. "What does it say?"

"Hurry up, Taniko. Open it already!" Ema ordered.

_Some friend. She doesn't even say please!_

Smiling in amusement, Taniko Izumi rolled her eyes and quickly clicked on her father's e-mail, not for Ema's sake, but because she didn't want to keep Miya in suspense. Frowning slightly, she scanned the hastily typed message as quickly as she could, her heart sinking with every word, and upon reading the last sentence, she slowly sat back in her chair and let out a deep sigh of despair. On her left, she felt Kenzo's fingers tighten on her shoulder, and the comforting gesture made her feel slightly better, even if it didn't dismiss the fear in her heart. On her right, Ema was clinging tightly to her arm, and directly behind her, Taysuke was leaning against the back of her chair, his chin just brushing the top of her dark hair. None of them seemed to be aware of the fact that they were practically crushing her, but at the moment she had other things on her mind.

_Vampiramon's after Dai and Ryoko, and what about Sam? Could DarkAngelicmon really have found him?_

"What does it say?" Mimi asked curiously, leaning forwards in her chair and trying to peek around Kenzo's arm for a better look at the screen.

Taniko glanced anxiously at Miya, whose face had turned the colour of chalk, and banged her fist against the keyboard in frustration. "Takara and my parents have been battling with Vampiramon and a digimon named Soulmon, but now that BlackWidowmon has shown up, they've decided to make a run for it. Vampiramon and her allies are just too strong for three Digidestined to handle alone. According to my dad, they've decided to meet up with Tai's group because they think Kara's father and the others who are with him might also be in trouble."

"Why do they think that?" Noah asked sharply.

"Dai, Ryoko, and Mickey have left Tai, Sora, Matt, and Matty behind and they're heading towards the ocean. Look, you can see it on my map, and my dad also mentioned it in his e-mail. Tai's group must be under attack, and I bet they sent Dai and Ryoko to search for Sam. At least, that's what it looks like to me, and I bet you anything Mickey wanted to go with them. Tai probably told them to go to keep them out of danger."

"Why would they be in danger?" Ami asked hesitantly, elbowing Noah out of the way and squinting at the computer screen.

Taniko tugged anxiously on her shoulder-length dark hair and managed a weak smile. "Well, you see...they've found one of the Spirit Chips. It's called the Spirit Chip of Bravery and it's located on the top of Infinity Mountain. At least, that's what my dad says. They don't actually have it yet, but they were planning to climb Infinity Mountain until Sam disappeared and Vampiramon showed up. According to my dad, the Spirit Chip belongs to either Dai or Ryoko, and because of that they've become Vampiramon's number one targets."

"What?" Mimi shrieked, leaping out of her chair and leaning over Kenzo's shoulder for a better look at the screen.

"Calm down, Mimi!" Palmon cried, tugging anxiously on her partner's pale pink skirt.

"I will not calm down! That evil vampire digimon is trying to hurt my baby!"

"Oh, Dai!" Noriko moaned, covering her face with her hands.

Davis stared at his wife for a moment and clenched his hands into angry fists. "If anything happens to Dai..."

"Tai's watching out for them," DemiVeemon piped up, hopping into his partner's lap. "I know Agumon won't let anything happen to Dai and Ryoko, or Sam. If Tai's group is in danger then that would explain why he'd want Dai and Ryoko to leave the scene."

"Also, Tai wouldn't have let Ryoko, Dai, and Mickey leave unless he really believed they could help Sam," Cody said firmly.

_Yeah, but even Tai can only do so much..._

Taniko glanced impatiently at the computer screen and slowly shook her head. "My dad thinks Tai and the others have run into Jestermon and Spritemon, and he believes DarkAngelicmon might have gone after Sam."

"Oh no, Yolei's going to be really upset!" Patamon gasped, his ears drooping onto Nao's arms.

"Ken, too," Jun muttered.

"Now what?" T.K. asked. "Everyone is getting separated, and if they end up spreading themselves too thin..."

"Don't even say it!" Rosa cried.

"I know it's hard to accept, but all we can do it wait," Cody said slowly.

"This stinks!" Ami shouted. "I told Dai not to do anything stupid, but no, what does he do? If I were a Digidestined, I'd teach that Vampiramon a thing or two!"

"The Spirit Chips sound a lot like the crests," Noah murmured.

Taniko smiled and nodded in agreement. "They do, don't they, and like the crests, each one has its own special meaning. At least, that's what my dad says."

"Hey, Taniko? Who do you think the Spirit Chip of Bravery belongs to?" Taysuke asked hesitantly.

"Dai, of course," Ami interrupted. "I'm not saying Ryoko's not brave, I just think his Spirit Chip will be something...different."

Taniko nodded slowly and smiled at the older girl. "I agree."

"I bet Ryoko's Spirit Chip is really cool!" Taysuke said enthusiastically.

"It'll be great no matter what it is," Mimi said softly. "What does Matt think he's doing? He's supposed to be watching our son!"

_He might not have a choice in the matter._

"Miya, are you going to be okay?" Kenzo asked quietly, touching the raven-haired female's shoulder to get her attention.

Miya's eyes filled with tears behind her glasses and she buried her face in her hands. "Why won't they just leave Sam alone? I hate this! I just want to know what's going on! I'm tired of all the secrets. I'm tired of everyone trying to hurt my brother!"

"Those bad digimon keep trying to scare Sam! They're being mean to him and it's not fair at all!" Nao cried, hiding his face against Noriko's shoulder.

Davis ruffled Nao's lavender hair and turned to look at Miya. "Dai won't let them hurt Sam. I know my son, and I know he'll protect his friends no matter what."

"It's not just Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon, it's everything! Why won't you just tell us who the Emperor is?"

Davis looked away from her and stared miserably at his feet. "I can't. If I could, I would, but it's not my decision to make."

"Come on, Miya, don't give up now," Noah said anxiously, pulling the raven-haired female into his arms and holding her protectively against his chest. "You know Sam wouldn't want you to worry about him. He'll be fine."

Instead of answering, Miya just shook her head and buried her face against Noah's neck. She was obviously upset, and Taniko had a feeling the older female would not listen to anyone until Sam was safely back in the human world.

_Why do our plans always end up backfiring on us? Come on, Dad, you can think of something to stop DarkAngelicmon from hurting Sam. I know you can, but that isn't going to help us if you can't reach Sam before it's too late..._

"I told Mickey and Matty to watch out for each other and now they've gotten separated!" T.K. muttered. "I know what Izzy said, but still...what in the Digiworld is going on?"

"Come on, Dai, you can do it, I know you can," Noriko whispered, clasping her hands together and gazing anxiously at the computer screen. "You're so close. You have to reach Sam."

"Look, Dai's group have come within striking distance of the ocean and Sam has just reached the centre of the forest! I wonder what's going on," Kenzo murmured. "Before, Sam had just been standing there doing nothing, but now he's suddenly on the move again. Do you think he really did meet up with DarkAngelicmon?"

"It doesn't really matter if he has or not. Nothing bad is going to happen to him; I know it," Noah said firmly.

Taniko huddled between her three friends and grabbed onto Ema's arm for support. All the knowledge in the world wasn't going to help them if Kenzo was right and DarkAngelicmon, or one of the other evil digimon, really had caught up to Sam.

_If only the rest of us kids were Digidestined. Maybe then we could do something to help..._

_Sam Ichijouji_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sam wasn't quite sure how long he had been standing there in silent disbelief, but he knew it had been for quite some time, at least twenty minutes or more, and oddly enough, DarkAngelicmon had not once tried to use that time to his advantage. Instead, much to Sam's surprise, DarkAngelicmon had merely pulled away from him, and he had proceeded to stand there in thoughtful silence, his gaze focused on something that seemed to reach beyond the forest looming in the distance, something only the fallen angel could see. It was a bit unnerving to see DarkAngelicmon standing so still and silent, a celestial statue watching over a world that had fallen into ruin, but if he was content to remain oblivious to what was going on around him, then there was no way he could be too concerned about the darkness hovering over the gray, wasted landscape. It was almost as if he believed his revelation about the World of Darkness deserved a few quiet moments of reflection.

Sam wasn't quite sure what his friends had finally decided to do, but there were only two options they could have chosen. Either the rest of the Digidestined were getting close to Infinity Mountain by now, or they were getting close to the gate that would take them back to the human world. They did need Joe, after all. Either way, the thought did not concern him. He didn't even bother checking his Digivice to see which path they had chosen. All he could think about was the darkness surrounding both himself and the fallen angel, and the sound of the leaves rustling the trees in the distance caused a shiver to race down his spine. It was almost as if the trees were calling to him, their voices blending together to form words he could not understand, and yet the forest was still far enough away that he shouldn't have been able to hear the trees or feel them watching him.

_It can't be..._

After what seemed like forever, though it probably wasn't _quite_ that long, Sam, though not exactly enthusiastic about potentially interrupting the fallen angel's thoughts, was finally able to find his voice. "The World of Darkness? No! It can't be! That...that's impossible!"

DarkAngelicmon stirred, his body suddenly coming to life, and let out a deep sigh. "Look around you, Sam. Do you not see the ocean? I believe your parents refer to it as the Dark Ocean, do they not?"

Sam slowly lifted his head and turned to gaze at the murky water just visible between the trees of the large grove, which appeared to follow almost the entire length of the coastline. Behind him in the distance was the forest where he and his friends had spoken to Gennai earlier, and the presence of so many trees made him feel slightly claustrophobic. The trees in front of him, though still following the coastline, were still quite a distance away from the ocean, but for some reason that only made him feel even more uneasy.

_Is this really the Dark Ocean? I don't see a lighthouse, but maybe that's because it was destroyed. My parents never said it got damaged, but somehow I get the feeling something might have happened to it. I wonder if that forest up ahead is where my parents were wandering around with Kari in the World of Darkness. Last night, when I asked my mom about it before bed, she wouldn't tell me anything except that she was in a forest near the ocean. Maybe even the dark cave is around here somewhere. According to Ryoko, Matt isn't sure whether or not the cave, or even the Dark Ocean, are actual places, or if they merely come into existence as a result of the darkness within the heart of a digimon or a Digidestined. What if both theories are right? What if the ocean, the cave, the forest, and any of the other places in the World of Darkness really do exist, but they look slightly different to every person who sees them? Maybe the way they look depends on what you're feeling inside. I bet this place looks different for me than it did for Kari and my dad. T.K. and Kari could see the same thing because it was Kari's heart that brought her in contact with the Dark Ocean. T.K. was only there to save her. He wasn't experiencing any darkness himself. It was more like he had entered Kari's heart and was able to see the darkness within it. Then there's my dad. He and Kari are a lot alike, and that explains why they could see the same thing in the forest. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing my mom was in the same position as T.K. She was merely witnessing what was in both Kari's heart and my dad's heart, and that also explains why they could see the ocean in the distance. I don't know how I know, but I get the feeling that, unlike my mom, my dad was also affected by the darkness, just like Kari. Like I said before, they're a lot alike. I bet Kari's fears and my dad's fears were all jumbled up together, and in the end they sort of melted into one vast territory. That could explain how the ocean and the forest merged together, and it also explains how Kari and my dad could see the same thing. I'm guessing both of them were afraid of the ocean, and combined with whatever fears had brought them to the forest, that was what made the pieces of the World of Darkness come together. The same is true for Sora and Matt. They both entered the exact same cave because, at the time, the emotions they were feeling were very similar to each other. Joe and T.K. were just along for the ride. I don't know. It's all so confusing. I don't have any way of knowing for sure, but I get the feeling this place looks slightly different for me than it did for my dad and the others. I don't think what I'm feeling could possibly be like what any of them were feeling..._

"Yes, the World of Darkness," DarkAngelicmon murmured, gazing thoughtfully at the trees. "This place takes on whatever form best represents the darkness in your heart, or is it the other way around? Maybe it only brings you to a place that best represents the darkness in your heart. Tell me, Sam, do you see what I see?"

Sam swallowed a huge lump in his throat and glanced anxiously over his shoulder. He knew it was only his imagination, but for some odd reason he could not help feeling as if the trees he had left behind in the distance were slowly closing in on him, and several times he had to take a second look, just to make sure the shadows hovering at the base of each tree, shadows he shouldn't have been able to see from so far away, weren't trying to sneak up behind him. It was almost as if the fallen angel had read his mind, and that made him feel slightly unsettled. "I told you, I'm not like you."

"You don't believe that any more than I do."

Shaking his head in denial, Sam quickly turned his back on the fallen angel and clenched his hands into fists. "You don't know what I believe, so quit trying to pretend you do! I know you're just trying to scare me, but it isn't going to work. Do you really expect me to believe this place is actually a part of the World of Darkness? I bet you created this darkness and now you're trying to make me believe it's the Dark Ocean! Well, you know what, DarkAngelicmon? I'm not going to fall for it. You keep saying you've never lied to us, but how do you expect me to believe that? All I have to go on is your word, and if you ask me, anything you have to say isn't worth very much!"

DarkAngelicmon let out a deep sigh and tugged impatiently on his long, raven hair. "You are a fool, Sam. Your ignorance is astonishing, even to me. Why would I waste my time trying to trick you? In case you've forgotten, I have some Spirit Chips to steal, and there's a friend of mine who needs to be taught a very hard lesson. I don't have time for humans who don't want to cooperate with my plans."

"You're the one who cannot see the truth, DarkAngelicmon, not Sam," Dracomon said quietly, taking a step closer to the fallen angel.

"The truth? Your logic amuses me, Dracomon. Didn't you know? The truth doesn't matter. In fact, sometimes the truth is better left unknown. Secrets are not necessarily a bad thing, and I think your partner is about to learn that the hard way."

Sam crossed his arms and glared at the fallen angel. "What do you mean? If you're trying to make me angry with your stupid riddles, it isn't going to work."

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows and tugged thoughtfully on one of the black, feathery, ear-like wings poking into the air from the depths of his raven hair. There was a bitter smile on the fallen angel's face and his emerald green eyes were dark and stormy. "Chasing the ghost of the Emperor, are you? Nothing good will come of it, and if you don't believe me, then see for yourself. Follow the ocean, if you wish, but don't say I didn't warn you. I see it now. The Emperor's past has tainted your soul, and your heart will pay the price for it!"

_No, I'm not like the Emperor! I won't be like him, I won't!_

"Sam, what do you think you're doing?" Dracomon snapped, moving towards him. "Stay where you are! You might not like what I'm about to say, but DarkAngelicmon is right. The darkness is strong here, and you must not let it cloud your judgment."

Sam slowly shook his head and continued to back away from his partner, his feet moving him steadily towards the water. There was no mistaking it. The trees standing watch over the dark, silent depths of the ocean really were calling to him, and all of a sudden he knew what he had to do.

"Don't just stand there, stop him!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, tugging roughly on one of Dracomon's colourful wings. "You don't want to lose your partner, do you?"

"You dare to place the blame on me? You were the one taunting my partner, and I will make you pay for what you've done to him!"

"You do realize Sam is trying to make a run for it, don't you?" DarkAngelicmon said dryly.

The fallen angel's words cut through Sam like a knife and he came to a dead stop. "You're wrong, DarkAngelicmon. I'm not like the Emperor, and I'm going to prove it to you!"

Without waiting for a response, Sam turned his back on the two champions and took off over the grass in the direction of the ocean. He was running as fast as his legs could carry him, his heart pounding in his chest, but even so he only just barely reached the centre of the forest stretching along the coast before he was tackled from behind by Dracomon and DarkAngelicmon. If he hadn't been so upset, he probably would have laughed at the bizarre image of DarkAngelicmon and Dracomon working together to stop him from reaching the ocean, but instead he wrenched himself free from Dracomon's grip and hit DarkAngelicmon hard in the face with the back of his hand. "Let me go! I've had enough of you and your lies! I'm not going to let you hurt me anymore, do you here me? And stay away from my friends!"

DarkAngelicmon blinked in surprise and slowly placed a hand against his swollen cheek. After receiving a hard blow to the face, the fallen angel had tumbled unceremoniously onto his back, and frowning slightly, he stared at the ground, as if unsure of what had just happened. "You know, I'm beginning to think you humans are more trouble than you're worth."

"Even Mickey?" Sam said nastily, ignoring his partner's attempts to comfort him.

DarkAngelicmon slowly got to his feet, and shaking his head, he twisted around and began to brush the dirt out of his wings. "You are searching for answers you do not want to find."

"You mean answers concerning the true identity of the Digimon Emperor? Weren't you the one who was so enthusiastic about telling me earlier?"

"After you find your Spirit Chip, Sam. There's a time and a place for everything, and now is not the time to be delving into the past."

Sam crossed his arms and angrily turned his back on the fallen angel. "I've waited long enough! I deserve to know! I'm tired of everyone keeping secrets from me, and if you think I'm going to let you stop me from finding out the truth, forget it!"

"Did it ever occur to you that I might be trying to save you from yourself?" DarkAngelicmon asked quietly, turning to peer uneasily through the trees. "I didn't think telling you about the Emperor would matter either way, but now that I know more about the Spirit Chips, I'm starting to believe I may have been deceived myself. You disappoint me, Sam. I thought you were stronger than this."

Sam was about to reply when the darkness in the forest suddenly deepened and the sound of the bushes rustling off to his right captured his attention. Letting out a gasp of fear, he stumbled backwards and banged into DarkAngelicmon. The fallen angel quickly grabbed his shoulder before he could fall, and the two of them turned to gaze silently at the dark trees behind Dracomon.

"What was that?" the insect digimon snapped, whirling around and squinting at the bushes growing in a thick tangle beneath the trees behind him.

Sam felt DarkAngelicmon's hand tighten on his shoulder and he turned to look up at the fallen angel. "What is it?"

"I told you to find your way back to the light, but you would not listen to me, and now we must deal with the consequences. I believe your dark thoughts are beginning to take shape."

"My dark thoughts? What about your dark thoughts? You're here too, aren't you?"

DarkAngelicmon smiled slightly and nodded in agreement. "Maybe it's a combination of both. Get behind me."

"What?"

Instead of replying, DarkAngelicmon merely stepped in front of him and pointed his spear at the forest. "Prepare yourself, Dracomon. They come."

Sam caught hold of one of DarkAngelicmon's black wings and peeked around the fallen angel's arm for a better look at the forest. To his complete horror and astonishment, what looked like hundreds of pairs of purple eyes were beginning to pop up within the darkness between the trunks of the trees and all of those violet orbs were focused on the small group standing in the middle of the tiny clearing deep within the centre of the woods. _They're looking right at us! Wait a minute...I've never seen eyes like that before, but they seem familiar somehow..._

"What are they?" Dracomon asked, turning his back on the trees and fluttering over to DarkAngelicmon's side.

The fallen angel frowned at the forest and held his spear tightly in his hand. "Manifestations of darkness. Your heart has turned as black as my wings, Sam. You should have listened to Mickey while you still had the chance."

Sam glared at the fallen angel, but before he could reply, the violet eyes peering at him through the trees began to move towards him, and a moment later, several of the things stepped into the clearing. Sam recognized them almost immediately. Each dark shadow looked exactly like the one that had been in DarkAngelicmon's castle, with only one major difference. The shadows currently stalking him had eyes, and they were the same creepy shade of purple as the violet goo that had dripped all over the stone floor in the castle.

_No, it can't be! Why would they be here?_

"They have eyes," Dracomon murmured, staring at the black shadows in astonishment.

Sam slowly nodded and gazed at the shadows with his mouth hanging open. "Maybe...maybe the one in the castle did have eyes, but for some reason it just didn't open them."

"What are you talking about?" DarkAngelicmon asked curiously, frowning in confusion.

_Are they here because of...him?_

Unable to suppress a gasp of horror, Sam turned and poked the fallen angel sharply in the chest. "This is all your fault, isn't it! You're the one who made these shadows come after us, but why? I thought you said you wanted me to find my Spirit Chip!"

"Excuse me?"

"I knew you were lying! You've probably been lying about everything to us this whole time!"

"What are you talking about?"

Sam attempted to turn his back on DarkAngelicmon, but before he could join his partner, the fallen angel suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him to a stop. "Let go of me! I'm through with listening to your lies!"

"What's this about a dark shadow in the castle?" DarkAngelicmon asked quietly, watching him closely.

"Like you don't already know what I'm talking about! One of those things was acting as a guard in your castle when we were trying to reach the crests. I bet you were the one who sent it to destroy us!"

DarkAngelicmon stared at him in surprise and slowly let go of his arm. "No, I didn't."

"What?"

"I'll admit, evil does occasionally manifest itself within the walls of my master's castle, but...I never authorized a being created solely from the darkness within the heart of either a human or a digimon to act as a guard."

"You mean...you didn't send that thing after us?"

DarkAngelicmon stared at him for a long moment and gently placed a hand on his raven hair. "No, Sam, I did not."

"They're getting closer and they have us surrounded!" Dracomon suddenly shouted, waving his hand at the trees. "We must do something to stop them!"

Sam jerked around in surprise and let out a gasp when he realized his partner was right. There were purple eyes glaring at him from all four corners of the clearing, and although it wasn't easy to tell, he knew their gazes were focused directly on him.

_They're coming for me. They're coming for the Emperor!_

"What are you waiting for, stop them!" DarkAngelicmon shouted, latching onto Dracomon's arm and pulling the insect digimon into the air with him.

Dracomon's clenched fist began to crackle with purple lightning and he pointed it at the first group of shadows to make their way out of the trees. "Lightning Spark!" A huge bolt of purple electricity shot out of Dracomon's fist and hit the first shadow right in the chest, but instead of disappearing, the shadow merely stumbled before recovering its balance and continued to make its way towards the centre of the clearing.

"Well, I knew there was a chance something was going to happen, but I certainly hadn't expected this," DarkAngelicmon said dryly, twirling around in a circle and moving behind Dracomon. The two champions hovered back to back in the air and both digimon gazed intently at the shadows closing in around them.

Sam stood on the ground beneath the two digimon, and he watched in horror as more and more shadows continued to step out of the trees, making their way towards him. There were hundreds of them, and he knew there was no way DarkAngelicmon and his partner could defeat them all.

_I'm sorry, Mickey. I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough..._

"Really, Dracomon, do I have to do all the work around here?" DarkAngelicmon sighed, holding out his arms. "Wrath of Hades!" A huge ball of violet energy shot out of DarkAngelicmon's hands and exploded into a large crowd of about forty shadows who were close to reaching the centre of the clearing. The force of the blast was so powerful it sent waves of purple energy sweeping over the dark shapes swarming behind the group that had taken the full force of the blast, and all of them were swept right off their feet. For a moment, Sam was sure DarkAngelicmon's attack had been successful in destroying the shadows, but his heart sank as the entire group calmly got to their feet and continued towards their destination.

"You were saying?" Dracomon snorted. "Zephyr Strike!" The shadows closest to Dracomon were immediately swept back into the trees by a huge gust of wind, but a moment later they were stepping back into the clearing again, their long legs and arms making it easy for them to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. "Our attacks aren't working! We can't expect to defeat all of them with just the two of us!"

"I thought you Digidestined were all about never giving up," DarkAngelicmon snorted.

"Well, what do you suggest we do?"

"Protect your partner. They're coming for him, not us."

Sam suddenly felt Dracomon's arms wrap around his shoulders and he quickly buried his face against his partner's chest. The fear in his heart was so powerful, it made him feel sick to his stomach, but it was the thought of never seeing his family and friends again that frightened him the most. "I'm sorry, Dracomon, it's all my fault. I should have listened to you."

"Don't give up yet, Sam," Dracomon said quietly, holding him close and trying to shield him from the shadows. "We'll get through this somehow. I want to help you, but I can't protect you if you refuse to believe in yourself."

"They're here!" DarkAngelicmon shouted, pushing past Dracomon and holding out his spear. The first shadow reached DarkAngelicmon a second later, and letting out an angry hiss, it stretched out its long arm and grabbed onto one of the fallen angel's dark wings. A second shadow tried to grab DarkAngelicmon's spear, but somehow the fallen angel managed to hang onto it, and twirling the black spear in a circle, he hit both shadows in their stomachs, sending them flying into a mass of writhing, dark bodies. Unfortunately, his freedom didn't last very long. Almost immediately, three new shadows latched onto his arms and proceeded to drag him towards their dark counterparts.

"They're after Sam, are they?" Dracomon murmured. "That may be true, but I believe they might be after you, too, DarkAngelicmon."

The fallen angel winced as one of the shadows tugged roughly on his wings, and glancing over his shoulder, he gave Dracomon a dirty look. "A little help here would be nice."

Before Dracomon could even attempt to free the fallen angel, he was suddenly attacked by a group of eager shadows. "Stay away from Sam! Dragon Stingers!"

Several of the shadows were struck by glowing, purple needles, but they didn't appear to notice they had been hit. Sam felt his partner's arms slip away from him, and crying out in fear, he watched Dracomon disappear beneath a hoard of shadows. "No! Dracomon!"

"I told you to leave this place, but you wouldn't listen," DarkAngelicmon snapped, wrenching himself free from the shadows and fluttering into the air. "Now we will all pay the price for it!"

"No! Dracomon..."

_It's all my fault. It's all because of me!_

Sam felt one of the shadows grab onto his arm, and he shivered at its icy touch. Another shadow started tugging on his green sweater, but instead of trying to free himself, he merely squeezed his eyes shut and let out a soft sob. _The darkness is so strong. I can't watch. I can't! I just can't bear to look at them anymore..._

"Sam!"

Sam suddenly felt a hand grab onto his arm, and opening his eyes he found himself standing next to DarkAngelicmon. Somehow the fallen angel had managed to pull him free from the shadows, and the two of them stood together with Glowmon lying at their feet.

_Dracomon must have lost all his energy..._

"Stay back!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, thrusting his spear straight through the heart of a shadow attempting to pull him into the darkness by his long, raven hair.

Sam quickly picked up his partner and tugged anxiously on the fallen angel's wings. "What are we going to do?"

"We cannot control the darkness, Sam. It controls us."

"What?" Sam stared at the fallen angel in shock and clung tightly to his partner's small body. "What do you mean?"

DarkAngelicmon pulled him free from a shadow that was attempting to grab Glowmon and held him protectively against his chest. "There is only one way to fight the darkness and win."

"What...what are you going to do?"

"Stay here."

"What? No! You can't! DarkAngelicmon!"

Sam tried to grab the fallen angel's wings again, but DarkAngelicmon gently pushed him away and fluttered into the sky.

"No! Come back!"

"I know what it is you want from me!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, pointing towards the heavens and glaring viciously at the shadows beneath him. "Did you think I would willingly hand him over to you? The Emperor is gone! Taking Sam will not help you, and I will never let you have Lucemon! Zenith Point!"

To Sam's complete astonishment, a glowing beacon of energy shot out of DarkAngelicmon's finger and the heavens exploded with light. Seven golden rays of brilliant sunshine arced out of the sky around DarkAngelicmon and slammed into the shadows circling beneath him. Sudden screams filled the air, and it was a moment before Sam realized the sounds were coming from the shadows. As he watched in fascination, every single shadow lurking in the forest disappeared in a blaze of light, and when the last one had disintegrated, the clearing grew dark and silent once more.

_But...but that's Angelicmon's move!_

"He did it," Glowmon whispered, the underside of the rookie's small belly beginning to glow with pale yellow light.

Sam stared at DarkAngelicmon in disbelief and let out a gasp when the fallen angel suddenly swayed in the air and began to fall rapidly towards the ground.

"Sam, something is wrong! Hurry!" Glowmon whimpered, his wings drooping over his small body.

Sam raced towards DarkAngelicmon, but he hadn't gotten very far before the fallen angel hit the ground with a sickening thump. Gasping for breath, he put on a burst of speed and reached the dark champion's side with Glowmon snuggled protectively in his arms.

"DarkAngelicmon? Hey, wake up!"

"Sam, I don't think he's responding," Glowmon whispered, peering anxiously at the fallen angel.

DarkAngelicmon's eyes were closed, and he was lying on his stomach with his cheek nestled in the crook of his arm. His black hair spilled down his back between his shoulder blades, and although it wasn't easy to see, Sam was sure the fallen angel's body was still glowing faintly with pale yellow light. "What about you, Glowmon? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Sam, but it's dark in the forest. I don't like it. It scares me."

"Do you think you can do something about it? It'd be nice if I could see DarkAngelicmon a little bit better."

"I can try." Glowmon fluttered hesitantly into the air, and hovering over DarkAngelicmon's body, he closed his violet eyes in concentration. "Luminaire!" Almost immediately, Glowmon's belly began to glow with bright, yellow light. It was surprisingly strong, and it cast a wide circle of light around their little group, keeping the darkness at bay.

"Thanks, Glowmon."

"You're welcome."

Turning his attention to DarkAngelicmon, Sam hesitantly placed a hand on the fallen angel's shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. "Wake up, DarkAngelicmon."

At first nothing happened, but just when Sam was about to give up, the fallen angel suddenly stirred and opened his eyes. "They're not gone forever, Sam. There will be more. All I've done is delay them. If you do not leave this place, they will be back, and I don't have enough strength to...to..."

Sam felt a sudden, strong surge of hatred for DarkAngelicmon that was beyond reason, and letting out a cry of frustration, he hit the fallen angel in the back with his fists. "This is all your fault! You're the one who brought me to this place, and now I'm never going to see my friends again! I hate you! I hate you so much!"

"I did nothing of the sort!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, sitting up and pushing Glowmon aside with his hand. "You brought yourself here, I had nothing to do with it. This is all your doing, and it's all because of your precious Digimon Emperor! If you keep this up, you will end up like Lucemon, and I will become Vampiramon's slave before I let that happen! How dare you ruin my plans! How dare you try to cast aside your Spirit Chip! I need it, and you will get it, even if I have to force you to!"

Sam was so angry, he could barely speak. DarkAngelicmon had already tried to hurt him several times in the past and he was tired of listening to the fallen angel's lies. At that moment, all he cared about was hurting DarkAngelicmon because at least then the dark champion would finally know what it felt like. "Tell me who the Digimon Emperor is!"

"You still want to know, even after what happened here?"

Sam clenched his hands into fists and glared at the fallen angel. There were tears running down his cheeks, but he barely even noticed them. DarkAngelicmon was blaming him, but it wasn't his fault. It was the Digimon Emperor's fault. It was all because of the Digimon Emperor. "Do you really think I'm the only one who blames you for the darkness that has entered our hearts? Well, I've got news for you, DarkAngelicmon, I'm not the only one! Mickey _hates _you for everything you've done to him and his brother! I bet he wishes you never existed in the first place! All you've done is try to make his life miserable, and he's never going to forgive you for it. Never! He's going to hate you forever, and it's all your own fault!"

DarkAngelicmon suddenly shot to his feet, and Sam quickly backed away from the fallen angel, convinced he had gone too far. DarkAngelicmon's face was a mask of fury, but it was the hurt and sadness glimmering just beneath the surface of his emerald gaze that had captured Sam's attention the most. "You do not understand, but I wouldn't expect you to."

"Maybe not, but I do know one thing. Mickey thinks you're nothing but a waste of space! How's that for the truth!"

"You want to talk about the truth?" DarkAngelicmon hissed, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and giving him a hard shake. "The truth hurts, Sam, but maybe it will finally teach you a lesson. You want to know who the Digimon Emperor is, do you? Very well, then. Gladly will I rip your heart into pieces and step all over its shattered remains! I warned you, but you wouldn't listen, and now you will pay dearly for your foolishness. You are determined to loose your heart to the darkness, and now you will finally have your chance!"

"Tell me!" Sam screamed, not caring anymore what he said. He needed to know. He needed to know the truth...

"And so the plot thickens, as Piedmon would have said. Only a fool cannot see what lies within his own heart. You _know, _Sam! The truth has been in front of you this whole time, but you've been too blind to see it, little Emperor! Either that or you just haven't wanted to admit it to yourself. That's right, Sam. You talk about the truth? I'll give you the truth. The Digimon Emperor was your father, Ken Ichijouji!"


	144. A Leader's Burden

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, after this chapter, I will be posting my new FTFOD one-shot. It's a Taysuke/Ryoko friendship story, so if you are a fan of either character be sure to check it out. It's going to be called 'What Makes a Hero.' That's pretty much it. This chapter sort of explains itself.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 144: A Leader's Burden

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

As the sounds of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon battling against Jestermon and Spritemon began to fade away into the distance, Daichi Motomiya came to an abrupt stop and caught Mickey's arm to prevent the older twin from attempting to reach the ocean, and more importantly, from inadvertently leaving the rest of the group behind. As a result, Ryoko was forced to skid to a stop behind the two of them, nearly knocking Mickey face first onto the grass in the process, and Gabrielmon had to launch himself into the air to avoid crashing into Ryoko's back. Tirimon, who was lucky enough to have taken the lead, merely came to a stop and glanced curiously over his shoulder, his icy blue eyes coming to rest on his partner's handsome face. "What's going on, Ryoko?"

"Is something wrong?" Embermon asked, standing on Tirimon's head and crossing his arms over his chest. Ryoko glanced at the two digimon and let out a loud snort. "I don't know. Why don't you ask Daichi?"

"What's wrong, Dai?" Mickey gasped, tugging anxiously on his arm.

"The darkness is getting stronger. We must hurry!" Gabrielmon urged, settling himself on the grass next to Mickey and pointing towards a long line of trees that appeared to be following the coast.

Dai frowned at the sparkling blue patches of water peeking through the tops of the trees and slowly shook his head. "There's nothing wrong, not really, but I think from now on, we need to be extra cautious. DarkAngelicmon is around here somewhere, according to Angelicmon and Gabrielmon here, and there's no telling what he might do to Sam if we make him angry. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not really in the mood to ambush an evil digimon, especially if we can find another way to rescue Sam. Besides, if we do confront him, he might try to punish us by hurting Sam. I think we'll have better luck if we sneak up on DarkAngelicmon slowly. That way we'll be able to see the whole picture, and then hopefully we'll be able to rescue Sam without putting his life in danger."

"If he isn't already in danger," Embermon muttered.

Dai rolled his eyes, and stepping in front of Tirimon, he tugged lightly on one of his partner's ears before turning to look at Mickey and Gabrielmon. "Can you guys tell where the darkness is coming from?"

Mickey chewed anxiously on his lower lip, and like Gabrielmon, he quickly pointed towards the forest. "There's darkness everywhere, but at the moment, most of it seems to be coming from the forest, not the ocean."

"I thought so. Judging from Sam's position on my Digivice, it looks like he just entered the forest right before we got here. I think he must be at the centre of the woods by now."

"There's no need to fear the ocean," Gabrielmon said quietly, placing a reassuring hand on his partner's shoulder. "It is merely watching us, nothing more and nothing less. I do not deny it appears to be waiting for something, or perhaps someone, but I cannot say for sure what has captured its attention. All I know is that it will continue to wait, forever if it must, until the light of the Digital World and all those who dwell within it can no longer hold back the darkness."

"What a cheerful thought, Gabrielmon. Thanks so much for sharing," Ryoko said sarcastically.

Gabrielmon smiled at the golden-haired Digidestined and turned to gaze solemnly at the trees in the distance. "Don't worry, Ryoko, that will never happen. DarkAngelicmon is close by and his presence is very strong here. Mickey and Matty may be right about where the darkness is truly coming from. I don't believe the forest itself has created the darkness, it's more like the darkness originated from something inside the forest, something that has caused the forest to become covered in darkness. I believe that something might be Sam, not DarkAngelicmon. The darkness seems to be moving with Sam. Wherever he goes, the darkness follows, which is why we cannot see it at the moment. It is as Mickey feared. The darkness we feel must be the darkness within Sam's heart."

"All of this because of the Digimon Emperor," Mickey whispered, covering his face with his hands. "All of this because of someone who found a way to break free from the darkness! Why can't Sam understand that? I know we don't know exactly what happened, but all the hints have been there right from the very beginning. Our parents and their partners never said it in so many words, but from the little we know so far, it sounds like the Emperor found his way back to the light. I know it in my heart, and if I'm right, then Sam should be proud of being compared to the Emperor!"

"How can you truly appreciate the light if you do not understand what it means to lose your heart to the darkness?" Gabrielmon murmured.

"What do you mean by that?" Ryoko asked slowly.

"In order to fully appreciate the light inside, you must first understand the darkness. It is those of us who have suffered at the hands of evil, and against all odds have found a way to break free from the darkness, that truly understand what it means to be pure of heart."

"People like...like the Digimon Emperor!" Mickey gasped.

Gabrielmon smiled at his partner and gently ruffled the older twin's golden hair. "There is darkness inside of every heart, but if we believe in ourselves and each other, the darkness can never take away what is pure and good."

"Our innocence," Mickey said softly.

Dai frowned and turned to look at Gabrielmon. "What exactly are you saying?"

Gabrielmon slowly came towards him and placed a hand on his head. "We must believe in the Emperor and we must believe in Sam. If we don't, we will all lose our hearts to the darkness."

There was a moment of silence, and taking advantage of the quiet atmosphere, Dai turned to gaze thoughtfully at the trees in the distance. The forest was still and silent, and even though the sun was shining through the leaves on the trees, something about it seemed a little bit disturbing. It was too quiet and there was an ominous feel to it. Not only that, but the sun was starting to sink lower in the west, creating shadows at the edge of the forest.

_Gabrielmon's right. If we don't believe in each other, how can we ever defeat Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon, let alone their master? I might not feel the darkness as strongly as Mickey and Matty do, but that doesn't mean I haven't been affected by it. I know how much it can hurt me if I let it fester inside my heart, but more importantly, I know how much it can hurt my friends, and I'm not going to let that happen! If I did, what kind of a leader would I be? My dad would never let something like that happen to his friends, and I'm not going to let anything happen to my friends either!_

"The darkness is coming from the forest, is it?" Ryoko said quietly, holding out his blue D-Coder. "Well, I guess I can't argue with that."

"Why not?" Mickey asked curiously.

"It's like Daichi said, Sam's signal is coming from the forest. If the darkness you're feeling really is the darkness in Sam's heart then, like Gabrielmon said, that would explain why it too appears to be coming from the forest."

"And now that DarkAngelicmon is so close to us, I can tell his presence is also coming from the forest," Gabrielmon said quietly.

"In that case, we must not waste any more time," Tirimon growled softly. "Gabrielmon, Embermon, and I will take the lead; the rest of you stay close, and as Dai said, we must be cautious. Do not let yourselves be seen until it is absolutely necessary."

"Sounds good to me, let's go!" Embermon replied, tugging impatiently on one of Tirimon's pointy ears.

Glancing nervously at Sam's weak signal on his red D-Coder, Dai quickly hurried after Mickey and Gabrielmon, both of whom were attempting to keep up with Tirimon and Embermon. Lost in his own thoughts, it was a moment before the goggle-headed leader realized Ryoko was making absolutely no effort to follow him. Instead of hurrying towards the forest, the golden-haired Digidestined merely hung his head and proceeded to gaze miserably at his feet.

"Uh...Ishida, aren't you coming?"

"I...I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

Shaking his head, Ryoko squeezed his eyes shut and let out a soft sound of distress. "I can't face Sam. Not now, not like this. He won't...he'll never..."

Dai stared at Ryoko for a moment, and frowning slightly, he clutched his D-Coder tightly in his hand and glanced over his shoulder at Mickey and the digimon. Tirimon and Embermon were still in the lead, moving silently towards the forest, and Mickey was hurrying after the two digimon, his amber eyes burning with determination. Not surprisingly, for once it looked as if Gabrielmon had decided to give his wings a rest in order to keep an eye on Mickey, because instead of soaring beautifully through the air, he chose to walk gracefully over the grass in an effort to remain close to his partner's side. Despite his eagerness to reach the forest, Mickey must have sensed the sudden tension in the air because the older twin came to a stop and slowly turned to face them. "Aren't you guys coming?"

"Dai, please," Ryoko whispered, giving him a pleading look. "You don't understand. You don't know..."

If it hadn't been for the fact that Ryoko had just called him Dai for only the second time in his entire life, excluding when they were really little, he might not have taken the golden-haired Digidestined very seriously, but under the circumstances, he felt he didn't really have a choice in the matter. Ever since leaving Matty and the adults behind, Ryoko had been unusually quiet, and Dai was positive the golden-haired Digidestined's odd behaviour had something to do with Sam. _No, not Sam. The Digimon Emperor._

It made perfect sense. Ryoko's face had turned almost pure white when Mickey had first mentioned the Digimon Emperor, and ever since then the golden-haired Digidestined had been unable to look any of them directly in the eyes, until now.

"Dai, we have to hurry," Mickey said anxiously, nodding his head towards the forest. "Sam might need our help. His dot isn't moving anymore, which means something in the forest must have caught his attention. What if he really has met up with DarkAngelicmon? We know both of them are in the forest, and chances are, somewhere along the line their paths are going to cross."

Dai turned slowly to face the older twin and waved his hand at the forest. "Why don't you go on ahead with our digimon. Ishida and I will catch up with you in a few minutes, but don't think this means I've given you permission to do something reckless."

"But-"

"Don't worry, Dai, I'll watch him like a hawk," Embermon said firmly, interrupting the older twin before he could protest. "We'll wait for you at the edge of the forest, how does that sound?"

"Perfect! Thanks, guys."

"Oh, Embermon," Mickey sighed.

"Don't take too long," Tirimon warned, frowning at Ryoko before racing off towards the forest.

Instead of remaining on Tirimon's head, Embermon quickly leaped onto the ground and moved over to stand next to Mickey, which earned him a grateful smile from Gabrielmon. Although Mickey hadn't said anything, Dai was sure the older twin could sense Ryoko was on the verge of revealing something very important because instead of arguing about the decision to split up, Mickey merely nodded his head and motioned for Gabrielmon to lead the way. "Be careful, Dai, and you too, Ryoko. I don't want to lose you guys."

"To lose a friend is to lose a piece of your heart," Gabrielmon said softly.

Dai nodded and managed a weak smile. "We'll be quick, I promise."

_He called me Dai. I know I didn't imagine it, which means there must be something really wrong if he's willing to go as far as using my nickname just to get my attention..._

Dai waited until Mickey, Embermon, and Gabrielmon had caught up to Tirimon before turning to Ryoko and he blinked in surprise when he realized the golden-haired Digidestined had fallen to his knees on the grass. Frowning slightly, Dai quickly knelt in front of Ryoko and peered anxiously into his friend's deep blue eyes. "Ishida, is there something you wanted to tell me?"

"No! Yes. I mean...I...I don't know if I can..."

"Listen, Ishida, you've been acting really weird lately. Does this have something to do with what you were trying to tell me earlier?"

Ryoko blushed and gazed uncertainly at his hands. "I don't know what you're talking about. I never-"

"You wanted to tell me something earlier, but before you could say anything, Mrs. Hanari showed up and started accusing us of causing trouble. I told you we weren't done yet, before Vampiramon showed up, and you know I always keep my word. If you don't mind me asking, does this have something to do with Sam?"

"What? No way! Why would you think that?"

Dai hesitated and slowly placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Ishida, you never fight with Sam, but today you were being a big jerk to him. Why?"

"You really don't get it, do you. It's not Sam who's the problem."

"Really, if that's true then why were you acting so rude to him?"

To Dai's complete astonishment, instead of denying the accusation, Ryoko's lower lip started to tremble and his sapphire eyes began to sparkle with what looked suspiciously like tears. "Because...because I'm a lousy friend."

"Huh?"

"It's true!" Ryoko wailed, covering his face with his hands. "I'm a horrible friend! It's my fault Sam left! If anything happens to him..."

Dai shook his friend hard by the shoulders and Ryoko immediately fell silent. For a long moment the two of them just stared at each other, and growing impatient, Dai quickly shook his head and managed a faint smile. "You're not a lousy friend, Ishida. At least, not to me, you aren't. You definitely have your moments where I'm extremely tempted to knock some sense into you, but that doesn't mean you're not a good friend."

_There, I've said it. Maybe now he'll finally get the picture._

Ryoko slowly lifted his head, and Dai smiled when he realized the golden-haired Digidestined was staring at him in complete astonishment. Watching his friend closely, he fully expected Ryoko to comment on his surprisingly friendly attitude, but unfortunately the golden-haired Digidestined's obvious surprise at his words didn't have quite the impact he'd been hoping for because instead of commenting on his unusual display of affection, silent tears began to stream down Ryoko's face and he shook his head in denial. "No, it's true. I know it's true. I am a horrible friend."

_He doesn't really believe that, does he? Is this because of me? Am I the reason he has such a low opinion of himself? I'm the one who keeps telling him he doesn't make a very good friend, even if I don't say it in those exact words..._

Feeling a sudden surge of guilt in his heart, Dai gave his friend's shoulders a reassuring squeeze and let out a deep sigh. "Don't be stupid, Ishida. You are a good friend. In fact, you're a great friend, but how do you expect us to appreciate just how much you care when you always keep your feelings hidden inside your heart? As much as there are times when I wish I could read your mind, I can't, and neither can Sam or the others. If there's something you want to say then you need to say it. If you don't, we'll never know how you really feel."

At first Dai thought Ryoko wouldn't answer him, but after a quiet moment of thoughtful silence the golden-haired Digidestined slowly lifted his head and wrapped his hands tightly around the blue D-Coder clenched between his fingers. He held the Digivice close against his heart, and blinking in surprise, Dai suddenly found himself gazing directly into Ryoko's sad, blue eyes. "Dai?"

"What?" he whispered, still unable to believe Ryoko was calling him by his nickname.

"No matter what happens, please don't ever stop being my friend."

_Did...did he really just say that? Does he really think I would ever give up on our friendship? Wait a minute, is he saying he actually values my friendship? Is he saying he really does consider us to be real friends?_

Unable to suppress the sudden surge of emotions swirling around in his heart, Dai quickly reached out and gave his golden-haired friend a brief, yet at the same time fierce, hug. Ryoko was so startled he nearly dropped his D-Coder, but Dai ignored the golden-haired Digidestined's obvious shock and embarrassment, and instead of commenting on his friend's amusing reaction to something so simple as a hug, the goggle-headed leader merely smiled and shook his head. "No way. Do you really think I would ever give up on any of my friends? Come on, Ishida, you know me better than that. No matter what happens, we'll always be friends, even if you do make me want to strangle you half the time."

"Promise?"

Dai took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "I promise."

Ryoko stared at him in astonishment, and feeling suddenly vulnerable, Dai quickly lowered his eyes to the ground and gazed uncertainly at his hands. He had never really had many opportunities to comfort Ryoko before, due mostly to the fact that the golden-haired Digidestined rarely confided in him, and as a result, he felt a little bit uncertain about his earlier actions. After all, he had never actually hugged Ryoko before like he had his other friends many times in the past, not because he hadn't wanted to, but mostly because he had always assumed Ryoko would just brush him off if he ever even attempted such a thing. All of that had changed, though, a few days ago when Ryoko had somehow found the courage to hug him first. Although he would never admit it, he was glad Ryoko hadn't tried to push him away because treating the golden-haired Digidestined differently from his other friends just felt...wrong.

_Does this mean he really doesn't hate me? Have I only been seeing what I believe to be the truth instead of what's really important?_

"Even if what you say is true, that doesn't change the fact that Sam is in danger because of me," Ryoko whispered, his face a mask of fear and sorrow.

Dai raised his eyebrows and gave his friend's shoulders a sympathetic squeeze. "What do you mean? I don't understand, you just said you haven't been acting weird because of Sam, but so far every single word that has come out of your mouth tells a different story. No offence, Ishida, but what you said to Sam was really harsh. You were practically accusing him of hating your father, and for some reason you seemed to think he was mad at your dad for giving in to the Powers of Darkness. Well, it's more like Sam was horrified by what Matt had done, but you know what I mean. Ishida, you...you don't hate Sam for what he said about your dad, do you?"

"What?" Ryoko gasped, staring at him in horror. "No, of course not! Sam's one of my best friends! I could never hate him! Never! Daichi, don't you see? It's the other way around. I...I think Sam might hate me!"

"Why would he hate you? That doesn't make any sense."

"He might not hate me yet, but he will when...when he finds out I've been keeping something really important a secret from him."

"Uh...I think you've totally lost me."

"I couldn't do it," Ryoko mumbled, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I couldn't tell him, and now it might be too late. I wanted to, I really did, but I was scared. I can't lose him as a friend. He means a lot to me, just like all of my friends do, but it doesn't matter anymore. It never did. No matter what I say or don't say, he's going to hate me for knowing the truth. Maybe he already does. I just have this feeling...You heard Gabrielmon. DarkAngelicmon is somewhere in the forest, and if he has somehow caught up to Sam...I can't explain it, but I think Sam might already know. If he does, then it really is too late..."

At first Dai didn't know what to say, but then he suddenly remembered Ryoko's reaction to what Mickey had said earlier. "Does this have something to do with the Digimon Emperor?"

The words had barely left his mouth before he received an answer to his question. The Digimon Emperor's name alone had been enough to make Ryoko wince and for his pale skin to turn almost pure white. Unable to hide his shock, the golden-haired Digidestined quickly leaped to his feet and backed away a few paces, his sapphire eyes burning with emotion. "How...how did you know?"

Dai slowly stood up and took a hesitant step closer to his golden-haired friend. "I didn't, until now. You know something, don't you; something the rest of us don't know, and I can tell it's somehow connected to Sam. What are you hiding, Ishida? What are you so afraid to tell us? What are you so afraid to tell Sam?"

"I...I can't..."

"Why do you think it will make Sam hate you?"

"It's...it's hard to explain..."

Closing the distance between them, Dai gently placed his hands on the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulders, and taking a deep breath, he gave his friend what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Ryoko, tell me. I can't help you if you keep pushing me away all the time. Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me? Come on, we've known each other since we were babies. Doesn't that mean anything to you? We should be able to tell each other almost anything, but you don't tell me a single thing. You might think I'm stupid, but I know what I'm talking about. You have to trust me, and if you're not going to do it for my sake, then at least do it for Sam."

"For Sam," Ryoko whispered. "Dai, I..."

The golden-haired Digidestined immediately fell silent, and the sadness in his sapphire eyes suddenly faded away, only to be replaced by what looked surprisingly like a spark of hope. It was barely visible, but at the same time it was so powerful, it made Dai's heart skip a beat. At that moment, he knew he had said something he hadn't meant to say because there was an odd look on Ryoko's face and the emotion in the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes made his cheeks turn bright red. Thinking back over their mostly one-sided conversation, it was a moment before Dai realized what had captured Ryoko's attention. Out of everything he had said, there was only one thing that could have caused such a drastic change in Ryoko's attitude, and as soon as he understood what it was, he felt his heart come to a complete stop. Without even realizing it, for the first time since he was little, he had called his friend 'Ryoko' instead of 'Ishida' while in the golden-haired Digidestined's presence.

_What was I thinking? I must be losing it. Maybe spending too much time in the Digital World has fried my brain or something. Well, at least Ryoko doesn't look mad. Does that mean he really meant what he said about us being friends?_

Whatever the case, his momentary lapse in concentration, concerning the use of his friend's first name, appeared to have had a huge impact on Ryoko because instead of getting upset or refusing to speak, the golden-haired Digidestined slowly lifted his head and chewed anxiously on his lower lip. "If I tell you something, will you swear not to tell anyone else, especially Sam?"

"Is this the same thing you wanted to tell me earlier when Mrs. Hanari interrupted us?"

"Yes."

"In that case, do you even need to ask? Of course I won't tell anyone. How many times do I have to say it? You know me better than that."

"I...I guess..."

"Tell me, I want to help."

Ryoko took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "I know."

"Then quit stalling and tell me!"

"Dai," the golden-haired Digidestined whispered, once again calling him by his nickname, "I know who the Digimon Emperor is."

At first Dai was sure he hadn't heard Ryoko properly, but as the tears continued to slide down the golden-haired Digidestined's cheeks, he had no choice but to accept the fact that every word he had heard out of his friend's mouth had indeed matched the words that had reached his ears. "That's...impossible. How could you know something like that? Did your dad tell you last night? That would explain why you've been acting like such a nutcase recently."

Ryoko let out a soft sob and slowly shook his head. "No, he didn't tell me. Dai, it's so obvious. We should have figured it out a long time ago. It was all there, right in front of our faces, but we were too blind to see the truth. There were so many hints, so many opportunities to realize what we should have known all along, and not once did we ever put the pieces of the puzzle together. How could we have been so _stupid_?"

Dai clung tightly to his friend's shoulders to stop his hands from trembling and gazed anxiously into the golden-haired Digidestined's sapphire eyes. Although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, he knew he had to ask. "Who is he? Please, for Sam. I need to know if you want me to help you protect Sam."

Ryoko let out a soft moan and collapsed against his shoulder. "Dai, it's...it's Ken. The Digimon Emperor is Sam's father!"

_No. It...can't be..._

And yet, even though he wanted nothing more than to scream at Ryoko and call his friend a liar, he knew the golden-haired Digidestined was telling the truth. As much as he didn't want to believe it, Ken Ichijouji was the Digimon Emperor. It made too much sense not to be true. Ken had joined the Digidestined team late, and although Dai still didn't know exactly what had happened, there had apparently been some sort of issue with the raven-haired Digidestined's crest, which had made it unavailable for use twenty-five years ago. There was also the fact that everything Veemon, Gennai, and the others had said about the Emperor had somehow been connected to Ken.

_And what about Sam? Everyone keeps comparing him to the Emperor, and we know the two of them are connected somehow. Wormmon and the others made that pretty clear. It also explains why Centarumon told us to talk to Wormmon about the Digimon Emperor, but Wormmon didn't say anything because he didn't want to hurt his partner. _

Vampiramon and her allies had used the term 'little Emperor' several times in the past when referring to Sam, and the only way that would make sense would be if one of Sam's parents was the Digimon Emperor. Sam was a lot like his father, so it only made sense for the two of them to be compared to one another. It also made the connection between Sam and the Emperor make a lot of sense.

_It all fits. I can't believe Ken used to be the Digimon Emperor. It doesn't make any sense. To me, he's always seemed like a really nice, kind, caring person. What could have made him act so differently back then? Could his brother's death have had something to do with it? I know I'd be pretty upset if something bad ever happened to Ami. She might annoy me sometimes, but she's still my big sister, and things just wouldn't be the same without her..._

"Do you see what I mean?" Ryoko wailed, sniffing back tears. "Ken's definitely the Digimon Emperor; there's just no way around it."

Dai slowly pulled away from his golden-haired friend and gently shook his head. "No, Ken _was_ the Digimon Emperor. There's a difference, Ishida. Sam will understand. It might take a while, but I know he'll forgive Ken eventually. He's just going to need some time, that's all."

"You...you believe me?" Ryoko gasped.

"Of course I do. I don't really have much of a choice, do I? It makes too much sense not to be true. I guess Mickey was right after all. The Digimon Emperor really did find his way back to the light."

"Yes, but will Sam see it that way? Do you understand now why I haven't been able to tell him the truth about his father? If I do, he won't believe me, but if I don't he'll accuse me of keeping secrets from him. Either way, he's going to hate me."

"No way! Sam isn't like that. He might get angry, but he'll never hate you, that much I'm sure of. Hey, Ishida, you don't hate Ken, do you? I mean...now that you know the truth?"

Ryoko blinked in surprise and quickly shook his head. "No, why would I hate him? Sam's father is a lot like my dad, and if my dad deserves a second chance then why not Ken, too? What about you? Do you hate Ken?"

Dai lifted his chin and gave the golden-haired Digidestined a defiant look. "I don't know why Ken did what he did, but I do know he definitely had a good reason for it and I'm not going to accuse him of anything until I know exactly what that reason is."

Ryoko nodded and gave him a weak smile. "I should have known you would say something like that."

"Hey, Ishida, do you really think Sam might already know the truth?"

"I'm not sure, but I won't be surprised if he does, especially if DarkAngelicmon really has caught up to him in the forest."

"Why is that?"

"DarkAngelicmon already tried once before to reveal the Emperor's true identity. Who's to say he won't try it again? He seems determined to hurt Sam, as well as Mickey and Matty, and using Ken would be a perfect way to attack Sam where he's most vulnerable."

"You're right. In that case, we'd better find Sam and quick. By the way, thanks for telling me about the Emperor. It's about time you learn to trust me."

"I've always trusted you," Ryoko whispered, brushing the tears off his cheeks with the back of his hand. "Besides, I had to tell someone. It was driving me crazy."

Dai smiled slightly and once again slipped his arm around his friend's shoulders. "No, you didn't have to tell anyone, but you told me. Don't worry, Ishida, I'm not going to let Sam hate you. I'd like to see him try it!"

Ryoko blushed and let out a weary sigh. Now that the golden-haired Digidestined had gotten Ken's secret off his chest, he seemed a little calmer and a little more willing to think things through rationally. "Daichi, now that we know the truth, what are we going to do?"

_So he's back to calling me Daichi again, is he? I should have known using my nickname wouldn't last._

Dai was about to answer when a bright flash of light at the edge of his vision suddenly captured his attention. Jumping in surprise, he turned just in time to see seven rays of golden light arc out of the sky and disappear into the tops of the trees. At the edge of the forest, Mickey was staring up at the sky in shock and Gabrielmon was already hovering above the trees, his sceptre clutched tightly in his hand. Embermon and Tirimon were also standing at the edge of the forest, and both digimon were staring up at the sky in confusion.

"Wasn't that...Angelicmon's attack?" Ryoko asked hesitantly, gazing anxiously at the forest. "What...what's going on?"

Dai didn't even bothering trying to come up with an answer. Instead, he grabbed Ryoko's arm and proceeded to drag the golden-haired Digidestined towards the forest, his thoughts about the Emperor momentarily forgotten. He didn't have a clue what was happening, but he did know one thing. Angelicmon was definitely not in that forest. _Could it be? Could that light have come from DarkAngelicmon?_


	145. A Helping Hand

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, not much to say here, except that we're back to Tai's group. I will fix any mistakes I accidentally overlooked tomorrow.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 145: A Helping Hand

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Masato Takaishi stood huddled next to his Aunt Sora, gazing miserably at the battle taking place between WarGreymon's group and Vampiramon's allies, and although he was witnessing Angelicmon's every attack and every move, his mind was focused on Sam and the ocean.

_I hope Dai and the others can reach him in time before something really terrible happens, but what if we're too late? What if DarkAngelicmon has already found a way to hurt Sam, and I don't mean physically. I know what Vampiramon said about Lucemon, but even she thinks DarkAngelicmon may have decided to go after Sam first before capturing Lucemon. It's just not fair! I should be helping Dai and the others, but instead I'm stuck here fighting a useless battle that isn't going to help us find Sam or the Spirit Chips._

Like Mickey, he was sure the darkness he felt was coming from Sam's heart, and it scared him more than anything else he had witnessed in the Digital World so far, including the creepy shadow that had been stalking them in DarkAngelicmon's castle. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was sure DarkAngelicmon had gone after Sam, but so far he had yet to figure out exactly why the fallen angel would waste his time chasing after Sam when he could be searching for Lucemon instead. Unfortunately, all the reasons he could think of, most of them having something to do with the Digimon Emperor, weren't exactly encouraging. The worst part about the whole thing was the fact that he knew Mickey felt the same way he did, and unfortunately Mickey's feelings were usually right.

_Speaking of Mickey, I hope he isn't trying to do something heroic to save Sam. I know his heart is in the right place, but his efforts to help Sam aren't going to do much good if he doesn't use his brain, too. Well, at least he's with Dai and Ryoko. I know I can trust them, even if I can't trust Mickey to keep his own head on straight. I bet he's worried about me, though he'd probably never admit it to the others, unless of course they were to ask him about it. I feel the same way about him, only in my case it's not as much of a problem. Unlike me, Mickey needs to concentrate only on Sam, but I'm not sure if he can do that. His heart is too big for that sort of thing. If only there was something I could do to help him. I wish Dai were here. He would know what to do. Sam and Mickey need me, and I need them..._

"Cheer up, Matty," Sora suddenly whispered softly in his ear. "We'll all be together again soon, you'll see."

Matty slowly looked up at his aunt and gave her a half-hearted smile. "You know what, Aunt Sora? It's tough having brothers and sisters."

"Your uncles felt the same way when they were trying to save the Digital World. It might be hard, but you're still a lucky kid, Matty. I wish I could have had a sibling, but even though my parents never had a second child, that doesn't mean I don't understand how you're feeling right now. Your parents and the rest of my friends are like family to me, and even though they're all grown up now, I still worry about them."

"Mickey's bad enough as it is. Don't even get me started on Dai and the rest of my friends."

Sora gave him a quick kiss on the top of his golden head and pulled him into a warm hug. "You're a wonderful person, Matty, just like your parents."

Matty returned his aunt's hug and glanced anxiously at the yellow D-Coder in his hand. The glowing dots representing Dai, Ryoko, and Mickey still hadn't quite reached the ocean yet and their obvious slow progress towards their destination was making him feel extremely nervous. In fact, Dai and Ryoko had almost come to a complete standstill, and for some odd reason Sam appeared to be standing motionless in the forest. _That's strange. Before it looked as if Sam was heading towards the ocean, so why did he suddenly stop, and why are Dai and the others taking so long to reach him? He could be in big trouble._

"I hope Kara and the others are okay," Sora said quietly, almost to herself. The female Digidestined's face was pinched with fear, and Matty could tell she was obviously worried about her daughter. Tai, too, seemed unusually subdued, and although he was shouting encouragement to WarGreymon, his words lacked their usual enthusiasm and he kept glancing back at the edge of the forest.

_At his daughter..._

"Be careful, MetalGarurumon, she's fast!" Matt shouted, glaring at Spritemon.

Letting go of his aunt, Matty quickly stepped between his two uncles and frowned at the battle taking place before him. Garudamon and MetalGarurumon were trying unsuccessfully to knock Spritemon out of the air while WarGreymon and Angelicmon were attempting to avoid Jestermon's barrage of pulsing black spheres. Neither side in either of the two groups appeared to be making much headway, but Matty knew it was only a matter of time before somebody faltered, giving the other side an edge that could prove to be dangerous.

"You call this a battle?" Spritemon smirked, flipping over backwards in the air and zooming underneath Garudamon's right wing. "I was expecting more from a couple of megas and an ultimate, but it looks like I'm going to suffer a huge disappointment. Fairy Cannon!"

Spritemon put her hands together and two small blasts of emerald green light shot out of the small guns concealed within her green gauntlets. They combined together to create a huge ball of glowing green energy, which she shot straight a Garudamon's back. It hit the ultimate directly between the shoulder blades, and letting out a gasp of surprise, the bird digimon faltered in the air and began to descend face first towards the ground. Luckily she managed to recover before falling directly on top of MetalGarurumon, gaining control of her wings just inches above the mega digimon's heavily armoured head.

"Garudamon, don't let her get behind you!" Sora cried, gazing anxiously at her partner.

Garudamon didn't reply, but she did pause long enough to send her partner a reassuring look before launching herself back into the air again "Only a coward attacks from behind!"

"That's your problem, Garudamon. You and your friends try too hard to follow the rules," Spritemon snorted. "What I did was smart, not cowardly. There's a difference."

"Not to me, there isn't. Wing Blade!"

A glowing orange, spectral image of a bird hit Spritemon right in the midsection and sent her tumbling head over heels through the air. She crashed into the earth hard enough to send up a cloud of loose dirt, and a piercing shriek escaped her lips, the sound ringing in Matty's ears. To his complete surprise, she sat up almost immediately, but before she could get to her feet, MetalGarurumon was upon her. Leaping into the air and using his front paws as weapons, the wolf digimon knocked Spritemon flat onto her back, his momentum sending him soaring over her body. Twisting in the air, he skidded to a stop about ten feet away from the evil mega, his face turning towards her, and let out a low growl. "Metal Wolf Snout!"

Matty gasped as four beams of energy shot out of the four laser sites on MetalGarurunon's nostrils and exploded into Spritemon, sending a swirling tornado of smoke soaring into the sky. The little mega barely had time to see the attack, let alone avoid it, and MetalGarurumon's accuracy had been about as perfect as it was possible to be. There was no way Spritemon could have survived such a devastating attack.

"Great job, MetalGarurumon, but don't let your guard down. She's not going to give up that easily," Matt warned.

"Huh?" Matty glanced at his uncle in surprise and tugged nervously on the former musician's arm. "You mean...she hasn't been turned into data yet?"

Matt looked at him and let out a deep sigh. "Evil digimon are sneaky, Matty, especially megas. They'll do anything they can to gain the upper hand, especially if it means increasing their odds of a victory. Making us think we've won when we really haven't is one of their more popular methods of deceiving us."

"Matt's right, Spritemon's a tough digimon. It'll take more than that to delete her," Tai added, shaking his head. "Come on, WarGreymon, you can do it. Jestermon's no match for you!"

Matty turned to glare at the court jester and quickly ducked as one of the evil mega's black spheres bounced off WarGreymon's shield and ricocheted towards him. His Aunt Sora was standing directly behind him, but Matt managed to pull her out of the way before the dark ball of energy could hit her in the face. Instead, it zipped past her ear and disappeared into the distance.

"Thanks, Matt, that was a close one," Sora gasped, giving the former musician a grateful smile.

Matt returned the smile and put an arm around her shoulders. "No problem."

"Watch we're you're deflecting those things!" Tai shouted, frowning at his partner and reaching out to take his wife's hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Tai, you don't need to worry about me."

"What about you, Matty?"

"I want to find Mickey and the others."

Tai smiled at him and gently ruffled his golden hair. "We will, don't worry."

"But...what about Kara?"

"Sorry, guys," WarGreymon called out, ducking under a black sphere himself and hurtling towards Jestermon. At the last minute he leaped into the air and attempted to tackle Jestermon, but the fool managed to roll out from under him and proceeded to dance around in a circle, his black spheres shooting out in all directions. One of them came close to Angelicmon's left wings and two more flew over the angel digimon's head, just barely missing the fluffy feathers poking through his golden hair. The rest flew straight towards WarGreymon, but once again he used his Brave Shield to block them. They bounced off the shield's shiny surface and zoomed back towards Jestermon, catching the fool completely off guard. Letting out a yelp of surprise, he quickly flattened himself against the earth and covered his head with his arms. The black spheres flew over his head, making the bells on his green, blue, and red hat sing out a frantic tune, and collided with a clump of bushes shooting up from the ground directly behind him. There was a huge explosion of dark energy, and when Matty looked at the bushes again, he was shocked to discover they had almost completely withered away.

_The bushes are dying. It's like Jestermon's spheres have sucked the life out of them..._

Swallowing a lump of fear in his throat, Matty moved closer to his uncles and pointed at the court jester. "Why did his attack kill those bushes? It didn't work like that when he used it on Mickey a few days ago."

"It's simple, Matty. At that point in time, he wasn't interested in killing Mickey," Tai explained, slipping an arm around his shoulders and frowning at the court jester. "All he wanted was your brother's D-Coder, but if he had wanted to kill Mickey, now that you've seen what his attack can really do, he probably could have done it easily, though that's without taking into considering the effect the Digital World has on Mickey's body. Who knows what might have happened."

"But...he did try to kill Mickey, remember?"

"Yeah, but you know Jestermon. He likes to play games, just like Puppetmon did. Killing Mickey with his attack would have been too simple, so instead of choosing the easy route, he decided to do something a little bit more interesting."

"He dropped Mickey off a building! I wouldn't call that interesting, I'd call it crazy!"

"Well, Jestermon was really angry when you guys found a way to save Mickey. Maybe, at that point, he would have been annoyed enough to just finish all of you off as quickly as possible, but Angelicmon never gave him the chance to use his attacks," Matt said quietly, his angry, blue eyes watching Jestermon's every move.

_Mickey, do you even realize how close we came to losing you? I hope you're safe..._

Matty squeezed his eyes shut and clung tightly to his Uncle Tai's bright orange shirt. He could feel Mickey out there somewhere, and his twin's reassuring presence made him feel slightly better, but it wasn't enough to stop him from worrying. Mickey was really upset about something. He could feel it in his heart, and although he didn't know exactly what was causing his brother so much pain, it was starting to drive him crazy.

_It must be because of Sam..._

"You still have yet to answer for what you did to Mickey! Did you really think I was going to let you get away with that?" Angelicmon snapped at the court jester. "Celestial Star!"

Matty looked up just in time to see Angelicmon's attack hit Jestermon directly in the chest, but instead of going down, the fool merely turned on his heel and launched what appeared to be a never ending stream of black spheres at his opponent. At first, Angelicmon was able to avoid them with ease, but as the attack continued he started to lose both his strength and his speed. Growing tired, he tried to avoid two more shooting towards his legs and failed to see the third one heading straight for his wings. Matty tried to shout a warning, but it was too late. The third sphere shot straight through two of Angelicmon's six wings and sent him crashing back down to earth. Matty could see the gaping holes in his partner's middle wings, and the other four, thought not as bad, also looked severely damaged.

"Angelicmon!"

"Stay here, Matty! If you go to your partner now, you'll definitely get hurt!" Matt said frimly, grabbing his arm to stop him from running into the battle.

"But-"

"It's okay, Matty," Sora said softly, gently patting his back. "WarGreymon and the others will help him. If you go out there now, you'll only distract them, and that will give Spritemon and Jestermon the edge. If that happens, all of us will be in danger. Angelicmon wouldn't want that."

"But...Jestermon's never been able to do something like that to our partners before..."

"They're megas, Matty," Tai said seriously, his dark eyes following WarGreymon's every move, "and for once they're acting like it."

"It looks like the game is over," Sora sighed. "Now the real fight begins."

"You're going to pay for that!" WarGreymon growled, moving over to stand protectively in front of Angelicmon.

Jestermon let out a loud cackle and began to advance towards WarGreymon. "As a firm believer in fair play, I've decided to inform you that I've changed the rules a little bit. How? Well, you'll just have to guess. The fool can't give away all his secrets. Here's your first clue. Fire Jest!"

WarGreymon just barely got his shield up in time before a huge stream of fire shot out of Jestermon's mouth and headed straight for the middle of his chest. The fire exploded into the symbol of the Crest of Courage, creating huge scorch marks all over WarGreymon's shiny shield, but Jestermon either didn't notice or didn't care because instead of letting his attack dissipate, it continued to grow in heat and intensity. Not only that, but Spritemon had managed to launched herself into the air again and was shooting her green balls of energy down at MetalGarurumon.

"Your attacks won't stop us that easily. Wing Blade!" Garudamon shouted, once again shooting a fiery orange spectral image of a bird at Spritemon.

"Giga Missile!" MetalGarurumon growled, firing a large missile from his chest into the sky.

Spritemon immediately dropped towards the earth and the two attacks collided, creating a huge explosion in mid-air.

Shrieking with laughter, Spritemon soared back into the sky and proceeded to hover above the battle field with her hands in the air. The devious look on her face immediately caught Matty's attention, and he glanced anxiously at his aunt and uncles. They, too, were watching Spritemon closely, and Matty could tell they were just as suspicious of the sprite digimon as he was. Even their digimon had paused to look at Spritemon, including WarGreymon, who was no longer trying to fend off Jestermon. As soon as Spritemon had fluttered into the air, Jestermon had immediately ceased his attack, clearly excited to find out whatever it was Spritemon intended to do.

"What is she up to?" Sora muttered, gazing suspiciously at the little mega.

Spritemon glared at Tai for a moment and slowly shook her head. "For too long we have taken pity on you and your digimon, but no more. It's time to end this once and for all. We made the unfortunate mistake of underestimating you, but I assure you, we will not make that mistake again. Jestermon and I are megas, and it's time you learned just how powerful we really are."

"Oh excellent, this is going to be good!" Jestermon said excitedly, hopping up and down on his toes and spinning around in a circle. "I believe the game has just reached a new level and there's no turning back now. Can you handle the new rules, Digidestined, or will you fall into oblivion?"

"The game is over," Spritemon hissed, "but the war has only just begun. Pixie Dust!"

Spritemon's entire form began to glow, and a shower of glittering green dust exploded out of her body and began to descend towards the battle field. Matty had seen this attack before in the past, but never had the dust been so thick, nor had it covered such a vast area of ground. Its range had widened enough to cover all four of their digimon, and almost immediately they began to cry out in pain. Garudamon hurtled out of the sky and landed with a crash next to MetalGarurumon, and WarGreymon dropped to his knees in the grass. MetalGarurumon collapsed next to Garudamon, and to Matty's complete horror, Angelicmon turned back into a rookie. His digimon barely even had enough time to let out a soft groan before his larger form disappeared and was replaced by Celestimon.

"What's happening?" Sora gasped, staring at her partner in disbelief.

"She's draining our energy," WarGreymon groaned, slowly lifting his head.

"Can't...hold...on," Garudamon moaned.

"Now what?" Matt snapped.

"This is my kind of entertainment!" Jestermon said gleefully, sitting cross-legged on the ground and pulling out his black balls. "Keep doing your thing, Spritemon!"

"Soon it will all be over," Spritemon shrieked. "Even your mega digimon won't stand up against my attack forever."

"We'll stop you!" MetalGarurumon growled, struggling to get back to his feet. "One way or another we'll make you wish you'd never tried to take over the Digital World."

"I'm sorry, Sora," Garudamon groaned, disappearing in a flash of light and turning back into Biyomon.

"Come on, WarGreymon, you have to get up! We need you!" Tai shouted, clutching his Digivice tightly in his hand.

_We're...losing. They're just too strong for us. All this time they've only been playing with our digimon, pretending to be weaker than they really are. They're megas. We can't defeat them, we can't even stop them! No matter how much we believe in ourselves, even with Dai as our leader, we're just not strong enough..._

"Prepare to watch your digimon disappear!" Spritemon snarled.

_No!_

"Horn Buster!"

Without warning, a huge bolt of electricity slammed into Spritemon's chest and sent her tumbling head over heels towards the ground at a speed that was destined to cause some major damage. A second bolt of electricity rained down on Jestermon's head and he disappeared in a pulsing blast of energy. Jerking around in surprise, Matty caught sight of a digimon who looked a little bit like Kabuterimon, only much more powerful.

_That must be Kabuterimon's ultimate form. Where did he come from?_

"Great timing, Izzy!" Tai cheered, pumping his fist into the air. "You, too, MegaKabuterimon!"

MegaKabuterimon landed in front of the former leader, and Izzy, Kara, and Mina quickly jumped down from where they had been sitting near his head. Mina was holding Candlemon in her arms, and Takara was holdng Dovemon. Matty barely had a chance to open his mouth before his female cousin suddenly shoved Dovemon into Izzy's arms, turned towards him, and threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Matty, I'm so glad you're okay! Dai, Ryoko, and Mickey have gone after Sam, haven't they. I hope they're not in trouble. You wouldn't believe how worried I've been about everyone!"

"Same here. Good to see you're still in one piece."

"You, too."

Matty returned his cousin's hug and quickly moved out of the way so Takara could join her parents. Tai hugged his daughter tightly, and turning to Izzy, he gave the computer expert a grateful smile. "Thanks, Izzy, I knew I could count on you."

Izzy nodded and beamed at the former leader. "I told you I had things under control. Listen, Tai, we need to get out of here quick. I'm sure BlackWidowmon and Vampiramon are following us, and I know we have WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, but under the circumstances, I don't think we'll be able to fight four megas all at once and still win this battle. Besides, we need to find Sam."

"BlackWidowmon?" Matt asked, frowning in confusion.

"She showed up after you guys left, and together with Vampiramon, the two of them nearly beat us," Mina explained. "We managed to defeat Soulmon, but we were no match for two megas."

"Forget about it, you guys still did a great job," Sora replied.

Matty nodded in agreement and turned to give Takara a rather sheepish look. He'd been so busy worrying about Mickey and Sam that he had forgotten to take a closer look at his D-Coder earlier to see what had become of Izzy, Mina, and his cousin. If he had, he would have realized they were coming to help a long time ago.

"Don't worry, I forgive you," Takara laughed, easily reading the look on his face. "Now let's go find Sam. I trust Dai, but I'm still scared."

"Right. WarGreymon, we're getting out of here!" Tai shouted, waving to his partner. "Round up the others."

WarGreymon immediately leaped to his feet, and Biyomon fluttered onto his shoulder. MetalGarurumon scooped Celestimon into his mouth, and the two megas quickly hurried over to their partners.

"You guys did really well," Matt said softly, stroking his partner's armoured head.

Matty quickly hurried over to his uncle's side and held out his hands. "Celestimon, are you okay?"

MetalGarurumon opened his mouth, and Matty quickly caught Celestimon just as the little rookie tumbled out. Moaning softly, Celestimon slowly opened his bright green eyes and managed a weak smile. "I'm fine, Matty. Every single part of my body hurts, including my wings, my toes, and my ears, and it's definitely an interesting experience being someone's lunch, but other than that I'm okay."

Matty laughed and cuddled his partner against his chest. "I was so worried about you."

Celestimon's small arms went around his neck, and he felt the little digimon's fluffy ears press against his cheek. "I know. I'm sorry, Matty. Can we go find Sam now? Besides, I miss Halomon. I always fight better when he's with me."

_I know how you feel, Celestimon._

"Considering you were fighting a mega, I think you did pretty well," Matt said dryly, tugging lightly on one of Celestimon's ears.

"Dad, is...is that Agumon?" Takara squeaked, capturing Matty's attention. He turned to see his female cousin pointing her finger at WarGreymon and smiled at the stunned look on her face.

Tai nodded and beamed at his partner. "This is Agumon's mega form. His name is WarGreymon."

"To protect you, Kara, I must be strong," WarGreymon said with dignity, bowing to Tai's daughter. Considering how large WarGreymon was, it seemed odd to see him showing so much respect to someone so small in stature.

Blushing furiously, Takara slowly circled around WarGreymon and stopped when she spotted his armoured wings. "It's your crest, Dad! It's the symbol of your crest!"

Tai quickly joined his daughter and tugged lightly on her long, dark ponytail. "You've heard it before and I'll say it again. In many ways, our digimon are a reflection of who we are, and we are a reflection of who they are, and you are more than worthy enough to have a digimon like Dovemon for a partner."

Takara beamed at her father and hugged him around the waist. "Thanks, Dad."

_Talk about a compliment._

Tai nodded and gazed up at his partner. "This is who I am, but...it might not have been that way. Not always."

"What do you mean?" Takara asked slowly.

WarGreymon suddenly pulled the two halves of his shield together and held it out to Tai. "This is who you are."

"I know," Tai murmured, running his fingers over the symbol of the Crest of Courage and smiling at his partner.

"WarGreymon, you're...amazing!" Takara gasped, gazing shyly at the large mega. "I hope Dovemon can become like you."

"I can!" Dovemon called from Izzy's arms. "Just you watch, Kara!"

"Alright, everyone on MegaKabuterimon," Tai ordered, quickly changing the subject and pointing towards the large digimon. Takara looked like she wanted to ask him about his earlier words, but it was obvious Tai wasn't in the mood to talk about his past. "Matt, you can take Matty on MetalGarurumon."

"Come on, Kara," Sora said softly, kissing her daughter's cheek and leading the younger female towards MegaKabuterimon.

With a little help from her dad, Takara managed to climb back up and was quickly joined by Izzy, Mina, Candlemon, Dovemon, Biyomon, and her parents. Matty climbed onto MetalGarurumon behind his uncle, and Celestimon settled himself in front of the former musician.

"Dad, Mom, there's so much I need to tell you guys," Takara sighed.

Tai wrapped his arms around his daughter and held her close. "Same here, but we'll wait until after we find Sam."

"Hang on," MegaKabuterimon called out.

Matty felt a sudden gust of wind stir his golden hair, and looking up, he watched MegaKabuterimon soar into the air above his head. MetalGarurumon put on a sudden burst of speed, racing towards Sam's signal, and Matty quickly tightened his hold on his uncle's waist to stop himself from falling off. He could hear Jestermon and Spritemon shouting behind him, having finally regained consciousness from the surprise attack, but he didn't look back. All he cared about now was finding his friends.

_Hang on, Sam, we're coming..._


	146. Beacons of Light

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. (Though they stole Dracomon from me! The name, I mean. I came up with it years and years ago! Honestly, I should sue and...yeah, I would so totally lose. Oh well, I'm sure someone out there used it before me, too. But still!)

A/N: Well, we finally get back to Sam! I'm sorry the chapter is a bit short, but the story will be flipping around quite a bit between different groups of characters for the next little while, since there is so much going on right now, and I don't want everyone to get confused. (like me!) I wanted this chapter to be pretty emotional, but I also didn't want to go overboard. As a result, it seems a bit flat to me, but hopefully everyone will still like it. Please review!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 146: Beacons of Light

_Sam Ichijouji_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sam Ichijouji stared at the fallen angel standing before him, the silence hovering over the small, dark clearing ringing in his ears. There were tears streaming down his cheeks, but he barely even felt them. All he could think about were the words DarkAngelicmon had thrown so viciously in his face.

_**"And so the plot thickens, as Piedmon would have said. Only a fool cannot see what lies within his own heart. You know, Sam! The truth has been in front of you this whole time, but you've been too blind to see it, little Emperor! Either that or you just haven't wanted to admit it to yourself. That's right, Sam. You talk about the truth? I'll give you the truth. The Digimon Emperor was your father, Ken Ichijouji!"**_

_No, he's lying. It can't be true, it can't be! My father wouldn't...he'd never treat innocent humans and digimon like that! DarkAngelicmon is just trying to hurt me! He's just trying to make me suffer for what I said about Mickey..._

"Well, well, not so confident now, are we, human," DarkAngelicmon hissed, his emerald green eyes flashing with rage.

Sam recoiled and quickly backed away from the fallen angel, feeling both stunned and hurt by the evil champion's sudden outburst. Never before had DarkAngelicmon ever referred to him or any of his friends in such a disrespectful manner, always calling them by their first names instead of using the word 'human' like Vampiramon, Spritemon, Jestermon and BlackWidowmon often did, and the implications of that made him feel like he was losing an important part of his soul.

_Have I ruined everything? Does he no longer consider us to be worthy opponents anymore? _

Sam knew he should probably be frightened by the sudden change in DarkAngelicmon's attitude, but at the moment, all he could think about was his father. Ken Ichijouji had always been a decent man, a kind and gentle father who somehow always managed to find time to spend with his children, even when he was really busy. For Sam, his father had always been a source of comfort, a shoulder to cry on when he was upset and a pair of strong arms to hug him in those times when he just wanted to be loved. His father had always been a quiet listener, preferring to study those around him instead of joining in on the conversation himself, and because of that Sam knew he could tell his dad anything without fear of his words being passed on to someone else. That was what he loved most about his father. Ken was the kind of person you could always trust, and he was good at keeping secrets.

_Maybe a little too good..._

Unable to stop the flow of memories surging through his brain, Sam found himself reliving all of the moments he had spent with his father. In the past, his dad had often read him to sleep in the evenings and tucked him into bed at night, and he couldn't even count how many times his dad had comforted him after he had had a nightmare. He could still remember all the times when his father had played with him when he was a kid, helped him with his homework, or joined him in a game of chess, which could quite frequently turn out to be fast and furious. Often, his parents would set aside a family night when all they would do was play a game and everyone would join in, but his favorite memories were the ones when he would spend hours just talking to his father about whatever came to his mind, and his dad would talk and listen, opening up to him in a way that only fathers who were close to their sons possibly could. Those were his most precious memories and every single one that flashed through his mind caused another piece of his heart to break off and drift painfully into oblivion. His father was a genius and a talented soccer player. He could have been the head of a large corporation dedicated to designing popular video games for children and adults all over the world, or the head of any other corporation for that matter. He could have been a brilliant mathematician or even a professional soccer player. He could have been _anything, _but instead he had chosen to run a convenience store with his wife. Sam had once asked his father why he had given up so many opportunities to become an influential person within society. The answer, to his surprise, had been clear and simple.

_**"Success doesn't always translate into happiness, Sam. It's the simple things in life that truly make you happy."**_

How could a man whose most important goal in life was to do everything he could to protect his family and friends and love them with all his heart have possibly been the Digimon Emperor?

Glaring at the fallen angel through a haze of tears, Sam slowly lifted his head and clenched his hands into tight fists. "You're wrong! I don't believe you. My father would never...he wouldn't hurt innocent digimon or his friends."

DarkAngelicmon smiled bitterly and turned to face the trees, keeping an eye out for more of those strange black shadows. "Did I not tell you sometimes it is better to hide from the truth? Look inside your heart, Sam, you know I'm not lying. Deep down inside, you've known the truth all along."

Sam blinked in surprise and slowly shook his head in denial. As quickly as that, the fallen angel had reverted back to using his name, and the firm, yet gentle, words left him feeling scared and confused. He was pretty sure he was in shock, and his heart was pounding so frantically in his chest, it was making his ears hurt, but even so, he still found himself trying to deny the fallen angel's words. "No, I don't know what you're talking about. My dad isn't evil! He can't be..."

"Look around you, Sam!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, waving his hand at the dark trees circling the small clearing. "This place, this darkness, this is your father's gift to you. This is your father's legacy!"

Sam could hear someone crying, but it was a moment before he realized the sobs were his own. "No! You're just trying to hurt me! You're just trying to...to..."

"No, Sam, don't listen to him!" Glowmon cried, his glowing belly flickering before growing dark and shadowy. "Even if what he says is true, it doesn't change the fact that your father still loves you! Maybe he did do some bad things when he was younger, but he's changed since then. You can see that for yourself."

Sam jumped as Glowmon suddenly zoomed into his arms, and squeezing his eyes shut, he buried his face against the little rookie's soft, leathery skin. Ever since he was little, he had always wanted to be like his dad, but now he was starting to wonder if maybe he had put his trust in the wrong person. His father had been his biggest hero ever since he could walk and talk, and he had always believed he would be able to count on his dad, especially when it really mattered the most. Never had he thought his father would ever become a source of pain and sadness, instead of a solid pillar of love and comfort, and it made him feel like his entire world was turning upside down.

Ever since he had first come into the world, his father had been there keeping a watchful eye over him, protecting him and helping him to become the best person he could be, but none of that seemed to matter anymore. His heart, normally brimming with happiness and respect for his family and friends, felt empty inside, as if every single emotion he was capable of feeling had leaked out of his body and disappeared into thin air. He had always believed he knew his father as well as he knew himself, but now, for the first time in his life, all of a sudden he felt like he didn't know his dad at all anymore, had maybe never truly known him to begin with. "It...it just can't be true..."

"Please, Sam?" Glowmon whispered, anxiously fluttering his small, transparent wings. "You have to listen to me. I don't care if your dad was the Emperor, and neither should you. I won't deny the Emperor did some terrible things, but people change, humans and digimon. You can't tell me your dad isn't a good person. I like him, and I'll let Vampiramon turn me into data before I let you turn your back on him!"

Sam could barely see Glowmon through his tears, but the little rookie's unexpected ferocity caught him by surprise. Normally Glowmon was quite passive and shy, and because of that if felt odd to see the little rookie acting so aggressive.

_I don't understand...how can Glowmon be sure of anything anymore?_

Clinging tightly to the little rookie's small body, Sam turned to face DarkAngelicmon and angrily brushed away the tears clouding his vision. "After everything you've done, do you really expect me to believe you? Do you really expect me to believe my father was the Digimon Emperor?"

DarkAngelicmon lowered his gaze to the forest floor and placed a hand against his chest. "What does your heart tell you?"

"Sam, I'm really sorry," Glowmon whispered tearfully.

Sam gave up his useless attempts to stop the tears from falling down his cheeks, and very slowly he sank to his knees, his hands lifting to cover his face. He could feel Glowmon hovering anxiously next to his shoulder, but even his partner's comforting presence wasn't enough to stop a wave of terrible sadness from drowning what was left of his heart.

"You accuse me of lying, and yet you know what I say is true. Why do humans always make things more complicated than they have to be? I do not understand it, though I suppose that's part of their charm."

Sam didn't even look at DarkAngelicmon. Instead, he merely began to cry softly into his hands. "I hate you."

"Innocent and free of guilt, and yet the messenger is always the first one to receive the blame," DarkAngelicmon sighed. "We always think we suffer alone, and yet that is rarely ever the case. When we suffer, there are those who suffer with us."

Sam wanted to reply, but he could not find the words to describe how he was feeling inside. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew DarkAngelicmon was right. When he thought about everything he had learned from Veemon, Agumon, Wormmon, and Gennai, his father being the Digimon Emperor made perfect sense. That, along with his father's secrets and the way his father had reacted every time someone had mentioned the Digimon Emperor, only confirmed what he wanted so desperately not to believe. The name 'little Emperor' couldn't mean anything else. His father had joined the new Digidestined team much later than Davis, Cody, and his mother, all of which made sense if his father had been the Digimon Emperor. After all, his dad wouldn't have had time to join the Digidestined while he was busy trying to take over the Digital World through the use of Control Spires and Dark Rings.

Then there was his father's crest. It had been connected to the Emperor's base and now he understood why the two went hand in hand, even though he still didn't know exactly what had happened back then. Wormmon hadn't wanted to tell him the truth because the little rookie had been trying to protect a friend. Who would Wormmon care about more than his own human partner? It also explained why Elecmon had suggested going to Wormmon about information concerning the Digimon Emperor and why Centarumon had been so secretive.

All of those things pointed to Ken Ichijouji being the Digimon Emperor, but it was the behaviour of the adult Digidestined and their partners that more than anything else confirmed the truth.

_They wanted to protect my father because they were afraid of how I might react if I ever discovered the truth about the Digimon Emperor. They were afraid I might never want to speak to him ever again. They were afraid I might end up hating him..._

And maybe their fears were justified.

_What about me? Were they trying to protect me, too, because they haven't. All they've done is make things even worse..._

Everything Wormmon and the others had said about the Digimon Emperor had somehow been connected to his father, and now he knew why. There was no other possible explanation. His father truly was the Digimon Emperor. It was so obvious, he could not understand why he hadn't figured out the truth a long time ago. It had been right there, right in front of his face the whole time, and yet he hadn't been able to see it.

_It's bad enough my parents, their friends, and even the digimon kept the truth a secret from me, but at least they had what they believed to be good reasons for it. DarkAngelicmon and his allies wanted to torment me before completely ripping my heart out, but what about Gennai? Even he kept the truth from me! How could I have been so stupid? How could I have missed making such an important connection?_

Then again, maybe he hadn't missed a single thing. All of a sudden, he understood what DarkAngelicmon had been trying to tell him. Deep down inside, some small part of him had known the truth all along, but he hadn't wanted to admit it to himself. He had been scared to accept the truth because that would have made it real, and the horror of what that would mean was something he hadn't wanted to face.

"_**Shame on you, Ken. How can you keep the truth about the Digimon Emperor a secret from your own son?"**_

_From me..._

_"__**What are you going to do, Ken? Are you going to kill me?"**_

_**"No, DarkAngelicmon, I'm not going to kill you."**_

_**"Really, then what are you going to do? Please, enlighten me, I'm dying to know."**_

_**"The same thing my friends did to me. You know what happened to the Emperor. If he can be saved then so can you..."**_

_But was he really?_

All this time he had been trying so hard to hide from his father's past, but that was no longer an option. Ken Ichijouji was undeniably the Digimon Emperor, and Sam could no longer try to make himself believe something that wasn't true. His brilliant father had created the Control Spires and Dark Rings, and he had used them to try and control innocent digimon. On top of that, his dad had tried to take over the Digital World, and he had even tried to kill the Digidestined, including his own beloved wife, not once, but many times over and over again. So many innocent digimon had been hurt at the hands of Ken Ichijouji, who had used his brilliant mind for evil rather than good.

_How can anyone who has done so many horrible things leave such a terrible past behind? How could anyone who was deceived so easily by the Powers of Darkness find their way back to the light? How could anyone who was so...so evil possibly be my father? Is darkness also my destiny? Am I going to end up just like my father, a slave to the Powers of Darkness?_

Sam slowly lifted his head and found himself gazing into Glowmon's large, violet eyes. He could tell by the look on his partner's face that Glowmon also understood the truth, and yet even though the little rookie knew what the Emperor had done, there was no hatred or disgust reflected in his gaze. There was only sadness, and it left Sam feeling confused and uncertain about his feelings. It also made him remember what Wormmon had said at Primary Village.

"_**I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. I want to, but if I did, I'd end up betraying a very good friend of mine."**_

_Is that how Glowmon feels about me?_

The thought made him wince and suddenly Mickey's words came back to him.

"_**I've said it before and I'll say it again. You're not evil, Sam. You're not going to turn into another Emperor no matter what others say about you. We love you, and we'll never stop being friends with you, no matter what."**_

_But...what about my dad?_

"So, you're finally starting to believe me. I can see it in your eyes," DarkAngelicmon said quietly. "I have not told you anything you didn't already know."

"Why?" Sam whispered, his tears dripping slowly onto the grass. "Why do you want to hurt me?"

"You say I am trying to hurt you, but sometimes that is the only way to break someone free from the darkness."

_So many secrets. My father, Gennai, Ryoko..._Sam suddenly jerked his head up and clapped a hand over his mouth in horror. _Wait a minute, Ryoko..._

_"__**There are other people out there who have fallen even deeper into darkness than my dad did. Are you telling me you wouldn't be able to forgive them either?"**_

_**"What? Wait! I didn't mean...it's not like that! Ryoko, I wasn't trying to say anything bad about your dad. I just-"**_

_**"Everyone deserves a second chance! What would you do if you were in my place, disown your own father? Would you never speak to him again? Huh, Sam? Is that what you would do?"**_

_He knows. Ryoko knows the truth about my father. He knew and he didn't even tell me..._

Sam wasn't sure how, or when, Ryoko had finally figured out the truth, but it didn't matter. It was too much. It was one thing for his father and the rest of the adult Digidestined to keep secrets from him, he was getting used to that by now, but it was another thing entirely for Ryoko to treat his feelings with such disrespect. His friends were some of the most important people in the world to him, and he trusted them with his most deepest secrets. They were the ones he had believed he could always count on. They were the ones who were supposed to stand up for him, believe in him, help him, and stick by his side no matter how tough things got. For Ryoko to keep something so important a secret from him was unthinkable.

Blinded by tears, Sam quickly staggered to his feet and turned to face what he knew to be the direction of Infinity Mountain. "No...no! Ryoko..how could you?"

"What is the matter?" DarkAngelicmon asked quietly, his words just barely reaching Sam's ears.

"Sam!" Glowmon cried.

It was just too much for him to handle. Letting out a sob of despair, he began to run back the way he had come, Glowmon fluttering madly behind him to keep up. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he much care, but he did know he had to put as much distance between himself and DarkAngelicmon as was humanly possible. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he could not stand the fallen angel's presence anymore.

_Ryoko..._

Suddenly, without warning, a bright beam of orange light shot through the trees and came to a stop by his feet, creating a pool of orange light around his body. At first, he thought he was imagining things, but a second later the glowing orange beam was joined by rays of blue and red light.

"Wow, pretty!" Glowmon gasped, his belly lighting up in response to the glow.

The light felt warm around Sam's body, and there was something about it that made him feel like he wasn't alone anymore. It was almost like it was calling to him, a beacon of colourful lights acting as a guide to show him the way out of the forest.

_No, not the forest. They're showing me a way out of the darkness. They're bringing me back to the light._

It was a crazy thought, but Sam didn't care. Unable to ignore the strange glow shooting off into the distance, he did the only thing he could think of. Leaving DarkAngelicmon behind, he ran as fast as he could towards the source of the light.


	147. Cody's Story

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter, and yes, it is in a new POV! I've been wanting to do this character's POV for a while now, but I just haven't found the right moment, until now. I know, it's a very short chapter, and I don't really have an excuse for it, so I won't make one. Despite that, I hope you all enjoy this new character perspective!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 147: Cody's Story

_Kenzo Hida_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Kenzo Hida stood quietly next to Taysuke and peered anxiously over Taniko's shoulder at the computer screen, its glowing surface making his eyes sting from staring at it for so long. He could see Tai's group, now joined by Izzy's group, moving slowly closer towards Dai's group, but Sam was still all alone in the forest, and the raven-haired Digidestined's determination to remain apart from the rest of the group was starting to make him nervous. It didn't make any sense. Why would Sam want to hide from his friends?

"Does anyone else understand what's going on here?" Ema asked, scratching the top of her shiny, blue head in confusion. "Before it looked like Sam was heading towards the ocean, so why did he suddenly stop in the forest instead of continuing towards the water? I don't know about you guys, but in my opinion something just doesn't add up here."

Kenzo nodded in agreement, but he did not bother trying to think up a reply. Dressed in dark blue jeans, a long-sleeved tan coloured knit top, and a dark brown vest, he did not stand out quite as much as his other three friends, but despite his less flashy clothing and more subdued personality, he had always been close to his three more rambunctious friends. Though his thick, dark brown hair and dark eyes, which looked almost black in some lights, came from both sides of his family, he had always been more like his dad than his mother, and in many ways he was also a lot like Sam. That was one of the reasons why it bothered him so much to see the raven-haired Digidestined suffering at the hands of not only evil digimon, but also at the hands of both family and friends. Like Sam, and even like Mickey sometimes, Kenzo was much more reserved than the rest of his friends, and more often than not he chose to listen rather than speak when there was a conversation taking place, but despite that, he knew his friends didn't think any less of him than they did about each other, and that was why he didn't feel like the odd one out.

He had always respected Sam, even when they were younger, and it was obvious the raven-haired Digidestined was going to be an excellent role model for his younger brother, which was why it seemed even worse that Sam was giving up on himself so easily.

Unable to watch the screen anymore, Kenzo quickly turned away and quietly sat down between his parents. In response to his presence, he felt his mother's arm wrap around his shoulders, but he barely noticed her gesture of comfort because his attention was focused on his father. Although he didn't know the exact details, at some point in time, about twenty-five years ago, his father and Sam's father had had a bit of trouble becoming friends, which was odd considering his father was the type of person who usually got along quite well with everyone. He could still remember when his father had told him the story, and at the time he hadn't really given it much thought, but now all of a sudden, it intrigued him in a way he could not really explain. As a child, it had been easy to get caught up in the story, and as a result, he had missed a few of the more finer details, but now that he was older, he couldn't help noticing that his father's story had had some major holes in it. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was both surprised and a little bit embarrassed to discover that he had missed such an obvious flaw in the past.

_There were so many things my dad didn't explain, but I never even thought to ask him about them, until now. Why did he and Ken have so much trouble becoming friends to begin with, and why did they act as if they were enemies? I don't understand...why was it so hard for Ken to gain my father's respect? Why was it so hard for my dad to accept Ken when Sam's father seems like such a great person?_

They were good questions, and all of a sudden Kenzo was curious to know if Ken had ever told his children the same story. Did Miya, Sam, and Nao know that Ken Ichijouji and Cody Hida hadn't always been the best of friends? He had often thought of telling the Ichijouji children his father's story at those moments when it would suddenly cross his mind, but for reasons he could not explain, he had always held back. There was just something ominous about it that hinted at a lot of pain and sadness, and he hadn't wanted to open old wounds or cause any trouble. At least, that was how he had looked at it before, but now he had a feeling that the story was somehow vitally important with regards to what was currently going on with Sam, and he knew he could no longer let it sit in the back of his mind collecting dust.

_But...what if my father doesn't want to talk about it? What if he just tells me his childhood fight with Ken has nothing to do with Sam?_

Even so, it was still worth a try.

Taking a deep breath, Kenzo slowly lifted his head and turned to look at his father. "Hey, Dad? Do you remember that fight you had with Ken when the two of you were younger?"

His father must have guessed what he was thinking because instead of trying to change the subject, the youngest member of 'Team Davis' merely smiled and let out a deep sigh. "I was wondering when you were finally going to ask me that. I knew it was only a matter of time before the pieces would finally start coming together. I think Ken feels the same way, but instead of accepting the inevitable, he's letting his fears blind him from the truth. I wish I could be wrong, but by the time Ken finally realizes he can no longer hide from the past, I'm afraid it will already be too late."

_But why, Dad? Why was it so hard for you to accept him?_

"I wouldn't exactly call what happened between us a fight, and I wasn't the only one who needed some time to mull things over and adjust my way of thinking as far as Ken's role in the group was concerned. We're not proud of it, but only Davis was really able to accept Ken right from the very beginning. He was the only one who didn't question what the rest of us couldn't accept, though in Yolei's and T.K's defense, I will say they were wavering back and forth. Even Kari in some ways. There were times when they believed he deserved a second chance, but there were also times when they would question his motives. I was the most unwilling to change my way of thinking. I admit I'm ashamed of the way I acted, but I think Ken understood my feelings, and because of that he did the only thing he could do to make things right."

"What would that have been?"

His father gently slipped an arm around him and pulled him into a hug. "He made me believe his friendship was worth a little risk."

Kenzo frowned and pulled back slightly so he could look at his father. Keeping his voice low so the others, especially Miya and Nao, couldn't overhear, he blurted out the question he knew his dad was waiting for him to ask. "But...why would Ken need a reason to be given a second chance?"

"The same reason that applies to everyone else who needs to be given a second chance," his mother said softly.

"But-"

"I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you what I think most of you kids are already beginning to understand. It's because of the Digimon Emperor," his father interrupted. "Ken's story and the Emperor's story go hand in hand."

"They weave together," his mother whispered in his ear. "Their story takes both Ken and the Emperor through the darkness and back into the light."

_Ken and the Emperor. They don't sound so different from one another. Maybe...maybe it's because their stories are so closely intertwined. Maybe it's because they're not different from each other at all, but how can that be possible unless they were the same person?_

The thought startled him so much, he jerked away from his father in surprise and stared at both of his parents as if only now seeing them for the first time.

"Is something wrong, Kenzo?" his mother asked uncertainly.

"_**There were times when they believed he deserved a second chance, but there were also times when they would question his motives."**_

"Kenzo?" his mother repeated, peering anxiously into his eyes.

_That's it. That's the answer. Ken and the Digimon Emperor _are _the same person. It explains everything. How could we have been so blind not to see it before?_

Kenzo turned slowly to gaze at his father, and he could tell from the look in the man's eyes that his dad knew he had just discovered the truth. "Thanks, Dad and you, Mom. I think I understand now."

His mother stared at him and promptly clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh no! Ken's going to be so mad at us!"

"No," Cody said quietly, shaking his head. "We didn't tell Kenzo anything. He's a smart boy. He would have figured out the truth eventually, even if we hadn't said a word."

_And I won't be the last one to figure out the truth. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the others had already figured it out before me. I wonder if...Ryoko was acting really odd around Sam earlier. Could he maybe have figured out the truth about the Emperor?_

Frowning at the thought, Kenzo turned to his parents and let out a soft sigh. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I won't tell anyone."

"Remember, Kenzo, if you don't give the ones you care about a second chance, you might miss out on something really important," his dad said seriously. "Don't make the same mistake I almost made."

Kenzo lifted his chin and smiled at both of his parents. "Don't worry, I won't."

"Kenzo, get over here!" Ema suddenly shouted, waving him towards the computer. "I don't know why Dai, Ryoko, and Mickey have just been standing near the edge of the forest doing nothing for so long, but their dots have suddenly started glowing brighter!"

"And look! Sam's dot it moving towards them!" Mimi gasped.

Kenzo moved to stand next to Taysuke again, but instead of looking at the monitor, he let his gaze travel over Miya's anxious face and Nao's gloomy expression. He was pretty sure he was still in shock, the full impact of what he had just learned not quite hitting him yet, but he knew how he was feeling was nothing compared to what Miya and Nao were going to feel when they finally discovered the Emperor's true identity. How were they going to react? How were they going to accept the truth about their dad?

"Hey, Kenzo, is something wrong?" Taysuke whispered in his ear.

Kenzo gazed thoughtfully at his hands for a moment and slowly shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I guess...we'll find out."

Something about the tone of his voice must have given him away because both Ema and Taniko turned around at the same time to gaze suspiciously at him, and Taysuke gave him a look that clearly stated he wanted to know what was really going on. Thankfully, Miya was too busy watching the computer screen to notice anything out of the ordinary, and Noah was too busy watching Miya to bother with anyone else. Ami, though, looked a bit suspicious, but Kenzo was too busy worrying about the Emperor to care. Miya's and Nao's reactions were one thing, but even their response to Ken's past was going to be nothing compared to Sam's.

"I guess Sam didn't want to leave them after all," Jun said slowly.

"Or so we hope," T.K. muttered.

"I knew Dai wouldn't give up!" Noriko said happily.

"Since when have our kids ever been quitters?" Davis snorted.

"Go, Dai!" DemiVeemon cheered, hopping up and down on Shadow's back. Patamon and Palmon were also cheering, and Nao and Rina were gazing eagerly at the computer screen, their gloomy expressions fading away and their eyes beginning to sparkle with excitement.

Kenzo tried to smile, but the effort it took was almost painful, so he let it slip away before it was fully formed. They were all on the verge of something big happening, and when all the walls finally came crashing down, it was going to be interesting, and probably frightening, to see who was still left standing.


	148. Liberate Sam

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. (That's it. Once should be enough, right? )

A/N: Another short chapter, but trust me, I'll be getting back to long ones soon. Not much to say at this point except that I've gotten into the chapters that I suspected all along might be the hardest ones to write. They've been causing me a bit of trouble (I'm referring here to chapters that will come after chapter 154) but as usual I will do the best I can to update regularly. Basically, at this point in the story, I have to be pretty careful with what I write so I don't contradict myself with regards to something I may have written earlier in the story. Hope you all enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 148: Liberate Sam

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"What was that?" Embermon demanded, backing up a few paces and frowning suspiciously at the forest. Beside the little rookie, Tirimon was crouched at the edge of the trees, and he looked ready to pounce on the first thing that grew brave enough to step out of the forest. Unable to stand the suspense any longer, Mickey slowly stepped up behind the two digimon and stared at the tops of the trees in silent disbelief, his amber gaze focused on the spot where only moments ago he had witnessed a single ray of golden light shoot straight up into the sky, its brilliant glow acting like a shield to push away the darkness. Its sudden appearance had startled the golden-haired Digidestined, but before he had even had a chance to react, the glowing beam of light hovering above the trees had suddenly split up into seven smaller beams, each one so bright and powerful it had been almost painful just to gaze upon their brilliance. Right before Mickey's eyes, the seven glowing beacons had descended back towards the ground, disappearing somewhere within the forest. Oddly enough, it wasn't the presence of something so beautiful shooting out of the darkness that had caused Mickey to stand there with his mouth hanging open and his eyes nearly popping out of his head. It was the fact that what he had just witnessed never should have happened in the first place.

_Impossible. That...that was Angelicmon's attack, but...Matty and Angelicmon are still back with Tai and the others trying to hold off Jestermon and Spritemon. If Matty were here, I would know it, but my bond with him is telling me he isn't anywhere near the forest. How can he be when I can still feel his presence coming from somewhere behind me? He must still be with Tai's group._

A quick look at his orange D-Coder confirmed what he had already known to be true. Matty was still with Tai's group, and not only that, Izzy's group had also joined up with Tai's group and both groups were now heading towards the forest.

_They're coming to help us._

And yet, if his D-Coder was telling the truth then that left only one explanation for what was going on in the forest.

_No, that just isn't possible, or is it? Could that light have come from DarkAngelicmon?_

"The darkness has lost some of its strength," Gabrielmon murmured, his sudden words cutting through the uneasy silence that had fallen over the forest. Even the wind had died down until the point where Mickey could no longer feel it brushing against his skin or blowing through his golden hair, and the leaves on the trees had grown quite still and watchful, their voices no longer whispering strange words out of the gloomy darkness of the forest. Instead, the forest was waiting for them, just like the ocean. It was waiting for them to step into the darkness.

Shivering slightly, Mickey wrapped his arms around himself and slowly lifted his chin, his amber eyes coming to rest on his partner's graceful body. Gabrielmon was hovering near the treetops at the edge of the forest, and his sapphire eyes were focused on the spot where, only moments ago, the four of them had witnessed what had clearly been one of Angelicmon's special moves. And yet, despite the obvious lack of evil connected to such a breathtaking display of beauty and power, Gabrielmon had his sceptre held out at arm's-length in both hands, and he looked as if he was expecting to be attacked by something lurking within the trees.

Fearful of the silence hanging over the forest, Mickey glanced uneasily at the trees towering over him and anxiously bit his lip before once again turning to face his partner. "Gabrielmon, you...you don't think that was DarkAngelicmon, do you?"

"I cannot say for sure, but like I said before, DarkAngelicmon is definitely in the forest, only..."

"What is it, Gabrielmon?" Embermon asked curiously.

Mickey felt the cool breeze stirred up by his partner's wings caress his cheeks, and he looked up just in time to see Gabrielmon land beside him on the grass, the celestial digimon's right wings just brushing the left side of his face. After a moment of silence, Embermon quickly moved to stand protectively in front of him while Tirimon remained at the edge of the forest, his icy blue eyes trying to penetrate the darkness hovering menacingly between the trees. Mickey felt Gabrielmon's hand come to rest gently on his shoulder and he gave his partner a frantic look.

_Sam...what have you done to yourself?_

"I do not think DarkAngelicmon is aware of my presence," Gabrielmon said reluctantly, frowning at the forest.

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain. Deep down inside, he must know I'm here, but it's like the darkness is preventing him from absorbing that knowledge. It's almost like he's in a different place, and yet that place is still a part of the Digital World. It's like his body is in the Digital World, but his heart is somewhere else. I can sense him because I've been actively looking for him, but his mind and heart are focused on what he feels are more important things, so he remains oblivious of my presence. You cannot take advantage of the bond between celestial digimon if you do not allow yourself to feel their presence. To close yourself off from other celestial digimon is not a wise thing to do."

"Why not?" Embermon asked, frowning in confusion.

"Because you may be ignoring them, but they can still feel you."

Mickey frowned and slowly shook his head in denial. "That can't be it. I mean...do you really think DarkAngelicmon would make a mistake like that?"

"Well, if you're right, Mickey, then there is only one other reason I can think of to explain why DarkAngelicmon would ignore our presence."

"What...what would that be?"

Gabrielmon's sapphire eyes narrowed in concentration and he waved his sceptre at the dark forest looming above their heads. "Perhaps he wants us to find Sam. You felt it, didn't you? Deep within the forest, I sensed a small spark of light. Even now, it has not completely faded away."

"You think it came from Sam?"

"No, Mickey. You saw the light shooting into the sky," Gabrielmon said quietly, his lips twitching into a small smile. "As impossible as it might seem, I think it may have come from DarkAngelicmon. I can feel him more strongly now than when we first met him. He is growing closer to us. The closer two angel digimon are, the easier it is for them to distinguish each other from the presence of other celestial digimon."

_But...then what about Sam? Does that mean his heart has been completely swallowed by the darkness?_

Letting out a gasp of horror, Mickey grabbed onto the shiny stripes of orange armour crisscrossing over his partner's bare chest and pulled the angel digimon towards him. "Please, Gabrielmon, we have to find Sam. We have to find him right now!"

"Mickey!"

Jerking around in surprise, Mickey spotted Dai and Ryoko racing towards him, their desperate cries ringing frantically in his ears. Dai was the first one to reach him, but Ryoko wasn't far behind, and before he could fully grasp what was going on, he found himself surrounded by his two friends and their digimon partners, as well as his own partner. Even Tirimon had abandoned his watch on the forest, choosing instead to remain close to his partner's side. The first thing Mickey noticed were the obvious tear stains trailing down his cousin's cheeks, but that was nothing compared to the look on Dai's face. Not once in his entire life had Mickey ever seen the goggle-headed leader looking so serious before, and it made him feel slightly uneasy.

_I wonder what's going on. Ryoko seemed really upset this morning, but now he looks even worse and he appears to have lost some of his usual determination. Those two hardly ever share their secrets, but it looked like, for once, they were having a really serious conversation. I never thought I'd see the day when Ryoko would finally start confiding in Dai. I wonder if this has something to do with what happened between Sam and Ryoko earlier. Could Ryoko have actually told Dai why he's been acting so strange lately? Whatever it is that's been bothering him since this morning must be really bad because I've never seen Dai look so...lost before._

He was curious to know what the two of them had been talking about only a few moments ago, but he didn't want to ask for fear of wasting even more time, time they were supposed to be using to locate Sam. Whatever Ryoko and Dai were hiding could wait. Sam's safety was a different story.

"DarkAngelicmon," Dai said quietly, nodding his head towards the forest. "It has to be him. Matty's still back with the others, and they're only now just making their way towards us."

Gabrielmon sighed and nodded in agreement. "I see you've come to the same conclusion as the rest of us."

"But...how?" Ryoko whispered, gazing in awe at the forest. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe not, but that doesn't change what happened," Dai muttered, frowning at his D-Coder. Although the goggle-headed leader looked calm and cool, his words were unusually subdued, and there was an odd look on his face. He seemed strangely detached from what was going on around him, as if his thoughts were somewhere else. Ryoko, too, seemed unusually quiet, and the fire normally burning in the golden-haired Digidestined's sapphire eyes had died almost completely. On top of that, he seemed unable to look at Dai, and Dai kept turning away from the golden-haired Digidestined, as if unable to stand the thought of gazing directly into his friend's deep blue eyes. It was almost as if the two of them were afraid to look at each other for fear of their expressions accidentally giving away something they wanted to hide.

"What do we do now?" Tirimon asked.

Without a word, Mickey turned his back on his friends and quickly hurried towards the very edge of the forest, intent on finding Sam before it was too late. Unfortunately, he had only taken a few steps before someone knocked him face first onto the grass. Letting out a yelp of surprise, he quickly twisted around and found himself gazing into Dai's intense, brown eyes. "Dai, what are you doing? We have to save Sam!"

"No, you're not going in there!"

"What?" Mickey stared at his goggle-headed friend in disbelief and felt his cheeks turn pink with anger. "Dai! We can't just leave Sam in there!"

"I know that!" Dai snapped, pulling him into a sitting position and shaking him gently by the shoulders. "Listen to me, Mickey, that forest is covered in darkness. If you go in there without any concern for your own safety, you're going to end up just like Sam! Besides, if anything happens to you, Matty will kill me."

"He's right," Ryoko mumbled, gazing miserably at his feet. "Thank about it, Mickey, you're so concerned about helping Sam that you're forgetting to look out for yourself. Don't you understand? If you lose yourself to the darkness, you won't be able to help Sam. You won't be able to help anyone."

Mickey sagged underneath the weight of Dai's hands in defeat and felt his eyes fill with tears. "But...what else can we do? There is no other way. Everyone we care about is slipping away and I don't want to lose anyone."

_Matty...are you even still safe or is Jestermon torturing you while I'm standing here doing nothing? And what about Kara? She's still alive, for now, but that doesn't mean she hasn't been seriously injured..._

"Think, Mickey!" Dai said urgently, his voice barely above a whisper. "There must be another way to save Sam. At the moment, I don't think any of us are strong enough to enter the forest without letting the darkness affect us. Not you, not Ishida, not even me! Especially after..."

"We must find a way to bring Sam back to the light," Gabrielmon said solemnly.

"Without putting our partners in danger," Tirimon added.

_The light..._

Twisting out of Dai's grip, Mickey quickly scrambled to his feet and turned to face the forest. He could feel the darkness watching him, but he ignored it and quickly pointed his D-Coder at the trees.

"What are you doing?" Ryoko gasped, staring at him in astonishment.

Mickey gave his cousin a shaky smile and nodded his head towards the forest. "Saving Sam."

He had no idea if what he was planning was even going to work, but they were running out of time and it was the only thing he could think of. The D-Coders had helped Kara wake everyone up when Sirenmon's music had put them to sleep. They also helped destroy the black shadow that had been stalking them in DarkAngelicmon's castle. Maybe, just maybe, the D-Coders could help them find Sam. There was only one problem. He wasn't sure if he was strong enough to make it work.

_I have to try. It's our only hope._

Concentrating all of his thoughts on Sam, he held his D-Coder steady in his hands and pointed it in the direction of the forest where he had last seen what could only have been DarkAngelicmon's seven rays of light descending into the trees. He waited in silence, his memories of Sam swirling through his brain at the speed of lightning, and almost immediately his D-Coder began to glow, surrounding his body with bright orange light. To his complete surprise, a beam of light the same colour as the light surrounding him erupted out of his D-Coder and shot straight into the centre of the forest. It was so intense, the light hurt his eyes, but even so he just knew it still wasn't strong enough to help Sam.

"How did you do that?" Ryoko whispered in awe, coming up beside him and staring at the orange D-Coder in his hand as if he had never seen one before.

"I don't know what you're doing, but whatever it is, keep it up!" Embermon cheered, hopping onto Tirimon's back for a better look at the forest.

"The light is beginning to penetrate the darkness," Gabrielmon said softly. "It's opening a pathway that leads straight to Sam."

Mickey quickly shook his head and turned to gaze desperately at his fellow Digidestined. "No, it's not strong enough. Dai, Ryoko, please, you have to help me!"

Dai and Ryoko turned to look at each other, and although Mickey couldn't tell for sure, he thought he felt something pass between them, an understanding of sorts that was extremely meaningful, and yet at the same time it was surprisingly ominous. Without a word, the two of them pointed their D-Coders at the forest, and immediately streams of blue and red light quickly mingled with the orange beam already shooting into the trees. For a long time the three of them stood there in silence, the sound of their own breathing ringing in their ears, waiting for something to happen. Mickey stood in the centre, and he felt unusually aware of the presence of his friends standing on either side of him. Neither one of them was close enough to touch him, and yet he still felt as if the three of them were somehow connected.

_It's like they're a part of me..._

The sound of a twig snapping caught his attention, and he turned just in time to see Sam stumbling out of the forest, Glowmon hovering in the air behind the raven-haired Digidestined. Crying out in relief, Mickey threw his Digivice into Gabrielmon's hands and quickly hurried over to the raven-haired Digidestined's side. He reached Sam just as the other boy broke free from the trees, but before he could call out his friend's name, Sam stumbled directly into his outstretched arms. The two of them tumbled over onto the grass, and crying out in surprise, Mickey felt the back of his head hit the ground. Ignoring the pain shooting though his skull, he quickly sat up and grabbed onto Sam's trembling shoulders. "Sam! Are you hurt? Did something happen? Where's DarkAngelicmon?"

Sam didn't even attempt to answer him. Upon closer inspection, Mickey realized the raven-haired Digidestined's eyes were glazed over and he was staring at something off in the distance only he could see.

"Oh, Sam!" Glowmon cried, dropping out of the sky and burying his face against his partner's thigh.

"Sam, speak to me! It's me! It's Mickey. Don't you remember me?"

Sam slowly looked up and his dark blue eyes began to sparkle with sudden emotion. "Mickey?"

"That's right. We're here, Sam. We came to help you. Are you okay?"

"Mickey..."

With painful effort, Sam finally looked directly into his eyes, but instead of answering, tears began to slide down the raven-haired Digidestined's face. Mickey stared at his friend in shock, but before he could open his mouth to speak, Sam began to sob softly into his shoulder.


	149. Rejection

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 149: Rejection

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Sam, there is no need to be upset," Gabrielmon said gently, crouching next to Glowmon and placing his hand on the raven-haired Digidestined's shoulder. "You are safe with us now. You followed the light, didn't you? It was your friends who brought you here. There's no reason for you to fear the darkness anymore."

Sam slowly lifted his head and stared at Gabrielmon in confusion, and although Mickey could not tell for sure, he had a feeling the raven-haired Digidestined may have momentarily forgotten his reasons for being so upset in the first place. "The...light?"

"It was our Digivices," Dai explained, kneeling on Sam's other side and giving the raven-haired Digidestined a hesitant smile. "I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, but somehow our D-Coders responded to our wishes when we wanted so desperately to find you."

Mickey nodded in agreement and beamed at his raven-haired friend. "The light you must have seen came from our D-Coders."

"The light," Sam whispered, his deep blue gaze taking on a faraway look. "It helped me find my way out of the darkness. It took me away from...from him..."

"Who?" Embermon demanded, frowning slightly. "Are you talking about DarkAngelicmon? Gabrielmon said he was in the forest, and we saw that light shooting into the sky earlier. Where is he? Did you see him at all?"

For the second time in less than five minutes, Sam's eyes cleared at the sound of a familiar name, but instead of answering Embermon's question, the raven-haired Digidestined promptly burst into tears again. Heart aching with sadness, Mickey gently patted his friend's back and turned to gaze helplessly at Gabrielmon. He was hoping for an answer to explain Sam's strange behaviour, but unfortunately even his partner didn't seem to have a clue what was going on, and Glowmon was obviously too upset to be of any use.

"Embermon!" Dai groaned, giving his partner a dirty look. "And I'm the one who always gets accused of being insensitive. You're worse than I am. No tact at all!"

Embermon shrugged and smiled sheepishly at the goggle-headed leader. "Well, we kind of need to know."

"Yes, but you don't need to shout at him," Tirimon snorted.

Jerking his head up in surprise, Mickey turned to stare at Dai, but the goggle-headed leader refused to meet his gaze.

_He doesn't know what's going on with Sam, does he?_

Despite making a joke, Dai's face was pale and his deep brown eyes were dark and stormy. Every so often he would glance at Ryoko, but the golden-haired Digidestined didn't appear to notice. Instead, Ryoko's blue gaze was focused on Sam, and the expression on his face was beyond description. He looked like he wanted to run as far away as possible from Sam, and Mickey was sure the only thing stopping him from making a hasty retreat was the sound of Sam's heart-wrenching sobs. The desire to help Sam, to comfort him, was clearly something Ryoko couldn't ignore, and it was keeping the golden-haired Digidestined trapped against his will.

_What could have possibly caused Sam to act so devastated and heart broken? Whatever it is, it must be really bad..._

Feeling suddenly nervous, Mickey took a deep breath and pulled back slightly so he could look directly into Sam's tortured gaze. "What's wrong, Sam? Why are you so upset?"

"You don't know, Mickey. You don't even know. If you did, if you knew..."

Mickey frowned at Sam's tearful reply, but before he could ask the raven-haired Digidestined was it was he didn't know, a sudden shuffling sound broke his concentration. Turning slightly, he spotted Ryoko moving slowly towards them, but the golden-haired Digidestined had eyes only for Sam. Sam must have heard the sound of Ryoko's footsteps, as well, because the raven-haired Digidestined suddenly lifted his head and glanced in the direction the sound had been coming from, searching for the source of the noise. When he spotted Ryoko, his whole body went rigid, and Mickey quickly pulled away from him in surprise. For a long moment, Ryoko and Sam just stared at each other, Ryoko's eyes sparkling with fear and tears streaming down Sam's cheeks, and after what seemed like a lifetime, Ryoko slowly stepped closer to Sam and gave the raven-haired Digidestined a pleading look. "Sam, I..."

Sam never gave Ryoko a chance to finish. Raising his fist, he stepped right up to Ryoko and hit the golden-haired Digidestined hard in the face. Ryoko staggered backwards, a gasp escaping his throat, and he fell hard on his back, his hand coming up to press against his cheek.

Clapping his own hands over his mouth in horror, Mickey stared at Sam in silent disbelief, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. He had known Sam since the two of them were babies, and not once had he ever seen his kind, gentle friend lash out so viciously towards another human being before. In his entire life, Sam had never hurt so much as a fly before, and to see the raven-haired Digidestined acting so violently towards one of his closest friends left Mickey feeling sick to his stomach.

"Oh, Sam!" Glowmon moaned, fluttering onto Tirimon's back and hiding his face within the large champion's pale blue fur.

Instead of answering his partner, Sam continued to stare at Ryoko, his face a mask of hurt and betrayal. "You knew. You knew all this time and you didn't even tell me?"

At first Mickey thought Ryoko wasn't going to answer, but just when it looked as if the golden-haired Digidestined was going to pretend he hadn't heard his friend's words, he suddenly lifted his head and gazed directly into Sam's eyes. Normally Ryoko was very good at hiding his emotions, but this time the look in his sapphire eyes was only all too easy to read. Clearly, for reasons Mickey still did not understand, Ryoko had been afraid of something terrible happening, which somehow had some sort of connection to Sam, and now the golden-haired Digidestined looked as if all of his fears had managed to come true all at once.

"Say something!" Sam shouted, his words ending in a sob. "I don't want to hear any more lies! You knew! You knew the truth and you kept it a secret from me!"

"I only found out last night," Ryoko choked out, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's not like I really had-"

Sam let out a strangled cry and grabbed a fist full of Ryoko's blue shirt, the pain and rage flashing in his dark blue eyes almost unbearable to watch. He tried to hit Ryoko again, but Dai suddenly leaped into action, his sudden movements catching Mickey by surprise. Without a word, Dai grabbed Sam by the wrist and pulled the raven-haired Digidestined away from Ryoko, putting some distance between his two friends. Ryoko was still sprawled on the ground, but instead of trying to fight back, he merely sat there with his head lowered and his hand pressed against his swollen cheek.

"Hey, what was that for?" Embermon shouted, glaring at Sam and crossing his arms over his chest. "He never did anything to you!"

"Nothing gives you the right to hurt your friends, no matter how much you believe they might have hurt you," Gabrielmon said quietly, stepping up behind Sam at a gesture from Dai and keeping his gaze focused on the raven-haired Digidestined's every move.

Tirimon moved over to join his partner and he nuzzled the golden-haired Digidestined's side, but surprisingly enough, he did not look at all upset over the way Sam was treating his partner. Instead, he merely looked curious, as if anxious to know why Sam felt so strongly about whatever it was Ryoko may or may not have done to hurt the raven-haired Digidestined.

"Let go of me!" Sam snapped, jerking his arm out of Dai's grip and glaring at the goggle-headed leader.

Ignoring Sam's hateful expression, Dai knelt next to Ryoko and placed his hand on the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder. The look on his face was hard to read, but after staring at Ryoko's swollen cheek for a few minutes, he slowly turned back towards Sam and gazed calmly at the raven-haired Digidestined. "That wasn't really necessary, was it?"

"You're one to talk! You never seem to have a problem with hitting him, so don't try to give me a lecture!"

"I'm not trying to lecture you. What would be the point? You won't believe Ishida no matter what he tells you."

Sam stared at Dai, and to Mickey's complete astonishment, fresh tears began to slide down the raven-haired Digidestined's cheeks. Dodging Gabrielmon's hand, Sam sank down on the ground in front of Dai and Ryoko and stared at the golden-haired Digidestined in horror "You told him? You told him the truth, but you wouldn't tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you," Ryoko whispered, his hand trembling against his cheek. "I wanted to tell you more than anything, but would it have made any difference if I had? Would you have even believed me?"

"How could you do this to me?" Sam said tearfully, ignoring the golden-haired Digidestined's questions. "I thought you were one of my best friends! I thought I could trust you, but instead you talk about me behind my back with Dai? Instead, you tell him things you're supposed to be telling me?"

"If I had told you, would you be acting any differently than you are now? No, it would still be my fault. Why do you think I couldn't make up my mind? No matter what I did, I knew you would accuse me of betraying you. Don't you see? It's because I care about you that I had to tell someone! I wanted to protect you..."

"I hate you so much right now," Sam whispered, his dark blue gaze never leaving Ryoko's face.

Mickey stared at Sam as if he had never seen the raven-haired Digidestined before, but his reaction was nothing compared to the look in Ryoko's sapphire eyes. The golden-haired Digidestined visibly flinched at Sam's words, but he didn't even try to fight back. Ryoko, who was always so quick to jump to his own defense, never even said a single word to argue against Sam's opinion of him. Instead, he seemed to wilt under the raven-haired Digidestined's gaze, and he closed his eyes to hide the pain glimmering just beneath the surface of his sapphire gaze.

"You don't mean that," Dai said flatly, getting to his feet and jerking Sam into a standing position. "Look, I know you're upset. In fact, I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now, but it doesn't change what we now know to be the truth. I don't blame you for your feelings towards Ishida, for the way you probably feel about me now too, but if you think I'm going to let you get away with taking the anger and pain you feel towards your father out on your friends, forget it!"

"How can you-"

"I will die before I let you break up this team, do you hear me?" Dai snapped, his sharp words cutting through the air like a knife.

There was silence. It was almost as if time had come to a complete stop because even the wind had died, and the trees had grown silent and watchful. Standing on the sidelines, Mickey felt like he was staring at a group of strangers, the familiar faces of his past becoming people he could no longer recognize. A part of him wanted so badly to comfort all of them, but more than anything he wanted desperately to understand what was going on.

_What kind of secret has Ryoko been hiding from Sam, and why does Sam feel so betrayed? Dai obviously knows what's going on between Sam and Ryoko, but that doesn't make any sense either. Why would Ryoko reveal his secrets to Dai, of all people, and why won't anyone tell me what's happening? I wish Matty and Kara were here..._

"Please, Sam," Ryoko said sadly, "you have to believe me. You know I would never want to hurt you."

Unable to look at Ryoko, Sam let out another sob, and before Mickey could stop him, the raven-haired Digidestined suddenly backed away from them and began to run in the opposite direction, his path following both the coastline and the edge of the forest. At first Mickey was so stunned he didn't know what to do, but a moment later he found himself trying to follow Sam, his feet moving him steadily towards the raven-haired Digidestined's retreating back. "Sam, wait!"

"Come back, Sam! It's dangerous for you and Glowmon to be on your own!" Gabrielmon shouted.

"I'll protect him. I promise!" Glowmon called out from the comfort of Sam's arms. Thankfully, the little rookie was able to flutter into Sam's embrace before the raven-haired Digidestined could make a run for it, so he wasn't completely alone.

_But...but what about DarkAngelicmon?_

Mickey stumbled, nearly tripping over a fallen tree branch, and before he could recover, Dai suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. Whirling around in surprise, Mickey stared at Dai in disbelief and tried unsuccessfully to pull his arm free from the goggle-headed leader's grip. "Dai, what are you doing? We have to go after him!"

"Let him go, Mickey."

"What? Are you crazy? Dai, DarkAngelicmon is still out there somewhere, and if he meets up with Sam, possibly for the second time, then Sam could be in real trouble, especially considering we don't know what actually happened to Sam in the forest..."

"And to think our time here in the Digital World began with something so simple as DarkAngelicmon overhearing Gennai's conversation with Azulongmon. That's where he found out the names of our D-Coders and he later had it confirmed by Gennai himself. Gennai mentioned the name to Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon when they were torturing him," Dai said quietly, shaking his head. "That's where he found out a lot of stuff about the Spirit Chips, too. It used to be so simple. All we had to do was stop the bad guys from stealing our Digivices and everything would be fine, but now...how did it all come to this?"

"If you can believe anything Gennai told us then this whole thing started long before he was captured," Ryoko mumbled, climbing slowly to his feet. "They already had an idea of what was going on before they captured Gennai and then they later confirmed the truth about the new name our Digivices were given. It also helped them find out about the Spirit Chips, too, though obviously they still don't know everything. In fact, I think the root of our problems here in the Digital World really begin with Tal Kuroki, but the part of the story that truly affects us begins with what happened fifteen years ago."

Dai frowned and nodded slowly in agreement. "You know what, Ishida? I think you might be right."

"What about Sam?" Gabrielmon asked anxiously.

Dai held up his D-Coder and gave the celestial digimon a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. He's moving towards the gate near the ocean that Gatomon mentioned just as we were leaving to head towards Infinity Mountain. She was arguing with the others about which gate they should stay close to in case we needed to contact them, remember?"

Mickey frowned impatiently at Dai and crossed his arms over his chest. "Even so, we can't let Sam wander off on his own. At this point in time, I don't think we should be letting him go anywhere near the ocean, especially if, as I suspect, the Dark Ocean really was calling to him."

"Why not? We set him free from the darkness, didn't we? I doubt he's going to step back into the World of Darkness again if, like you said, that's where he really was to begin with. We still don't know for sure. Remember, there's still a lot about the World of Darkness that our parents haven't told us yet, and I'm sure there are things even they don't know. Besides, DarkAngelicmon isn't following Sam," Dai said bluntly, his dark gaze coming to rest on Gabrielmon. "Isn't that right, Gabrielmon?"

Gabrielmon blinked in surprise and slowly nodded. "I can still feel his presence coming from somewhere within the forest. How did you know?"

"Gabrielmon, do you remember what you said earlier?"

Mickey let out a gasp and turned to look at his partner. "You thought DarkAngelicmon might not be able to sense us, but you also said there was a chance he might want us to save Sam. I think your second idea was the right one. DarkAngelicmon must know we're here, but he hasn't been making any effort to hide from us!"

"You're right, Mickey," Dai said seriously. "DarkAngelicmon obviously doesn't care whether or not we know he's here, so why would he suddenly try to sneak out of the forest without us knowing? If he wanted to leave, he would fly, and I don't know about you guys, but I still have yet to see him come bursting out of the trees, which means he's still in there somewhere."

"Wow, Dai, you're really smart!" Embermon piped up, beaming at his partner.

"Not really. I'm not like Taniko. I guess I just have a good dose of common sense."

"The forest is no longer covered in darkness," Gabrielmon murmured. "It disappeared as soon as Sam stepped out of the forest."

Mickey nodded in agreement and turned slowly to face Ryoko and Dai. "What's going on? Why is Sam so upset? You two obviously know something and whatever it is, it has something to do with Sam."

Ryoko glanced frantically at Dai, and the two of them stared at each other in silence. They both looked nervous, but it was Ryoko who appeared uncertain of what to do.

"Well?" Tirimon asked quietly.

Tears filling his eyes, Mickey clasped his hands together and he gave both of his friends a pleading look. "Please tell me. You guys are my friends and so is Sam. I want to help."

"Ishida, we might as well tell him," Dai said firmly, his words leaving no room for argument. "There's no reason to keep what we know a secret anymore. Sam obviously knows the truth already, and because of that everyone else will probably know before the night is over, if they haven't already figured it out for themselves like you did. There's nothing to hide anymore, and it'll be better if Mickey finds out from us instead of from Sam or someone like DarkAngelicmon. That way he'll be prepared when Sam finally decides to start speaking to us again."

"Tell us," Gabrielmon said softly.

Ryoko took a deep breath and slowly nodded, his sapphire eyes growing dull and lifeless. "We know who the Digimon Emperor is."

Mickey stared at his cousin in shock and slowly sank to his knees. "What? That...that can't be true..."

"It is. Tell him, Ishida," Dai sighed, nodding his head for Ryoko to continue.

Ryoko turned his face away and sat down with his arms wrapped around his knees. "I figured out the truth last night, and ever since then I just haven't been able to face Sam. I've wanted to tell him the truth so badly, but I'm not brave like Tai and Davis, or even Daichi. I just couldn't bring myself to do it, but I knew I needed to tell someone, so I told Daichi."

Mickey placed his hands on his cousin's shoulders and gazed directly into the golden-haired Digidestined's deep blue eyes. "Why couldn't you tell him?"

"Because I wanted to protect him."

"But Sam said...you mean it isn't because you were afraid he would hate you?"

Ryoko quickly shook his head and smiled bitterly at his hands. "No, I knew he would hate me whether I told him or not."

"DarkAngelicmon must have told Sam the truth. That's the only way he could have figured it out," Dai muttered, almost to himself.

"So...you think DarkAngelicmon really did meet up with Sam?" Embermon asked curiously.

"I'm positive. Sam would never have figured out the truth on his own. How could he when there's no way he would have ever let himself believe it? Someone else would have had to convince him to accept what he would never want to hear."

"I think he knew," Ryoko whispered. "Deep down inside, I think he knew all along. In fact, I think we all did, but who would want to accept it? It was so obvious, Mickey."

"What do you mean? I don't understand. Why would the truth about the Emperor's identity upset Sam so much?"

"Mickey," Ryoko choked out, covering his face with his hands, "it's Ken. Sam's father is the Digimon Emperor."

Mickey stared at his cousin, unable to look away, his mind racing over all the conversations he and his friends had had with Gennai, their parents, Leomon, Elecmon, Andromon, Centarumon, Veemon, Agumon, and the rest of their parents' partners. It was like a sudden sense of understanding had washed over him, and although he wanted desperately to believe otherwise, he knew Ryoko was telling the truth. Almost every single word that had been uttered about the Digimon Emperor had somehow been related to Ken. Whenever the Emperor had been mentioned, Ken's name hadn't been far behind. It all pointed to one thing. Ken was, without a doubt, the legendary Digimon Emperor, and hundreds of innocent digimon had suffered at his hands. Sam's reaction to the terrible news of his father and Ryoko's fear of telling Sam the truth suddenly made a whole lot of sense, and so did Ryoko's desire to tell someone, especially Dai.

_Sam...you believe your father has somehow betrayed you, but you couldn't be further from the truth. Why can't you understand what I've believed all along?_

"Mickey?" Ryoko whispered, reaching out a hand towards him. "Mickey, are you...are you okay?"

Mickey could feel both Dai and Ryoko watching him, and his partners hand came to rest gently against his shoulder. He could tell they were trying to judge his reaction, clearly nervous about how he would respond to their terrible news, and even though he was quite sure he was in shock, he knew there was only one way he could respond. There were still some things he didn't understand, but if there was one thing he was sure of, it was what he truly believed deep inside his heart. "Well, then I was right, wasn't I? Sam should be proud of being compared to the Emperor."

Both Dai and Ryoko stared at him, but before either one of them could respond, the sound of something moving in the forest caught their attention, and Mickey jumped up just in time to see something shoot out of the trees. The graceful figure quickly hurtled towards them, and Mickey stumbled backwards into Dai as DarkAngelicmon suddenly landed in front him, the breeze from the dark champion's wings stirring up a cloud of dust and dirt. Gazing into the fallen angel's bright green eyes, Mickey swallowed a lump in his throat and let out a soft sound of despair. "You told him, didn't you."

DarkAngelicmon suddenly moved closer to him, and Mickey let out a gasp as the fallen angel unexpectedly grabbed him by the front of his green shirt and lifted him off his feet. The two of them were now at eye level, and the fury, sprinkled with overwhelming pain and sadness, glimmering in DarkAngelicmon's eyes caused an unpleasant shiver to race down Mickey's spine.

"Let him go!" Gabrielmon snapped, pointing his sceptre at the fallen angel's back.

Mickey ignored his partner and stared at the fallen angel in astonishment. "That light! It really was you!"

DarkAngelicmon didn't reply. Instead, the fallen angel glared at him and hissed, "One day your soul will be mine!"

"Please, don't do this..."

"Mickey!" Gabrielmon cried.

Mickey suddenly felt himself falling backwards and he hit the ground on his back. Wincing in pain, he quickly sat up and stared at the fallen angel in disbelief. DarkAngelicmon had carelessly tossed him aside like he was nothing, and the dark champion's sudden change in attitude left him feeling both frightened and confused.

"Hey, what was that for?" Dai shouted, glaring indignantly at the fallen angel.

"You are a fool, Makiya Takaishi!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, launching himself into the air and turning his back on their small group. "You can't help anyone if you cannot save yourself first! Your hatred for me will be your undoing and the same is true for your brother. I will make you pay, both of you!"

Before anyone could respond, DarkAngelicmon flew off in the direction of the Western Hemisphere, eventually disappearing into the sunset. Gazing at the setting sun, so unlike the symbol he now knew would be the image on his Spirit Chip, Mickey wiped at the tears in his eyes and humbly bowed his head. "But...I don't hate you. Not really. I never did. I realize that now..."

"Mickey! Ryoko! Dai!"

At the sound of his brother's voice, Mickey quickly turned around and spotted Matty, Kara, and the five adult Digidestined, along with their partners, racing towards him and the others. Letting out a gasp of relief, Mickey hurried over to his brother's side and pulled the younger twin into a quick hug. "Matty, you're safe!"

"Forget about me, what about you?"

"I'm fine, which is more than I can say for Sam..."

"Dai!" Takara shrieked, throwing herself in his arms and hugging him tightly around the neck. "I was so worried about you guys! Are you okay?"

"We're fine, Kara," Dai mumbled, his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. "I was more worried about you than I was for my own group. We weren't the ones fighting megas. I'm glad you're safe."

Takara raised her eyebrows and gave the goggle-headed leader a small smile. "Like there was ever any doubt of that!"

"Where's Sam?" Sora asked curiously, glancing around at the landscape in search of the raven-haired Digidestined.

"We saw him break away from you guys on our Digivices," Matty explained, holding up his yellow D-Coder.

"Well, isn't anyone going to tell us what's going on?" Tai demanded.

Mickey glanced anxiously at Ryoko, but instead of answering Tai's question, the golden-haired Digidestined suddenly flung himself at his father and wrapped his arms around the former musician's waist in a tight hug.

"Ryoko, what's wrong?" Mina gasped.

Matt stared at the top of his son's golden head in astonishment and shook his own head in confusion. "Ryoko, why are you so upset? Did something happen?"

"Does this have something to do with DarkAngelicmon?" Izzy asked hesitantly.

Mickey glanced miserably at his twin, and Matty's eyes suddenly widened in understanding. "No way! You mean...you know?"

"Know what?" Tai interrupted, moving slowly towards them. "What are you two talking about?"

Dai gazed directly into the former leader's dark eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Tai, we know who the Digimon Emperor is."


	150. The Truth Comes Out

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: So, before I say anything else, I'm going to apologize for such a long wait. I'm normally quicker when it comes to updating, but as you can see I have no intention of giving up on this story! Like that would ever happen!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 150: The Truth Comes Out

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ignoring the gasps of shock rising into the air around him, Masato Takaishi continued to gaze into his twin's amber eyes, unable to believe what he had already managed to figure out just seconds before Dai had uttered the words he knew his brother had been trying to tell him. Mickey's eyes were very expressive, and Matty could read them as easily as if he were trying to read his own mind. That was the reason why he just knew there was something else Mickey wasn't telling him, something that involved the Emperor's true identity.

"You know, Matty," Mickey whispered softly in his ear. "I know you know. We all knew. The truth was right there in front of our faces, but we couldn't see it. We didn't want to see it..."

_Sam. It all has something to do with Sam..._

"You...you know?" Tai choked out, gazing at Dai in utter disbelief. "But...how? That's impossible! We never...it doesn't make any sense. How could you possibly know?"

"So much for keeping your promise not to tell anyone. Thanks a lot, Daichi," Ryoko said sarcastically, regaining some of his usual composure.

The golden-haired Digidestined lifted his head long enough to glare at Dai, but the goggle-headed leader refused to be intimidated. Instead, he lifted his chin and gazed directly into Ryoko's sapphire eyes. "If you're trying to make me feel guilty, it isn't going to work, Ishida. Don't you remember what I said when you couldn't decide whether or not we should tell Mickey the truth about the Emperor? Things are different now. If Sam didn't know the truth, I would have kept my promise, but since he does know, there's no point in keeping what we know a secret from everyone else. Matty and Kara are going to find out the truth eventually, whether we tell them or not, and the same is true for Ami and the rest of the gang. As for our parents, what's the point of hiding anything from them? They're not stupid. They'd eventually figure out we know the truth about the Emperor. Most of us aren't exactly very good liars. Besides, if Sam decides to...you know...confront his parents, you can be sure they'd tell our parents. I'm sorry, Ishida, but now that Sam knows, everyone is going to know. He'll make sure of that, whether he realizes it or not."

"Sam...knows?" Sora gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror.

Ryoko nodded and buried his face against his father's chest. "Yes, he...he knows..."

"Which means I'm right about telling the others," Dai said bluntly.

"I know," Ryoko mumbled, gazing miserably at his feet. "I...I'm sorry."

The apology was quite a surprise considering how Ryoko usually treated Dai, but Matty didn't take the time to dwell on the subtle change of attitude that seemed to have taken place between his two friends. Instead, he turned to look at his brother, and the expression on Mickey's face made his heart skip a beat. "The Emperor...who is he?"

Mickey quickly pulled him off to the side and gently squeezed his shoulders. "Think, Matty! Why would Sam be so upset about the Emperor's true identity? Why would it affect him so deeply?"

Matty scratched his golden hair and frowned thoughtfully at his twin. "I don't know. I guess because it's someone he knows."

"Yes, but it's not just anyone he knows. That wouldn't be enough to make him this upset."

"Oh, well...I guess it would be someone he really cares about then, wouldn't it?"

Mickey smiled sadly at him and slowly nodded. "Who are the people Sam cares about more than anyone else in the world?"

"His family and friends, I guess."

"We've already ruled out Sam's friends," Mickey whispered, his face a mask of sorrow. "None of us are old enough to have been the Emperor, and the Emperor would have had to have been a Digidestined at the time otherwise he wouldn't have been able to come to the Digital World."

Matty jerked his head up in surprise and stared at his brother in astonishment. "That's right! I'd almost forgotten!"

"Now that you remember, who does that leave left?"

Matty stood there gazing at the tortured look on his brother's face, and suddenly he knew. It was so obvious, he couldn't understand why he had never figured out the truth a long time ago. "It's Ken, isn't it. Sam's father was the Digimon Emperor."

_That has to be the answer. Like Mickey said, none of Sam's friends are old enough to have been Digidestined at the time, and some of them, like Noah and the others, aren't even Digidestined at all. That only leaves the adults, but most of them, though almost like family, aren't related by blood. If I understand Mickey correctly, then that leaves only Yolei and Ken. His siblings aren't old enough, nor are they Digidestined, and his grandparents, aunts, and uncles were never Digidestined either. Neither are his cousins. Like the rest of us kids, Ren, Taka, and the others aren't old enough to have been the Emperor twenty-five years ago. We are all the people Sam cares about the most, and with only Yolei and Ken left to choose from, the answer is clear. Ken's name always came up when someone mentioned the Emperor. Wormmon's secrecy, the Crest of Kindness, Ken's absence from the team for so long, his connection to the World of Darkness, it all fits, including the fact that the Emperor would have had to have been a Digidestined._

"Do you see now why Sam is so upset?" Mickey said tearfully.

_Poor Sam. Will he ever be able to forgive Ken? How would I have felt if I had been in his place? The Emperor could have easily been someone else. It could have been my dad. It could have even been my mom. I don't know all the details, but it sounds like both of them had their moments where they could have easily given in to the darkness. What would I have done if the Emperor had been one of them instead?_

"Matty? Matty, are you okay?" Mickey asked anxiously.

Matty slowly sank to his knees, and he felt rather than saw Mickey sit down beside him. He knew his brother was really worried about Sam, and unfortunately he could relate. Sam was one of his closest friends, and it hurt a lot to know there was little he could do to ease his friend's pain. "I had a feeling something bad was going to happen, but I never thought it would be this bad."

"Matty, you don't think Ken...I mean, it's not what Sam believes. It can't be..."

Matty gazed at his brother for a moment, and after a brief hesitation he managed a faint smile. "I don't really know what to think, but I do know one thing. We can't let Sam alienate his father. They care about each other too much for us to let something like that happen. I know what you want to do. I'm not sure I'll be of much use, but I promise I'll do everything I can to help you stop Sam from hurting both himself and his father."

Mickey beamed at him, and he felt his brother's right arm slip around him in a tight hug. "Thank you, Matty, I knew I could count on you."

Matty squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face against his brother's shoulder, unable to ignore a sudden stab of pain in his heart. There was still something not quite right between them, and even though he had a bad feeling it was going to cause major problems later on, right now he needed to focus on Sam.

"Who is it?" Takara whispered, clinging tightly to Dai's arms and gazing anxiously into the goggle-headed leader's eyes. "The Emperor, who is he?"

Dai gazed sadly at his female friend for a moment and let out a deep sigh. "Kara, it's Ken. It's Sam's father."

Instead of replying, Takara let out a soft moan and buried her face against the goggle-headed leader's neck. Even though she hadn't responded to Dai's news about Ken, Matty could tell she believed every word.

"Well, there's no way around it, they definitely know the truth," Izzy sighed, shaking his head in defeat and turning to look at Tai. "It was bound to happen eventually."

"Sam must be completely devastated," Mina said quietly.

Tai stared at the younger couple for a moment, and although Matty couldn't tell for sure, he had a feeling his uncle was starting to regret keeping the truth about the Emperor a secret for so long. His suspicions were confirmed when Tai suddenly turned to look at his wife and he gave the female Digidestined a weak smile. "You and T.K. were right, as usual. We should have told Sam the truth about the Emperor and everything else we tried to hide about the Digital World. It probably would have been better for him if he had found out from us instead of...wait, how did he manage to figure out the truth? Did someone tell him or did he just figure it out on his own?"

Sora took the former leader's hands in her own and turned to gaze uneasily at Dai. "Someone told him. He wouldn't have wanted to believe it on his own."

"Dai, I think you'd better tell us what's going on," Izzy said firmly.

Matty listened in silent disbelief as Dai told them all about DarkAngelicmon, the forest, the ocean, the D-Coders, and Ryoko's suspicions about Ken, and when he was finished, no one seemed to know quite what to say. Finally, after a long moment of quiet reflection, Matty was somehow able to find his voice. "So...DarkAngelicmon finally got his chance after all. We should have known he would try again after his first failed attempt to tell Sam the truth about the Emperor."

"Izzy, was Sam really trapped inside the World of Darkness?" Mickey asked quietly. "That was the conclusion the rest of us came to, but I wanted to ask you just to make sure."

Izzy gazed thoughtfully at the trees for a moment and slowly nodded his head. "I believe you're right, Mickey. It's really the only theory we have that makes any kind of sense."

_I don't understand you, Sam. Why would you want to go to the Dark Ocean? Why would you want to run away from us?_

"The Dark Ocean," Celestimon said sadly, fluttering onto Gabrielmon's shoulder and pointing at the water just barely visible between the tops of the trees. "Sam could feel it calling to him. He shouldn't have listened. He should have stayed with us."

"You mean...that really was the Dark Ocean?" Mickey squeaked, staring at Celestimon with his mouth hanging open.

"What else could it have been?" Matt said shortly.

"Poor Sam," Mina murmured. "As much as I hate to admit it, unfortunately there's not much we can do for him right now. If only you guys could have been in the forest with him."

"It's my fault," Ryoko mumbled. "I was the one wasting time."

Matty glanced uncertainly at his cousin, but it was Dai who blurted out what he was sure everyone else was thinking. "Don't even think about blaming yourself, Ishida. Like everyone else, I too want to know exactly what went on in the forest between DarkAngelicmon and Sam, but I doubt we'll have to wait long to get some answers. Sam will tell us eventually no matter how upset and angry he is. He won't be able to help himself."

"Ryoko, why do you seem so much more upset than everyone else?" Matt asked quietly, frowning at his son. "I know you feel bad for Sam, but that doesn't explain why you've been acting a little more unusual than Dai and the rest of your friends."

"Sam told Ryoko he hated him," Gabrielmon said bluntly, shaking his head. "It is one thing to be upset about the Emperor, but it is another thing entirely to push away the people who care about you the most. If he continues down this path, he will suffer greatly."

Matt winced and took a few steps back so he could look directly into his son's eyes. "Ryoko..."

"Sam hates me," Ryoko mumbled, fresh tears beginning to trickle down his cheeks. "He thinks I betrayed him, but I didn't. I wanted to tell him, I really did..."

"No, Ryoko, Sam doesn't hate you."

Ryoko stared at his father in surprise and scrubbed vigorously at his cheeks. "What do you mean?"

"You and Sam have spent your whole lives together. That's not something he can just throw away, and neither can you. I don't doubt he probably wants to hate you, but there's no way he'll ever be able to manage it. Trust me, I know that better than anyone. If you really care about someone, it's not so easy to just cast them aside and forget how much they mean to you.."

"He's right," Dai said firmly, his dark eyes studying Ryoko's pale face. "Haven't you figured that out yet?"

Ryoko's cheeks turned bright red, and Matty raised his eyebrows at the embarrassed look on his cousin's face. He still couldn't believe Ryoko had told Dai, of all people, about the Emperor's true identity, but the more he thought about it, the more he believed their conversation had been more meaningful than either one of them would be willing to admit.

"I'm sorry, Ryoko, it's my fault really," Matt muttered, clearly disgusted with his own lack of caution. "I was the one who got you thinking about the Emperor last night. If I hadn't been so careless..."

Ryoko quickly shook his head and gazed miserably at his feet. "No, Dad, I would have figured it out on my own eventually, even if you had never said anything."

"The same is probably true for the rest of us," Mickey said quietly, "with the possible exception of Sam, but that's only because he wouldn't have let himself believe the truth. From the sounds of it, DarkAngelicmon didn't really give him a choice."

"We should have known Ryoko would be the first one to figure it out," Sora said, smiling slightly.

Ryoko turned to look at Sora and he wrinkled his nose in confusion. "How come?"

"You've always been good at picking up on things other people tend to miss," Matt said proudly, beaming at his son.

Ryoko flushed and shrugged his shoulders. "I just got lucky, or unlucky I should say."

"Maybe not. Besides, no matter what you say, I'm still partly to blame for Sam's feelings towards you. If we had just told all of you the truth right from the very beginning..."

"You wanted to protect Ken. We can't blame you for that," Takara whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "If Sam had been the Emperor, we would have done the same thing."

"Well, there is one good thing about all of this," Tai said cheerfully.

"What's that?" Matt asked, gazing suspiciously at his best friend.

"At least Ken can blame you now instead of me!"

"Tai!" Sora scolded.

"Thanks, how generous of you," Matt said sarcastically, slipping a comforting arm around his son and glaring at the former leader.

_But...what about DarkAngelicmon?_

Glancing almost shyly at Mickey, Matty hesitated and nervously placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Um...Mickey? Why...why does DarkAngelicmon think you hate him? He must have a reason for saying all of those things."

Mickey shrugged his shoulders and turned to gaze miserably at the forest. "I don't know. It must be because of something that happened in the forest, but I have no clue what that might have been. Something just...doesn't feel right."

"Do you hate him?"

"Do you?" Mickey countered, turning away from the forest and watching him closely.

Matty blushed and quickly looked away from his twin. "I...I don't really know how I feel, especially after everything that's happened."

"He used Angelicmon's attack. How could he possibly do that unless there was a chance he could turn away from evil? If the darkness really had complete control over him then there's no way he could have performed an attack like that."

"He can make light, just like me!" Celestimon said happily, gazing in awe at the trees as if he could sense DarkAngelicmon's light streaming down into the forest.

Matty ignored his partner and frowned uncertainly at his twin. "I don't know, Mickey... what if it was some sort of a trap? He could just be trying to trick us into thinking he's not really evil."

"Do you really believe that?" Mickey asked, looking disappointed. "What about everything Luciamon said? She made it sound like he wasn't always an evil digimon."

"What if he was only pretending back then, too? I just don't trust him. Not yet, anyway. He's tried so many times to manipulate all of us, I just don't see how you can believe anything he says so easily."

"But, Matty...he's never lied to us. Isn't what just happened with Sam proof enough of that?"

"He tried to hurt Sam, and it looks like he's succeeded! I can't forgive him for that! Come on, Mickey, you can't seriously believe he might eventually come over to our side. That's crazy!"

Mickey's whole face suddenly crumbled, and Matty blinked in surprise when his twin suddenly turned away from him. "Matty, if you don't know how I really feel by now then maybe you don't know me as well as I thought you did."

"What?"

"If you can't see it then you can't help me," Mickey whispered.

_What does he mean by that?_

Feeling both hurt and confused, Matty turned to look at his partner and blushed when he realized Celestimon and Gabrielmon were staring at him and exchanging meaningful looks. Not only that, but everyone else was glancing between himself and Mickey, as well, and the stunned expressions on their faces made him feel suddenly angry. "What are you all looking at, huh?"

"Don't!" Matt snapped, glaring at him and sending Mickey a disapproving look. "Don't you two even start. I don't know what's going on with either of you right now, but you're both being selfish and it isn't fair to Sam. Our focus should be on him right now and nothing else."

"You're right. I'm sorry, Uncle," Mickey mumbled, gazing shamefully at his feet.

Tai put a sympathetic arm around Mickey's shoulders and turned to face Dai. "Well, what should we do now?"

"I don't know, you think of something."

Matty stared at the goggle-headed leader with his mouth hanging open, unable to believe what he had just heard. Never before had he seen Dai looking so helpless before, and although he would never admit it to anyone, it scared him. Other than Kara, normally Dai was the one they could always count on to remain stable, even in times of trouble, so to see him looking so depressed made the situation seem utterly hopeless.

"We must leave this place," WarGreymon suddenly announced, stepping up behind Tai and glancing left and right at the landscape to make sure they were still alone.

"He's right," MegaKabuterimon agreed, "Vampiramon and the others may still be trying to follow us, and considering our current state, I don't think we could take on four mega digimon at once."

"Many of us don't have the energy to digivolve again," Dovemon said anxiously.

"Me included," Biyomon moaned.

"Our digimon are right and besides, we should get back before Sam does something really crazy," Izzy added.

"Like confront Ken and Yolei?" MetalGarurumon asked.

"I think it's already too late to prevent that and maybe it's just as well," Matt muttered, hopping onto his partner's back. "Let's get going."

"We should go through the gate that Sam seems to be heading towards. It is, after all, the closest one to our current position," Candlemon suggested.

Ryoko quickly jumped onto Tirimon's back and the two of them moved over to join Matt and MetalGarurumon. Izzy, Mina, and Candlemon hopped onto MegaKabuterimon's back, and the rest of them gathered around Dai and Embermon.

"You ready?" Dai asked, holding out his D-Coder.

"You bet. Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

Holding Celestimon tightly in his arms, Matty quickly climbed onto Dragermon's back and settled himself next to his Uncle Tai. Once everyone was seated, Dragermon and MegaKabuterimon quickly leaped into the air and Tirimon and MetalGarurumon ran ahead, taking the lead and watching for enemies on the ground. WarGreymon and Gabrielmon circled around the two larger digimon in the air, keeping an eye out for Vampiramon's group, but Matty barely even noticed them. His gaze was focused on Mickey, who was sitting as far away from him as was possible next to Dai, and the painful look on his twin's face made him wince. Their problems were far from being over, and if what had happened to Sam was anything to go by, then things were only going to get worse...

_Lucemon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Lucemon landed lightly on the beach at the very edge of the water and he felt his toes sink deeply into the white sand beneath his bare feet. The beach stretched out for miles along the coast, and he could hear the water lapping gently against the shore, the sound of the waves a source of comfort from the uncertain future weighing heavily on his shoulders. In the west, the sun had sunk so low, it was merely a sliver of light hovering at the edge of the horizon, and the long, thin shadows spreading out from the trees at the edge of the forest were beginning to creep across the sand towards the water. The sky had turned a deep shade of purple, and the beach was dark, its sandy coast completely void of life. It looked peaceful, and right now, that was exactly what Lucemon needed.

"Look, we finally made it!" MarineAngemon said happily, lowering himself onto the ground and letting out a small sigh of relief. "I'm exhausted. That was quite a long journey."

Smiling softly, Lucemon closed his eyes and let the breeze blow gently through the feathers sprouting from the top of his golden head. His wings were very tired, but he knew that how he felt was nothing compared to how MarineAngemon must feel. "It's so beautiful here on File Island. This place holds much of the Digital World's history, and I can't help feeling a sense of awe every time I come here. I've always loved this place. It is my home, but I have not had much time to spend here lately."

"It is very pretty," MarineAngemon said enthusiastically, burying himself in the sand and happily wiggling himself into a more comfortable position. "I'm glad I finally got a chance to come back here. I've lived on Server all my life, and until you sent me to the Western Hemisphere, I'd never left my home before. I know I was born on File Island, but that was so long ago I can hardly remember when I left Primary Village or when I set out on my journey to reach Server. I've heard so much about this place, it's nice to finally have a chance to explore it for myself."

_The Island of Prophecy. I can feel both the light and the darkness hovering around me. It is here where the legendary Wall of Fire thrives, and it is here where all of our fates will be decided..._

"Is he still here, Lucemon? Can you feel him?"

"He has gone back to the Western Hemisphere for now, but he will be back. That much I am sure of."

"But...what about the Digidestined?"

Lucemon gently scooped MarineAngemon into his arms and gave the little mega a warm smile. "Don't worry, MarineAngemon, I do not believe DarkAngelicmon has managed to steal any of the Spirit Chips yet, and I'm sure the Digidestined are fine. You heard Daichi and his friends talking on Cyber, didn't you? They said DarkAngelicmon was reluctant to cause them any harm because he feels they are necessary in order for the Ruler of Darkness to get his hands on the Spirit Chips. They may have gone back to the human world by now, with or without a Spirit Chip, but it doesn't really matter whether they have or not. We will just keep on searching for them until we find them."

"Will we stay here on File Island?"

"Of course. File Island is the most important land mass here in the Digital World. They are bound to come back here eventually, maybe even sooner than we might think. Once I come into contact with Angelicmon and Gabrielmon, it will be easier for us to keep our eyes on them and to follow them no matter where they go in the Digital World. Well, that is if I can establish a close relationship with them right away. I do not necessarily need to speak to them to do so. I just need to be close to them. At least, I hope so. It will depend on how they feel about me and how they feel about the way I abandoned my friends. At the moment, it will be hard for me to distinguish them from other celestial digimon, since I've never met them before, but that was to be expected. In any case, before we do anything else, we must first overcome that hurtle first."

"Does that mean you've finally decided to meet up with the Digidestined?" MarineAngemon asked eagerly.

Lucemon let out a soft sigh and turned to gaze at the setting sun. "I want to, more than anything, but...I don't know if I'm ready yet. If Luciamon had managed to bring Gennai and the Digidestined back to the Eastern Hemisphere as planned, I would have done so without hesitation, but...things have changed since then. Daichi and his friends deserve to know the truth about DarkAngelicmon and the Ruler of Darkness, but at the moment, that might not be a wise thing to do, especially since I suspect the Ruler of Darkness has ordered DarkAngelicmon to capture me. You said it yourself, MarineAngemon, you heard the Digidestined say DarkAngelicmon wants to find me. He would have told the Ruler of Darkness about my betrayal. Not that it would matter. The Ruler of Darkness already knew I betrayed him, right from the moment Luciamon and I first left his service. He obviously didn't tell his servants, though, including DarkAngelicmon. How much to you want to bet he's sent DarkAngelicmon on a quest to bring me back?"

"But...if that's true then why is DarkAngelicmon keeping his distance?"

"Good question, MarineAngemon. I would like to know the answer myself."

_Could it be because he still cares about me, even though he thinks I betrayed him?_

"Lucemon, before I left the Western Hemisphere, you told me Luciamon overheard Gennai calling Mickey the 'Child of Innocence.' It happened before Vampiramon captured Gennai. What do you think he meant by that?" MarineAngemon asked shyly.

Lucemon glanced at the little mega in his arms and let out a soft sigh. "I do not know for sure, but I believe it has something to do with the Spirit Chips. From the little you heard from Dai, they appear to be a lot like the crests, and if that is true then the Digidestined are our only hope if we want to save DarkAngelicmon. I can't do it alone, but maybe with help from Mickey and Matty, we might be able to change the course of the future."

"Why them?" MarineAngemon asked curiously.

"They are the children of light and hope, and if what Gennai said about Mickey is true, then there is hope for all of us. I believe Matty may also hold just as much power as Mickey, and that can only work in our favour. It's just this feeling I have. Without them, DarkAngelicmon will never be able to find his way back to the light. I am not enough to save him. I know it in my heart. I wish I knew more about the Spirit Chips, but that is where DarkAngelicmon has the advantage."

"What do you mean?"

"Before Gennai went to see Piximon, he had a top secret conversation with Azulongmon about the crests, Spirit Chips, and D-Coders. According to you, Luciamon told the Digidestined no one knew exactly what that conversation was about, but that's not technically true. We knew a little bit, but DarkAngelicmon knew even more. I believe she altered the truth slightly because she didn't want DarkAngelicmon to know how much we actually knew, and she also didn't want him to know we knew he'd also been spying on Gennai at the exact same time."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense..."

"You see, at the time, we knew the Ruler of Darkness was also trying to figure out what Gennai was planning so we figured he would send one of his dark digimon to spy on Gennai. Luciamon and I both believed he would send DarkAngelicmon, and because of that we knew we could not go spy on Gennai ourselves or DarkAngelicmon would know we had betrayed both him and the Ruler of Darkness. Though, of course the Ruler of Darkness already knew about us, but we figured he wouldn't tell DarkAngelicmon."

"And you were right. He didn't say a word to DarkAngelicmon."

"No, he didn't. Because of the situation, DarkAngelicmon would have been able to sense us easily, so instead we sent some of our spies to watch Gennai in our place. Since we didn't want DarkAngelicmon to spot them either, because that would mean he would know there was someone working against him, Luciamon ordered them to keep their distance, and as a result, they missed many of the more finer details, including a lot of information that would have been useful to us. They basically only managed to figure out the conversation was about the crests, D-Coders, and Spirit Chips. That's not the case with DarkAngelicmon, though. He heard the entire conversation and reported everything he had learned to the Ruler of Darkness. On top of that, Vampiramon managed to capture Gennai, and against his will he was able to tell DarkAngelicmon and the others even more about the Spirit Chips and D-Coders. That's probably where they learned the majority of their information about the Spirit Chips and D-Coders, though obviously they didn't learn everything. From what you've told me, there's still so much DarkAngelicmon and his allies need to learn about the Spirit Chips, though that may no longer be the case anymore, depending on what has happened here in the Digital World today. The point is, DarkAngelicmon knows more than we do about the Spirit Chips and that could prove to be a huge disadvantage. If only we had known they were planning to capture Gennai. If we had, we could have saved him, but by the time we came to that conclusion, it was already too late. Also, for the record, we didn't know about the Digicores. Our spies didn't hear anything at all. We just knew that conversation had taken place and that Gennai and his counterparts were given something.."

"That still doesn't explain Mickey."

"Well, during Gennai's conversation with Azulongmon, Luciamon and I stayed as far away from their meeting place as possible because we could sense DarkAngelicmon's presence on Server and we figured he had gone to spy on Gennai. I have no doubt he felt our presence, as well, but since he didn't know we had betrayed the Ruler of Darkness at that time, he probably didn't think we were much of a threat. In fact, he probably just thought the Ruler of Darkness had also sent us on some sort of mission. After DarkAngelicmon had figured out all he needed to know, our spies quickly met up with us to give their report. They told us DarkAngelicmon had left and proceeded to give us an account of what little they had managed to overhear, which turned out to be almost nothing. Since DarkAngelicmon was on his way back to the Western Hemisphere, Luciamon decided to go see Gennai and Azulongmon for herself. She caught up to them just as they were saying their goodbyes, and that's when she heard Gennai call Mickey the 'Child of Innocence.' He must have said something along those lines during his conversation with Azulongmon, as well, because DarkAngelicmon seems to know more about Mickey than we do."

"I know what you mean," MarineAngemon grumbled.

"It's funny, according to what the Digidestined were saying on Cyber, Spritemon accused Luciamon of working for Azulongmon, but she couldn't have been further from the truth. I won't deny we had every intention of working with Azulongmon, which is why I've been trying to find him for so long, but we never got a chance to because he seems to have gone into hiding."

"Maybe, but maybe not," MarineAngemon said thoughtfully. "He works with Gennai, doesn't he? Maybe he has his own plans for helping the Digidestined, plans he no doubt worked on with Gennai. Cheer up, Lucemon, we may get to work with him yet."

"Perhaps. We know so little, MarineAngemon. Even the Digidestined probably know more about the Spirit Chips now than we do. Gennai did say he would tell them everything and that's why they met up with him here on File Island today."

"Yes, he said that on Cyber. I bet they're well on their way to finding the Spirit Chips by now."

"We must find out what they know. If only I hadn't taken so long to come to a decision about whether or not to come here today. If I had come sooner, I probably would have been able to hear their conversation. I bet DarkAngelicmon overheard what they were saying."

"Why don't you just ask them?" MarineAngemon asked hesitantly.

Lucemon smiled sadly and shook his head. "I was sure meeting them was the right thing to do, but now that we're here, I'm beginning to have second thoughts."

"In other words, you intend to keep your distance."

"For now, but I know I cannot hide forever. They must learn the truth about DarkAngelicmon and the Ruler of Darkness, and I am the only one left who can tell them. I am well aware of the consequences, MarineAngemon. If I remain silent, the Digital World will be lost."

"What about DarkAngelicmon?"

"It pains me to say this, but for the moment we must avoid him at all costs. To confront him now would be foolish, especially since it seems the Ruler of Darkness is determined to find me. Even if I could miraculously change DarkAngelicmon's mind on my own, at this point in time it would not help us. If anything, it would only put him in grave danger, and I would never forgive myself if I allowed that to happen. Our hope lies with the Digidestined, MarineAngemon. There is no other way."

MarineAngemon smiled at him and snuggled against his chest. "I understand. For now we must focus on finding the Digidestined and figuring out what it is they know about the Spirit Chips that we don't know. That way, when the time comes, we'll be better prepared to tell them what they need to know. Only then will we be able to move forward and find a way to help DarkAngelicmon, and also to help the Digidestined save the Digital World."

"To confront the Digidestined now would enrage DarkAngelicmon. We must wait for the right moment. To act too soon could mean the destruction of the Digital World."

"I know, but I just can't help wanting to meet them. They seem really nice," MarineAngemon said shyly.

_Will they even want to meet me after the way I abandoned one of my closest friends?_

Shaking his head at his own depressing thoughts, Lucemon slowly moved towards the edge of the forest and turned to gaze at the small television nestled in the sand about fifty feet away from him. It was a gate to the human world and it looked somehow lonely sitting there all by itself.

_Just like me. Only...I'm not alone. At least I have MarineAngemon with me. A new friend is always a good source of comfort._

A sudden cry and the sound of a small pair of wings beating furiously against the wind suddenly caught his attention, but before he could figure out where most of the noise was coming from, MarineAngemon suddenly fluttered out of his arms and started nudging him towards the forest, the little mega's small body hurtling against his back, right between the shoulder blades. "Hurry, someone is coming. We have to hide!"

Trusting MarineAngemon's judgment, Lucemon quickly fluttered into the trees and knelt behind a large clump of bushes while still making sure he had a clear view of the beach. MarineAngemon huddled next to him, and the two of them waited in silence, the sound of their own breathing ringing in their ears. A moment later, two shadowy figures suddenly raced around the edge of the forest and collapsed on the beach next to the small television nestled in the sand. One was a small firefly digimon, who looked completely exhausted, and the other figure was similar in form and structure to Gennai, only he was smaller and looked completely different.

_It's...it's a human!_

Lucemon stared at the young boy in astonishment, unable to believe what he was seeing. He had never met a human before, but he knew they looked similar to Gennai, and because of that he knew the young boy with the firefly digimon could not be anything else. "A human! He's a human, isn't he?"

_They don't look so different from me, except for the lack of wings._

"It's Sam!" MarineAngemon gasped. "It's Sam Ichijouji!"

"The former Emperor's son?"

"Yes, he looks a lot like his father."

Lucemon studied the boy's face for a moment, and although it was hard to tell, it looked as if Sam's cheeks were covered in tears. "Look, MarineAngemon, he seems so sad. I wonder what's wrong."

"I don't know, but I'm worried. Where are the rest of the Digidestined? Shouldn't they be with Sam?"

"Indeed, it's dangerous for him to be alone."

_I've always loved the story about the Digimon Emperor. For Ken to have found a way to break free from the darkness is truly remarkable, and it's all thanks to his friends. If he could do it, then why not DarkAngelicmon? Only he can't do it alone. He needs his friends, too. And what about me? Is there a way for me to change my fate? Ken was able to alter the path that led to him being the Emperor. I must be strong like him. I must find a way to alter my destiny. Sam is so lucky to have someone like Ken to guide him, so why is he so upset?_

"Poor Sam," MarineAngemon whispered. "Something must have happened."

Lucemon reached out his hand towards the boy and let it fall limply back to his side. He wanted desperately to provide some sort of comfort, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He did not understand what was happening, but for some reason Sam's obvious pain and sorrow were hurting him so much, he felt like there was a fist clenched around his heart.

Suddenly, without warning, Sam glanced in the direction of the forest, and Lucemon held his breath, afraid he might have been spotted. The young boy seemed to be searching for something, but whatever he was looking for appeared to be eluding him.

"Come on, Sam, let's go home," the little firefly digimon said sadly.

Thanks to MarineAngemon, Lucemon knew the little digimon's name was Glowmon, and even from just those few words alone, Lucemon could tell the little rookie was an excellent choice for a digimon partner.

Instead of responding, Sam merely held out his Digivice and pointed it at the television screen. There was a flash of purple light, and a moment later both Sam and Glowmon disappeared into the television.

Sitting there in silence, Lucemon was surprised to discover that his own cheeks were wet with tears. He didn't know why, but for some reason Sam's pain seemed to have affected him very deeply.

"Someone has hurt him," MarineAngemon said sadly. "We must find out what has happened."

_Sam..._


	151. Sticking Together

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, this might not be one of my more exciting chapters, but I promise there will be more of those to come. Also, for you Trinity fans, I've got a chapter coming up soon for that story as well.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 151: Sticking Together

_Ami Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"I can't believe Sam has run away from the others again!" Taniko cried, hitting the keyboard with her fist in frustration. "What in the Digiworld is wrong with him? Just when he finally manages to meet up with Dai's group after making a run for the ocean, of all things, he decides to just leave them behind a second time! I'm sorry, Miya, but I give up. I know my dad tried to explain everything as well as he could in that e-mail he sent me, but there's still a lot we don't know, and I'm done trying to come up with more theories. Truthfully, I have no idea what's going on, and I don't think my dad really knows either. I doubt any of us will know exactly what's been happening until Sam gets back to the human world and tells us."

"If he even wants to tell us," Jun muttered.

"Well, even if he doesn't, there's still a chance he might have told Dai's group what was going on with him in the forest. He did stay with them for a short while before running off," Davis countered, elbowing his sister in the ribs. "If that's the case then we'll just have to wait until Dai and the others get back."

"But...what about Sam?" Taniko asked anxiously.

"I wouldn't be too upset, Taniko," Noah said cheerfully, leaning over Miya and pointing at Sam's purple dot on the screen. "Look! Sam is heading right for the gate at the edge of the beach. It's right where the forest ends. If you ask me, it looks like he's heading straight for the human world. I know you're worried about him heading towards the ocean again, but he's not actually moving towards the water. If you look closely, he's making his way right for the dot representing the gate, and he's almost there."

Mimi nodded in agreement and sent Miya an encouraging smile. "We may not know exactly what's going on, but at least we know Sam will be out of danger soon. What Jun said might be true, but that doesn't mean we can't at least consider having a talk with Sam. It's worth a shot. Once Sam gets back, whether he tells us or not, we can at least ask him why he ran off and we can also ask him about everything else that has been going on with him in the Digital World this afternoon."

"Anything else we need to know we can find out from Izzy," Cody said quietly, gesturing towards the computer screen. "From the looks of things, Izzy's group has finally managed to meet up with Dai's group. I'm sure they'll be back soon. It's getting late."

"That's nice, but I want to know why Dai and the others aren't coming back with Sam," Ema complained. "Why did he run off and leave them behind? None of this makes any sense!"

_Ema's right. Sam has been acting really unusual lately and there must be a reason for it. Only...I'm not so sure I want to know exactly what that reason is, and what about Nao and Miya?_

Ami Motomiya turned to look at her best friend and she winced at the helpless expression on the raven-haired female's face. Miya was curled up against Noah's chest, in the same position she had been in since her earlier outburst, and her cheek was resting lightly on his shoulder. It had been a while since she had spoken, but what was even more disturbing was the way her eyes were focused blankly on the ceiling. It was almost as if her soul had drifted off to some faraway place, and Ami had a feeling it was going to take a lot of work and a little bit of luck to rescue the raven-haired female from the darkness and misery she seemed to have fallen into since Sam's first attempt to desert his friends. Normally, Miya was always the one cracking jokes or causing mischief, and the sound of her laughter was so infectious, it made every conversation without her seem dull by comparison. When she was around, her laughter blended into the conversation so well, it was only after she left that you suddenly began to realize there was something missing. To see her looking so lost and hopeless was a bit unnerving, and it made Ami's heart ache with sadness.

_It's hard to see her so upset because she's always so happy all the time. What can I do to comfort her, and what about Nao?_

Glancing at the small boy huddled on the floor between her parents, Ami felt another sharp stab of pain pierce her heart. Nao had his face hidden against Patamon's small body, and judging by the way he was sniffing and whimpering in distress, it sounded like he was pretty close to tears.

_I feel like Miya's whole family is starting to fall apart and there's nothing we can do to help them. What if they all end up slipping away from each other, and by the time they realize what's happening, it's already too late?_

Horrified by the direction her thoughts were taking, Ami quickly pushed Noah out of the way and flung her arms around her best friend in a tight hug. Her spontaneous gesture of affection must have startled Miya because the raven-haired female's gaze suddenly focused on her face and the two of them stared at each other.

"I'm scared, Ami," Miya whispered, pulling off her glasses and rubbing at the sudden tears in her eyes. "What's happening to my family?"

"I don't know, Miya. I wish I could tell you, but I don't understand what's going on any more than you do."

"Do you have to be so rough?" Noah grumbled, rubbing his shoulder and looking extremely disappointed over the loss of Miya's arms around his waist.

Ami ignored her cousin and gave Miya's shoulders a quick squeeze. "Your parents, and the rest of our parents for that matter, have been acting really weird ever since we found out about their past and now Sam is acting kind of odd, too. There must be a reason for it. It all has to be connected somehow."

"You know, we're right here, Ami. We can hear you," Rosa interrupted, sounding amused. There was a twinkle in her dark eyes, but at the same time she sounded a bit uneasy, as if nervous about the way the conversation was heading. It was almost as if she could tell they were getting a little too close to the truth for comfort.

"It's because of the Emperor," Miya cried, squeezing her eyes shut. "How many times do I have to say it? All of this is happening because no one will tell us who he is!"

Ami patted her friend's shoulder and nodded in agreement. "I haven't forgotten, Miya. I know you're right, isn't she, Dad? Mom?"

_Will they lie or will they tell me the truth?_

Ami raised her eyebrows as both of her parents jerked their heads up in surprise and glanced uneasily at each other before turning to look in her direction. Clearly they had been startled by the sudden question thrown in their direction and the looks on their faces were the only answer Ami needed. "I know you guys keep saying you can't tell us, but...we'll find out eventually, and I know you both know it."

"Maybe, but a promise is still a promise," her father said stubbornly, shaking his head and frowning at the cream-coloured carpet. "Do you really think I don't want to tell you? Ami, I would give anything to tell you and Dai the truth, but as our digimon would say, we humans are pretty stubborn. The stupid things we do to protect the ones we care about, even when we know it isn't the right thing to do."

"One day you will understand, Ami, because you would have done the same thing," her mother said quietly.

Ami frowned and gazed suspiciously at her parents, feeling uncertain of what it was exactly they were trying to tell her. For some odd reason they were looking at Miya, and she had a strange feeling their words were somehow connected to the raven-haired female.

"I'm really confused. None of this explains how Sam is connected to the Emperor," Taysuke grumbled, making a face.

"Oh, it does, more than you know," Kenzo muttered.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ema snapped, frowning suspiciously at her dark-haired friend.

Kenzo blushed and muttered something in Spanish, which he could speak fluently, thanks to his mother, and managed a weak smile. "Nothing. I was just...thinking out loud."

_Well, that was weird. I wonder what's going on with Kenzo. He usually acts so normal compared to the others, but now..._

"What if the reason Dai and the others can't come back with Sam is because they're in trouble?" Taysuke asked anxiously. "Vampiramon and her allies could still be trying to hunt them down. Maybe Sam somehow managed to get away and now he's coming back here for some help."

"But...that's not good either!" DemiVeemon piped up, burying his small face against Shadow's dark fur.

The little puppy whimpered at the fear in DemiVeemon's voice and curled himself into a small ball, his head resting on his front paws. Since Dai's birthday and Sam's birthday were only a week apart, Sam being the younger, and with their birthdays having been celebrated less than a month ago, Shadow was a relatively new addition to the family. The little puppy had only been a week old when Dai had gotten him as a gift, but even so, Shadow had been able to pick up on the emotions of the family and friends of the family quite quickly, and now it seemed he could do the same with digimon, as well.

Shaking her head at how unbelievable it was that Dai had received such a remarkable dog, Ami quickly turned back to her friend and gave the raven-haired female an encouraging smile. "Cheer up, Miya, Sam will be home soon."

"It doesn't matter," Miya whispered, shaking her head and hiding her face in her hands. "It isn't going to change the way Sam's been acting lately. Do you know how hard it is to watch him suffering, especially when I know it doesn't have to be this way? Don't you see, Ami? He's never going to be the same person again until he finds out the truth about the Emperor. I don't understand why he seems to think he has some sort of connection to the Emperor, but if that's the way he really feels, then there's nothing we can do to help him except to tell him the truth."

"And we don't know the truth," Noah murmured, glancing meaningfully at the five adult Digidestined present in the room. "Only our parents can give Sam what he really wants."

"No kidding. He was definitely acting weird today, but not as weird as Ryoko. I wonder what was going on with him this morning," Ema said thoughtfully.

Ami shrugged her shoulders and turned to gaze apprehensively at Miya. The raven-haired female looked so miserable, it brought tears to Ami's eyes, and letting out a soft sound of distress, she quickly wrapped her arms around her female friend again in a fierce hug. "Listen, Miya, I know you don't think I understand, but I do. If all of these things were happening to Dai, I'd feel just as worried and helpless as you do. In fact, I do feel the same way as you right now, and Sam isn't even my brother, but just because you're scared it doesn't mean you have to give up completely."

"I know you understand," Miya mumbled into her shoulder, sniffing back tears. "That's why you're my best friend."

Ami remained silent for a moment, unsure of what to say, but it wasn't long before a memory from quite a few years ago suddenly came back to her, and despite the seriousness of the situation, she found herself smiling in amusement. "Hey, Miya? Do you remember how we used to throw pillows down the stairs at Dai when you would sleep over at my house on the weekends?"

"I still spend the night at your house all the time," Miya mumbled.

"I know, but we haven't thrown any pillows at anyone in awhile! We were pretty little at the time, but I still remember the way Dai would get so mad at us for bothering him."

"He used to build a fort at the bottom of the stairs with the pillows we chucked at him, and then he would start throwing his toys up the stairs at us. Some of those toys were pretty hard."

Ami blinked in surprise and pulled back slightly so she could look into her friend's eyes. "You do remember!"

"The one time he managed to get a hold of some of our dolls, and he threatened to hold them hostage until we promised to stop bugging him," Miya mumbled, a ghost of a smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

"Only we didn't stop bugging him. Instead you bribed Sam, promising to give him chocolate if he got our dolls back for us, and then we started throwing pillows at both him and Dai."

"If I recall, I tripped over all those pillows you were throwing at Sam and Dai and landed flat on my face at the bottom of the stairs," Davis grumbled, wincing at the memory. "And then my so very kind and thoughtful son had the nerve to yell at me for ruining his fort! I hope I yelled at all of you for that incident."

"No, you didn't," Noriko sniffed. "If I remember correctly, you were too busy moaning in pain and whimpering about an ankle you never sprained and a broken neck you clearly never had. I yelled at them for you, and Yolei yelled at Sam and Miya a second time when she came to pick them up the next day!"

Miya started to giggle, and Ami gave the raven-haired female a fond squeeze. "Now that's the Miya I know so well. Don't give up now, not when Sam needs you the most."

"You're right, Ami. I can't help Sam if I let myself fall apart like this. He needs me to be strong, and well...I think the rest of my family might need the same thing."

"Then you know what you have to do, and I'll be here to help you. Sam, Nao, and your parents are counting on you, but...you need someone, too, and that's what I'm here for."

"Ami?" Miya said quietly, hugging her tightly. "I never want anyone else but you for a best friend, ever."

_Same here, Miya._

Ami was well aware of the fact that she could have said the words out loud, but at the same time she knew she didn't have to. Miya already knew exactly how she felt, and that was why they were best friends.

"Miya, do you really think Sam will be home soon?" Nao asked hesitantly, scrambling to his feet and moving shyly towards his sister. He came to a stop next to the raven-haired female's chair and gave her a pleading look. "I'm scared and I really miss him. I don't want him to be gone anymore."

"Cheer up, Nao," Noah said gently, ruffling the younger boy's lavender hair. "Sam will be home soon. Look, he's right near the gate. Dai and the others have just started heading for the gate, as well. At least it looks that way. They're definitely moving in that direction."

"Well, it's about time," Ema muttered.

"I'm scared, too, Nao, but we'll find out what's going on with Sam, I promise," Miya said softly, pulling her little brother into her arms and giving him a tight squeeze.

"Glowmon will keep Sam safe," Patamon said cheerfully.

Nao beamed at the little rookie and returned his sister's hug with enthusiasm. "I know."

_I wish I could be as sure as Nao is..._

"Quick everyone, move back!" Taniko suddenly shouted, leaping out of her chair and waving her hands to get them all moving. "Sam is about to come through the gate!"

"Come on over here, Mimi," T.K. said quietly, reaching out and gently taking her by the arm. "The last thing we need is for you to get trampled."

A moment later, there was a flash of bright yellow light, and Sam tumbled out of the gate onto his hands and knees, Glimmermon bouncing onto the cream-coloured carpet behind him. As soon as he lifted his head, Ami knew there was something very wrong because Sam's face was streaked with tears and his dark blue eyes were wide with shock and horror.

"Sam!" Miya shrieked, flinging her arms around her brother and hugging him as tightly as she could. "You're alive! You're safe! What happened? Why did you run away from the others?"

"Sam, are you okay?" T.K. asked, watching the raven-haired Digidestined closely. "What's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

"Sam?" Miya whispered, pulling back slightly so she could look directly into her brother's eyes. "Why...why are you..."

Without warning, Sam suddenly wrenched himself free from Miya's arms, and letting out a soft sob, he turned and ran towards the door. Cody tried to grab the raven-haired Digidestined's arm, but somehow Sam managed to slip free from the adult Digidestined's grasp and he stumbled directly into the door Rosa had closed earlier, trying desperately to open it with his hands.

"Sam, wait for me!" Glimmermon cried, hopping onto his partner's shoulder and burying his face against the raven-haired Digidestined's neck.

Nao tried to grab onto the sleeve of Sam's green shirt, but Sam pushed his little brother away and yanked the door open as hard as he could, causing Nao to fall backwards onto the floor. At first the lavender-haired boy merely looked surprised, but then his face crumpled up and thick tears began to sparkle in his deep blue eyes. "Please don't leave, Sam. Please?"

"Sam, wait!" Miya shrieked, hurrying towards her brother.

Somehow Sam managed to make it out of the room before Miya could reach him, and he slammed the door shut just as his sister reached for the back of his green, long-sleeved top. Unable to stop her momentum, Miya slammed into the door with a loud bang, her nose and forehead receiving the worst damage. Letting out a groan, Miya quickly slid to the floor, her back leaning against the closed door, and covered her face with her hands.

"Miya, are you okay?" Noah asked quietly, kneeling next to the raven-haired female and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Miya didn't answer.

Ami stared blankly at the closed door for a moment and turned slowly to face the computer. "I hate to say it, but...this doesn't look good at all."

"Did you see his face?" Palmon said sadly, shaking her head. "Something bad must have happened."

Ami turned to look at her father, and kneeling next to Nao, her dad quickly wrapped his arm around the little boy in a comforting hug and frowned in confusion. "We need to find out what's going on, now more than ever. I wish Dai and the others would get here."

"What about Sam?" her mother asked.

"Let him go for now. Considering the way he acted earlier, I think it's pretty safe to say he doesn't really want to talk right now."

"Sam never acts mean!" Nao whimpered into his hands. "Why would he..."

"Oh, Nao," Rosa said softly, crouching next to the young, lavender-haired boy and giving him a gentle hug. "It's okay. There's no need to be scared. Sam doesn't hate you, I know he doesn't. He's just a little bit upset right now, that's all."

"Don't be sad, Nao," Patamon pleaded anxiously above the little boy's lavender-hair. "It makes me sad to see you so upset."

"Even Shadow is sad," DemiVeemon said sorrowfully, giving the whimpering puppy and gentle pat on the head.

"He knows," Kenzo murmured, clearly lost in his own thoughts. "Sam knows."

"What? What does Sam know?" Ema demanded, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at her dark-haired friend. "What's going on, Kenzo? How come you're acting so funny all of a sudden?"

_Good question, Ema._

Kenzo's face turned bright red, and Ami could have sworn she saw his dark eyes flick anxiously in his parents' direction before once again focusing on Ema. "I'm not acting funny. It's just...forget it. I was just thinking, that's all."

"Leave him alone, Ema," Taysuke said impatiently. "Right now we need to worry about what's going on with Sam."

Ami nodded in agreement and let out a deep sigh. "Well, if Dai and the others would hurry up..."

"Let's hope they know or else we're really in trouble," Jun murmured, glancing anxiously at the computer screen.

"I'm going after him," Miya suddenly announced, leaping to her feet and turning towards the door.

"But, you can't!" Taniko gasped.

"Why not?"

Ami slowly approached her best friend and glanced anxiously towards the door. "Miya, you heard what my dad said, and I agree with him. Obviously Sam is really upset right now, and I think maybe it would be better if we gave him some time alone, at least for a little while."

"Ami's right," Noah said quietly, climbing slowly to his feet and reaching out to take Miya's hand. "Sam clearly wants to be-"

"No!" Miya cried, pulling her hand out of Noah's grasp and reaching for the doorknob. "I don't care what you guys say. Sam needs his family right now, I can feel it."

Ami tried to prevent her friend from leaving the room, but instead of listening to her protests, Miya merely pushed her gently aside and yanked the door open, its hard surface just barely missing Noah, who was hovering next to the raven-haired female's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ami, but I have to do this."

"No, Miya!" Nao cried, scrambling to his feet and grabbing onto his sister's hand. "You're not leaving unless you take me with you! I want to see Sam, too!"

Smiling softly at her little brother, Miya quickly nodded and nudged him through the door. "Let's go."

"Miya, wait!"

The raven-haired female looked up in surprise, and Ami quickly threw her arms around the other girl in a tight hug. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Ami, I knew you would understand," Miya whispered in her ear, returning the hug.

Ami watched the remaining two Ichijouji children leave the room and felt her heart begin to beat rapidly in her chest. She didn't have a clue what was going on, but despite her lack of information, she had a feeling her best friend was on the verge of discovering something very important, something that would change everything she thought she knew, and whether or not she could overcome it might prove to be the most important test of all.


	152. The Rift Between Brothers

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, so...trying to think of something to say, but...nope, I got nothing. Although it's getting to be that time again when I have to start thinking about new digivolution stages...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 152: The Rift Between Brothers

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Masato Takaishi sat huddled on Dragermon's scarlet back with his arms wrapped around his knees, and every so often he would glance anxiously in his twin brother's direction, hoping for some sort of a reaction out of Mickey, but instead of responding to his mental request for some communication between them, Mickey merely ignored him and continued to act as if he didn't even exist. The older twin's behaviour came as a bit of a shock, since Mickey wasn't usually in the habit of acting so disrespectful towards other people, and although it made Matty angry to be treated like some sort of criminal, deep down inside, what he truly felt was an overwhelming sense of hurt and confusion.

_What's happening to us? We used to get along so well, but lately I feel like we've been drifting away from each other, just a little bit more with each passing day. It's almost like we've become strangers, and I bet it's probably all my fault. Does Mickey really believe I don't understand what he's feeling right now? Does he honestly believe I've never understood him right from the very beginning? Well, maybe he's right. I don't see how he could possibly trust DarkAngelicmon, but he obviously does. What is it I'm missing? What is it he can see that I can't see?_

"Matty, you've been really quiet lately. Is there something wrong?" Celestimon asked quietly, leaning into his embrace and curling up tightly against his chest.

Matty rested his cheek against the top of his partner's head and let out a deep sigh. "Why am I even here, Celestimon? I'm useless compared to everyone else."

"Matty!"

"Well, it's true. Everyone else has been trying so hard to help Sam, and they're doing everything they can to save the Digital World, but not me. I've just sort of been hanging around in the back round doing nothing while everyone else has been struggling to find their way through the darkness that seems to be hovering all around us. All of our friends have some sort of issue with at least one other member of our group, and there's nothing I can do to help any of them. Think about it, Celestimon, there's Dai and Kara, Dai and Ryoko, Mickey and Sam, Sam and Ryoko..."

"You and Mickey, or have you forgotten already?"

Matty blushed and gave his partner a dirty look. "What do you mean by that?"

"You are very sad right now, Matty, and I don't like it," Celestimon mumbled into his shoulder. "Are you upset because of Mickey?"

"Mickey doesn't need me. He has Sam, and the others all have someone, too. Dai has Ryoko, and Ryoko has Dai. Kara has both Dai and Ryoko, and Sam has Mickey. No one needs me. They all have each other, so why would any of them want my help? I'm pretty much useless."

Celestimon jerked up in surprise and stared at him in shock. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

"Well..."

"Matty, Mickey's upset because he feels like you're not trying hard enough to understand how he's feeling right now. It's obvious he's disappointed in you, and right now so am I."

Matty lifted his head and glared indignantly at his partner, unable to believe what he was hearing. "What did I do?"

"Listen to what you're saying, Matty! How can you just give up on yourself so easily?"

"But-"

"Mickey would be lost without you, and you would be lost without him," Celestimon said sadly, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head. "The same is true for your other friends. The six of you all need to rely on each other, not just on two or three members of the group, because if you don't, we won't be able to save the Digital World."

"You're right, Celestimon. I'm sorry, I just..."

"Do you feel left out?" Celestimon asked softly.

_He knows me too well, but that's what's so great about having a digimon partner. I never have to try and explain my feelings to him. He always just knows, sort of like how Mickey always knows, or used to anyway, and I'm glad. At least I know I'll always be able to count on him._

Celestimon must have read his mind because the little rookie suddenly leaned close to him and gently touched his cheek. "You're never alone, Matty. I'm always going to be by your side, even after the gates eventually become inaccessible, and nothing is ever going to change that. I don't want the gates to close, but that's what's going to happen because we will save the Digital World. I know we will, but even that won't change anything between us. You will always be my partner, and when the time comes for us to go our separate ways, I know it won't be forever. I will be waiting for you always no matter what."

Matty's eyes filled with tears, and flinging his arms around Celestimon, he buried his face against the little rookie's soft, fluffy ears. "Thank you, Celestimon. I think my friends and I have all wondered the same thing at some point in time about what will happen to you guys after we save the Digital World, but no one has had the courage to mention it yet. After all, our parents had to leave their digimon behind, so I think it's pretty safe to assume that the same thing will happen to us, only...now I don't have to worry about it anymore. I know you're always going to be with me no matter how far apart we are. Even being separated by two different worlds isn't going to affect our friendship. Of course, none of this is going to happen if we can't find a way to save the Digital World."

"We will," Celestimon said firmly. "Remember, Matty, time and space do not matter. It is the strength of our friendship and the faith we have in each other that will ultimately keep us together. I will never leave you and neither will Mickey and the rest of your friends."

"But...how can you be so sure of that?"

"You only think you're alone, Matty. Even after everything that has happened, including Sam's current problems, if you open your eyes, you will see that nothing has really changed. Deep down inside, your friends are still the same people they've always been and they need your help. Sam needs you, Mickey needs you, they all need you. Will you give up on them so easily?"

Matty glanced uncertainly at his twin and nearly let out a loud gasp when he realized Mickey was staring back at him. It was the first time Mickey had even looked in his direction since the two of them had climbed onto Dragermon's back, and the intensity of his gaze created a lump in Matty's throat. He knew his brother was trying to tell him something, and the meaningful look on the older twin's face made him want desperately to understand exactly what it was he was missing.

_Sam is one of my closest friends and I want to help him more than anything, but what can I do to make him change his mind about Ken? Well, even if Mickey has given up on me, that doesn't mean I have to give up on either him or Sam. I'll help them both, even if they don't want my help. If I do, maybe it will help me understand what Mickey's been going through lately, and it might even help me strengthen my friendship with Sam. I think I would like that..._

A sudden thought struck him, and turning to his partner, he gave the little rookie a searching look. "Um...Celestimon? What do you think of DarkAngelicmon?"

"Me? I do not think you give him enough credit, Matty."

"Huh?"

Celestimon smiled and turned to gaze quietly at the dark sky looming above their heads. Millions of tiny stars twinkled within its dark purple depths, but Celestimon did not appear to notice them. Instead, he seemed to be looking at something beyond the stars, and Matty had a feeling it was something only his digimon partner could see. "Like you, I don't know what happened in the forest earlier, but despite the terrible news DarkAngelicmon gave Sam, I do not think he is working against us at the moment. You saw the light, Matty. He has not given himself up to the darkness completely, and there must be a reason for it. Someone, probably the Ruler of Darkness, is trying to make him forget who he is, but he is fighting back. We cannot lose hope, Matty, not now when there is still a chance he can be saved."

"Then...you believe he wasn't always evil. You really think he used to be a good digimon?"

"You must understand, Matty," Celestimon said quietly, "it could just have easily been me instead of him."

Matty stared at the little rookie with his mouth hanging open, unable to believe what he was hearing. Unlike his champion form of Angelicmon, Celestimon was normally energetic, silly, mischievous, and almost childish in some ways, so it was quite unnerving to see him acting so serious all of a sudden. As strange as Celestimon's behaviour was, though, it didn't affect Matty as much as the words that had come out of his partner's mouth had.

_Celestimon could have ended up like...like DarkAngelicmon? But...but that's not possible! Or is it? Are we really all so vulnerable to the Powers of Darkness? And what about me? What would happen to Celestimon if I ever let myself become corrupted by evil? Could he remain pure like Wormmon or..._

There was a sudden rustle of wings behind Matty, and he turned just in time to see Gabrielmon land on Dragermon's back. The celestial digimon quickly moved towards them, and Matty felt his face turn pink, his embarrassment concerning the fears he had just shared with Celestimon earlier showing plainly on his face. Although he had no proof, he had a feeling Gabrielmon had heard every word of that conversation and the implications of that made him feel slightly uneasy. What if Gabrielmon decided to tell Mickey everything he had overheard? It was a possibility, and it made Matty want to kick himself for his own foolishness. He knew he should have been paying more attention to his twin's digimon partner, but unfortunately it was too late to do anything about Gabrielmon now. For all he knew, the celestial champion could have been hovering in the air behind him the whole time, but he had been so wrapped up in his own misery that he had forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings.

"Hello, Gabrielmon!" Celestimon said happily, wiggling his ears and beaming at his fellow angel digimon.

Gabrielmon gave the little rookie a warm smile, and Celestimon quickly hopped onto the impressive champion's shoulder, his small hand gently clutching the right ear-like, feathery wing sprouting from Gabrielmon's head for balance and support. After making sure Celestimon was settled, Gabrielmon quickly lowered himself into a crouching position on Dragermon's back and turned to gaze thoughtfully at his human partner, his face almost completely void of emotion. Mickey was too busy talking to Dai to notice his partner's gaze on him, but Matty noticed Gabrielmon's expression right away, and he frowned curiously at the angel digimon. Unlike Mickey, Gabrielmon must have sensed he was being watched because the celestial digimon suddenly turned to look at him and Matty quickly ducked his head, trying desperately to hide the blush on his cheeks. "What?"

"You have a lot on your mind, Matty," Gabrielmon said softly, his words carrying nothing but sympathy and understanding. "You are uncertain of how you feel, and more importantly, of what is still to come, but it does not do you any good to dwell on your fears, for if you do, they will consume you. Your eyes are windows to your soul, and they reveal more than you realize, especially to Mickey."

"If that's what you believe than you don't know as much as you think you do! And for your information, I don't care what Mickey sees in me! He can just go right ahead and-"

"You don't believe that anymore than I do," Gabrielmon said flatly.

"You think you know everything all the time, but you don't!"

"Matty!" Celestimon scolded, frowning in disapproval.

Ignoring the insult, Gabrielmon stared at the dark sky for a moment before shaking his head and letting out a soft sigh. "I am no more wise than you are, Matty. The only difference is that I have come to accept what you do not want to see. Besides, you have something that is just as important, if not more so in some cases, than all the wisdom in the world put together, and that is why your friends need you."

"R-really? What would that be?"

"You will see."

Matty rolled his eyes and let out a loud snort. "Whatever you say, Gabrielmon."

"What is on your mind, Matty? You do not usually speak so ill of Mickey, and it has me quite concerned."

Unable to prevent fresh tears from welling up in his eyes, Matty quickly buried his face against his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around his legs. "Mickey hates me."

"Excuse me?"

Gabrielmon sounded so surprised and startled, it was enough to bring a faint smile to Matty's lips. Lifting his head, he looked up just in time to see the angel digimon almost upset Celestimon's perch on his shoulder. Somehow the little rookie managed to prevent himself from falling backwards, but Matty barely even noticed his partner's attempts to remain upright. His gaze was focused on Gabrielmon, and he flushed at the look of disbelief on the celestial digimon's face. "You know it's true! You heard him earlier."

"Matty, you are his brother, his twin. Why would he ever hate you? Honestly, I do not understand where you humans come up with such ridiculous ideas from. It does not make any sense to me."

Matty smiled softly at Gabrielmon and reached out to stroke the angel digimon's soft wings. "That's what I love about digimon. Everything is so simple with you guys. And you know what? Sometimes that might not be a bad thing. In fact, I think digimon may have a better understanding of what's really important than humans do."

"I do not know if that is true, but I do know you don't give yourself enough credit, Matty. No matter how angry or upset Mickey might be, he will never give up on you."

"Are you sure?"

_I used to think I understood Mickey, but now I feel like I don't know anything anymore._

Matty felt Gabrielmon's strong arm slip around his shoulders, and jumping in surprise, he found himself gazing into the celestial digimon's sparkling blue eyes. At the edge of his vision, he could see Mickey watching them closely, and surprisingly enough the older twin was making no effort to hide the fact that he was interested in what they were saying. Caught off guard, Matty glanced in his twin's direction, but as soon as their eyes met, Mickey quickly turned away, clearly embarrassed to be caught staring, and proceeded to gaze uncertainly at his hands.

"Of course I'm sure. Mickey is my partner. We understand each other as well as the two of you understand each other, only I do not choose to ignore what is plainly in front of my face."

"Hey!"

Gabrielmon let out a soft laugh, a rather odd sound considering the angel digimon was usually so serious and humble, his celestial form radiating both dignity and confidence, and the sound brought a faint smile to Matty's lips. He felt Gabrielmon's hand come to rest on his golden head, and lifting his gaze, he gave the angel digimon a curious look. Gabrielmon pulled his hand away, and Matty felt the angel digimon's fingers slip beneath his chin, forcing him to look directly into the champion's bright blue eyes. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and smiling softly, Gabrielmon pulled him close in a comforting hug.

"Matty, your brother thinks very highly of you. He would not have asked for your help if he didn't believe you would be of any use. I know you're worried about him, but right now you need to focus on Sam. His heart has been filled with darkness and he cannot see the light. If he continues to doubt himself and everything he believes in, there is no telling what may happen in the future. All I know is that his future will indeed be black and full of sorrow. You do not want him to follow the path Ken took twenty-five years ago, do you?"

"No! I will never let Sam suffer that much pain. Never!"

_I know what you're planning, Sam. You're going to do everything you can to drift away from us, but we're not going to let that happen. Go ahead and try, but you're going to find you have some pretty stubborn friends who are never going to leave you alone until you listen to us!_

"It is good to hear you sounding more like the Matty I know and admire," Gabrielmon said softly. "We cannot afford to lose you in dark times like the one we are currently experiencing."

"Please stay strong, Matty, and listen to Gabrielmon. I don't want to have to worry about you, too," Celestimon said sadly.

Matty scooped Celestimon into his arms and gave the little rookie a fierce hug. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be more positive from now on, but I can't make any promises."

"As long as you don't forget what's really important," Celestimon mumbled into his shoulder.

"We're almost there! I can see the gate from here!" Dai suddenly shouted, causing Matty to jump in surprise.

Setting Celestimon down on Dragermon's back, Matty quickly moved closer to the goggle-headed leader, ignoring his twin, who was sitting on Dai's other side, and spotted a small television nestled in the sand at the edge of the beach. It looked lonely sitting there all by itself in the darkness, and shivering slightly, Matty quickly turned his back on the gate and rejoined his partner.

"Good, I am glad we're almost-" Gabrielmon suddenly fell silent, leaving his sentence unfinished, and leaping to his feet, the angel digimon glanced sharply at the edge of the forest, his sapphire eyes narrowing in concentration. Beside him, Celestimon was also staring at the forest, and Matty was shocked by the intensity of his partner's green gaze. The little rookie had even gone so far as to flutter into the air so he could see the trees a little bit better. "Uh...guys... is something wrong?"

Gabrielmon frowned thoughtfully at the trees and turned slowly to look at him. "I thought I felt...something, but perhaps it was just my imagination."

"No!" Celestimon protested, pointing at the forest. "It's still-"

Gabrielmon sent the little rookie a sharp look and Celestimon immediately fell silent. Feeling suddenly nervous, Matty crossed his arms over his chest and glared suspiciously at the two digimon. "What was that all about?"

"It's nothing, Matty, don't worry about it," Celestimon said cheerfully, attempting to smile and failing miserably.

Matty glanced uncertainly in his brother's direction, and he wasn't the least bit surprised to find that his twin was staring back at him again. Even though it was obvious Mickey wasn't going to say anything, Matty could tell his brother had witnessed the strange behaviour of their digimon, and he was sure Mickey, too, suspected both Celestimon and Gabrielmon were hiding something.

"The forest hides many things," Gabrielmon murmured, leaping into the air and fluttering off to join WarGreymon, "but there are also those who do not want to hide but feel they do not have a choice. There is another way, but we shall see what happens."

Matty watched Gabrielmon disappear into the darkness, his tall, lean body merely a shadow up ahead, and shook his head in confusion. Mickey's digimon partner had always been a bit of a riddle, but lately the celestial champion had been acting even more odd than usual and it was making Matty feel extremely nervous. What was even more unsettling was the fact that Dai, Kara, Tai, Sora, and the rest of the digimon riding on Dragermon hadn't even appeared to notice a thing, and that made Gabrielmon and Celestimon's behaviour seem even more ominous.

_Is there someone hiding in the forest? It can't be DarkAngelicmon. Gabrielmon and Celestimon would have said something if he were still around._

Turning slightly to gaze at the trees, Matty was surprised to find that he did not feel frightened. The taint of darkness he had felt earlier in the forest no longer lingered in the air around him. Instead, the forest felt peaceful, and it made him smile.

_If there is someone down there, he, or she, is not our enemy. That much I can tell for sure. I just...feel it..._

"Well, we're here," Tai said reluctantly, interrupting the younger twin's thoughts. "Let's get back to the human world before we get ourselves into even more trouble."

"I'm almost afraid to go back," Sora sighed.

_Me, too._

Dragermon and MegaKabuterimon landed next to the gate, and sliding to the ground, Matty quickly followed the others over to the television. He was the last one to go through the gate, Embermon and Tentomon having slipped just ahead of him, and just as he held up his D-Coder, he turned back towards the forest for one last look at the trees. Frowning slightly, he thought he saw a flash of white and gold, and he was sure he had glimpsed movement in the bushes, but before he could take a closer look, the gate swallowed him up and took him back to the human world.


	153. The Future Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, so the next chapter after this we get back to the Ichijouji family. How is Sam going to react? (And if you're bored by this chapter, I won't be offended. I admit, it's not one of my more exciting ones. I'll be getting to those very soon though!)

Chapter 153: The Future Begins

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Letting out a gasp of surprise, Mickey tumbled unceremoniously out of the computer screen and nearly landed on top of his little sister, his arms flailing widely to stop himself from falling. Luckily, Rina saw him coming, and leaping to her feet, she quickly scurried behind Davis just in time, her large blue eyes peeking curiously around the former leader's legs for a better look at what was happening. Unable to maintain his balance any longer, Mickey fell forwards onto the carpet, his face smacking painfully against the floor, and a soft groan escaped his lips. He had been expecting a pretty rough landing, but even so, it was amazing how hard the carpet could be if you landed on it with enough force.

"You're back, Mickey," Rina said sadly, her voice lacking its usual enthusiasm. "I was really worried something bad might have happened to you and the others."

_Sam...he's the one we should all be worried about..._

Mickey slowly rolled over onto his back, and opening his eyes, he found himself gazing up into his little sister's anxious face. Rina was leaning over him on her hands and knees, and she was staring at him as if uncertain of whether or not to say what was really on her mind. Her thoughts were obviously somewhere else, but despite that she still seemed to think he might be able to give her some answers to the questions she wanted so badly to ask. "We're fine, Rina. Well, most of us are. I can't really say the same for Sam..."

Rina's expression relaxed a little bit, and she gave him a weak smile. "I know, Mickey. I saw Sam when he came through the gate. He looked so lost and scared. Miya and Nao have gone after him."

"I figured they would. Ken and Yolei should be getting home from the Ai-Mart right about now. Sam's not wasting any time, is he. I wish I could be there for him, but...in a way, I'm glad I'm not. It's not something I really want to witness, and besides, it wouldn't be right for us to intrude. At least, not right now."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Rina asked curiously, her small forehead wrinkling in confusion. "You're not making any sense, silly."

Mickey let out a deep sigh and gently ruffled his little sister's dark hair. "You'll see what I mean soon enough."

"I know what you said, Mickey, but I still think we should go after Sam," Palelymon insisted, hopping onto his lap and giving him a pleading look. "Someone needs to be there for him after he talks to his parents."

"I know, but..."

"Mickey, Sam won't want to be all alone and you know it."

_Palelymon's right. Eventually Sam's going to need us, and if we wait too long..._

"Ryoko, are you okay?" Mimi gasped, kneeling next to her son and placing a hand on his arm.

"Well, I would be if I could breath."

"Matt, honey, get up! You're crushing our son. You too, Gabumon."

"Shame on you two!" Palmon scolded.

Glaring at Palmon, Matt quickly helped his son into a sitting position and sent the golden-haired Digidestined an apologetic look. "Sorry about that."

"I'm sorry, too," Gabumon said sheepishly.

"Where's Sam?" Dai demanded, untangling himself from the arms of his parents and glancing around the room as if he expected the raven-haired Digidestined to suddenly appear out of thin air.

Taniko slowly sat down in a chair next to the computer and gave the goggle-headed leader a weak smile. "Um...about that...what is going on with Sam? He looked really upset when he came through the gate earlier, and he wouldn't talk to any of us, even his own siblings. I'm assuming he went back home. Like Rina said, Miya and Nao have gone after him."

"Well, that's that," Izzy sighed, picking himself up off the floor and leaning over to kiss his daughter's forehead. "Great job, Taniko, I knew you'd keep an eye on us."

Taniko beamed at him and pointed hesitantly at Tentomon. "He's your digimon partner, right?"

"Yes, this is Tentomon. Tentomon, this is my daughter, Taniko."

"Hello, Taniko! It's nice to meet you. I can tell you're a very likable human, and Izzy always speaks very highly of you. From what I've heard about you so far, you remind me of both my partner and Mina."

Taniko gently ran her fingers over Tentomon's head and turning slightly in her seat, she gave Candlemon a warm smile. "You must be my mother's partner."

"That's right. It's so nice to meet you, Taniko."

"You, too."

"She's a great daughter, isn't she?" Mina said proudly, winking at her partner.

"You are very lucky, Mina," Candlemon said seriously.

"I know I am, trust me."

"Thanks, Mom," Taniko said softly, wrapping her arms around Mina's neck in a tight hug.

"Well? Isn't anyone going to tell us what's going on?" Noriko said impatiently, frowning at her son and glancing suspiciously at Izzy.

Ignoring Noriko's gaze on him, Izzy quickly took the chair next to Taniko and frowned thoughtfully at the ceiling, his mind clearly on Sam and what had happened earlier that afternoon. After a moment of silence, the computer expert turned slowly to look at Matt and he gave the former musician a helpless look. "I hate to say it, but...maybe you're right, Matt. Maybe it is better if Sam confronts his parents instead of us. I know it will be hard on them, but maybe Ken will finally get the message. There's no point in hiding anything. In the end, the truth always comes out."

"The only problem is he's going to get the message a little too late for it to be of any use," Matt snorted.

"Telling Ken about what has happened today before Sam can reach him would accomplish nothing," Sora said seriously, settling herself on the floor between Tai and Mimi and letting out a deep sigh. "If anything, it would probably only make things worse. It would give Ken too much time to think about ways of trying to get around the situation instead of confronting his fears head on. Now he has no other choice."

"No kidding," Takara mumbled, snuggling under her dad's arm and resting her head against his shoulder.

"What in the world are you guys talking about?" Jun asked curiously.

"Wait a minute," Rosa said slowly, turning to gaze uncertainly at Izzy, "you don't mean..."

"Ken," Cody murmured.

A soft gasp came from somewhere off to Mickey's right, and turning in surprise, he realized the sound had come from his father, who was sitting next to Davis. Beside the golden-haired Digidestined, Matty was staring miserably at his hands, and the uncertainty glimmering in his amber eyes made Mickey's heart ache with sadness.

_It's all my fault..._

"What's wrong, T.K.?" Patamon asked anxiously, soaring into his partner's lap and burying his face against the golden-haired Digidestined's stomach.

"Sam knows, doesn't he. He knows the truth about Ken."

"I knew it," Kenzo groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Taysuke asked, frowning at his dark-haired friend.

Matt raised his eyebrows and gazed calmly at Kenzo for a moment, his expression unreadable, before turning to look at his brother. "Yes, he knows."

"Oh no! That's bad, isn't it," DemiVeemon moaned, scrambling onto Shadow's back and peeking between the little puppy's fuzzy ears.

"What's so bad? What's going on?" Ema shouted, banging her fist on the table, her hand coming dangerously close to the keyboard. "Tell us right now!"

"Well..." Izzy said slowly.

Noah suddenly slammed his own fist against the door, causing everyone to jump, and Mickey turned to gaze uncertainly at the older boy. "Um...Noah, is something wrong?"

"Izzy, you need to tell us what's going on, right now!" Noah snapped, ignoring him and glaring at the computer expert. "We deserve to know. You didn't see Sam's face when he came through the gate, but we did. And what about Miya and Nao? You didn't see their faces either, and if you had, you would know why this is so important. Sam isn't the only one who's suffering! And if whatever you're saying is true then it sounds like things are only going to get worse!"

"Look, Noah, I know you're worried about Miya, but that doesn't mean you have to take your frustration out on Izzy," Davis interrupted, looking amused.

"Yeah, that's more your style, Davis," Mickey heard his father mutter, "or Tai's."

"Hey!" both former leaders shouted at the exact same time.

Noah blushed and glared at Davis. "I'm not worried."

"Of course you are," Ema snorted, stalking over to her brother's side and placing a hand on his arm, "and I don't blame you. Besides, I know you're worried about Sam and Nao, too, but it must really stink for you to see Miya suffering so much."

"I guess, but...hey, what's with you all of a sudden? You're usually not so nice."

"Of all the nerve! Can't I be worried about my big brother at least once in a while? Honestly, you're as bad as Tay."

"He is not!" Tay shouted. "Wait, I mean..."

"Somehow I don't think that came out right," Taniko giggled.

Noah glanced down at Ema, and smiling softly, he tugged gently on her spiky pigtails. "Thanks, little sis."

"And trust me, Noah, we saw enough of the look on Sam's face to last us a lifetime," Ryoko said bitterly, gesturing towards Dai, and then to Mickey's surprise, the golden-haired Digidestined pointed in his direction. "It's not like we don't know what you mean."

"Izzy, don't you think we should tell them what's going on?" Biyomon asked hesitantly.

"It's only fair since Dai and the others already know the truth," Agumon added.

Izzy turned slowly to face the two digimon and he gave them a brief smile. "I never had any intention of keeping the truth from Taniko and the others. What would be the point? Dai and his friends will just tell them what's going on regardless of what we feel might be the best course of action. And besides, personally, I think it would be for the best if we told them."

"Really?" Ami gasped, perking up immediately and smiling hopefully at the computer expert. "If you don't, Miya will just tell me what's going on herself. I want to help her and Sam..."

"Yes, I've already taken that into account, Ami, if of course Miya can get Sam to talk to her. Only...before I tell you what happened in the Digital World, I think we should phone Kari and Joe and tell them to get over here as soon as possible. They need to hear this, too."

"What about Ken and Yolei?" DemiEmbermon asked hesitantly, hopping onto Shadow's back and settling himself next to DemiVeemon.

"Don't forget about Miya and Nao," Fluttermon chirped.

Mickey watched both of his uncles and both of his aunts exchange meaningful looks and all four of them turned at once to face Izzy, their expression clearly stating they didn't think that would be a very good idea right now. Izzy must have agreed with them because he slowly nodded his head and let out a deep sigh. "I think this is something Ken and Yolei need to work out on their own."

"What do you mean?" Ema demanded.

"They won't be in the dark for long, trust me," Tai said reluctantly. "Sam will tell them what's going on. I have no doubt of that. Don't get me wrong, I want to help Sam and the others just as much as everyone else, but I think this is something they need to work out as a family."

"It wouldn't be right for us to intrude on their privacy just yet," Sora said quickly. "There's not much we can do until Ken and Yolei find out about what happened today. Once they do know, that's when it's our turn to step in."

"Sora's right," Mimi said miserably. "I don't know exactly what's going on yet, but it doesn't take a genius like Izzy to get the hint. We don't have the right to warn Ken and Yolei about Sam. Only Sam has the right to tell them what he knows."

There was a moment of tense silence, but it was quickly interrupted by the sound of Davis getting to his feet. Startled by the former leader's sudden movements, Mickey quickly looked up and winced at the expressions on the faces of his friends and family. Everyone looked so gloomy and helpless, even the digimon.

"Where are you gong?" Noriko asked glumly, lifting her head and glancing up at her husband in surprise.

Davis made a face and shrugged his shoulders. "Someone has to phone Kari and Joe, right?"

"Tell them to hurry," Goldmon said urgently, his small body nestled in the crook of Matty's arm.

"What's wrong, Davis?" Iramon asked, his deep blue eyes travelling over the former leader's unusually pale face. The little in-training digimon was sitting in Ryoko's lap, and he looked quite concerned, which was odd since he was usually as calm and cool as his partner.

Looking a bit surprised, Davis merely shrugged his shoulders and gave the little digimon a sad smile. "I wish Ken would have listened to me earlier, back when we first found out our children had become Digidestined. I went along with Ken's plans to keep the truth about the Emperor a secret, but now I really think that probably wasn't the best thing to do. He knew I was disappointed in him, but I never pushed the issue. I should have somehow convinced him to tell Sam, but I didn't and now look what's happened. He was so scared of losing his kids, but by hiding the truth, he might have done more harm than good. If there was one time when he really needed to trust me, this was it, even more so than...than when he finally became one of us."

"You can't blame yourself for this, Davis," Noriko said firmly, "You did what you could, and that's all anyone can expect from you."

"Maybe but...I feel like I've let him down somehow. I should have tried harder to convince him to change his mind..."

"And that's why you were our leader, why you're still our leader, and why you're such a great friend," T.K. said softly, smiling slightly.

Mickey blinked in surprise, momentarily distracted by his dad's overwhelming amount of praise for Dai's father, and because of his unfortunate lack of concentration, he almost missed spotting the faint blush on Davis' cheeks before the former leader quickly bolted for the door, apparently in search of a phone. It was possible Davis had merely forgotten there was a phone sitting on the desk right next to the computer, but considering their current location happened to be the Motomiya residence and Davis was probably the one who had put the phone there himself, Mickey had to conclude that the possibility of memory loss was highly unlikely.

_People can change. All of our parents are proof enough of that. If only Sam would understand..._

After several minutes of tense silence, Davis finally entered the room again, looking slightly more composed than he had before leaving the room, but despite his sudden presence, nobody bothered to strike up another conversation. Instead, they all waited quietly for Kari and Joe to arrive, each of them lost in their own thoughts, Mickey included. In fact, he was so wrapped up in reliving what had happened earlier with both Matty and Sam, that he almost failed to notice his mother bursting into the room right on Joe's heels. The two of them had managed to arrive at the Motomiya residence right at the exact same time, and judging from the looks on their faces, it was obvious they were worried and unsure about whatever it was Davis had told them over the phone.

"What's up, Izzy?" Joe asked by way of greeting, sitting down next to his wife and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Ema immediately flung herself into the cobalt-haired Digidestined's arms and gazed up at him with wide, frightened eyes. "Dad, I don't know what's going on, but we've got big trouble."

"And I want some answers!" Noah snapped, flinging himself onto the ground next to his mother and sending Izzy a dirty look.

Joe blinked at his son in surprise, clearly startled by Noah's unusual behaviour and nervously scratched his head. Obviously he wasn't used to seeing his mild, easygoing son acting so hostile towards another human being. "Uh...Izzy, I think you'd better start talking. Davis sounded pretty worried over the phone, and he usually isn't in the habit of acting so pessimistic when something bad happens."

"You mean like you?" Mimi joked.

"I wasn't being pessimistic," Davis grumbled.

Instead of answering, Joe ignored both of his fellow Digidestined and kept his attention focused on Izzy. "Well?"

"Where do I even begin?"

"At this point, any information would be nice," Noah snorted.

"Nobunari Kido, you watch your tone!" Jun scolded, poking her son sharply in the shoulder. "Izzy's doing the best he can. I know you're worried, but that's no excuse to act so disrespectful."

"Tell that to Ema! She's rude to people all the time."

"I am not!"

"Kidding, sis, I'm kidding. Well...sort of."

"Hey!"

Ignoring the usual squabbling between the Kido children, Mickey quickly made his way over to his mother's side, Rina and Palelymon close on his heels, and slipped his arms around her in a tight hug. "Hey, Mom."

"Mickey, you sound so sad."

"I am sad right now."

"I think we're all a little sad," his father said softly, wrapping an arm around Matty's shoulders and giving the female Digidestined a quick kiss on the lips. "I wish you could have been here earlier, Kari."

"I feel the same way."

"It's bad, Mommy," Rina sighed, hugging Palelymon tightly against her cheek. "At least that's what the others keep saying."

"Why can't everyone just be happy again?" Matty suddenly whispered, his voice carrying across the room, which had gone quiet after Jun had shouted at her children to stop arguing. Everybody turned to look at the younger twin, but Matty didn't seem to notice. Instead of responding to the unusual amount of attention he was receiving, the younger twin meekly continued to stare at nothing, his gaze focused on some far away place.

Mickey glanced anxiously at his mother, and frowning slightly, she quickly pulled Matty into her arms and rested her cheek against the top of his head. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Are you sick?" Rina asked curiously, peering into Matty's eyes and poking him on the nose.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Matty pressed his cheek against Goldmon's small body and quickly shook his head. "I just want things to go back to the way they were before. I just want all this darkness to go away."

_Me too, Matty. If only you knew how much..._

Mickey wanted desperately to comfort his twin, but unable to think of anything to say, he chose to remain silent. Instead, his father hugged Matty and gently ruffled the younger twin's hair. "I wish it were that simple, Matty, but sometimes we don't have a choice. I know it's hard, but if you keep fighting and you never give up, you can make it go away sooner than you think."

"But not soon enough."

_It's my fault, isn't it. I'm sorry, Matty. I'm sorry I've made you so sad, but you need to understand..._

And yet, if that were true, then why did he feel like such a horrible brother?

_Maybe it's because I am a horrible brother.._

Unable to suppress the sudden emotions swirling around in his heart, Mickey hesitantly placed a hand on his twin's shoulder, but before he could say anything, his mother suddenly nudged Matty gently into their father's arms and turned to look at Izzy. "Please, Izzy? Tell us."

"Well, you see...it's kind of hard to believe, but it all sort of started with Gennai and the ocean..."


	154. Lightning Strikes Twice

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter finally done and I promise I'll get back to my usual schedule of one a week. As for this chapter, I'll I can say is...ouch.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 154: Lightning Strikes Twice

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Letting out a deep sigh, Ken slowly took a seat at the kitchen table and turned to gaze at his wife, who was busy preparing a late meal for the family, since it was her turn to cook dinner that night. The two of them, along with Minomon, who was sleeping on the table, had arrived home from the Ai-Mart about twenty minutes ago, and even though it was getting too late to join Miya and the others at the Motomiya residence, Ken was still finding it hard to resist the urge to meet up with Davis and the rest of his friends, despite the fact that his presence there wouldn't really be of any use. As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, he was desperate to find out what was happening with his son and the other Digidestined who had gone to the Digital World earlier in the afternoon. He was sure Yolei felt the same way, even though she hadn't said so in those exact words, and that only made him even more determined to find out what was going on in the Digital World. It was hard to explain, but ever since the moment he had woken up that morning, he had felt...uneasy, as if something bad was going to happen, and as the day wore on, instead of his fear disappearing, it only seemed to have gotten worse.

_I hope Sam isn't doing anything too dangerous. I want to believe he's safe and happy, but...I don't know. I just have this feeling something bad is going to happen, and I can't help thinking it wil somehow involve Sam..._

"Ken, is something wrong?" Yolei asked, turning away from the refrigerator and sitting down in the seat across from him. Folding her hands together, she raised her eyebrows and gave him a sympathetic smile. "You've been really quiet today. I mean...more so than usual. Is there something on your mind?"

"I'm not the only one. You've been pretty quiet today, too."

"I'm sorry, but...I can't help it. I just have this feeling...I don't know, it's hard to explain."

Ken stared at his wife in surprise and reached across the table to take her hand. "You mean...you, too? I thought maybe I was just imagining things."

"Do you really think Gennai did tell them about the Spirit Chips?" Yolei asked hesitantly, frowning thoughtfully at their intertwined fingers.

"I don't see any reason why he wouldn't have. How much do you want to bet Dai and the others are looking for the Spirit Chips, or at least one of them, even as we speak? I doubt they would all be in the same place."

"Maybe, but don't you think it's taking them a little _too _long to get back to the human world? It is getting late. You don't think something might have gone terribly wrong, do you?"

_I wish I knew, but there's no way we can be sure until Sam comes home..._

Giving his wife's hand a quick squeeze, Ken slowly shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. I hope Sam and the others aren't getting themselves into trouble, but in order to find out, we're just going to have to be patient for a little while longer. Yolei, why...why do you feel so uneasy?"

"Well...I could ask you the same thing."

Ken stared silently at his sleeping partner for a moment, the pale blue hands on the clock hanging just above the door next to the refrigerator ticking loudly in his ears, and turning slightly, he managed to give his wife a faint smile. "I'm not really sure. It's just...ever since this morning I've had this strange feeling that something bad is going to happen, but it must just be my imagination. After all, the day is almost over, and so far nothing strange or unusual has happened."

"Not yet, but that could still change. Ken, I don't think you're imagining things. I've felt the same way all day, and I can't help worrying about Sam and the others. Like I said earlier, it's getting pretty late. Don't you think they should have been back by now?"

_Yes, but how can I say that without making you worry even more?_

"Yolei..."

"Ken, do you think they might be in trouble?" Yolei asked anxiously, interrupting him before he could even attempt to reassure her. "What if they're hurt, or...or..."

"Yolei, I'm sure they're fine. For all we know, Sam, Miya, and Nao could be heading home right at this very moment."

Yolei let out a frustrated sigh, and pulling her hand away, she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a stern look. "Ken, I really think we should join T.K. and the others at Davis' and Noriko's house. They might need-"

"Trust me, Yolei, I feel the exact same way, but there's no point in going over there now. By the time we get there, the others will probably be on their way out the door. Like I said, Sam, Miya, and Nao could be walking through our front door at any moment."

"But-"

"You know I'm right, Yolei, even if it is hard to accept."

Yolei looked like she wanted to continue protesting, but before she could open her mouth again, the front door suddenly slammed shut and the sound of footsteps in the foyer caught Ken's attention. Smiling to himself, he quickly got to his feet and motioned for Yolei to follow him. "See? I told you so."

"Honestly, Ken, you don't need to rub it in. I swear you're getting as bad as Davis!"

Taking his wife's hand, Ken quickly made his way into the foyer and stopped short when he spotted his son standing just inside the door. Sam was holding Glimmermon in his arms, and his face was so white he looked like he was going to faint. There were thick, red tear stains streaming down both of his cheeks and he was gazing at the floor as if he didn't know quite what to do with himself. Glimmermon looked a little lost, as well, and the shock and disbelief in their eyes made Ken feel slightly uneasy.

"Sam!" Yolei gasped, her amber eyes growing wide with fear. "What's wrong, honey? What happened?"

Instead of answering his mother's question, Sam merely let out a soft sob and quickly lowered his head, his hands coming up to cover his face. Unable to stand seeing Sam in so much pain, Ken took a hesitant step towards his son and gently placed his hands on the raven-haired Digidestined's trembling shoulders. Wincing at the sudden contact, Sam quickly jerked away in surprise and slowly looked up, his blue gaze searching for the face of the hands that had reached out to offer him comfort and support. When he realized who was standing in front of him, his whole body froze and he quickly turned away again, his deep blue eyes beginning to well up with tears.

"Sam?" Yolei whispered, gazing apprehensively at the raven-haired Digidestined.

Catching hold of Sam's arm, Ken quickly pulled his son towards him so the two of them were directly facing each other. Despite Sam's efforts to avoid looking at him, their eyes met, and suddenly Ken knew without a shadow of a doubt exactly what was wrong with his son.

_No! No...Sam. Please..._

He tried to speak, but despite his desperate need to make Sam understand what had happened in the past, he did not seem able to utter a single word or sound.

_This can't be happening. It just can't be! How? How did he...who would have...Sam..._

He did not know how Sam had managed to figure out the truth, and under the circumstances, it was of little importance. The only thing that truly mattered now was the fact that Sam knew the true identity of the Digimon Emperor, despite all the time and effort taken to keep the past a secret.

_I knew something terrible would happen! I could feel it in my heart, but I never expected it to be this bad. Why didn't I see it coming? The past always has a way of catching up with you no matter how hard you try to hide it. _

Even though Sam's knowledge of the truth shouldn't have come as a surprise, Ken still felt like someone had just punched him right in the stomach, but more importantly, his heart felt like it had just been stabbed right through with a sword, not once, but several times over, each strike piercing right through his soul.

_I should have known Sam would find out about my past, but...no, that's not true. I did know Sam would discover the truth, I...I just didn't want to admit it to myself, and now look what's happened. If only I hadn't been such a coward, but I suppose that's what being a parent is all about. We'll do anything to protect our children, only...I haven't been protecting Sam at all. If anything, I've failed him. What kind of a father hides such an important part of his past from his own son?_

And yet, if he could go back in time and alter the past, he knew he probably wouldn't change a single thing. Even though he had known all along that his past would eventually cease to be a secret, he had still wanted to believe there was some way to change the inevitable. That determination to find a way around the truth had been the one thing that had kept him going, but now he didn't even have that small source of comfort anymore.

_Sam...I'm so sorry..._

"Ken!" Glimmermon cried tearfully, his large violet eyes peeking up from the depths of Sam's arms. "I tried! I really did! Oh, this is terrible! I'm really sorry, Ken..."

Ken opened his mouth, trying once more in vain to speak, but before he could even attempt to utter a sound, the door burst open again, only this time instead of Sam, Miya and Nao came stumbling into the foyer, almost tripping over each other in their haste to get inside.

As soon as Miya spotted Sam, she threw her arms around him and buried her face against his shoulder. "Sam, what's gong on? Why did you run away from us like that?"

"Sam, please don't be sad," Nao said tearfully, clasping his hands together and gazing miserably into his brother's dark blue eyes. The younger boy looked completely devastated and he was staring at Sam in a manner that suggested he was quite hesitant to get too close to the raven-haired Digidestined for fear of being pushed away. "I don't know what's wrong, but I want to help."

"No," Sam whispered, trying desperately to free himself from Miya's arms. "No, please..."

"If you think we're going to leave you alone, even for a minute, forget it!" Miya snapped, shaking the raven-haired Digidestined by the shoulders. "We're not stupid, Sam! Something obviously happened to you in the Digital World today and I'm not going to stop bothering you until I find out what has upset you so much."

"Sam, we just want to make you happy again," Nao whispered, the tears sparkling in his big, blue eyes beginning to slide freely down his cheeks.

"No," Yolei moaned, covering her face with her hands. "It wasn't supposed to be like this..."

"Sam, say something!" Miya pleaded, her arms tightening around the raven-haired Digidestined's neck.

Tearing his gaze away from Sam's pale face, Ken stared at his other two children in shock, unable to believe what he was hearing. He didn't know how it was possible, but even though Sam had somehow figured out the truth about the Digimon Emperor, it was obvious Miya and Nao didn't have a clue what was going on. They were still blissfully unaware of the pain and sorrow Sam was experiencing, but despite their lack of knowledge, with regards to the volcano that was about to erupt, they could still tell Sam's strange behaviour and the secrets he was clearly keeping from them were somehow significant.

_They might not know the truth yet, but they will before the night is over, and at this point in time, whether Sam tells them about my past or not is of no importance. If he doesn't, I'll tell them myself. What's the point of hiding all the terrible things I did when in the end they're just going to find out the truth whether I tell them or not? Now that Sam knows, nothing else matters anymore..._

And yet, even though his thoughts made perfect sense, he couldn't help hoping there was still a chance to prevent Miya and Nao from experiencing the same pain and sadness he had no doubt Sam was currently struggling with. He may have lost his chance to save Sam, but perhaps he could still protect Miya and Nao from the taint of his dark past...

"Sam, please come back to us," Nao whispered, tugging anxiously on his brother's arm. "You're not acting like my big brother and it's scaring me. The Sam I know never acts mean to other people. I miss him and I want him to come back right now!"

"Ken? Ken, what's going on?" a small voice cried from the doorway leading back into the kitchen.

_Minomon..._

Sudden tears stinging his eyes, Ken whirled around in surprise and spotted his partner sprawled on the floor, the little in-training digimon having just fallen on his face upon entering the room. All of the shouting must have woken him up because he was rubbing his eyes and he looked a little confused about what was going on.

_You were right, Minomon. I should have listened to you..._

Desperate to avoid Sam's gaze on him, Ken quickly crossed the room and scooped Minomon into his arms, his cheek coming to rest against the little digimon's small body. He wanted to say something, _anything_, but again he could not seem to express in words how he was feeling inside.

"Ken, talk to me! What's going on?" Minomon cried. "I don't like all this yelling. It's hurting my ears."

"It's bad, Minomon. It's really bad," Glimmermon whimpered, turning his small body away and hiding his face against his partner's chest. The soft glimmer from the light bulb hanging over his head flickered before dying completely, and he let out a soft moan, his whole body shivering with fear.

Pulling back slightly, Ken gazed deeply into his partner's eyes, and almost immediately Minomon's gaze widened in understanding. "He knows, doesn't he. Oh, Ken, I'm so sorry. I swear I never...I didn't..."

Moved by his partner's concern, Ken was at last able to find his voice, but even so his words were just barely above a whisper. They certainly weren't loud enough for anyone but Minomon to overhear. "I know. It's not your fault. It doesn't matter how it happened. If anyone is to blame, it's me and only me."

"That's not true! Not in the way that you think. Oh, Ken, if only you could see..."

"Dad?" Sam suddenly whispered, his soft voice shattering the tense silence hanging in the air around them.

Ken felt his heart skip a beat, and hugging his partner tightly in his arms, he turned to face his son, his soul screaming in agony. He wanted to run, or at the very least he wanted to collapse onto the floor and sob his heart out, but more than anything, he wanted to hug Sam as hard as he could and never let go. His past, the Emperor, none of it mattered. The only thing that truly mattered was the fact that he loved his son more than he could ever put into words and he couldn't lose him. If he did, then all of the things he had done to try and make up for his past would be meaningless.

It was pathetic. He was scared of his own son, but even that was nothing compared to how he felt about himself. Gazing into Sam's tortured blue eyes, at that moment, he truly hated himself.

_He's suffering because of me. Am I destined to hurt everyone I love?_

"Sam, please," Yolei said quietly, holding out her arms and gazing tearfully into the raven-haired Digidestined's eyes. "It's not what you think. You have to understand..."

Sam suddenly wrenched himself free from both of his siblings, causing Miya to stumble into Nao, and Ken jumped in surprise as Sam slowly stepped towards him, the raven-haired Digidestined's deep blue eyes pleading for answers. Tears were streaming silently onto the carpet from Sam's cheeks, and the pain in his eyes was almost more than Ken could bear. "It's not true, is it? Please, tell me it's not true."

"Sam, I..."

_You hate me, and I don't blame you. I'd hate me, too, if I were you._

"I can't believe it," Sam choked out, a sob escaping his throat. "It really is true. How...how could you? How could you have hurt so many innocent humans and digimon?"

"What?" Miya gasped, her amber eyes growing wide with shock. "Sam, what are you talking about?"

"Daddy, what's going on?" Nao cried.

Unable to respond, Ken merely stared at his children, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. There were so many emotions running through his body, he didn't really know quite how to feel. He was sure he was in shock, which explained why he didn't really know what to do with himself, but even his inability to fully grasp what was happening to him wasn't enough to mask the pain in his heart. The truth was, there were so many things he wanted and needed to feel, that he couldn't make up his mind which of his feelings would be most appropriate at the moment. In a way, it didn't really matter. At the moment, Sam's feelings were the only thing he cared about.

"All my life, I've always looked up to," Sam whispered, his words ending in a sob. "I've always wanted to be just like you, but now...now it's like I don't even know you anymore. I can understand allowing the Powers of Darkness to enter your heart, that sort of thing can happen to anyone, especially in times of trouble. No one can fully escape from the darkness, but to have let yourself fall so far? To...to have _allowed_ yourself to become the Emperor? I can't..."

"Sam, what...what are you saying?" Miya gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror. "The Emperor...it just isn't possible..."

"Daddy, is Sam telling the truth?" Nao asked anxiously, peeking around Miya's arm and gazing at him with wide, frightened eyes.

Unable to stand the look on Sam's face anymore, Ken reached out a pleading hand towards his son, hoping to somehow connect with the raven-haired Digidestined. "Sam, please, let me explain. I-"

"No! No...I...I don't want to hear it."

To Ken's complete horror, Sam slowly began to back up, his feet taking him towards the stairs. Realizing what Sam was about to do, Ken shoved Minomon into Yolei's arm, leaped towards his son, and attempted to grab the raven-haired Digidestined's arm, but before he could close the distance between them, Sam turned and raced up the stairs with Glimmermon in his arms.

"Sam, wait!"

Experiencing a flash of fear more powerful than anything he had ever felt before, Ken raced up the stairs and hurried around the corner of the hallway just as Sam reached the last room on the left. He couldn't explain why Sam's eagerness to get away from him seemed somehow significant, but he had a feeling if he let the raven-haired Digidestined walk away from him now, he would lose his son forever.

_I can't let that happen. If I lose Sam, I lose everything. Miya and Nao, too..._

Gasping for breath, Ken leaped towards Sam's bedroom, desperate to reach his son, and he made it to the door just as Sam entered the room. Hearing his footsteps, Sam turned back to look at him and he caught one last look at his son's haunted expression before the door slammed directly in his face.


	155. Explanations and Speculations

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, I sort of lied. Because I'm going to be really, really busy for the next two weeks, I doubt I'll have any chapters posted until a few weeks from now, but because I feel so bad, I decided I would post another one this week to make up for it, so here it is! And after that I promise it'll be one a week again!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 155: Explanations and Speculations

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Davis wasn't quite sure how he did it, but despite all the unanswered questions racing through his mind, he somehow managed to make it through Izzy's entire story without uttering a single sound. Tai, Daichi, and the rest of the Digidestined who had travelled to the Digital World that afternoon were quick to fill in all the blanks during those times when Izzy hadn't been present for some of the more important parts of the story, a lot of which revolved around Sam, the Emperor, DarkAngelicmon, the forest, and the ocean. Although Gennai's information about the Spirit Chips had certainly been interesting, unfortunately it paled in comparison to the news of Sam's discovery concerning the Emperor's true identity. Even the sudden appearance of what could only have been the Dark Ocean did not come close to the Emperor fiasco, though DarkAngelicmon's ability to use an attack he never should have been able to perform was a different story. With the Spirit Chips, DarkAngelicmon, and the Emperor all coming into play at the exact same time, it was hard to figure out which of the three was more important at the moment, and it made it almost impossible to focus on only one thing at a time. As a result, Davis was sure the only reason he had managed to keep his mouth shut was because for the first time in his life, even more so than the day he had received his Digivice, he was truly, utterly shocked. Even finding out his son had somehow become a Digidestined hadn't surprised him as much as all the information he was currently trying to absorb all at once.

_I don't know why I'm so surprised. It's not like I didn't know Sam and the others would find out the truth about Ken eventually, but still...it's not just Ken. It's everything. Look at what happened to Sam. I always had this feeling, even after we defeated MaloMyotismon, that we hadn't seen the last of the Dark Ocean, and it looks like I was right. There's still so much about that place we don't understand, and now it looks like our lack of knowledge is starting to catch up with us. Even Izzy doesn't fully understand the World of Darkness, and he's been studying it for a long time, but maybe now he'll finally get his chance. I always did feel like we had unfinished business with that place..._

Even though the thought made him uneasy, it didn't stop him from feeling a strong sense of determination to find out the true origin and meaning behind the World of Darkness. It had all started with Tai's group, and for some strange reason he had a feeling it was his son's group who were finally going to figure out the truth, with help perhaps from DarkAngelicmon and Lucemon. When that happened, and he had no doubt that it would, it wasn't really going to be the end of it. If anything, it would just be the start of a new beginning.

_But first, we have to deal with Sam. If he can't find a way to put the past behind him and forgive Ken then we'll never be able to find out the truth about the World of Darkness or save the Digital World. And then there's Miya and Nao, and what about Noah and the others?_

Davis turned slowly to look at the non-Digidestined children, his dark gaze coming to rest on his daughter, and a sad smile slipped across his face. All of them looked shocked, confused, and completely unable to believe what they had just heard about Ken, except for Kenzo. For some strange reason, the dark-haired boy was the only one who didn't look the least bit surprised about the Emperor's true identity. Unlike the others, he merely appeared resigned and willing to accept the truth, however reluctant he was to admit it.

"I can't believe it!" Ema whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "Ken, of all people. I never would have picked him to be the Digimon Emperor. I mean...he always acts so nice. It's hard to imagine he would have let himself be deceived so easily. All those poor innocent digimon..."

"It wasn't just the digimon," Taysuke said quietly, his gaze coming to rest on his Aunt Kari. "He tried to hurt his friends, too."

Kari nodded in agreement, and moving over to Taysuke's side, she gently slipped her arms around her nephew's shoulders in a tight hug. "Yes, he did. We forgave him...but I still can't help wondering if he ever forgave himself."

"But...why? I don't understand. Why would he have wanted to rule the Digital World? I mean, I understand he had a difficult past, especially with his brother's death, living in his brother's shadow, and even trying to compensate for his parents' loss by taking over Sam's role in the family, but still...why couldn't he see just how meaningful his life could be if he only learned to let go of the past?"

"Well, in the end that's exactly what he finally came to understand. It might have taken him a little longer to get there than maybe it should have, but if the darkness in your heart is really strong, then sometimes it can't be helped."

"Poor Sam," Taniko murmured, frowning miserably at her feet. "No wonder he looked so devastated when he came through the gate, and what about Nao and Miya?"

"It'll be hard on Miya, but she's really tough. She'll be fine, I know it," Noah said stubbornly, though he didn't look very convinced. "She...she has to be..."

"Of course she'll be fine!" Rina said cheerfully, folding her hands together and beaming at the dark-haired boy. "And don't worry about Nao. He has a big heart. I know he'll be able to forgive Ken."

Davis stared at the little girl in surprise, along with everyone else, and to his complete astonishment, he found himself smiling in amusement. "You sure sound pretty optimistic."

"Just because Nao and I are little kids doesn't mean we don't understand what's going on," Rina said solemnly. "Ken did some bad things, but that doesn't mean he's a bad person. I do bad things sometimes, too, and Mommy and Daddy always forgive me, even if I don't deserve it, so why shouldn't we forgive Ken?"

_Good point, Rina. That's how I felt when everyone else had such a hard time forgiving Ken. We like to overlook our own mistakes, so why should overlooking the mistakes of others be so hard? If we can learn to accept the mistakes of those around us, and our own, then the answer is simple. We gave Ken a second chance and he's never once taken it for granted. I won't let all of his hard work to overcome the past be for nothing._

"I'm right, you know I am," Rina said softly, moving towards him and gently tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.

Reaching out, Davis ruffled the young girl's dark hair and gave her a warm smile. "I couldn't have put it better myself, Rina. You think like me, and don't let anyone ever tell you that's a bad thing."

"No, it might be the best thing that could have ever happened to her," T.K. agreed, smiling slightly.

_Huh?_

Davis glanced over Rina's dark head and felt his face turn pink when he realized both T.K. and Kari were smiling at him, their expressions stating quite plainly just how proud they were of their daughter.

_Did T.K. just compliment me?_

Although the two of them were good friends, in the past they had certainly had their moments when both of them would find it difficult to get along with each other, but ever since the day they were finally able to work out their differences, any misunderstandings between the two of them had immediately ceased to be a problem. And to think all it had taken was for T.K. to finally admit the one thing Davis had wanted to hear from him all along, the one thing he had needed to hear above everything else. Even though it might have been difficult at first, T.K. had grown to respect him and to appreciate his friendship, and in turn he had done the same for T.K.

_It's all thanks to Noriko. She was the one who truly saved our friendship._

There was only one problem. Even though he had developed a strong friendship with T.K., actually hearing the golden-haired Digidestined compliment him to his face instead of keeping thoughts like that left unsaid still took some getting used to, and although he appreciated the nice compliments, they still had a tendency to make him feel slightly embarrassed, especially if there were other people around to hear the unexpected praise.

"You always say stuff that makes a lot of sense," Rina said happily, beaming at him and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Really? You think so?"

Rina nodded and cuddled her cheek against the side of his forehead. "You're so silly, Davis. I think Ken could learn a lot from you."

_Well, I guess that means I'll have to help him, whether he realizes he needs my help or not. This is probably where Yolei would tell me to leave Ken alone and give him a little space, but sometimes that isn't always the best answer. I've already let him down once and I won't let it happen again, especially if the relationship he has with his children really is on the verge of falling apart..._

Wincing at the thought, Davis gave Rina's small frame a quick squeeze and gently tweaked her nose. "I think Ken could learn a lot from all of us, but he's not the only one. Sam could learn a few things, too."

"Yes, what happens now is going to depend a lot on Sam, Miya, and Nao, not Ken," Cody said seriously.

"Speaking of Sam's dad, that brings up another question. Kenzo, what is up with you?" Ema asked bluntly, gazing suspiciously at the dark-haired boy. "How come you don't look the least bit surprised about Ken being the Digimon Emperor?"

Blushing slightly, Kenzo quickly lowered his dark eyes to the cream-coloured carpet and shrugged his shoulders. "I...I already knew."

"What?" Taniko gasped, nearly falling off her chair in surprise.

"Why didn't you tell us you knew?" Ema shrieked.

"It's not like I wanted to keep it a secret, but I didn't have much of a choice. It wouldn't have been fair to Ken or Sam if I'd gone around telling everyone the truth about the Digimon Emperor. Besides, I only found out today. I figured it out just recently when my dad told me how he and Ken didn't used to get along very well."

"I'm not proud of it, but I had trouble forgiving Ken for all the terrible things he did as the Digimon Emperor," Cody said slowly. "It was hard for me to trust him, but he made me believe he could change. I almost made a big mistake, and I don't want the same thing to happen to any of you. Please, you have to trust Ken. For Sam."

"For Sam..." Taysuke said quietly.

Davis nodded in agreement and smiled at the young boy. "We forgave Ken. If we can do it then so can you guys."

"Hey, Davis? I haven't forgotten you were the one who never doubted Ken," Cody said softly. "I really admire you for that."

_Both T.K. and Cody in one day?_

Normally Davis would have been glad to accept any kind of compliment from his friends, but under the circumstances he didn't really feel like he deserved any praise. After all, even though whether or not to reveal the truth about the Emperor hadn't been his decision to make, he still felt like he had somehow failed both Ken and Sam.

"Cody, could you tell us the same story you told Kenzo?" Taniko asked hesitantly. "I mean, we know mostly everything about Ken's past now, but..."

"I might as well, though Izzy pretty much told you everything already."

"He didn't tell us about _your _feelings towards Ken."

Bowing his head in acknowledgement, Cody quickly told the rest of the kids what he had explained to Kenzo earlier, only this time it was obvious he elaborated a bit more about exactly what had happened instead of speaking in riddles. At least that was the impression Davis got, just from the way Cody was speaking. Adding the dark-haired Digidestined's story to the vast amount of information Izzy had already explained earlier about Ken's past, it wasn't too hard for Ami and the others to get the whole picture.

"Wow, Cody, I never thought you'd be the one to have such a hard time forgiving Ken," Noah said slowly, shaking his head.

"We all did in our own way," T.K. said quietly, "not just Cody."

"Well, except Davis," Kari interrupted, a faint smile slipping across her face. "I don't really think it's something to be surprised about. After all, aren't all of you struggling with the exact same thing right now?"

"Not everyone can be like Davis," Jun laughed.

_Like anyone even asked her!_

Davis frowned at his sister, but instead of making another joke, Jun gave him a surprisingly fond smile, her expression stating quite plainly that she would have done the exact same thing.

_Well, why not? As much as I hate to admit it, in many ways we're a lot alike._

"I'm right, aren't I?" Kari insisted. "About Ken. Aren't all of you fighting the same battle, a quest to understand the true meaning of forgiveness?"

There was silence.

Smiling slightly, Davis turned to look at his son, and to his surprise he received a small smile in return. Earlier, when Dai had first come back home through the gate, Davis had felt as if he'd been gazing at a stranger instead of his vibrant, feisty, outspoken son, and the sensation had made him feel extremely uneasy. Thankfully that no longer seemed to be the case. Kari's words appeared to have given Dai new life, and instead of looking helpless, the goggle-headed leader appeared ready and willing to accept the challenge of helping Sam, and anyone else who might need it, to forgive Ken for the terrible things he had done as the Digimon Emperor. It was a relief to see some of the old familiar sparkle return to Dai's deep brown eyes, and the look of determination creeping slowly onto the goggle-headed leader's face made it obvious he had already come to his own conclusions about Ken.

_He feels the same way I felt when Ken first gave up his past as the Digimon Emperor. Forgiveness is always the best choice, even if it isn't the easiest road to follow. Ami understands that, too. Thank you, guys. I'm so proud of you..._

As for the others, Mickey and Matty were gazing solemnly at their feet, their expressions and posture identical to one another. Both of them appeared quite willing to forgive Ken, though obviously their first priority was Sam, not the former Digimon Emperor. It made sense, since Sam would more than likely be the one to decide Ken's fate. Kara, on the other hand, merely looked thoughtful, and occasionally she would nod her head, as if agreeing with whatever she had already decided to be the best course of action. As far as Davis could tell, it looked as if her heart and mind were working together in perfect harmony, and to him that was definitely a good sign. At first Ami, Noah, and the younger children had seemed shocked by Kari's words, and in some cases they had even looked a little bit ashamed of themselves, but now their eyes were beginning to light up with smiles and determination, a sign of their eagerness to prove just how strong they could be.

"You're right, Kari," Taniko said finally, breaking the silence and giving the female Digidestined a warm smile. "Now it's our turn to prove what our hearts are made of, even if it might be one of the hardest things we'll ever have to do."

"It's a test to prove the strength of our faith, the faith we have in ourselves and each other," Noah murmured.

For the first time since coming through the gate, Matty actually smiled, and holding Goldmon tightly in his arms, he let out a soft sigh. "Well, when you put it that way it doesn't seem so hard."

"Uh...Matty?" Mickey asked uncertainly, since as far as Davis knew this was the first time the older twin had actually spoken to Matty since coming back from the Digital World. Davis hadn't failed to notice the tension between them, though it seemed to have grown slightly less hostile.

_I wonder what happened between them..._

"You should learn not to give up on me so easily," Matty said calmly, his gaze flicking ever so slightly in the older twin's direction before once again focusing on his blue and white sneakers.

Mickey's face turned pink, but instead of getting upset, the older twin merely smiled and beamed at his brother. "That's better. That's the Mattty I know so well."

"I don't have any problem with Ken, but I do have an issue with Sam," Matty mumbled, pretending not to have heard his brother's words, though the embarrassed look on his face stated otherwise. "How could he have said all those horrible things to Ryoko? If he's willing to act like that towards a friend who didn't even do anything wrong, then I don't even want to know what he has in store for Ken."

"No kidding," Dai muttered. "I wish you guys could have witnessed the way Sam acted when he first came out of the forest. If you could have seen the look on his face..."

"Trust me, Dai, I think we already have a good idea of how he must have looked," Taysuke said sadly. "I'm sure it must have mirrored the expression that had been on his face when he came through the gate earlier."

"You don't think he really...hates Ryoko, do you?" Ema asked, glancing anxiously at the golden-haired Digidestined.

Davis turned to look at Ryoko, as well, and he winced at the lack of expression in the golden-haired Digidestined's sapphire eyes. Out of all the kids in the room, Ryoko was the only one who hadn't expressed any kind of reaction in response to Kari's words, but he just knew it wasn't because the young blond held a grudge towards Ken. It was because of Sam.

"Ryoko, are you going to be okay?" Taysuke asked anxiously, hurrying over to the golden-haired Digidestined's side. He slipped an arm around Ryoko's shoulders, clearly hoping for some reassuring words of comfort, but unfortunately it looked as if he was going to have to suffer a huge disappointment. Ryoko just sat there staring at nothing, his expression lacking any kind of emotion whatsoever. It was almost as if the small part of his heart that used to belong to Sam was gone and in its place there was nothing but a deep black hole.

"Ryoko, Sam could never truly hate you!" Ami said fiercely, launching herself at the golden-haired Digidestined and flinging her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I refuse to believe it."

Normally at this point in time, Ryoko's cheeks would have turned a deep shade of pink, but instead of growing flustered, the golden-haired Digidestined merely continued to gaze at nothing in particular, his cheek resting gently against Ami's shoulder.

"I agree with Ami," Matt said simply, reaching around the dark-haired female to give his son's shoulder a quick squeeze. "Sam didn't mean anything he said."

"But, how can we be sure?" Takara asked hesitantly.

"When I was younger, like Sam I said some pretty terrible things to my friends when we were travelling together in the Digital World, but I didn't mean any of the words coming out of my mouth either."

"Matt, you idiot," Tai sighed, smiling fondly at his best friend.

_Ken is the same way. He didn't mean any of the things he said or did as the Emperor either. If only Sam could understand that..._

"Ryoko, no one could ever hate you," Mimi said firmly, leaning over Taysuke and giving her son a quick kiss on the top of his head. "Sam least of all."

"Matt, Mimi, and Kara are right. I swear, Ishida, I'm not going to let Sam hate you if it's the last thing I do," Dai said quietly, his dark gaze studying the golden-haired Digidestined's pale face.

At first Ryoko didn't respond, but after a moment of tense silence, his sapphire eyes finally settled on Dai's face and his lips twitched into a faint smile. "I know. I believe you. Listen, guys, I know you want to help, but can we please talk about something else now?"

"But this is important!" Taysuke protested.

Ryoko wrapped his arm around Taysuke's shoulders and gave the younger boy a grateful smile. "Thanks, Tay. I appreciate your concern, but I just don't feel like talking about it right now."

"Okay, but don't forget we want to help you."

"I won't."

"I'm with Dai. I won't let Sam hate you," Ami said fiercely. "You only kept what you knew a secret because you wanted to protect him."

Blinking at Ami in surprise, this time Ryoko did blush, and after a slight hesitation he slowly slid his other arm around her waist. "Thanks, Ami, I won't forget."

_Well, it could be worse. At least it's Ryoko and not some boy I'd never trust to come anywhere near my daughter! I wonder what Dai thinks about all of this..._

"I hate to admit it, but Ryoko's right," Izzy said reluctantly, shaking his head in despair. "Ken and Sam aren't our only problems. There are other things we need to discuss."

"Yeah, I almost forget about Vampiramon and the Spirit Chips," Taniko groaned. "Talk about a bad day."

"It wasn't all bad," Noah said, his dark eyes beginning to sparkle with excitement. "Can you believe it, Ami? You, Miya, and I could have been Digidestined!"


	156. The Digital Reserve Team

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Yes, I'm finally back, and I promise we get to some really good chapters once we're past the talks going on in the Motomiya residence. Enjoy! As for me, I'm off to catch up on all the stories I'm trying to read!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 156: The Digital Reserve Team

_Davis Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Unbelievable," Ami murmured, smiling slightly and shaking her head in disbelief. "Completely unbelievable."

_I should probably be surprised, too, but...really, I'm not. Of course Ami would have been considered a candidate for saving the Digital World. She's so much like Dai, only...I think she'd probably be a bit more careful than her brother if she found herself stuck in a dangerous situation, though I have to admit, Dai is definitely not as bad as I used to be. Both of my kids usually act a little more sensible than I normally did when I was young. I bet they got that from Noriko._

Davis smiled at the thought, but instead of commenting on Ami's obvious surprise, he merely got to his feet and moved over to sit behind his daughter, his hand coming up to ruffle her dark hair.

"I know what you mean, Ami," Noah said softly, moving over to sit next to his cousin and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I can hardly believe it myself. To think we could have been Digidestined..."

_To think you could still be Digidestined..._

Davis was about to put his thoughts into words, but before he could open his mouth, Ami suddenly turned to look at Noah, and gazing directly into her cousin's deep brown eyes, she reached out and flung her arms around him in a tight hug. "You know what, Noah? When we first found out about Dai and the others, I admit I couldn't help wondering why they were chosen over us. After all, I have the same parents as Dai, and Miya has the same parents as Sam. Your dad, too, is a Digidestined, so it's not like Dai and his friends have any kind of an advantage over us. Also, Miya and I are older and more mature than our younger siblings, so wouldn't it have made more sense for us to be chosen instead?"

"Hey!" Dai shouted, leaping to his feet and plopping down on the carpet next to his sister. "You and Miya aren't any more mature than the rest of us. Sometimes you act younger than I do!"

Rolling her eyes, Ami made a face, and reaching out her hand, she slapped her brother lightly on the back of his head. "I just mean we've been around longer so we've had more time to gain wisdom and experience in life. Basically, we've had a few more years to learn how to handle tough situations and to overcome the many obstacles that block the path we've committed ourselves to follow. That's why, logically, Noah, Miya, and I would be better able to help ourselves and our friends reach the goals we've set to accomplish whatever it is we're trying to achieve."

"Whatever, you're only a year older than me!" Dai grumbled.

"You're so dumb, Dai. Don't you get it? That's why the most sensible answer isn't always the best answer. At first I couldn't understand why I wasn't chosen, but now it all makes sense. It's not just about having parents who were also chosen to be Digidestined. There's so much more to it than that. I'm not afraid to admit it. At first, I was a bit jealous, especially since being a Digidestined would have meant having a digimon partner of my very own, but now I feel better knowing that I wasn't completely disregarded."

"Same here," Noah mumbled.

"Ami, Noah...Wow, I...I never knew you felt that way," Ryoko said quietly, gazing uncertainly at his feet.

"Why didn't you guys ever say anything?" Dai asked curiously.

Noah shrugged his shoulders and gave his younger cousin a sheepish smile. "Well, I guess it's because we didn't want you guys to feel guilty. After all, it's not your fault the rest of us weren't chosen to join you as members of the Digidestined."

"Maybe, but still...we're um...we're really sorry," Takara said meekly, avoiding Noah's dark eyes.

Bursting into giggles, Ami motioned for Takara to join them, and as soon as the female Digidestined sat down next to Dai, Ami reached out and gave her a quick squeeze. "Don't worry about it, Kara. Like I said, I feel better now knowing I wasn't completely overlooked. You guys were chosen for a good reason, I see that now. It might be a bit confusing, though Gennai did do a good job of explaining things in a way we could fully understand, but I think maybe not knowing the full answer is the way things are supposed to be. I doubt we'll ever have all the answers, but...maybe it's better that way. Even Gennai doesn't know everything about the Digital World. Some of what he told you was merely a bunch of guesswork, though his theories do have a strange habit of turning out to be more than just speculation."

"Maybe..."

"You have a big heart, Kara," Ami said softly. "No wonder Dai likes you so much."

"Ami!" Dai shouted, his cheeks turning bright red.

"What?"

"For once in your life could you please keep your mouth shut? What do you know anyway?"

"More than you, obviously," Ami snorted, looking amused.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tai asked, frowning suspiciously at Dai.

"Uh...nothing."

"Right," Ami giggled.

"Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?"

"Whatever, Dai. I'm not completely blind, you know."

"No, you're just really stupid, which is even worse."

Beside Ami, Takara was frowning in confusion, and even though her cheeks had turned the same colour as Dai's face, oddly enough she didn't seem to have noticed that the goggle-headed leader hadn't even denied Ami's words. If anything, by arguing with Ami, he was making himself look even more guilty of the one thing he didn't have the courage to fully admit yet, even to himself.

_I wonder why Kara can't see just how much Dai cares about her, especially since she obviously feels the same way about him. Who knows? Maybe it's because she doesn't want any false hopes. Whatever the case, I don't think it's anything to worry about. They still have plenty of time to sort out their feelings. Maybe in the future...if Tai has no objections!_

"What have I told you two about arguing?" Noriko scolded, glaring at her children.

"And why don't I believe you?" Tai said dryly, his dark eyes studying Dai's guilty face.

For a moment Dai seemed to wilt under the former leader's intense gaze, but his uncertainty didn't last long. Almost immediately, he lifted his chin, and straightening his shoulders, he gazed directly into Tai's eyes, his lips twitching into a small smile. "I told you, we're not talking about anything and there's nothing going on. At least, not yet."

"What?" Takara gasped, her mouth dropping open in surprise.

Before either Daichi or Tai could respond, T.K. suddenly leaned around Matt and his twin sons and poked Ami gently in the shoulder, his bright blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Hey, Ami, just because you're not a Digidestined right now doesn't mean you won't get your chance eventually. Don't you remember what Gennai told us?"

"Yes, I remember, but...I don't really want to get my hopes up in case it turns out the Digital World doesn't need any more Digidestined to help defeat the Ruler of Darkness."

"I wouldn't count on that," Matty snorted.

"It's just so hard to believe," Noah murmured. "To think we might still have a chance..."

"Do we? Do we really? I mean, Gennai wasn't lying or making things up, was he?" Ami asked anxiously. "It's really true, what he said, isn't it?"

Izzy raised his eyebrows, and shaking his head in amusement, he quickly gave Ami a reassuring smile. "Of course it's true. Gennai would never lie to us. If, by chance, we find ourselves unable to defeat the Ruler of Darkness without the help of more Digidestined, I have no doubt you, Miya, and Noah will be called to help us save the Digital World. Out of all the other potential candidates, you three would be the most likely choice. After all, you all share many of the same qualities that allowed Dai and the others to become Digidestined, and on top of that you already know what's going on in the Digital World, which definitely makes things easier on the rest of us. Of course, the Digital World itself is the force that truly decides, so who knows what might happen?"

"If anyone deserves a chance, it's you three," Jun said firmly.

Noah beamed at his mother, but a moment later his smile faded and he turned to gaze thoughtfully at the computer screen. "I wonder how Miya will feel about all of this. She doesn't know yet..."

"She doesn't know she still might at least have a chance to be a Digidestined," Ami said quietly. "I mean...not that I want things to get so bad in the Digital World that we'd have to be called..."

Davis stared at his daughter in surprise, and before he could stop himself he started to laugh, her guilty expression bringing a smile to his face. "Don't worry about it, Ami. I'm sure Dai and the others would have felt the same way if they had been in your place, and so would I for that matter. We know you'd never want anything bad to happen to the Digital World."

"Davis is right. I would have been disappointed, too, if I were you," Mickey said shyly.

Ami shrugged her shoulders and gave the older twin a grateful smile. "Thanks, Mickey. It's just...I know Miya was also a little disappointed about not getting a chance to have a digimon partner of her own..."

"Right now, I think Miya is more concerned about Sam than she is about being a Digidestined," Goldmon said sadly.

Ami nodded in agreement and a soft sigh escaped her lips. "I know. That's why I want to tell her about everything we've learned. I was hoping it might cheer her up a bit. I'm sure it would make her happy to know we weren't forgotten, especially if it means we might still get our own digimon partners, even if our chances could be considered pretty slim."

"I don't know about that," Ryoko muttered. "If you ask me your chances are looking pretty good right about now."

"I think, like Goldmon said, in order for Miya to be happy, Ken and Sam will need to work out their problems first," Matty said glumly. "Don't get me wrong, I know we don't know for sure whether or not Sam will reject Ken, but considering the way he was acting earlier, I'd say we're making a pretty safe guess."

"I know," Ami mumbled, "but I still can't help hoping..."

"Wait, there's still one thing I don't understand and it's really bugging me," Ema suddenly interrupted, turning to look at her brother. "How come I was never considered a potential Digidestined, but you were? How fair is that? And what about Tay, Taniko, and Kenzo? Don't they deserve to be Digidestined, too?"

"Of course they do," Izzy said mildly, the look on his face suggesting he was trying very hard not to smile.

"Well, then why-"

"I don't know, Ema, maybe it has something to do with the fact that you and the others weren't even born when the rest of us were getting our data scanned," Noah said sarcastically. "Weren't you paying attention at all?"

"Oh right...that would make sense, wouldn't it."

"It's still not fair. The Digital World might be a scary place, but it's worth it if you get to meet a new friend," Taysuke said thoughtfully, blushing slightly. "I...I think I would like to have a Digimon partner."

"Me too," Taniko sighed.

"Me, as well," Kenzo murmured.

Ryoko studied Taysuke's face for a moment, and despite the misery sparkling in his sapphire eyes, he somehow managed to give the younger boy a reassuring smile. "Don't give up now. You never know. One day you might have your chance. The Digital World is always going to need Digidestined."

"As scary as that actually is, it's true," DemiEmbermon said cheerfully.

"Really, you think so?" Taysuke gasped.

Ryoko nodded seriously and put a hand on Taysuke's shoulder. "You would make a great Digidestined, Tay."

"Really?"

"Definitely."

Taysuke's face turned an even darker shade of red, but instead of responding he merely smiled shyly at Ryoko and quickly lowered his eyes to the carpet.

"As much as we don't want any of you kids to be in danger, there's no doubt you would all make great Digidestined," Sora said quietly. "If that ever happens, we're just going to have to accept it."

"Even if it makes us worry even more," Noriko moaned. "It's bad enough I already have to worry about one of my children, but it'll be even worse if I end up having to worry about both of them."

"But...I want to be a Digidestined now!" Ema complained.

"You, we could do without," Dai snorted.

"Hey! I'll get my chance, just you wait! I'll make it happen somehow, no matter what!"

"Ema, there's no point in getting worked up about it," Kenzo said hesitantly. "I mean, we don't even know for sure if-"

"I'm going to be a Digidestined no matter what!" Ema shouted, ignoring Kenzo. "Just you wait, Dai! Nothing is going to stop me!"

Dai stared at his female cousin and quickly edged closer to Noah. "You're scary sometimes, you know that?"

"What did you say?"

"Uh...nothing.""

"That was not nothing!"

Instead of answering, Dai turned to look at his sister and punched her lightly on the arm. "Hey, Ami, if it's any consolation, I think you'd make a pretty cool Digidestined."

"You think so?"

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, you're pretty tough. We could use someone like you on the team."

Much to the goggle-headed leader's surprise, Ami suddenly flung her arms around his neck and gave him a quick squeeze. "Thanks, Dai. And just so you know, I think you make a pretty cool leader."

"You're stupid, Ami," Dai mumbled, but despite his words he looked pleased and he even returned his sister's hug.

"Well, now that Ema's done complaining, we have more important things to talk about," Taniko snorted, dismissing the younger girl with a wave of her hand.

"Like what?" Palelymon asked curiously.

"Like DarkAngelicmon for instance," Kari said slowly. "I think he may be more than he appears to be."

Kari's words must have affected Matty very deeply because the younger twin suddenly jerked his head up in surprise and he stared at his mother in complete astonishment. "Wait a minute, you don't really think, at one point in time, that DarkAngelicmon used to be a good digimon, do you?"

"I see. So...Mickey finally told you. I assume that's one of the reasons why the two of you haven't been getting along very well lately?"

"What? No way. Mickey and I are just fine!"

Kari sighed and gave the younger twin a faint smile. "I wish I could believe that."

"DarkAngelicmon has a lot of secrets hanging over his head," Mickey said quietly, avoiding his brother's eyes. "If we ignore them, it could mean the end of the Digital World as we know it."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean we still don't need to be careful," Matty protested. "We can't just assume DarkAngelicmon might once have been a good digimon just because he was able to use one of Angelicmon's attacks."

"No, but it's definitely a possibility," T.K. interrupted, gazing intently at his slightly younger son. "I don't understand how he could even be capable of using one of Angelicmon's attacks unless at one point in time he truly understood what it meant."

"He might be working against us, Matty, but even you can't deny he's done a lot to help us, too," Mina said gently.

"But...you heard about what DarkAngelicmon did! If he really isn't evil then why did he say all of those horrible things to Mickey?"

"I think it's because he's really sad," Rina piped up, a thoughtful expression on her face. "He lost both of his best friends, and now he's all alone. That's enough to make anyone sad."

Matty frowned at his sister and slowly shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense. From my understanding of what little we know so far, DarkAngelicmon was already evil before he discovered both Luciamon and Lucemon had betrayed him. He only found out the truth just recently when Luciamon confronted him in the castle."

"Well, her death certainly didn't help matters, that's for sure," Rosa muttered.

"Look, I don't know why DarkAngelicmon became evil, but I'm sure it has something to do with his friends," Mickey mumbled.

"What do you think, Dai?" Jun asked, turning to gaze curiously at her nephew.

Dai was silent for a moment, and when he did finally speak, it was obvious he was choosing his words very carefully so as not to give the wrong impression. "I think maybe both Mickey _and _Matty are right. Well, I actually think they're both right about certain things and wrong about others. In my heart, I can't help thinking there might be more to DarkAngelicmon than what he has revealed so far, but like Matty, I still think we need to be cautious. At this point we don't know anything for sure so it would be stupid of us to let our guard down."

"So, in other words, like Mickey, you believe DarkAngelicmon used to be a good digimon," Ryoko said bluntly.

"Well yeah, I guess I do."

"If that's the case then why do you think he became evil?"

Dai gazed directly into Ryoko's eyes, and lifting his chin, he gave the golden-haired Digidestined a defiant look. "Matty is right about one thing, DarkAngelicmon didn't become evil because his friends betrayed him. I think he was deceived by someone who was trying to hurt his friends, and his vulnerability and lack of faith in both himself and the digimon he cares about caused him to turn away from the light. At least, that's what I think."

Instead of arguing with Dai, Ryoko's face suddenly lit up and he gave the goggle-headed leader a brilliant smile. Even though Davis knew the golden-haired Digidestined's happiness wouldn't last long, it was still a relief to see him set aside his misery over Sam, even if it was just for a little while. "That's what I think, too, and you know what, Daichi?"

"What?"

"I bet you anything that someone who deceived him was the Ruler of Darkness."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Daichi, I don't think I'll ever understand you. Half the time you act like you don't have a clue what's going on, but then you'll go and say something so brilliant I can't help but wonder if you sometimes hide just how smart you really are," Ryoko murmured, laughing softly.

Dai blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you're rubbing off on me."

"In more ways than one I hope," Matt muttered. "It's at times like this when friends become truly important."

_He's right, Dai, and right now I think Ryoko needs your friendship more than ever..._

"Thanks for believing me, Dai," Mickey said shyly, beaming at the goggle-headed leader.

"No problem, but don't forget, I still agree with Matty, too."

"Thanks, Dai," Matty mumbled, avoiding both his friend's and his brother's eyes.

"Izzy, what do you think about all of this?" Joe asked hesitantly, his gaze flicking anxiously back and fourth between Mickey and Matty.

"Well...actually, I agree with Dai and Ryoko, but the only way to find out for sure is to confront DarkAngelicmon. The best way to do that is to continue searching for the Spirit Chips. Wherever we go to look for them, I have no doubt he will follow, which is why I won't be surprised if he turns up on Infinity Mountain tomorrow. That is...if we make it there tomorrow."

"What do you mean by that?" Mimi asked curiously.

"Well, there's still the issue with Sam..."

"Either way it doesn't matter. DarkAngelicmon won't tell us anything and you know it, Izzy!" Iramon grumbled.

"Then that leaves us with only one other option. Lucemon knows the truth, that much is certain. If we can find him, I'm sure he'll be happy to tell us everything he knows."

"But we have no idea where he is!" Fluttermon protested.

For some reason Goldmon and Palelymon exchanged meaningful looks, but it happened so fast Davis was unsure of whether or not what he was seeing was really real or if his mind was playing tricks on him.

"No, we don't, but we do know where the first Spirit Chip is, and right now that's what we need to focus on. If we meet up with Lucemon along the way, so much the better, but we can't lose sight of our main objective. And that, of course, brings us to you, Joe."


	157. The Crest of Reliability

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: It's back to Sam after this!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 157: The Crest of Reliability

_Joe Kido_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

At the sound of his name, Joe Kido jerked his head up in surprise and he turned to stare at Izzy with his mouth hanging open, still not quite able to believe his crest had the power to change the fate of the Digital World. With his help, Dai could finally digivolve to the ultimate level, and for his nephew to have to rely on him was something he had never really experienced before. Of course, they weren't exactly sure yet if the Spirit Chip really did belong to Dai, but deep down inside he was certain his nephew was the owner. Dai was a strong person, just like Davis, and because of that they were the type of people who didn't often have to rely on others, at least on the surface. And yet, that was one of their greatest qualities. Even though they were both strong and independent, they still knew they couldn't do everything alone, and as a result, they willingly asked for help from others and accepted it graciously when it was given to them. That was why both Daichi and Davis had become leaders of the Digidestined, and the same was true for Tai. The three most daring members of the team were the kind of people you could trust beyond a shadow of a doubt, even if they didn't always make the right decisions. They never backed down and they never gave up, even when the odds were against them. That was why, in the end, they always found a way to win the battle, even if their chances of securing a victory looked pretty slim. They really understood teamwork and they knew how to use it to their advantage, and even though he had never admitted it, that was one thing Joe truly admired about the current leader and the two leaders who had come before Daichi.

"Well, Dad? Aren't you going to say anything?" Ema asked cheerfully, her lips twitching into a small smile. "You heard what Izzy said. It looks like Dai and the others are going to need your help."

"And the sooner the better," Izzy said mildly.

Joe nervously scratched his head and gave the computer expert a weak smile. Even though he wasn't wearing his hospital attire today, since he had spent most of the afternoon at the office visiting with several of his patients, he still felt like he was wearing scrubs and a lab coat, which made him feel slightly uncomfortable outside a hospital environment. At the moment, he felt like he was being confronted by all of his patients at once, and every single one of them was asking him a question he didn't have an answer for. "Me? Are you sure about that, Izzy? Maybe there was some sort of a mistake..."

"Dad!" Ema groaned, smacking herself in the forehead.

"There's no mistake," Izzy said calmly, trying unsuccessfully not to smile. "Gennai was quite clear. We know for sure the Spirit Chip of Bravery is the one stationed at the top of Infinity Mountain, but in order for us to get our hands on it, we need to break the two seals that were placed around it to prevent it from getting stolen. The Spirit Chip of Bravery is being protected by the Crests of Courage, Friendship, and Reliability, which means we need you to help break one of the seals, the other seal merely requiring the proper D-Coder."

"Come on, Joe, don't you want to help your nephew find his Spirit Chip?" Agumon asked curiously.

"Agumon!" Dai shouted, his cheeks turning bright pink. "Look, we don't even know for sure if the Spirit Chip of Bravery really does belong to-"

"It's definitely your Spirit Chip," Ryoko said bluntly, interrupting the goggle-headed leader before he could finish his sentence. "No question about it."

Dai quickly snapped his mouth shut, and blinking in surprise, Joe stared at his nephew in confusion. "What's wrong, Dai?"

"Nothing. I just...I hope I don't end up disappointing everyone..."

"Like that would ever happen," Davis snorted.

"Dai, we'll always believe in you even if you end up getting one of the other Spirit Chips," Takara said fiercely, giving the goggle-headed leader a stern look. "Besides, all of the Spirit Chips have great meanings. You should be proud no matter which Spirit Chip you get."

"Not to mention we've already narrowed down which Spirit Chips could even belong to you," Ryoko said shortly. "Your only options are bravery, loyalty, and wisdom, so take your pick."

"Bravery suits you the best, though that's not to say you don't possess any of those other qualities because you do," Noriko said softly, smiling gently at her son. "You're a little bit of everything, Dai, and that's what makes you such a great leader."

Dai quickly lowered his eyes to the ground, trying unsuccessfully to hide his embarrassment, and shrugged his shoulders. He looked quite pleased about the amount of praise he was receiving, but at the same time he also looked a bit sheepish. "Thanks, guys. I know you're all right, but with everything that has happened today, it's kind of hard to believe in anything right now..."

"I believe in you and I always will," Davis said simply.

"Same here," Tai added.

Joe nodded in agreement and gave his nephew a warm smile. "You know, for once I'm in complete agreement with everyone else. You might have your doubts, Dai, but the rest of us believe in you. And, if you're still not sure, well...it might not mean much, but I think the Spirit Chip of Bravery belongs to you."

_How could it belong to anyone else?_

"Really, you think so?"

"Well, I mean...it makes sense, doesn't it?"

Instead of responding, Dai quickly got to his feet, and to Joe's complete surprise, the goggle-headed leader suddenly sat down next to him and gave him a fierce hug. "Thanks, Uncle."

"Oh, um...you're welcome."

"Good job, Dad. You always say the right thing, even if you don't always realize it at the time," Noah laughed, sprawling onto the floor next to him and gently patting him on the back.

"It doesn't matter," Dai mumbled into his shoulder, "you're still a great uncle."

Joe glanced down at the top of his nephew's spiky head and smiled in amusement. Even after thirteen years, he still found it hard to believe that Daichi Motomiya, of all people, was his nephew. The two of them were completely different, and yet despite the fact that they weren't the least bit alike, Dai never wasted an opportunity to speak with him or to spend some time with him when they were visiting one another. Dai always seemed genuinely happy to see him, and he knew the goggle-headed leader shared a close bond with Noah. As a result, their two families had grown quite close over the years, and it had done a lot for Davis and Jun, who instead of fighting each other, were more often than not ganging up on everybody else.

_It's bad enough with Dai, but having Davis for a brother-in-law is another thing I don't think I'll ever get used to. Then again, I never thought I'd end up falling in love with Jun either, but if I hadn't then Noah and Ema wouldn't be here, and they're two of the best things that have ever happened to me. They're great kids, even if they do act a lot like their mother and their uncle. Besides, it might not be that noticeable, but every once in a while I'll see a glimpse of myself reflected in their words and actions. I think it makes for a nice combination and I wouldn't have it any other way._

"You're coming with us tomorrow, right Uncle?" Dai asked hopefully. "Gomamon really wants to see you and if the Spirit Chip of Bravery really is mine then..."

"What is it, Dai?"

The goggle-headed leader blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing, only...well, when I get my Spirit Chip, I want you, Dad, and Mom to be there. It's too bad Aunt Jun can't come, too..."

"I'll be there with you in spirit," Jun said enthusiastically, ruffling her nephew's hair and giving him a quick squeeze.

"That goes for the three of us, too," Ami said firmly, pointing at herself and waving her hand at Ema and Noah.

"For now," Ema sniffed, "at least until I find a way to get there in person."

"Thanks, guys, you read my mind. I kind of wanted all of you to be there, too," Dai mumbled. "Also..."

Joe raised his eyebrows and gave his nephew a curious look. "There's something else?"

"Uh...kind of.."

"Yes?"

"Well, like Izzy said, the Spirit Chip of Bravery is protected by the Crests of Courage, Friendship and Reliability, which means it's protected by Tai, Matt, and you too. I mean...no offence to everyone else, but that's also kind of why I'd like it if the Spirit Chip did belong to me..."

"Daichi, you idiot," Ryoko sighed, shaking his head and smiling softly to himself.

"Hey!"

"Dai, that wasn't an insult," Matt said mildly, glancing ever so slightly at his son.

Ryoko glared at his father, but Dai didn't seem to notice. Instead of responding, the goggle-headed leader merely ignored the blond duo and frowned thoughtfully at his hands. "It's dumb, but..."

"No, it's not dumb."

"Huh?"

Joe shrugged and smiled at the surprised look on his nephew's face. "I have to admit, I never thought I'd be that high on your priority list."

"Uncle! Look, you might be a bit of a nerd sometimes...Okay, occasionally you can be a really big nerd, but you're still pretty cool to me."

"Thanks, Dai."

_Well, that wasn't exactly what I would call flattery, but considering who his father is, I guess I should have expected something along those lines._

"Look on the bright side, Dad, most of the time Izzy acts like a bigger nerd than you do!" Ema said cheerfully.

"Actually, it's more like they're just two different types of nerds!" Taniko giggled.

"You won't hear any arguments from me!" Noah laughed.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Izzy complained.

Waving Izzy's protests aside, Joe wrapped an arm around his nephew's shoulders and gave the goggle-headed leader a warm smile. "I had a few cancellations for tomorrow so I'm sure I'll be able to get off work earlier than usual..."

"Does that mean you really will come with us tomorrow?" Dai asked hopefully.

"There's no point in going to the Digital World tomorrow, or any other day for that matter, without you," Izzy insisted. "Before we can even think about defeating Vampiramon and her allies, including the Ruler of Darkness, we need to get our hands on that Spirit Chip. Without it we're stuck, since we don't yet know where any of the other Spirit Chips are, unless of course you come with us."

"It's true, Dad," Ema said nochalantly, trying hard not to smile. "Dai and the others can't move forward without your help. They're useless until they get that Spirit Chip."

"We're not that bad," Matty grumbled.

"In other words, without your help, Dai and the others can't save the Digital World," Noah said softly, ignoring Matty.

Joe nervously adjusted the glasses perched on his nose and smiled hesitantly at his son. Like the situation with Dai, the fact that Noah thought so highly of him still came as a bit of a surprise, but that was the way his son was, and he couldn't be more proud of the way Noah had become such a wonderful person. The same was true for Ema.

_She might seem a bit selfish and careless sometimes, but deep down inside she has a big heart, even if it isn't quite as noticeable._

"Well, Dad?" Noah asked hesitantly.

"Of course I'm coming with. Besides, if I don't go to the Digital World soon, Gomamon will never forgive me."

"That's for sure," Davis snorted, smiling in amusement. "I've had to listen to him and the others complain enough as it is."

"Ignore him," Jun piped up, nodding in her brother's direction and rolling her eyes. "Gomamon might give you a hard time at first, but even so, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

Joe gave his wife's hand a quick squeeze and turned to gaze thoughtfully at Davis. Despite his uncertainties at first, the former leader had turned out to be a great brother-in-law, and as a result the two of them had become close friends over the years, something he had most definitely not foreseen. Before asking Jun to marry him, he had first gone to Davis out of respect for his friend's feelings, and also because he had been nervous about what Jun's answer would be. On top of that, he had been unsure of how Davis would feel about being his brother-in-law, and that was another reason why he had wanted to speak to the goggle-headed leader before going through with his proposal to Jun. Even to this day, he still couldn't figure out how he had managed to summon enough courage to pester Davis about the whole situation with Jun, especially when it came to the former leader's feelings concerning the possibility of having a brother-in-law, but to his complete astonishment, Davis had been surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly supportive. The goggle-headed leader had insisted Jun would say yes, and he had also insisted they would get along just fine as brothers.

_If I recall, he said he was glad Jun was at least going to marry someone he actually likes. That's Davis for you._

Despite the amount of time that had passed since then, he still wasn't quite sure how he had managed to fall in love with Jun, and on the surface it seemed almost as if it had happened by chance, but he knew deep down that wasn't the case. He was positive after everything that had happened, their marriage had definitely been meant to be. Noah and Ema were proof enough for him.

"Uh...guys? Do you really think we should go to the Digital World tomorrow?" Matty suddenly blurted out, the sound of his voice catching everyone off guard.

Joe turned to look at the younger twin and he frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know...what if Sam doesn't want to come with us..."

"You mean because of Ken," Izzy sighed. "Yes, I've thought of that possibility, as well. Depending on how things go with Ken, Sam may end up losing his desire to help save the Digital World."

"But...he can't!" Mickey protested.

"What if Ken just stays behind tomorrow?" Mina asked hesitantly. "There's really no reason for him to go to the Digital World at this time. His crest isn't one of the ones protecting the Spirit Chip of Bravery, after all."

Izzy nodded in agreement and gave his wife a faint smile. "You're right, Mina, which is why I'm sending Tai, Matt, Joe, Davis, and Noriko tomorrow. Tai, Matt, and Joe don't really have a choice, and I'm sending Dai's parents because I know he wants them to be there."

"Thanks, Izzy," Dai said happily, beaming at the computer expert.

Kari suddenly waved her hand at Izzy, and before he could protest, she crossed her arms over her chest and gave the computer expert a stern look. "I'm going, too, Izzy! I want to see Gatomon and I want to help. I'm going anyways, whether you try to stop me or not, and just so you know, if I have to, I can be every bit as stubborn as Davis!"

"It's true," T.K. muttered to himself, smiling slightly.

Izzy threw up his hands in defeat and shook his head in amusement. "Okay, I get it. You can go with, but I'm still concerned about Sam. Even if Ken doesn't go the Digital World tomorrow, that doesn't mean Sam will still be willing to join you. If he really has lost his desire to fight, then whether or not Ken goes or stays home won't matter either way. Sam won't want to go to the Digital World no matter what Ken decides to do."

"What will we do if that happens?" Ryoko asked quietly, his tone suggesting he wasn't sure whether or not he really wanted to know the answer.

"The only thing we can do. If it turns out Sam doesn't want to come with us, we're just going to have to leave him behind."

"What? No! We can't do that!" Mickey cried.

In respond to his brother's shout, Matty let out a deep sigh and covered his face with his hands. "Mickey..."

"Why not?" Rosa asked gently.

"Sam is part of our team! We can't just leave him behind! How can you forget about what Gennai said? If we want to save the Digital World we all have to work together. You guys should know that better than anyone else!"

"I agree with Mickey," Daichi said bluntly. "Sam's not going to get out of this that easily."

"I'm not going to let Sam make such a stupid mistake!" Ryoko snapped. "I don't care if he does hate me! He's coming to the Digital World whether he wants to or not!"

"I agree with Mickey and the others," Takara said softly. "We can't save the Digital World without Sam."

"Well, Matty? What do you think?" Mickey demanded, rounding on his brother.

Matty scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly at his friends. "I guess this means we're going to ambush Sam's house, huh?"

Dai grinned and thrust his right fist into the air. "You got it."

"What ever happened to giving Sam a little bit of space?" Kenzo groaned, rolling his eyes at the goggle-headed leader.

"No time for that now. Sam's going to learn the hard way that he can't give up on his friends without suffering the consequences."

"Dai, you idiot!" Ema moaned.

"Now that one was definitely an insult," Matt muttered. "Ryoko, hey! Where do you think you're going?"

Ryoko and his four friends skidded to a halt in front of the door and turned to look at the former musician. "Where else? We're going to Sam's house. Didn't we just finish saying that?"

"But...it's getting late!" Mimi protested.

"Sam's not going to like this at all," Taysuke mumbled.

"I don't care how late it is," Mickey declared. "Don't worry, we'll all be home soon."

"Keep some food for me!" Dai shouted, waving casually to his parents over his shoulder.

Before anyone could stop them, Dai and the others disappeared through the door and Joe was left staring after them in disbelief.

_Well, that was...unexpected..._

As much as he wanted to believe their efforts to get through to Sam would work, he still had his doubts. It all depended on what happened with Ken, and unfortunately he had a feeling that whole situation was going to end in disaster.


	158. Through the Eyes of a Child

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Finally, another chapter finished. The next few chapters will take place at the Ichijouji residence.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 158: Through the Eyes of a Child

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Time seemed to have come to a complete standstill for Ken as he sat crumpled up on the floor in front of the door to his son's bedroom, his forehead pressing lightly against its smooth, dark surface. He wasn't quite sure how long he had been sitting there, but in his heart it seemed as if he had been waiting there forever, or if time had indeed stopped flowing, perhaps he had only been living the nightmare that appeared to have swallowed him whole for moments instead of years. And yet, if that were true then why did his heart feel as if time were slipping away from him?

_Sam hates me. My own son...He truly wants to forget I'm his father..._

As much as he didn't want to believe his own miserable thoughts, he knew they were true, and he had no one to blame but himself. If he could have only found the courage to tell Sam the truth, then perhaps he wouldn't currently be sitting on the wrong side of his son's door looking absolutely pathetic.

_I wish I only had to worry about my eldest son, but it's not just Sam. What about Miya and Nao?_

Considering the time of day, the upstairs hallway seemed unusually quiet. Normally, after supper, his children would be in their rooms doing their homework, or in Miya's case talking on the phone, and if they didn't have homework, they would be doing something else they actually enjoyed to pass the time. Quite often they would have some of their friends over, and the sound of laughter could be heard quite frequently from above the first floor until it was time for everyone to leave and for his children to go to bed, but unfortunately at the moment, that was most definitely not the case. Although it pained him to admit it, at this point in time, the only thing he could hear was the sound of Sam's soft sobs coming from the other side of the door. As for Miya and Nao, he wasn't surprised to discover that neither one of them had attempted to follow him. After what they had just heard, both of them probably didn't want to come anywhere near him, and truthfully, he couldn't blame them for their way of thinking. Most likely, their feelings were similar to the way Sam felt at the moment, and as a result it was probably going to take a while before they finally found a way to trust him again.

_That is, if they ever decide to forgive me._

Hot tears suddenly stung Ken's deep blue eyes, and he quickly covered his face with his hands in an effort to calm himself. Truthfully, he wanted to cry, but for some reason he couldn't summon the will to do so because he knew if he did the tears would never stop flowing. It would be so easy to lose control, but if he allowed himself that privilege he wasn't quite sure he would be able to find the courage to pull himself together again. If that happened, he would lose even the slightest chance he had of somehow getting through to his son.

_Sam, I love you. Isn't that enough?_

Every sob Sam uttered felt like a needle piercing through Ken's heart, and eventually the pain became so fierce he had to cover his ears to block out the sound of his son's misery. Like Miya and Nao, Yolei hadn't tried to venture up the stairs either, and in her case he could understand why she had decided to remain in the foyer. Obviously she had come to the conclusion that there was nothing she could do to help at the moment, and she seemed to feel this was something he needed to do on his own. She couldn't make Sam forgive him. Only he could find a way to make that happen.

_Miya and Nao looked so shocked. I bet they're still standing in the foyer with their mouths hanging open. I hope Yolei has at least found a way to calm them down a little bit, but if they feel the same way Sam feels..._

More than anything, he wanted Yolei by his side, but he knew she was right when it came to what he needed to do. She would do everything she could to support him, but when it came right down to it, this was something he needed to do for himself.

_But, I've never been strong like Davis..._

"Sam?" he whispered through the door, knowing full well that his son probably couldn't even hear him. "Sam, please...don't do this. I can't lose you..."

"Daddy?"

Ken winced at the sound of Nao's soft voice coming from somewhere off to his left and he turned to see his younger son staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. Nao was standing at the end of the hallway and he looked a bit hesitant, as if he couldn't decide whether to come closer or to make a run for the stairs. Despite his uncertainty, though, there was a hesitant smile on his face and his gaze kept shifting anxiously towards Sam's door. Feeling both embarrassed and ashamed, Ken once again leaned the back of his dark head against the door and squeezed his eyes shut, unable to look into his younger son's deep blue eyes. "Nao..."

_Are you going to reject me, too, just like Sam?_

"Daddy, Sam's really upset, isn't he."

"Yes, he is. I'm...I'm sorry, Nao. It's my fault for causing so much trouble."

"But...you didn't do anything."

Ken's eyes flew open, and jerking his head up in surprise, he turned to gaze at his younger son in astonishment. "Nao, I..."

"Sam is the one who's being mean to everyone. I know he's sad, but...I still don't think that's a very good reason to go around hurting other people."

"But...but, Nao, you heard what Sam said. I used to be the Digimon Emperor. He has every right to be angry. I deserve nothing less for the way I acted in the past."

Frowning slightly, Nao slowly came towards him, making him jump in surprise, and without a word the young boy lowered himself to the ground, his back coming to rest gently against Sam's bedroom door. Unable to speak, Ken stared blankly at the wall in front of him, and after a moment of uneasy silence, he felt Nao snuggle under his arm, the lavender-haired boy's small body a comforting presence. At first, neither one of them spoke, but after what seemed like forever, Nao finally gazed directly into his eyes and gave him a solemn look. "You did some terrible things, Daddy."

"I know. Trust me, Nao, I know and I've been paying for it ever since."

"I understand why Sam is so upset, and I don't think it's wrong for him to be sad and angry, but I'm scared it's making him miss what really matters."

"What...what do you mean?"

"If you can't learn to forgive others for their mistakes then that makes you weak," Nao said softly. "At least, that's what Mommy always says, and I don't know about Sam, but I want to be strong like Mommy. Maybe not everything always has to be forgiven, but if you don't forgive the people you love, the one you end up hurting the most is yourself."

Ken stared at his small son in shock and felt his heart skip a beat. "You...you really believe that?"

"Davis, Kari, T.K., and Cody forgive you, so why should we be any different? Some of them might have had a little trouble at first, but in the end, they were able to look past your mistakes, which makes them all really strong, too, just like Mommy. If your friends and the digimon who were affected directly by the bad things you did can forgive you then the rest of us have no right to hold your past against you. Mommy thinks so, too. Those were her words. I just switched them around a little."

"He's right, Ken," a voice said softly from the entrance to the hallway.

_Minomon!_

Ken turned just in time to see his partner leap directly into his lap, and letting out a soft sound of despair, he hugged the little digimon tightly against his chest. With all the commotion, he had almost forgotten about Minomon, and even though he still wasn't used to having the little digimon with him in the human world again, he still couldn't help feeling slightly ashamed of his failure to remember someone so close to him. He assumed Minomon hadn't tried to follow him earlier for many of the same reasons as Yolei, but being a naturally curious digimon, Minomon's desire to help seemed to have become too much for the little digimon to ignore.

"Nothing will change the way Sam feels. Nothing."

"If that's true then Sam has become someone I don't even know anymore," Nao said miserably. "My big brother would never hold a grudge."

Resting his cheek against Nao's lavender hair, Ken took a deep breath and gave his son's shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Nao, do you hate me?"

"Why would I hate you? You're my daddy. You might have done some bad things, but I know you have a good reason for becoming the Emperor, even if it wasn't the right thing to do. If we always think about the sad things that happened in the past then the future won't be any fun at all. Daddy, no matter what happens, I'll always love you, just like you love me."

Overcome with emotion, Ken hugged his small son as tightly as he could and he quickly brushed away the tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Nao. I was so afraid I'd end up losing all of you, but now you've given me hope. T.K. would be proud."

"Don't you see, Ken? If Nao can forgive you then there's no reason why Sam and Miya won't eventually feel the same way," Minomon insisted.

Ken glanced anxiously at his small partner and nervously brushed his fingers over Nao's lavender hair. "How is Miya doing?"

"She's sitting in the living room with Yolei. She hasn't said much of anything but I think it's because she might be in shock. At the moment, Yolei isn't even trying to talk to her."

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out why. Yolei probably wants me to talk to her."

"I thought so, too, and I also think she feels Miya needs a little bit of space right now to work things out for herself."

"Mommy didn't even try to stop me from coming up here," Nao said thoughtfully.

Ken let out a soft sigh and allowed himself a faint smile. "It's probably because she knew you would say the right thing."

"She didn't say it in so many words, but I could tell she wanted me to come up here," Minomon said seriously. "I think she was hoping I would act as her spy."

Even though he still felt like his heart was being ripped in two, Ken couldn't help himself from bursting into a quiet fit of laughter. That was so like Yolei. Even though she clearly felt this was something he needed to do for himself, she still couldn't help interfering at least a little bit.

_That's one of the reasons why I love her so much._

"It's still a little too early yet to tell how Miya really feels, but I'm sure she'll come around, just like Nao. She doesn't seem mad. At least, I don't think she does. That's a pretty good sign, don't you think so?" Minomon asked hopefully.

Ken frowned and slowly shook his head. "I'm not really sure. Only time will tell, I guess. And even if she does miraculously forgive me, that isn't going to help much when it comes to Sam. I doubt he'll listen to her either."

"Daddy, can I ask you something?" Nao said shyly.

"Of course. What is it, Nao?"

"Well, I was just wondering...how can you expect Sam to forgive you if you can't even forgive yourself?"

Shocked by such an insightful observation coming from a seven year old, Ken stared at his son in astonishment, and to his embarrassment he felt his face heat up. "You're right, Nao. If I don't believe there's a chance I can make up for my mistakes then I don't deserve to be forgiven. How will Sam ever believe in me again if I can't even believe in myself?"

"Of course he's right," Minomon said happily. "Yolei and I have been trying to tell you the same thing all along. You used to believe it, I know you did, but ever since you found out your son is a Digidestined, it's like you've forgotten everything you used to have faith in. Don't give up now, Ken, not when Sam needs you so much."

"Daddy, will you tell me the Emperor's story?" Nao asked quietly. "We've heard bits and pieces along the way, but I want to hear the whole story from you."

Ken slowly got to his feet, and reaching out his hand, he quickly pulled Nao up beside him. "Why don't I tell you the story downstairs? I'm sure Miya will want to hear it, too."

"But...what about Sam?"

Ken smiled sadly at his older son's bedroom door and shrugged his shoulders. "When he's finally ready to hear what I have to say then I will tell him everything he wants to know. Until then, I'll just have to keep believing I can find a way to get through to him."

_I won't lose you, Sam. I swear, no matter what it takes, I won't let you drift away from me, even if it takes forever to finally reach your heart._

With that thought in mind, Ken forced himself to perform one of the hardest things he had ever had to do in his entire life. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to turn his back on his son's bedroom door and he quickly hurried towards the stairs, not daring to look back for fear he would lose his nerve. His heart was screaming at him not to leave, but he knew this was something he had to do, at least for the moment.

_I love you, Sam. Don't ever forget that..._

"Daddy, do you hear something?" Nao suddenly asked curiously, nodding his head towards the stairs.

"I think there's someone at the door," Minomon piped up.

Straining his ears to listen, Ken was surprised to discover that there was indeed someone pounding on the front door, and holding Minomon tightly in his arms, he quickly made his way down the stairs, his other hand taking comfort in Nao's small grip. He reached the bottom step just as Yolei opened the front door, and to his complete astonishment, his wife was nearly trampled by Daichi, Ryoko, Mickey, Matty, and Takara.

"Where's Sam?" Mickey demanded, untangling himself from Yolei's arms and glancing frantically around the foyer.

Nao smiled sadly at the older twin and chewed anxiously on the sleeve of his striped blue shirt. "He's upstairs."

"Being a complete idiot, I assume," Dai groaned.

Ken gazed calmly at his son's five friends, but deep down inside he felt like his heart was going to explode. "I take it you five know the truth, too?"

Dai glanced at him, but to his complete surprise, the goggle-headed leader didn't look at him any differently than he normally would have. "We know. I take it Sam told you he knows you were the Emperor?"

Startled by such a blunt question, Ken hesitated before slowly nodding. "Yes, he told me. At the time, I was under the impression Miya and Nao didn't know, but they do now."

"Well, that's one thing out of the way," Ryoko said weirely. "I hope they're taking it better than Sam did."

"I don't care what the others think. I forgive Daddy," Nao said loyally.

Mickey beamed at the young, lavender-haired Digidestined and pulled him into a fierce hug. "Nao, you really are amazing."

"Hello, Ken," Takara said softly, giving him a hesitant smile. "Do you mind if we sit down and talk to both you and Yolei for a bit?"

"We're going to anyways, even if you say no," Matty informed him. "We kind of want to hear the Emperor's story from you and we also want to know what has happened with Sam."

"Well, you're just in time. Nao also wants to hear about the Emperor from me so I might as well tell everyone all at once. Why don't we all go sit in the living room. In exchange, I'd like to hear about what happened in the Digital World today, and I'd like to know how Sam found out the truth."

"That's also partly why we came here to talk to you," Palelymon said shyly from Mickey's arms.

"Ken, are you okay?" Yolei asked anxiously, sending Minomon a meaningful look. "How is Sam doing?"

Ken gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, considering I haven't seen him since he slammed his bedroom door in my face, I think it's pretty safe to say he doesn't want to talk to me right now."

"Ouch," Matty muttered, wincing at the news.

"I know the feeling," Ryoko murmured.

Ken glanced curiously at the golden-haired Digidestined, but before he could answer, Yolei flung herself into his arms and let out a soft moan. "Oh Ken, I'm so sorry. I know it's hard, but it won't be like this forever. We'll find a way to make him understand, I promise."

"That's what we're here for," Mickey interrupted, looking more determined than Ken had ever seen him before. "Let's go sit down. We'll deal with Sam later."

"You can be sure of that," Dai muttered, frowning at the stairs.

Ken allowed his wife to pull him towards the living room and he stopped short when he spotted Miya sitting on the beige sofa. At the sound of an unusual amount of footsteps heading towards her, she slowly lifted her head, and Ken found himself gazing directly into her amber eyes. Her expression was hard to read, but like Minomon had said earlier, she didn't look like she was angry. Instead, she merely stared at him as if she couldn't decide how she was supposed to be feeling at the moment.

"Hey, Miya," Takara said softly, taking a seat beside the older girl and giving her a warm smile. "How are you feeling?"

"So, the rest of you all know the truth, too, huh? I'm...I'm not really sure right now."

Instead of replying, Takara wrapped her arms around the other girl's shoulders and gave her a tight hug. "Ami and Noah are really worried about you."

"They would be, wouldn't they," Miya murmured, her lips twitching into a small smile.

Feeling nervous, Ken hesitantly took the seat on his daughter's other side, and to his complete surprise, she didn't try to move away from him. It wasn't much, but it did make him feel at little bit better, even if it didn't necessarily mean anything.

"Ken, why don't we tell you what happened in the Digital World first and then you can tell us your story," Dai said calmly, settling himself on the carpet between Ryoko and Matty. "You deserve to know how this all came about."

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Yolei said softly, curling herself into an armchair with Nao. "I'd also like to know what happened, and I'm sure Miya does, as well."

Ken glanced hesitantly at Takara before turning to look at the four boys sitting in a row on the floor next to Yolei's chair. Despite everything that had happened, not a single one of Sam's friends was staring at him like he was the enemy.

Finding a small spark of courage he didn't know he had, he managed to give Dai a quick smile. "I'd like that."

_Maybe, just maybe, whatever they have to tell me will help me find a way to get through to Sam..._


	159. The Truth Within the Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: A bit of a longer chapter, (and a bit confusing at some points), but it does explain a lot if you read it carefully. The next chapter will lead into Sam again. Also, I won't be able to update next week with my work schedule, but I will hopefully update again the week after.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 159: The Truth Within the Truth

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ken listened to Dai's story in shocked silence, almost unable to believe some of the things he was hearing. Clearly, a lot had happened in the Digital World that afternoon, and almost all of Dai's information made him feel as if he might have been better off not knowing the truth after all, especially when it came to his son.

_Sam must have been pulled into the World of Darkness. There's just no way around it. No other explanation makes sense, and if I'm right then that means Sam is allowing the darkness to enter his heart. He's going to end up suffering just like I did, and if that happens it'll be all my fault..._

"Sam, how could you give up so easily? You're stronger than that, I know you are," Yolei murmured sadly, shaking her head and resting her cheek against the top of Nao's head. "It's strange, but even though I had a feeling something like this was going to happen eventually, I couldn't help hoping that things would somehow work out all right, but...I guess I was wrong..."

"No, Yolei, you're not wrong at all," Takara said firmly, crossing her arms and giving the lavender-haired Digidestined a defiant look. "It might take a little while, but if we just give Sam some time to come to terms with the truth, he'll eventually find his way back to us again. Don't give up yet! If you do, Sam might never find a way to be happy again."

"The same is true for you, Ken. If you give up on Sam now, he may never be able to fogive you," Mickey said softly, his amber eyes growing dark and serious.

Ken winced at the older twin's words, the truth of what Mickey was saying causing a fist to clench around his heart, but despite the sting of such a harsh observation, he nodded his head in agreement. "I know, Mickey. I haven't given up, not yet. Even if tonight Sam decides he can no longer call me his father, I will never stop believing in him. No matter how he feels about me, it doesn't change the fact that he will always be my son. If I lose faith in him now, then I don't have the right to call myself his father. If I give up now, then I don't deserve to have someone like him for a son."

"Oh, Ken," Yolei whispered, burying her face in her hands to hide the tears threatening to slip free from beneath the lenses of her glasses.

Leaning back on his hands, Matty lifted his chin and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. The younger twin looked surprisingly serious, and yet despite his solemn expression, there was a slight smile on his face. "You're right, Ken. If you can't have faith in other people, then you have no business asking them for their forgiveness. If you can't believe in yourself, then how do you expect others to believe in you? Everything we do, every decision we make, is based upon how we feel about each other, which means if we lose faith, we lose...everything."

Ken stared at the younger twin in astonishment, but it was Mickey's expression that had truly captured his attention. Normally Matty wasn't usually so philosophical, so to hear something so meaningful come flying out of the younger twin's mouth had clearly caught Mickey off guard. Blinking in surprise, the older twin stared at his brother, and without warning he suddenly leaned over and smacked Matty hard on the back of the head.

"Ouch!" the younger twin shouted, rubbing the back of his skull and sending his brother a dirty look. "What was that for?"

Mickey's cheeks turned pink and he beamed at the younger twin. "You're so stupid, Matty! Just when I think I understand you, you have to go and say something that changes everything. I...I guess I could learn a few things from you."

"You're the stupid one, Mickey. Just because you don't believe in me doesn't mean I've changed how I feel about you."

Mickey's lower lip trembled and he nodded slowly. "But...I don't deserve it. What you said was true."

"Maybe it's true for both of us. That's what happens when you lose sight of who you are..."

Both twins fell silent and Ken exchanged a nervous look with Yolei. There was obviously something going on between the two brothers, but at the moment he figured it was probably best not to mention it. Unfortunately, Miya didn't seem to feel the same way because she suddenly looked up and frowned at the twins."What's up with you two?"

"Oh nothing," Dai snorted, before either twin could answer. "They're just being real idiots right now. Don't worry, we'll deal with them after we deal with Sam."

Both twins turned bright red and frowned suspiciously at the goggle-headed leader, but instead of replying, both of them merely lowered their heads and proceeded to gaze uncertainly at their feet.

Deciding now was probably a good time to change the subject, Ken turned his attention to Dai, but not before taking a quick look at his daughter. That was the first time Miya had spoken since responding to Takara's questions and concern earlier, and the fact that she had been unusually quiet while listening to Dai's story made him feel slightly nervous. He wanted desperately to know what she was thinking, but at the same time he was afraid to find out exactly what was going on in her mind at the moment.

_Whatever she's thinking about can't be good. Why else would someone who's normally so talkative have lost their ability to speak?_

It was a depressing thought, but right now he didn't have time to dwell on his uneasiness concerning his daughter's thoughts. There were still too many other things he needed to understand first and a lot of his so far unanswered questions centered around what had happened in the Digital World that afternoon. "So...DarkAngelicmon was the one who told Sam the truth."

Ryoko let out a deep sigh and pressed his cheek against Iramon's soft fur. "Sam didn't actually tell us who told him, and DarkAngelicmon never actually admitted he was the one who told Sam, but there's no one else who could have let that information slip to your son. Although we can't prove it, we're sure DarkAngelicmon was the only digimon Sam encountered this afternoon. On top of that, it had to have been a digimon because you know none of your friends would have told him your secret. I never told him either, obviously, and none of my friends knew the truth until after Sam had already entered the forest."

"Takara, Matty, Dovemon, and Celestimon didn't even know until after we met up with Tai's group again," Palelymon mumbled.

"But why?" Yolei wailed. "Why would he tell Sam?"

"That's what we don't understand, but he must have had his reasons for doing it," Dai insisted.

"Anyone have any ideas?" DemiEmbermon asked hesitantly.

"I have an idea, but...I doubt any of you will believe me," Mickey mumbled, gazing meekly at his hands.

"That's not true! You know I'll believe you," Palelymon said shyly, beaming at his partner. "What is it, Mickey? You can tell us."

Mickey bit his lip, and blushing slightly he shrugged his shoulders, his attitude making it seem as if he felt his thoughts were of little importance. "None of you were close enough to clearly see the look in his eyes when he lifted me into the air, but I could see what was hiding beneath the surface of his anger. I know I can't prove it, but something about the look on his face makes me think he didn't really want to tell Sam the truth about the Emperor. Earlier, I said it looked as if DarkAngelicmon didn't give Sam a choice to hide from the truth, but now I'm starting to think...maybe...maybe it was the other way around. Maybe Sam didn't give DarkAngelicmon a choice. Perhaps there was a reason why he had to tell Sam the truth. That must be why he blurted out Ken's secret, even though he didn't really want to."

"Are you serious?" Matty shouted in disbelief. "Mickey, have you forgotten already? DarkAngelicmon already tried once before to tell Sam the truth. Why in the Digiworld would he suddenly decide to change his mind now after spending so much time trying to torture Sam?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it might have something to do with the Spirit Chips. Perhaps DarkAngelicmon felt telling Sam the truth wouldn't be in either of their best interests."

"Well, that's certainly true," Ryoko murmured, scratching his golden head. "DarkAngelicmon has hinted several times that if we let ourselves become corrupted by darkness, we won't be able to get our hands on our Spirit Chips, nor will we be able to help each other find our Spirit Chips. That's pretty much what he was saying to you, Mickey."

"You mean when...when he yelled at me earlier this afternoon?"

"Yes, exactly, and I'm sure he believes the same thing about Sam. DarkAngelicmon obviously believes that if Sam lets himself become corrupted by darkness then he won't be able to release his Spirit Chip from the seal created by his D-Coder. Also, if he allows himself to give in to evil, he may not want to help us anymore, and without his help, the rest of us might not be able to overcome the dangers that will most likely threaten the whole team when we go to find the rest of our Spirit Chips."

"So, in other words, Sam's actions could jeopardize our chances of finding any of the Spirit Chips, not just his own," Dai said seriously.

"Correct. To put it simply, I think DarkAngelicmon believed telling Sam the truth about the Emperor would cause him to become corrupted by darkness, which would jeopardize everything the Ruler of Darkness is trying so hard to achieve. An evil Sam could ruin their chances of stealing all of the Spirit Chips, and without the Spirit Chips, the crests and the D-Coders will also be useless to them. All their plans rest on the powers of the Spirit Chips. Only...if what Mickey said is true, then that could be the very reason why DarkAngelicmon decided to change his mind about not telling Sam the truth concerning the Emperor's true identity. Remember, when DarkAngelicmon first tried to tell Sam about Ken, he knew a lot about the Spirit Chips, but he didn't know everything. Because of Gennai, he knew we would need the crests and he suspected we would need our parents, but some of the more finer details he still had yet to discover. What Gennai told us this afternoon changed all of that. Now, like us, he knows almost everything, and as a result I believe it forced him to change his plans a little. It looks as if he came to the conclusion that Gennai's information meant he needed to keep the truth about the Emperor a secret, but perhaps Sam somehow made DarkAngelicmon realize that instead of discovering the truth, he had actually misinterpreted Gennai's information, which would explain why he would change his mind and tell Sam the truth at the last minute."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Matty demanded. "How about talking in a language I understand?"

Mickey frowned and slowly shook his head. "I don't know what Ryoko means, but like I said before, when it comes to blurting out the truth about the Emperor, I don't think Sam gave DarkAngelicmon any other choice. Something must have happened to make him angry enough to jeopardize his own plans."

_Or so it would seem..._

"You've really changed your mind, haven't you," Matty said quietly, gazing calmly into his brother's amber eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure of it now. It was Sam who didn't give DarkAngelicmon a choice to keep the truth hidden, not the other way around."

"Mickey, do you really think it was that simple?" Ryoko asked hesitantly. "Do you really think DarkAngelicmon blurted out the truth just because he might have been angry? Did you forget your own words already?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I...it's nothing. Forget it."

"By attempting to keep the truth a secret, DarkAngelicmon was trying to help Sam," Palelymon said shyly. "I know that's hard to believe, and it's also kind of hard to explain, but I know I'm right. What do you think, Ken?"

Ken gazed quietly at his hands for a moment, and narrowing his eyes in concentration, he slowly shook his head. "I'm not...sure. I understand why he didn't hurt Sam, or try to kill him, since he's already made it pretty clear he needs the six of you to get his hands on the Spirit Chips, but that doesn't explain why he didn't try to kidnap Sam to use him as bait in his quest to steal the Spirit Chip on Infinity Mountain. Even if DarkAngelicmon didn't want to use my son as bait, he still could have taken Sam directly to the Ruler of Darkness and kept him prisoner until it came time to find his Spirit Chip, but instead he let him walk away. Although, after what Ryoko said only moments ago, I suppose keeping Sam captive could have jeopardized the rest of your chances to get the other Spirit Chips, but still...according to Jestermon and Spritemon, they were acting as DarkAngelicmon's spies, and like Ryoko said, thanks to them, DarkAngelicmon now knows all about your conversation with Gennai and your plans to reach the top of Infinity Mountain. He knows everything and yet he still let Sam go free."

"Well, we don't actually know if he let Sam go without a fight," Iramon said calmly.

"That's true. Maybe he did try to capture Sam, but because of our D-Coders, his plan failed," Dai muttered to himself. "When it comes to DarkAngelicmon, we can't really be certain of anything."

"I don't believe that," Mickey said quietly, shaking his head in denial. "I can't really explain why I feel so sure, but I know I'm right. He definitely let Sam go free, but unfortunately not without a price."

Before anyone could even attempt to disagree, Ken nodded slowly and gave the older twin a weak smile. "I agree with you, Mickey, but...well, like you, I don't have an answer for why he would do such a thing, and nothing we've said so far, except for Ryoko's suspicions, explains why he dropped his guard and allowed himself to tell Sam the truth about the Emperor. He tried once before, but Luciamon stopped him before he could do more than spark Sam's interest. Then, if what you say is true, he changed his mind only to end up blurting out what he had decided to keep hidden after all, despite the risk of jeopardizing his plans and the original mission given to him by the Ruler of Darkness. A mission I believe he still must carry out, along with capturing Lucemon. There must be a reason."

"I thought that was obvious," Matty snorted, rolling his eyes. "DarkAngelicmon has been trying to get to all of us since right from the very beginning. I bet he wants Sam to end up in the World of Darkness permanently. Of course, he won't allow that to happen until after he gets his hands on Sam's Spirit Chip, but once he does, he won't care what happens to our friend. In DarkAngelicmon's eyes, having Sam lose his heart to the darkness would just be a fitting end to the Emperor's sad tale."

Ken winced at the younger twin's words, and yet despite Matty's harsh tone, there had been no hostility in his voice when he had mentioned the Emperor.

_Does that mean he doesn't feel the same way as Sam about the Digimon Emperor? Does that mean he doesn't think I no longer deserve to call myself a Digidestined?_

"DarkAngelicmon wants nothing more than to completely destroy Sam, I'm sure of it," Matty insisted.

"At least, on the surface that appears to be the case," Ryoko murmured, sitting back on his hands and gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling.

Almost immediately, Matty's amber eyes narrowed into a frown, and Ken watched the younger twin give his cousin a suspicious look. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, only...like I said earlier, I think perhaps DarkAngelicmon's priorities may have changed several times since he first found out about the Spirit Chips. I also believe what Mickey said earlier is the truth. I really think DarkAngelicmon did change his mind about revealing the Emperor's true identity, and yet despite his resolve not to say anything, he was unable to prevent himself from telling Sam exactly what he wanted to hear, which makes it look as if DarkAngelicmon's priorities may have changed even since deciding to keep the truth a secret. On the surface, it seems he blurted out the truth in anger, but I don't believe that. I think Sam somehow must have finally made him realize the true key to not only getting the Spirit Chips, but also the true key to using them, as well. Of course, he would never have allowed Sam, or anyone else for that matter, to see the internal conflict raging within his mind, but..."

Sitting up straight in his seat, Ken lifted his head and stared at Ryoko in astonishment. "I knew it! So...you see it, too?"

Ryoko smiled and nodded his head. "When DarkAngelicmon confronted Mickey, I could tell his entire way of thinking had changed dramatically. I believe he finally sees what he has been missing this whole time."

"Which would be what?" Matty snorted. "What is it you two are hiding?"

"I honestly think DarkAngelicmon did what he felt was best for Sam. Like Mickey said, at first, after hearing Gennai's information, I believe he wanted to keep Ken's past a secret because he thought it would jeopardize Sam's chances of receiving a Spirit Chip, but something has changed since then. I don't have any proof, but just before we joined Mickey at the edge of the forest, Sam somehow managed to convince DarkAngelicmon that instead of hurting him, revealing the truth about the Emperor would somehow protect him from something else that could potentially be much more dangerous than the Emperor's past. It's almost as if he realized his original plan to tell Sam the truth about the Emperor would, in fact, be a more effective way of getting his hands on Sam's Spirit Chip."

"How do you figure that?" Dai asked curiously.

"Because I finally realize what DarkAngelicmon is only now just beginning to understand. Maybe, instead of hiding from the truth, Sam needs to get over his fears concerning the Emperor to even have a chance of acquiring his Spirit Chip, but whether or not that's true, it doesn't change how I feel. I can't really explain it, but to automatically assume DarkAngelicmon was trying to hurt Sam, risking his own plans for the Digital World in the process, just doesn't sit right with me. Remember, we still don't know what really happened in the forest this afternoon."

"Ryoko, I...you're right. I can't believe I didn't see it!" Mickey said happily, smiling at his cousin "That explains what I was trying to say earlier, even though I didn't realize it at the time.Your theory could be the reason why DarkAngelicmon felt his only choice was to tell Sam the truth. Somehow Sam must have made him realize what was really important and because of that he had no other choice but to reveal Ken's secret."

Throwing up his hands in exasperation, Matty let out a loud groan and shook his head in defeat. "You two are completely hopeless, you know that?"

"Look who's talking," Ryoko snorted. "I just don't think it's smart to underestimate your enemies. When it comes to DarkAngelicmon, we need to be prepared for anything. He's a very complex digimon and so is his way of thinking. To ignore the hidden meaning behind much of what he says would be stupid and foolish. One wrong move in response to his actions and we could end up making a huge mistake."

"Are you calling me stupid?" Matty asked, frowning suspiciously at his cousin.

"No, Matty, I'm saying you assume too much. You have to look at everything with an open mind. If you don't, you could end up missing something incredibly important."

"So, in other words, you're calling me stupid."

"Blissfully ignorant would be a more accurate term, I think," Ryoko replied, smiling slightly. "You only believe what you want to believe. It must be nice to feel so sure..."

_If that is in fact how Matty really feels!_

Judging from the uncertain look on the younger twin's face, Ken was quite sure Matty didn't really know what to believe, especially when it came to DarkAngelicmon. If anything, the younger twin was struggling to choose between what he really wanted to believe was the truth and what he felt he had to believe concerning the mystery that was DarkAngelicmon. Although he was unlikely to admit it any time soon, Matty appeared no more sure about what was really going on with the fallen angel than Mickey was, but unlike the older twin, Matty was a much better actor. "You may not agree, Matty, but Ryoko is right about one thing. The Spirit Chips are a lot like the crests, and although Gennai didn't say it in so many words, like the crests, I think to obtain the Spirit Chips and in order for them to work properly, you're all going to have to believe in yourselves and also in the power that rests within your Spirit Chips. A power that defines who you are. I can't be certain, but I believe if Sam continues to dwell on the Emperor's past... no, on my past, then I doubt he'll be able to believe in himself and I doubt he'll be able to believe in the power that represents his greatest strength either. If that happens, I'm almost certain his Spirit Chip won't work, and not only that, but I don't think his D-Coder will be able to break the second seal surrounding his Spirit Chip either. That means he won't even be able to get his hands on it, let alone make it work. If Sam can't obtain his Spirit Chip or control its power, then that will mean big trouble for DarkAngelicmon and you know as well as I do that a useless Spirit Chip would throw a huge wrench into DarkAngelicmon's plans."

"What's your point?" Iramon asked bluntly.

"I agree with Ryoko and Mickey. Perhaps Sam's actions in the forest today somehow caused DarkAngelicmon to come to the same conclusion. If that's true then that would explain why he would tell Sam the truth about the Emperor, assuming Mickey's theory is correct."

"The look in his eyes," Mickey whispered. "He didn't want to tell Sam the truth because he didn't want to cause him any pain, but when he realized the truth deep down, he knew he didn't have a choice. He did it to help Sam."

"I believe Mickey is right," Minomon said quietly.

Ken gently stroked his partner's head and lifted his chin to gaze thoughtfully at the ceiling. "I don't know exactly how DarkAngelicmon plans to use the Spirit Chips, but if his priorities really have changed, thanks to Sam, then what I'm about to tell you now will make a lot of sense. If we assume DarkAngelicmon didn't want to tell my son the truth, only to end up changing his mind at the last minute as a result of Sam's actions today, then I believe he may have finally come to the same conclusions as I have about the Spirit Chips."

"You mean...you have your own theory about the Spirit Chips?" Fluttermon asked eagerly.

"Yes, and I believe DarkAngelicmon blurted out the truth because somehow Sam forced him to come up with the same theory."

"Care to explain this intriguing theory to us?" Dai asked dryly, smiling in amusement.

"It's simple really, in order for the Spirit Chips to be of any use to anyone, including DarkAngelicmon, they have to be in good working condition, which means Sam must not give in to the darkness in his heart. At least, not yet. That part will come later. Once Sam has learned how to use his Spirit Chip, and to control its power, then that is where I believe DarkAngelicmon will finally be able to put his real plans into action. I believe it's only after Sam has bonded with his Spirit Chip that DarkAngelicmon will be able to use its power to his advantage."

"But...but the Spirit Chip that belongs to Sam won't respond to anyone else. How could DarkAngelicmon possibly find a way to use it?" Takara asked curiously.

Ken rested his head against the back of the couch and he gave the female Digidestined a bitter smile. "By using Sam. I believe the only way a crest can truly become evil is if the person it belongs to allows them self to become a victim of the Powers of Darkness. The same must be true for the Spirit Chips. If Sam becomes fully corrupted by the darkness, then his Spirit Chip will also become a tool of darkness. No one can really make you become evil. If you choose to stray from the light then ultimately that is your decision, and no one else's. You don't have to listen to those who try to manipulate you, but in cases like what happened with me, often our hearts are weak and instead of turning away from the darkness, we choose to do what is easy instead of what is right."

"But...but the Emperor thing wasn't all your fault, right?" Miya suddenly blurted out, her light brown eyes beginning to sparkle with unexpected tears. "I mean, we don't know the whole story, but Oikawa had a lot to do with it, and MaloMyotismon."

Ken turned to face his daughter, and reaching out he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Maybe it wasn't all my fault, but that doesn't change what I did. I still have to take responsibility for my actions. The reason the Powers of Darkness are so fearsome is because they don't follow a standard set of rules. If Sam's Spirit Chip or any of the other Spirit Chips become a tool of darkness then I'm afraid DarkAngelicmon will somehow find a way to use their power."

"How?" DemiEmbermon demanded. "The Spirit Chips won't respond to anyone except the humans who can use their power. We've said it several times already."

"Isn't it obvious? If you lose your heart to the darkness and your Spirit Chip becomes a true tool for evil, then I think it's pretty safe to say you will no longer have control over its power. If that's true, then any evil digimon could potentially find a way to bend its power to their will. When your parents first found their crests, some of them had trouble getting the things to work, and there was one incident where...where one of the crests didn't work exactly as it should have. In fact, even after your parents were able to harness the power of their crests, there were still cases where one of them would lose sight of who they were, and when that would happen, whoever it was that had lost their ability to believe in themselves and their friends would no longer be able to get their crest to work. It happened to your father, Ryoko, when T.K. was captured by Puppetmon. Matt lost sight of what was really important, and as a result his crest would not glow for him when he needed Gabumon to digivolve."

"He forgot about the importance of friendship," Ryoko said sadly, shaking his head. "I know all about that. It was one of the things my dad told me last night when I figured out the truth about you."

Ken bowed his head and let out a soft sigh. "Thankfully none of your parents ever gave themselves up completely to the darkness, so their crests never gained enough negative energy to become powerful tools of darkness, but that's not the case with me. If Oikawa or MaloMyotismon had gotten hold of my crest, or more accurately its energy when I was the Emperor, I'm sure they could have found a way to use its dormant power for evil. At the time, the Crest of Kindness, which was being rebuilt within the golden Digiegg of Miracles, had merely been used as a power source for my base, but if I had tried to harness its power while I was the Emperor, it most likely would have ended up being corrupted by darkness. In a way, it already was, which was why it needed to be rebuilt in the first place, but thanks to the Digiegg of Miracles, which I'm sure Veemon mentioned to you, my crest remained safe. If Tai and the others had ever lost their hearts completely to the darkness, like I did, then the same would be true for them, but luckily our enemies never really tried to take that approach. Well, DemiDevimon and I suppose Apoclaymon did, in a way, but they never succeeded. If we lose sight of ourselves, the crests and Spirit Chips won't work, but if we push hard enough, we could potentially break through that barrier, which would allow us to use their powers for evil. To do so would cause us to lose control of our power and that could possibly give our enemies a chance to use our power to their advantage. If you turn your back on your Spirit Chip then the darkness will feed off its power. If that happens, it won't matter who has your Spirit Chip. Whether you have it or whether DarkAngelicmon manages to steal it won't make any difference anymore. Either way your powers could still be controlled by the very darkness itself and those who know how to wield it effectively."

"So, in other words, you think DarkAngelicmon only blurted out the truth to Sam because he realized that his original plan would be a more effective way of corrupting Sam's Spirit Chip? You think he only helped Sam because he wants to use his Spirit Chip for evil?" Mickey asked, looking disappointed.

"Only if you're right about DarkAngelicmon wanting to hide the truth," Matty reminded the older twin. "If you're wrong, then that means his decision to tell Sam the truth never really changed to begin with. Well, sort of."

Looking up in surprise, Ken quickly shook his head and gave Mickey a warm smile. "Well, like I said before, if Sam can't let go of his anger and doubt, even if the seal created by three of the crests is broken, I believe he still won't be able to break the second seal. And even if he did manage to get past that barrier, which is highly unlikely, I doubt he would be able to get his Spirit Chip to work. Both of these things could potentially cause a huge set back in DarkAngelicmon's plans, whatever they might be, since we still don't really know exactly what those plans are, which would explain why he would want to help Sam."

"But...does he believe what we believe? That's the real question here," Ryoko interrupted, frowning slightly.

"Maybe he didn't at first, but I have a feeling he does now, and I'm sure it's because of Sam's actions in the forest, whatever they may have been. DarkAngelicmon can't get his hands on Sam's Spirit Chip if Sam himself can't even get it. And in order to get it, Sam's heart must be pure. Also, on top of everything I've said before, I'm sure in order for DarkAngelicmon to gain complete control over Sam's Spirit Chip and to be able to use it for true evil, Sam will have to have at least some idea of how to use it himself, whether for good or for evil, though I think if Sam can harness its true power, the power of light, before losing his heart to the darkness, then that will make his Spirit Chip an even stronger tool of evil. If Mickey read DarkAngelicmon's expression correctly, which I believe he did, then perhaps that explains why DarkAngelicmon decided to abandon his plan of keeping my past a secret. You've heard DarkAngelicmon talk about the crests and the Spirit Chips. He keeps telling us they can become corrupted, just like our hearts can be tainted by the Powers of Darkness. I believe using the Spirit Chips for evil has been his main objective right from the very beginning. Clearly, the Ruler of Darkness must think the power of the Spirit Chips will somehow help him in his plan to rule the Digital World. If you think about it, DarkAngelicmon's original plans haven't changed at all, but thanks to Sam, I believe his priorities and the way he plans to reach his ultimate goal have changed considerably."

"You believe he finally sees what you've suspected all along," Goldmon said softly.

"DarkAngelicmon is finally beginning to believe what Ryoko figured out all on his own," Iramon murmured.

"If there's one good thing that came out of the Digital World today, it's the fact that I believe Sam may have given DarkAngelicmon something to think about."

"I'll say," Dai snorted.

"Same here," Ryoko muttered.

"It's hard to believe, but what you guys have said makes a lot of sense. If DarkAngelicmon really has started to think like you two do, then that would explain why it now looks as if he's waiting for precisely the right moment to...persuade Sam to follow the path of darkness," Dai sighed. "The stronger the light, the deeper the darkness, and if we take what Mickey said into consideration, then that would explain why it appears DarkAngelicmon has decided to wait for Sam's Spirit Chip to reach its full potential before making his move. Besides, when it comes right down to it, in order to digivolve our hearts must work together in harmony, and if Sam can't forgive the Digimon Emperor, then there's no way that can happen."

"I have to agree with Dai. Everything we've said so far makes so much sense, it's scary," Takara moaned.

Ken nodded in agreement and reached around Miya to give Takara's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. "All of this I know in my heart, and I really think DarkAngelicmon finally understands the truth. Sam has opened his eyes, I'm sure of it."

"But...what is the truth?" Miya asked hesitantly.

"Revealing the truth about the Emperor will _not _cause Sam to become a victim of the Powers of Darkness. Quite the opposite, actually. I believe the secrets of my past will help Sam discover the true power of his Spirit Chip."

Miya stared at him for a moment, and biting her lower lip she slowly moved closer to him and gently rested her head against his shoulder. "I see. So if Sam can forgive you..."

"Then perhaps DarkAngelicmon's suspicions are correct. That is, if he has come to the same conclusion about the Spirit Chips as both Ryoko and I have. On the surface it seems he only wants to help Sam for his own benefit, but like Mickey, I just find that a little too easy to believe. As Ryoko stated earlier, DarkAngelicmon is a very complex digimon, and I doubt he would ever make his true intentions that blatantly obvious. Then there's the issue with what happened in the forest. If he truly is an evil digimon then how was he able to use Angelicmon's attack? That doesn't make any sense to me."

"Not that again!" Matty groaned. "How many times do I have to say it? It could have been a trick to fool us."

"But the light was so warm! It wasn't fake!" Palelymon protested from Mickey's arms.

"What do you believe, Ken?" Dai asked slowly, his deep brown eyes growing dark and serious.

"I believe deep down DarkAngelicmon has known all along what was best for Sam, and unlike me he chose to do the right thing when it counted instead of contenting himself with taking the easy path."

"Ken?" Yolei asked anxiously.

Letting out a deep sigh, Ken rested his chin in his hands and turned to gaze solemnly at Dai. "I agree with Ryoko. I really believe DarkAngelicmon wants to help Sam, not himself."

"Me too!" Mickey said happily, nodding his head vigorously in agreement.

"Of course you would," Matty sighed.

"What about you, Yolei?" Iramon asked.

"I think I have to agree with Ken. I don't know why, but I just have this feeling that there's more to DarkAngelicmon than what we've seen so far. After what happened with Ken, I've learned not to judge people or digimon so quickly. Things are never as black and white as we like to think they are."

"I agree with Mommy and Daddy," Nao said shyly, nestling his small cheek against Yolei's shoulder.

"Miya, what do you think?" Takara asked hesitantly.

Miya smiled slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, I don't know what to believe right now. Maybe it'll be best if I just wait to decide until after I've had a chance to go over everything that's happened today. I mean, I'm still trying to get over the fact that I could have been a Digidestined."

_My daughter, a Digidestined. I almost forgot..._

"DarkAngelicmon didn't hurt you, Mickey, did he?" Yolei asked sharply, her eyes searching the older twin's body for any sign of an injury.

"No, I'm fine, but...his words really scared me. Where did he get this idea that I hate him? It just doesn't make any sense to me."

_Could Sam have something to do with DarkAngelicmon's anger towards Mickey?_

Ken was sure that was probably the case, but instead of voicing his opinion out loud, he merely shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention to Ryoko instead. The last thing he wanted to do was cause Mickey even more pain. "Ryoko, I...I'm sorry about Sam. It must have been hard for you to hear him say such terrible things to your face, especially since you were trying so hard to help him. It's my fault, and I..."

"No, it's not your fault. You didn't make Sam hate me."

"But..."

"I'll be okay," Ryoko whispered, avoiding his eyes. "If there's one thing I've learned today it's to never let your fear get in the way of what's really important."

"That's it?" Dai snorted, rolling his eyes.

Ryoko blushed and quickly ducked his head to hide the embarrassed look on his face. "No, I...you can't give up on your friends either, even if you think they'll never forgive you. Just because Sam hates me it doesn't mean I can give up on him."

"He doesn't hate you," Yolei said bluntly. "When I get my hands on that boy..."

"I guess only time will tell. Hey, Ken? You're not mad at my dad, are you? He didn't actually tell me your secret. I just kind of..uh..."

_Wait, he thinks I'm angry at Matt?_

Frowning slightly, Ken quickly shook his head and gave the golden-haired Digidestined a reassuring look. "I'm not mad at your father. The only person I'm angry with is myself."

_I want to hate DarkAngelicmon so much for telling my son the truth, but...I can't. How can I hate him for doing what I've wanted to do right from the very beginning? Sam...it's my fault you ended up in the World of Darkness. If anything had happened to you..._

"Dad?" Miya asked hesitantly, reaching out and placing her trembling hand on his arm. "Will you tell me your story now? I want to hear it from you. I _need_ to hear it from you..."

"Please, Daddy?" Nao asked hopefully.

_I left Sam all alone in the World of Darkness. What if this isn't the end? What if...what if he ends up back there again? If that happens, and there's no one there to save him next time, he might never come back..._

Taking a deep breath, Ken turned his attention to the children sitting on the floor in front of him, and twisting his hands together he managed a nervous smile. Despite everything they had just talked about, Dai and the others still weren't looking at him like he was the enemy, and although he still didn't understand quite how they felt about him yet, their lack of hostility made him feel slightly more optimistic. "Well, I don't really know how to begin, but I guess it all started before my brother died, right around the time when my Digivice first came out of the computer, or maybe the root of the problem was really even before then..."


	160. In the Mind of a Fallen Angel

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry about the wait, but I finally got another chapter done! I'll try to post one next week, as well, but depending on how busy I am, we shall see what happens. Updates, as usual, are on the forum. Enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 160: In the Mind of a Fallen Angel

_Ken Ichijouji _

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

With quite a bit of help from Minomon, Ken quickly told Dai and the others exactly what had happened to him twenty-five years ago, and he was careful to include all of the events that had taken place even before the Emperor, which included his brother's death, Oikawa's presence at the funeral, the appearance of his Digivice, and the jealously he had felt towards his brother that had lived deep inside his heart. The Emperor may have existed only twenty-five years ago, but the path he had chosen that had allowed his heart to become a tool of darkness had begun quite a bit earlier than that. It had all started with his uncertain feelings towards his brother, and if he had only just realized how unique and special they both were in the eyes of their parents, a lot of what had happened could possibly have been avoided.

While telling his story, several times he had to stop to gain control of his emotions before he could continue, but despite all the painful memories he was forced to relive inside his mind and heart, he felt a great sense of relief in finally being able to reveal his secrets. Strangely enough, it was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do in his entire life, and yet when his story finally came to an end, he could not help feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It was a good feeling, and he knew he had done the right thing. There was only one problem. The worst part was still to come, and he had a feeling the way Miya and the others responded to his story would decide whether or not he had any hope at all of getting through to Sam.

_If they can't even accept the truth, then there's no way Sam will ever be able to forgive me._

Even though there weren't any secrets left to reveal, the uneasy silence that still hovered over the room, a tense atmosphere charged with energy that had existed ever since he first began his story, made him feel like he desperately needed to explain himself further, but before he could open his mouth again, Dai suddenly looked up and gave him a small smile. "So...you don't blame your brother for everything that happened, do you?"

_Huh?_

Blinking in surprise, Ken frowned and nervously ran his fingers over Minomon's small head. Before telling his story, he had subconsciously warned himself that he needed to be prepared for anything, but the words that had just reached his ears were the last words he had expected to hear coming out of the goggle-headed leader's mouth. "No...I...if anything, I have to thank Sam. He helped me find my heart and to me that's the most important thing of all."

"It's strange, but when we're young, we don't always see the whole picture, and yet, at times children are much more insightful than adults. They see things that older children and adults tend to miss, things that are so clear and simple it's hard to understand why those who are older and wiser are unable to see the same thing," Ryoko said thoughtfully, his chin coming to rest comfortably in his hands. "Maybe I'm not the best person to judge, since my little brother or sister isn't born yet, but...I think having siblings means you have to learn how to communicate effectively with other people."

"What do you mean?" Matty asked curiously, his amber eyes lighting up with sudden interest.

"Well...look what happened with Ken."

Shifting uneasily in his seat, Ken gazed uncertainly at the golden-haired Digidestined and hugged Minomon protectively against his chest. "Ryoko..."

"Ken, there were many times when Sam would act distant and hostile towards you, and yet, despite his more unflattering moments, there were also times when he would be kind, attentive, and respectful towards you. On the surface, it may have seemed as if you were of little importance, but that wasn't the case at all. Sam was merely acting the way a brother is supposed to act."

"You mean..."

"Siblings fight. They shout, scream, hit, kick, and harass each other all the time, and sometimes they even say really hurtful things they don't mean, but that's the way life works. Look at Mickey and Matty. They're twins, as close as siblings can be, but even they don't always have the perfect relationship. Isn't the way they're acting now proof of what I'm trying to say?"

"Hey!" Matty shouted, glaring at his cousin. "You don't need to drag us into your stupid little speech!"

Instead of responding, Ryoko ignored the younger twin and proceeded to gaze solemnly at the ceiling. "Siblings might not always get along, but that doesn't change what's really important. It doesn't change the fact that they still care about each other, and when it really counts, they'll be the first ones there to defend each other with a ferocity that can't be matched by anything else. It's the people we love who hurt us the most, and it's the people we love who we end up hurting the most. How can your emotions react strongly to someone you feel nothing for? Often hatred is only a disguise for feelings you don't want to admit to yourself. Sam cared about you, Ken, just like your parents do. You couldn't see it then, but you see it now, right?"

Ken nodded and gave the golden-haired Digidestined a faint smile. "Yes, that's how he helped me find my heart, but the way you just managed to sum up our whole situation with such a simple explanation has made it all that much more clear to me. I couldn't see how Sam felt, nor just how much our parents loved both of us, not just Sam. I thought taking Sam's place was the only way I could receive their love and support, but Davis and the rest of my friends made me realize that I didn't have to be someone else to gain the friendship and respect of others. Sam, Wormmon, and my parents made me realize the same thing."

"It's okay to be yourself," Takara said softly.

"Exactly. They all loved me for who I was, not the person I pretended to be. I had what I wanted all along, but I just couldn't see it until Yolei and the others saved me from myself. There's nothing wrong with who I am. It's okay to be me, and no one will think any less of me for following my own heart. If they do, then they're not the kind of person I want to be close to. All those innocent digimon I hurt made me realize just how important life really is. Every decision we make affects the lives of others, and we have to be prepared to take responsibility for our actions. By keeping the truth a secret, I almost forgot that painful lesson those digimon taught me, but I won't make the same mistake twice. Look at how my actions affected Sam. This kind of thing can't be allowed to happen again."

_I hope T.K. realizes the same thing, and Tai too, for that matter._

"In other words, you plan to tell Sam exactly what you told us?" Dai asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, even...even if it costs me my son's love and respect."

"Ken, I wish you could see just how much you've grown," Yolei sighed, her lips twitching into a fond smile. "I really am proud of you."

"Poor Uncle Sam. Why did he have to go away?" Nao mumbled. "I wish I could have met him, but...I know he's proud of you, Daddy, just like me."

"Uncle," Miya whispered, a sad smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

_Sam..._

Unable to stand the uncertainty piercing his heart, Ken turned his attention to Dai and blurted out the one thing he had been desperate to ask ever since the goggle-headed leader had shown up on his doorstep. "Why? Dai, why haven't you and the others treated me like..."

"Like the evil Digimon Emperor?"

Blushing slightly, Ken quickly averted his gaze and proceeded to gaze miserably at his hands. "I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"Don't you think you've suffered enough punishment already?"

"What?"

"Daichi's right," Ryoko interrupted, his deep blue eyes growing dark and serious. "Using Oikawa, MaloMyotismon tried his best right from the very beginning to hurt you, and because of him you lost sight of what truly mattered. As the Emperor, you did some really horrible things, no one can deny that, but how can you expect to condone for your crimes if you can't learn to let go of the past? We could choose to hate you for what you did, but what would that accomplish? It won't change the past. It won't help us save the Digital World, and more importantly, it won't help Sam."

"And without Sam, we can't stop the Ruler of Darkness," Takara insisted. "Oikawa and MaloMyotismon gave you the tools to use for your own destruction. You could have refused to accept them; you could have turned away from the darkness, but you didn't. Does that make you a bad person? No, of course not! Why did you lose your heart to the darkness in the first place? It's because you're just like everyone else! The Emperor could just as easily have been some other lost soul. Why beat yourself up over being human?"

"We all have darkness in our hearts. It's how we choose to use our power that decides our fate and the fate of those around us," Mickey said shyly. "You aren't weak because you became the Emperor. You're strong because you turned away from being the Emperor. It's easy to lose yourself to the darkness, but it takes real strength and courage to find your way back to the light. How many other people have failed to do what you did? To turn away from evil...if anything, you're stronger than everyone else here in this room combined."

"It's easy to do what is right when you're not being tested, but it's a whole different story when you have to claw your way back," Matty agreed.

"Nothing has changed, Ken," Dai said firmly. "You're still the same person we've always known, and nothing you tell us will ever change the way we feel. One day Sam will finally understand our way of thinking. It might take a while, but if we continue to believe in him, it'll happen. You'll see."

Overcome with emotion, Ken hastily rubbed his eyes and smiled brilliantly at the young Digidestined, all of whom were smiling back at him. "Thank you, all of you. And thank you for saving Sam from the forest today. I can't even tell you how grateful I am."

Oddly enough, Dai didn't seem to hear a word of what he had just said. For some reason the goggle-headed leader was staring at Ryoko, and there was a thoughtful expression on the young boy's face.

_Only a disguise. I wonder..._

"See, Ken? I told you they would understand!" Minomon said happily, hopping up and down excitedly in his lap.

"Of course we would! So, uh...Ken? Are you planning on coming with us to the Digital World tomorrow?" Matty asked hesitantly.

Ken's smile faded, and avoiding the younger twin's eyes, he quickly shook his head. "Considering how Sam feels right now, I don't think it would be a very good idea. Besides, Sam will more likely be willing to join you in the Digital World tomorrow if I'm not there. I don't want to jeopardize your chances of getting the Spirit Chip on Infinity Mountain. At the moment, I think it would be best if I just gave Sam a little bit of space. I'm sure he needs some time away from me to think about everything he's learned today, but that doesn't mean I want you guys to give up on him. Please talk to him for me, and...keep him safe."

"Don't worry, Ken, we'll look out for him, and I promise we'll find a way to make him see just how much you've changed since those days when you were the Emperor," Mickey said firmly.

"It's too bad, though," DemiEmbermon said regretfully, shaking his head. "We could have used JewelBeemon, especially now that Vampiramon and the other megas have finally decided to fight against us using their full strength."

"Well, at least Joe offered to come with us, so hopefully we'll be able to get the Spirit Chip before Vampiramon and her allies have a chance to fight against us," Fluttermon piped up, sending DemiEmbermon an encouraging smile.

"Ken, can I ask you something?" Mickey mumbled, gazing uncertainly at his feet.

"Of course. What is it?"

"Well, do you remember when we were in DarkAngelicmon's castle? Luciamon managed to stop DarkAngelicmon from telling Sam the truth about the Emperor, but I don't think she was doing it just for Sam. On the surface, it looked as if she was trying to stop DarkAngelicmon from hurting Sam, but I think maybe she was trying to stop him from hurting you, too. It's almost as if he has plans for both you and Sam, not just Sam. If that's true, then what do you think he has planned for you?"

Ken gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment, and shaking his head in defeat, he shrugged his shoulders and let out a small sigh. "I don't know, but...I think maybe his plans for me centre around what he has planned for Sam. I think it's pretty obvious DarkAngelicmon wanted to use me to hurt Sam. After all, he knew hurting me would also hurt Sam, and allowing Sam to fall victim to the darkness in his heart would bring him one step closer to his goal. That's probably why he originally wanted to tell Sam about my past. I'm sure his plans for me all have something to do with whatever he has in store for Sam. My son is the one he really wants to use in his quest to steal the Spirit Chips and their power, not me."

"I guess that makes sense, but...if this afternoon DarkAngelicmon really did misinterpret Gennai's words, only to discover later, thanks to Sam, that parts of his original plan to tell Sam the truth would in fact be a more effective way of reaching his goal than by keeping the Emperor's identity a secret, then how will he go about using your past to his advantage? I mean, it looks as if DarkAngelicmon realizes Sam will need to stay away from the darkness in order to get his Spirit Chip and to gain control of its power, but for DarkAngelicmon's plans to work, at some point in time Sam will need to allow his heart to become corrupted by evil, right?"

"Yes, if our theories about DarkAngelicmon are correct, and he has in fact discovered that knowing the truth about my past may actually help Sam stay away from the darkness, not the other way around."

"Well, if we're right then that means DarkAngelicmon originally wanted to use your past to make Sam lose his heart to the darkness, but now that Sam knows the truth, and it may, like you said, actually help him turn away from evil, there's no way DarkAngelicmon will be able to use the Emperor as a catalyst anymore. We suspect your past will actually help Sam stay away from the darkness and reach his true potential, which means DarkAngelicmon will have to find another way to corrupt Sam's heart, if like he keeps saying, he wants to fulfill his master's plans. All of this brings me back to my real question. What else could DarkAngelicmon possibly use to hurt Sam? The Emperor's true identity was the one thing he had that might have worked..."

_Isn't it obvious, Mickey? How can you not see it?_

Unable to look at the older twin, Ken quickly squeezed his eyes shut and he covered his face with his hands. "You, Mickey. He wants to use you and Matty."

"W-what?"

"And not just you and Matty," Ryoko interrupted, "He wants to use Ken, too. Not the Digimon Emperor. Ken."

Everyone in the room suddenly fell silent, and just when Ken thought perhaps the conversation might be over, Matty suddenly let out a gasp that turned into a cry of fear. "Ken, what do _you _think DarkAngelicmon has planned for Mickey and myself?"

Lifting his head, Ken quickly turned towards Matty and gave the younger twin a sad smile. "I think what he has planned for Sam is the same thing he has planned for the two of you. He wants the power of your Spirit Chips, and he will stop at nothing until both you and Mickey have completely given yourselves up to the Powers of Darkness. It's the same thing he wants for all of the Spirit Chips, but he seems to have a special purpose for the ones that belong to the two of you. I'm not sure exactly what that purpose is yet, but I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later."

"But...how exactly does he plan to make us become victims of the Powers of Darkness?" Matty asked anxiously.

_By turning the two of you against each other._

"Ken, you don't really believe DarkAngelicmon only cares about hurting Mickey and Matty, do you?" Palelymon gasped. "Earlier you said..."

"No, Palelymon, I...I think he feels it's something he must do, even though it may not be something he necessarily wants to do. He may have truly wanted to hurt them in the beginning, but now...now I feel as if he may be having second thoughts. Deep down inside, I don't think he really wants to hurt Mickey and Matty, but it's almost as if he feels he has no other choice. I get the feeling he's trying to convince himself that he doesn't care, but if you ask me, the cracks are starting to show. If we ever do find out the truth about his past, I'm sure it will be very surprising, one way or another."

"When I first met DarkAngelicmon, I really believed he was an evil, dangerous digimon who wanted nothing more than to hurt all of us and cause us pain," Mickey said quietly, lowering his head and gazing uncertainly at his feet. "I was convinced he wanted to hurt Sam and Matty, but...now I'm not so sure. I still think he's going to try to hurt them, and I still believe he needs Matty more than he needs me, but if we can find a way to get through to him, maybe we can stop that from happening."

"Good luck," Matty snorted, rolling his eyes. "By the way, Mickey, remember when you said DarkAngelicmon was going to use me to hurt you? Well, if you ask me, what you implied makes it sound as if he needs you more than he needs me."

Mickey opened his mouth to protest, but when he realized Matty was right, he blushed and quickly turned away from his twin. "Maybe, but...I still think you're the key to all of his plans, not me."

"He pays way more attention to you than he does to me. You're the one he's always going after all the time. Doesn't what just happened today completely prove the whole point I'm trying to make here? You're the one he wants. Why can't you see that? Even if Ken's right about DarkAngelicmon not wanting to hurt us, and I still have my doubts, that doesn't mean he isn't still dangerous. Relying too much on a bunch of theories could get us all killed, and I can't believe I'm the one who's reminding you all of that! The rest of you should know better than me."

"I used to think the way you do, Matty, but...a lot of things have changed since then. Why can't you see it?"

"You're only seeing what you want to see, Mickey! How can both you and Ryoko sit there and accuse me of that when you're the one who won't open your eyes, not me!"

"Please," Mickey pleaded. "You have to see..."

"Will you two give it a rest?" Ryoko snapped, glaring at his cousins. "Besides, you're both wrong! How can you two ignore what is so blatantly obvious! Look at the way you're acting. I think it's pretty clear who DarkAngelicmon really wants!"

"What do you mean?" Matty asked hesitantly, frowning at the golden-haired Digidestined.

"Oh, just forget it! You wouldn't understand no matter how hard I tried to explain it!"

_Ryoko sees what I see. DarkAngelicmon wants both of them, and to steal their power, he's going to turn them into enemies..._

It was a theory based on absolutely no evidence, but Ken still couldn't help feeling as if he was on the right track.

_If only there was something we could do..._

"Ken, uh...is it okay if one of us talks to Sam?" Dai suddenly blurted out, gazing coolly at Mickey and Matty before turning his attention to the question at hand. "I'd like to know what really happened in the forest today, and I also want to know exactly how he's feeling right now. Maybe having someone to talk to will help him come to terms with your past, and maybe it'll help us figure out whether or not our theories are true."

"You can try, but...I'm not going to get my hopes up."

"We'll see."

"Who should go?" Takara asked curiously.

"Mickey," Ryoko said promptly.

"Definitely Mickey," Dai agreed.

"Like you even need to ask," Matty snorted.

Mickey jerked his head up in surprise, and to Ken's complete astonishment, the older twin's face suddenly turned a deep shade of red. "Why me?"

Rolling his eyes, Matty grabbed his brother's arm and quickly pulled the older twin up off the floor. "Let's see...Dai has practically no tact whatsoever; this kind of thing always makes me too frustrated, and Ryoko is...well...Ryoko! Besides, after what happened this afternoon, I doubt Sam will want to talk to either Dai or Ryoko. Takara would be the next best choice, but you seem to be able to understand him the best out of all of us, which makes you the logical choice."

"But-"

"Hurry up. We don't have all night!"

"But-"

Matty gave his brother a push towards the door, and stumbling slightly, Mickey reluctantly made his way up the stairs. Ken, who was still sitting on the couch, could see Kara and the others crowded around the bottom of the staircase through the doorway, and although they all looked a little bit nervous, he could tell they were trying not to show it for Mickey's sake.

"Better you than me," Ryoko said sadly, shaking his head.

"Are you still worrying about the way Sam treated you earlier?" Dai asked calmly, glancing ever so slightly in the golden-haired Digidestined's direction. "Hatred is only a disguise, right? Isn't that what you said earlier?"

Ryoko's face suddenly turned bright red, and looking quite flustered, he quickly turned away from the goggle-headed leader, his bright blue eyes sparkling with sudden emotion. Clearly Dai was no longer talking about Sam, and Ryoko seemed to have gotten the message loud and clear.

"Good luck, Mickey!" Takara called cheerfully, her words cutting through the sudden tension between Daichi and Ryoko.

Mickey glanced down at the other children and gave them all a weak smile. "Well, I'll try, but I can't make any promises."

"You'll be fine," Matty said softly. "We believe in you."

Ken caught the blush on Mickey's cheeks before the older twin disappeared from view, and shaking his head, he allowed himself a small smile. Even though he was still worried about Sam, he couldn't help feeling grateful to Dai and the others for what they were trying to do for him. It was a good feeling and it made him feel a lot more hopeful about his situation.

"Dad?"

Startled out of his thoughts, Ken looked up in surprise, and turning in his seat, he nearly let out a gasp when he suddenly found himself gazing into his daughter's amber eyes. "What...what is it, Miya?"

"Um...can I...can I talk to you for a minute?"


	161. Twilight Hour

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: After this we'll move to Ken and Miya, and then after that the really interesting chapters will begin. And it all starts with Sam's cousins and how DarkAngelicmon is spending his night at the castle on Cyber...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 161: Twilight Hour

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Mickey wasn't quite sure just how long he had been standing in front of Sam's bedroom door, but he knew if he didn't at least make an attempt to talk to the raven-haired Digidestined, Dai and the others would never let him forget it. They were counting on him to cheer Sam up, but considering how the raven-haired Digidestined had been acting towards Ken earlier, he had a feeling that was going to be easier said than done.

_I know I need to convince him he's wrong about Ken, but how exactly am I supposed to make him listen to me? What am I supposed to say? I can't force him to talk to me if he really does want to be left alone..._

It was indeed a rather difficult situation, and every time Mickey managed to come up with an idea he thought might work, his plan was almost immediately discarded for one reason or another, left to rest upon a growing pile of useless strategies he felt sure would never actually work.

_Which makes me wonder how I manage to get myself into these things all the time._

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had now reached the point where he was getting desperate, and despite all the encouragement his friends had shouted up the stairs after his retreating form, he was starting to wonder if maybe he wasn't really all that good at helping people who desperately needed him after all.

_They should have sent Kara. She's way better at this kind of thing than I am..._

"Mickey, aren't we going to talk to Sam?" Palelymon asked hesitantly, interrupting the older twin's thoughts.

Glancing down at the small digimon in his arms, Mickey smiled weakly and quickly nodded his head. "Of course! I was just...gathering my thoughts."

Well, there was no other way around it. He was just going to have to follow his heart, and somehow his ability to forgive Ken for everything that had happened in the past was going to have to be enough to change Sam's mind.

_Really, how _do _I get myself into these things?_

Sighing in defeat, Mickey slowly lifted his hand and he knocked gently on Sam's bedroom door. "Sam, uh...can I come in?"

He waited for a moment in silence, but there was no answer.

_So much for getting off to a decent start._

"Sam, it's Mickey. Could I talk to you, please? Just for a moment?"

Again, Mickey thought Sam wasn't going to answer, but just as he was about to turn away in defeat, a quiet voice from the other side of the door said, "You can come in, but only if you're alone."

"I only have Palelymon with me. Is it okay if he comes in, too?"

"I guess so."

To Mickey's ears, it sounded like Sam was standing right up close to him, just on the other side of the door, but when he turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open with his foot, there was no one standing on the other side. In the split second it had taken him to open the door, Sam had somehow managed to scramble back onto the bed, his face disappearing within a fluffy pillow covered by a burgundy pillowcase. Glimmermon sat on the bed right next to Sam's raven head, and the poor little digimon looked absolutely miserable.

_He looks exactly how I feel..._

Letting out a soft sigh, Mickey slowly moved further into the room and he hesitantly sat down on the edge of Sam's double bed. The thick, burgundy comforter looked wrinkled and slightly lopsided beneath Sam's body, and the pillow Sam wasn't using to hide his face with was lying on the floor next to the door, having obviously been thrown across the room in a rage of anger and despair. There were several other objects lying on the rich brown carpet, including Sam's backpack, a chessboard, and a framed photograph of Sam's family that had also been thrown, but out of all the discarded items it was the picture of the Ichijouji family that had caused Mickey's heart to suddenly stir with pain and sadness. "Sam?"

Sam, who was lying on his stomach, shifted slightly at the sound of his name and he slowly moved his head to the side, deliberately turning his face away from Mickey, and even though the older twin could only see the back of his friend's raven head, he knew without being told that Sam's cheeks were streaked with tears. "Mickey, tell me why I feel like I've been betrayed."

Mickey pulled his legs up onto the bed, and reaching out he gently placed his hand on his friend's right shoulder. "You feel betrayed because everyone has been keeping secrets from you, but what you can't understand is _why _everyone has been keeping secrets from you."

"You're right, I just don't understand," Sam choked out, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why does everyone keep trying to hurt me?"

"Is that what you really believe? Do you honestly think everyone is trying to hurt you?"

"What else am I supposed to believe?"

"If that's how you really feel then let me ask you this. Do you think I would ever intentionally try to hurt you?"

Mickey wasn't really expecting to receive an answer, but to his complete surprise, Sam's shoulder suddenly relaxed under his hand, and he felt the raven-haired Digidestined shift closer to him. "No! You...you're not like that. It's never all about you. It's always about everyone else. You wouldn't hurt anyone unless there was no other way."

"Sam...is that how you really feel about me? I...I don't know what to say..."

"Mickey...I..."

Smiling happily to himself, Mickey leaned closer to the raven-haired Digidestined and whispered, "Why are the others any different from me? You said it yourself, I wouldn't hurt you unless there was no other way. Did it ever occur to you that maybe the others feel the exact same way? Did you never stop to think maybe Ryoko and the others are only hurting you, not because they want to, but because they have no other choice?"

"But..."

"It's never about me, it's always about everyone else. Maybe you should take your own words to heart."

His scolding and the way he was able to twist the raven-haired Digidestined's own words around must have come as a huge shock because Sam suddenly let out a soft gasp, and twisting his head around so they were facing each other, the raven-haired Digidestined finally looked at him, their gazes meeting for the first time since Mickey had entered the room. As he had suspected earlier, Sam's cheeks were streaked with tears.

"You...you don't understand, Mickey."

"I understand better than you think. Do you honestly believe you're the only one who's hurting right now? You told Ryoko you hated him, all because he tried to protect you. How do you think he feels right now? How do you think your father feels after you pretty much rejected him just because of something that happened a long time ago? There are so many other people involved, and they're hurting just as much as you are. Don't their feelings matter to you? Isn't their happiness just as important as yours is?"

"I've been trying to tell him the same thing, but he refuses to listen to me," Glimmermon said sadly, the small light bulb hovering above his head flickering several times before dying completely.

Feeling sorry for his normally cheerful friend, Palelymon gently patted Glimmermon's dark bulb with one of his fluffy ears and silently shook his head at Sam. Clearly he was very disappointed in the raven-haired Digidestined for unintentionally upsetting Glimmermon.

"If you just came in here to lecture me, I don't want to hear it," Sam said bitterly, sitting up and rubbing vigorously at his puffy eyes. "I got enough of that earlier from Dai."

"Sam, do you...hate your father?"

Instead of answering, Sam wrapped his arms around himself and he lifted his chin to gaze dully at the ceiling. "You're right about one thing, Mickey. This isn't just about me, or even my father. You think he's the only reason I'm upset? It's not just him! It's everything. Ryoko, Dai, and that stupid, stupid angel! I hope he's hurting just as much as I am. Maybe then he'll finally know what it feels like to experience real pain!"

_DarkAngelicmon..._

Barely able to contain his emotions, Mickey bit his lower lip, and somehow he forced himself to remain calm and unresponsive. He wanted desperately to know exactly what had happened between Sam and DarkAngelicmon in the forest, but he had a feeling now was probably not the best time to satisfy his curiosity. "When one of us suffers we all feel the pain, Sam, not just you."

"Now you're starting to sound like _him. _Spare me. Listening to someone telling me about how stupid I am is the last thing I need right now."

"Sam..."

The ice in the raven-haired Digidestined's eyes suddenly melted, and almost immediately Sam's cold gaze faded away only to be replaced with something that looked suspiciously like sorrow. Bright tears began to slide slowly down his cheeks, and he quickly covered his face with his hands to hide the pain in his eyes. "I...I'm just so tired of it all, and it hurts _so much. _I want to run away, but where can I go? As long as I have to keep fighting, it's never going to leave me alone. I feel like the Digital World has given me nothing but bad memories, and I just can't take it anymore. Mickey, I...I don't think I want to be a Digidestined anymore."

"Sam!" Glimmermon gasped, the little digimon's violet eyes growing wide with horror.

Sighing softly, Mickey gave Sam's shoulders a squeeze, and pulling the raven-haired Digidestined against him in a hug, he shook his head in despair. He could feel Sam trembling in his embrace, and although he was horrified by his friend's terrible words, they didn't really come as a big surprise. "You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do! I just want things to go back to the way they were before. I don't want to have to deal with all of this. I don't want to have to think about him...and..."

"But...Sam, what about me?" Glimmermon whimpered, the light bulb above his head drooping down over his deep purple eyes. "If you had never come to the Digital World then the two of us wouldn't have become partners. Don't you care about me anymore?"

Jerking his head up in surprise, Sam quickly pulled Glimmermon into his lap, and he cuddled the little digimon tightly against his stomach. "Of course I care about you! I'm sorry, Glimmermon. You know I didn't mean it like that. I don't regret meeting you, and truthfully, I don't know what I would do if you weren't here with me now, but...I don't want to fight anymore. I wish the two of us could just stay here in the human world, away from all those horrible digimon who keep trying to hurt us."

"It sounds like a nice idea, but hiding from your duty to help the Digital World wouldn't stop you from having to face your dad. Isn't that what you want to run away from the most?" Palelymon asked quietly.

Sam's face turned bright red, and Mickey had to hide a smile. "I never asked to be a Digidestined."

"Neither did I, but if being a Digidestined means I get to be friends with Palelymon, and if it means I get to help DarkAngelicmon, then there's no way I'd ever give up my D-Coder, even for a second. I know it's hard, Sam, but if you could only find a way to look past all the bad things that have happened, I know you would finally realize just how lucky we are. Besides, hiding in the human world wouldn't help you. Vampiramon and her allies would just find a way to come here and torture you instead of doing it in the Digital World. Myotismon found a way to come here, didn't he? How are Vampiramon and the others any different?"

"You're wrong, Sam," Palelymon said firmly, his big, blue eyes growing dark and serious. "This is what you wanted. Glimmermon never would have digivolved if you hadn't wanted to be a Digidestined. Besides, you're the one who wanted to know the truth about the Digimon Emperor. You got what you wanted, didn't you?"

Sam's mouth fell open and he stared at Palelymon in shock. "Excuse me?"

"You don't have the right to blame anyone else for the way you feel right now, not even DarkAngelicmon. This is exactly what you wanted, and if you're not willing to deal with the consequences of knowing the truth then you never should have tried so hard to find out what you obviously didn't want to know in the first place!"

"Palelymon!"

"You know I'm right, Mickey!"

Mickey rolled his eyes and he quickly turned his face away from Sam so the raven-haired Digidestined wouldn't see the smile on his face. "Well, you don't have to say it like that."

"I didn't know the truth was going to...to be like that," Sam mumbled, avoiding Palelymon's sapphire eyes.

_Yes, you did. Deep down inside, you knew._

"Maybe not, but being mean to your friends and hiding from who you are isn't going to alter the facts. Ken can't change the past, but you have the power to change the future. And if you ask me, I think a future without your father by your side would seem pretty lonely."

Taking advantage of Sam's guilty conscience, Mickey tugged lightly on the raven-haired Digidestined's arm, to get his friend's attention, and he sorrowfully shook his head. "Sam, being a Digidestined is who you are. If you weren't the kind, caring Sam Ichijouji who became my friend way back when we were little, then you never would have been chosen to fight along side your very own partner in the Digital World. Don't you see? If you weren't the Sam I know so well, then none of this would have ever happened! But...is that what you really want? Are you saying you want to be someone else?"

"Mickey, right now I would give _anything _to be anyone other than who I am. You're really lucky, you know that? You don't know what it feels like to be betrayed by the people you care about the most..."

"Sam..."

Mickey felt Sam lean against his shoulder for support, and frowning slightly he gave the raven-haired Digidestined a reassuring pat on the back. Clearly, Sam was determined to stay miserable and although Mickey wanted desperately to change his friend's way of thinking, unfortunately he was starting to run out of ideas.

_Not that Sam would listen to me even if I did finally say the right thing. I could talk all night and he'd probably just spend most of the time ignoring me. One thing is for sure, this conversation isn't going as well as I'd hoped. Dai and the others are going to be so disappointed in me..._

"I'm sorry, Mickey," Sam suddenly mumbled, the raven-haired Digidestined's unexpected apology catching the older twin completely off guard.

Blinking in surprise, Mickey pulled back slightly so he could look directly into his friend's deep blue eyes. "What for?"

"You must hate me for acting like a complete jerk, but I can't help it..."

"Sam, I could never hate you. You might occasionally do things I don't agree with, the way you're acting now being a perfectly good example, but no matter how many stupid decisions you make, I'll never stop being your friend. It's not like I haven't done my share of stupid things, too. Real friends stick by each other, even if they know the path they've chosen will only lead to pain and sadness."

"Just like Wormmon," Sam whispered, brushing away the tears in his eyes. "He stayed with my dad the whole time, even though he knew what they were doing was wrong..."

"You're right, and in my opinion, you could learn a few things from Wormmon."

Sam stared at him for a moment, and without warning, the raven-haired Digidestined suddenly pulled him into a fierce hug and whispered softly in his ear, "Thanks, Mickey. I'm glad I have a friend like you, especially now when I need you the most."

"Sam...why don't you tell me what happened to you in the forest this afternoon. We have our theories, but I'd like to hear the story directly from you."

"Well, um..."

"You met up with DarkAngelicmon, didn't you."

Sam's whole body suddenly grew tense and Mickey felt the raven-haired Digidestined pull away from him. "Yes, he was with me."

"The forest...it was covered in darkness. Did you really...was that the Dark Ocean in the distance? Did you really go to the World of Darkness?"

"Well, that's where _he _says we were, but I don't know if I believe him..."

"Tell me."

"It's kind of a long story, but I guess it all began when I started to have my doubts about Ryoko. I had a feeling he was hiding something from me, and...I guess I was afraid he didn't want to be my friend anymore..."

_Oh, Sam...how could you be so blind?_

Mickey listened to his friend's tale in silence and by the time the raven-haired Digidestined's story had come to an end, he could not help feeling as if his entire world had just turned upside down. Although he still didn't know for sure, what Sam had just told him, along with the things DarkAngelicmon had told him earlier, it looked more and more as if his theories about the fallen angel were right. And yet, despite all the information Sam had just given him, there was still one thing that didn't make sense, something he felt sure Sam was trying desperately to hide from him. What was it exactly that had made DarkAngelicmon blurt out the truth, and why did he have a feeling part of the reason had something to do with the way DarkAngelicmon had been acting so nasty towards him earlier? What had been the turning point for DarkAngelicmon and why had it affected the fallen angel so deeply?

_So, DarkAngelicmon really did want to keep the truth a secret, but then he decided not to. What are you hiding, Sam, and why don't you want me to know what it is?_

"Now do you see why I hate him so much?" Sam said bitterly, clenching his hands into tight fists. "He's been trying to hurt me ever since the day I met him. Now that he's finally managed to get exactly what he wanted all along, I bet he and his stupid master are throwing a big party in that ugly castle of theirs. I almost wish Vampiramon would finish him off and be done with it. That would give us one less evil digimon to worry about. It could happen. They don't exactly appear to be the best of friends, if you know what I mean."

"Sam, I...I don't think DarkAngelicmon really wanted to hurt you."

"What?"

Sam stared at him in disbelief, and Mickey felt his face turn red. "Listen, I know it's hard to believe, but I'm sure I'm right. We have a few theories about DarkAngelicmon's behaviour, but I don't think I'm going to tell you them right now."

"Why not?" the raven-haired Digidestined shouted indignantly, pulling back and crossing his arms over his chest.

Mickey smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "Because I know you won't believe any of them, but what you just told me makes me think our theories might actually be more fact than fiction."

"Will you ever tell me?"

"Maybe once you've finally found your heart again you'll be able to understand exactly what your true feelings are trying to tell you. With the way you're acting right now, though, there's no way you'd be able to accept what you don't want to believe."

"What if I don't find my heart?" Sam asked hesitantly, avoiding his eyes.

"Then you'll never understand the truth and you'll never be free of the darkness that's haunting you."

"And if I do find my heart?"

Mickey slowly lifted his gaze and he smiled softly at the raven-haired Digidestined. "If you can find yourself again then I promise I'll tell you everything, but by that time I shouldn't have to say a word because by then you will already know."

Sam nodded slowly and he gently stroked Glimmermon's soft head. "Mickey, tell me what happened to you and the others in the Digital World this afternoon. Did you ever make it to Infinity Mountain?"

Mickey quickly told the raven-haired Digidestined about their battles with Vampiramon and her allies, leaving out only his confrontation with DarkAngelicmon, and when he was finished Sam looked as if his guilt was going to overwhelm him. "So...the Spirit Chip of Bravery is still on top of Infinity Mountain and Vampiramon and the others are finally fighting against us using all of their power..."

"Not exactly very encouraging, is it."

"Mickey, I...I'm really sorry," Sam whispered, hanging his head in shame. "I should have been there to help you guys. If any of you had gotten hurt, it would have been all my fault."

"Sam..."

"It's true, isn't it? If I hadn't run away, the Spirit Chip of Bravery might not still be stuck on the top of Infinity Mountain. _He _tried to warn me, but I wouldn't listen..."

"Don't worry about it, Sam," Palelymon said softly, nuzzling his cheek against the raven-haired Digidestined's knee. "The Spirit Chip is still safe and right now that's the most important thing."

_Should I, or shouldn't I?_

Avoiding Sam's eyes, Mickey tugged nervously at the burgundy comforter covering the raven-haired Digidestined's bed, and keeping his expression as neutral as possible, he stretched out his legs in front of him and leaned back on his hands, his posture making it look as if he didn't have a care in the world. At least, that was the impression he hoped his body language and expression were conveying to Sam. "By the way, we saw DarkAngelicmon after you left for the human world."

"W-what?"

"He...didn't sound like he was in a very good mood."

Mickey watched in satisfaction as Sam's face turned pure white, but almost immediately a red blush began to stain the raven-haired Digidestined's cheeks and he sat up straight so fast he nearly knocked Glimmermon right out of his lap. "R-really. That's...strange."

_So, he is hiding something from me!_

"I thought so, too. For an evil digimon, normally he acts surprisingly pleasant."

"W-what, what did he say?"

"Oh well...he threatened me and called me a fool. He also threatened Matty. He told me my hatred for him would be my undoing. What do you think he meant by that? If I recall, I don't think I ever actually said I hated him, especially to his face."

For a moment it looked as if Sam was at a loss for words, but before Mickey could question him further, the raven-haired Digidestined suddenly scurried away from him and hid his face in his pillow. "I don't know."

"Are you sure?"

"Well..."

Pulling the pillow out of Sam's arms, Mickey gently tugged his friend into a sitting position and he gazed directly into the raven-haired Digidestined's eyes. "Sam, is there anything you want to tell me?"

"No!" The word came out as a squeak, and blushing Sam quickly ducked his head again. "I...there's nothing..."

_I won't give up, Sam. I'll find out, even if it takes forever._

"Okay, if you're sure, but if there's anything, anything at all, you know you can come to me, right?"

Sam smiled shyly at him and quickly nodded. "I know."

"Sam, we both saw DarkAngelicmon's light. Do you...do you really believe he's evil?"

"Honestly, Mickey, I don't know what to believe anymore. I just...I need some time to think about everything."

"Is that why you've been avoiding the subject of your dad?"

"Mickey?" Sam mumbled, avoiding his eyes. "I...I don't think I can sleep here tonight."

"Why not?"

"I just...I need to get away from it all. I need to be some place where the Digital World has no meaning, where no one knows about me or my father. Don't you see, Mickey? I can't do this! I can't be here! I want to stay, I really do, but right now I can't even stand the _thought _of being around anyone who's a Digidestined."

"Even me?"

Sam smiled sadly through his sudden tears and he quickly turned his face away. "Yes, even you..."

It hurt a lot, more than Mickey could ever put into words, but somehow he managed to keep the pain hidden behind his neutral expression. "So, in other words, you're going to Taka's apartment?"

"Uncle Mantarou and Aunt Kiyomi won't mind if I stay the night."

"What about Glimmermon?"

Sam looked down at the little digimon sitting in his lap, and closing his eyes in pain, he took a deep breath and slowly lifted his chin. "You take him for now."

"Sam, no!" Glimmermon cried, tears beginning to well up in his large, violet eyes. "Don't leave me behind!"

Ignoring Glimmermon's heart-wrenching protest, Sam lifted the little digimon into his hands and held him out at arm's length. "Take him, Mickey."

"Sam, you don't want to do this."

"I said take him!"

"No!" Glimmermon sobbed.

Crying out in frustration, Mickey pulled Glimmermon into his arms and he pressed his cheek against the little digimon's tiny light bulb. "I can't believe you're really going to do this. Sam..you..you..."

"Idiot?" Sam laughed bitterly. "Go ahead and say it. It's true, I am an idiot."

"I didn't...that's not..." Mickey felt Sam's arms suddenly go around him and he quickly snapped his mouth shut, startled but his friend's unexpected embrace. "Sam-"

"Take care of him for me," Sam sobbed softly into his ear. "Keep him safe and please, please...don't let anyone hurt him."

"Never."

To Mickey's surprise, he found himself fighting back tears of his own, and unable to suppress them, he quickly buried his face against Sam's shoulder and hugged his friend as tightly as he could. "You know I'm not just going to let you walk away without a fight, right?"

"I had a feeling you were going to say that." Sighing softly, Sam quickly pulled away from him and began to move towards the door. "Go ahead and try, but I'm going to make you work for it."

"What about the Digital World? Are you going to come with us tomorrow?"

Sam paused with his hand on the door, and turning slightly, he shrugged his shoulders, a faint smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "Somehow I don't think Dai will give me any other choice, but if I do go, it'll be without my father."

"You're making a mistake, Sam."

"I'll see you later, Mickey."

Before the older twin could protest, Sam disappeared from the room and Mickey was left sitting on the bed with a sobbing Glimmermon in his lap and an angry Palelymon fuming beside him.

_How are you supposed to help someone who doesn't want any help?_

Shaking his head, Mickey set Glimmermon gently on the bed, and he reached down to pick up the framed photograph of Sam and his family. They looked so happy together. In fact, they looked exactly like the kind of family other people would be envious of.

_How can Sam just throw that all away?_

The thought made Mickey wince, and holding the photo tightly against his chest, he shifted his gaze towards the open door and smiled softly to himself.

_I won't let you do this, Sam. You can try to run away from it all, but in the end I know your path is going to lead you directly back to us. It's okay, though, cause we'll be waiting for you and that includes your dad. I wonder what you'll do if it turns out I'm right about DarkAngelicmon..._


	162. Escaping Reality

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: The next chapter after this will be much more interesting, I promise. It will bring us back into the main plot of the story, and in my opinion any chapter with DarkAngelicmon in it is always interesting! But that's just me! Enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 162: Escaping Reality

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

_The past and present have come together in ways I could never have imagined, and now all that remains is the future. Right now, the road is covered in darkness and I can't see where it will end. Even if I somehow manage to fight my way through the thick fog of shadows surrounding me, will my children still be on the other side? Will they be waiting for me to reach them, or will I no longer have a place in their future?_

After learning the truth about the Emperor, for Ken Ichijouji, hearing his daughter express a sudden desire to speak with him was something he had not even dared to dream about, let alone expect to actually witness with his own eyes, but despite the sudden spark of hope igniting quite unexpectedly inside his heart, he still could not help feeling slightly sick to his stomach. After all, Miya might be willing to speak with him, but that didn't necessarily mean he was going to like what she had to say.

"Please, Dad?" Miya mumbled, avoiding his eyes and shifting restlessly in her seat. "It's kind of important."

Ken nervously twisted his hands together and he glanced uncertainly at Yolei, but instead of offering to remain in the room for moral support, his wife quickly stood up and motioned for Nao to follow her. "We'll be in the kitchen if you need us, Ken. What about you, Minomon?"

"I'll stay here with Ken. I always feel much more at ease in the human world when we're together."

Though Minomon's words were probably true, at the moment they sounded more like a rather unconvincing excuse to remain in the room, for obvious reasons, but Yolei didn't seem to mind. Instead, she quickly nodded her head and she gave the little in-training digimon a warm smile. "I thought you'd say that. Come on, Nao, the dishes still need to be done."

"But-"

"_Now_, sweetheart."

Yolei's tone of voice was pleasant enough, but Nao must have caught the dangerous sparkle in his mother's eyes because as soon as she looked down at him he quickly closed his mouth and obediently followed her into the kitchen.

Shaking his head in amusement, Ken turned to look at his digimon partner, who was sitting next to him on the arm of the couch, and he gave the little in-training digimon a warm smile. "Thanks, Minomon."

"You don't have to thank me, silly. I'm your partner. You know I'll always be here for you."

"Hey, I'm not that scary!" Miya grumbled, smiling slightly.

Still not quite able to face his daughter yet, Ken turned his attention towards the door leading into the foyer and he smiled at the four young teens and the four small digimon sitting about halfway up the stairs. Since the staircase was quite narrow, Takara was sitting on Dai's lap, and sitting several steps below them, Matty had his head and arms resting on Takara's knees. Ryoko was sitting on the same step as Dai with his back pressed against the railing, his knees drawn up to his chest, and his stockinged feet were resting against the goggle-headed leader's side. DemiEmbermon and his three small friends were all huddled together by Matty's feet, and their normally cheerful expressions were cloudy with concern, just like the faces of their human partners. Not surprisingly, all four humans and all four digimon were gazing up at the second floor hallway, and clearly they were waiting anxiously for Mickey to return. Despite their concern, though, none of them seemed too keen on the idea of venturing any closer to Sam's bedroom, but at the same time it was obvious they couldn't make themselves stay away either, which explained why they were sitting halfway up the stairs, torn between wanting to leave and wanting so badly to stay.

_They're hoping Mickey will return with Sam, but I don't think that's going to happen. It's too soon. The pain is still too fresh and strong, and right now I'm not sure if it will ever fade away..._

"I understand how Sam feels," Miya said quietly, her soft words startling Ken out of his thoughts. "When someone you love suddenly becomes a complete stranger to you, it's like you have to get to know them all over again, and that's a hard thing to do. When your entire world is suddenly turned upside down, it's not easy to find your balance again, especially when it seems as if everyone has been deceiving you. When everything you thought you knew suddenly becomes a lie, how are you supposed to just forget about all the pain and sadness? How are you supposed to learn how to trust anyone again?"

_If I knew, I wouldn't be sitting here wishing you could have had a better father; someone who would be worthy enough to have a daughter like you..._

Shaking his head, Ken finally turned to gaze helplessly at his daughter, and reaching out, he hesitantly placed his hand against her cheek. "Miya, only you can answer that question."

"I know, but...it's so hard."

"It doesn't make any difference, though. No matter how you feel about me, it doesn't change the fact that I still love you. You'll always be my little girl, and I'll always be there to watch over you, even if you feel like you no longer need me anymore. Feel whatever you want to feel; it won't stop me from caring about you. One day, if you ever have children of your own, you will understand."

Thick tears began to stream slowly down Miya's cheeks, and letting out a soft sob, she suddenly flung herself into his arms and buried her face against his chest. "I'm so angry and so sad right now, and I just don't know what to think anymore, but..."

"What is it?"

Miya slowly lifted her head and she gave him a tearful smile. "I feel so confused right now, but...despite being so unsure of everything, there's one thing that hasn't changed at all, and it's something that I can't doubt, even for a minute. I know because I've tried and every single time my feelings never waver. They just keep listening to my heart."

"Will you tell me?"

"I know I still love you, and I'm starting to think that just might be enough."

Overcome with emotion, Ken held his daughter as tightly as he could, and he pressed his cheek against her dark hair. "Miya..."

"When I see how easily Dai and the others can forgive you, it's hard to stay mad," Miya mumbled into his chest. "Besides, if you still really wanted to be the Emperor, you wouldn't be here with me now, and I probably never would have been born. I guess, in a way, that means I should be glad you were the Emperor. If you hadn't tried to take over the Digital World, you might never have met Mom, and if the two of you had never gotten together...well...then I wouldn't even have the privilege of existing. It wouldn't be possible to have it both ways, and if I have to choose which one is more important than there's really no contest. I'd much rather be here with the Digimon Emperor, experiencing one of his hugs, then be a person who never got a chance to exist in a world where there was no Digimon Emperor. What do you think, Dad? Don't you agree?"

Ken tightened his arms around his daughter's shoulders and he gently ruffled her dark hair. "How could I ever disagree? I wouldn't have made it this far without you in my life. I don't think you could even begin to understand just how precious you are to me, you or your brothers."

"Sure I can," Miya whispered quietly in his ear, "because I feel the same way about you."

"But you still don't forgive me yet."

"Give me one night to stay mad at you. That's all I need. When tomorrow morning comes, everything will be just like it used to be, only with one major difference."

"What might that be?"

Miya pressed her cheek against his heart and she hugged him tightly around the waist. "I'll have even more respect for you than I did before. You turned away from the darkness, and without a strong heart there's no way you could have done that. I hope Sam can be as strong as you are."

_I hope so, too._

Unable to believe his good luck, Ken held Miya protectively against his chest and he gently kissed her forehead, the excruciating pain in his heart easing somewhat thanks to his daughter's encouragement and praise. Clearly, Miya still needed some time to come to terms with the truth about the Emperor, but Ken could tell she was already well on her way to accepting what could never be undone. Like, Nao, she appeared willing to put the past behind her, and that, more than anything, was fueling the determination and courage he needed to stop himself from giving up on his desperate need to reach Sam's heart. If two of his three children could forgive him for all the terrible things he had done, then there had to be a way to reach the one who needed to forgive him most of all.

The fate of the Digital World was hanging in the balance between light and darkness. If Sam let himself succumb to the pain in his heart then there was no telling what might happen. All of the possibilities, most of them terrifying and incredibly painful, made Ken feel sick to his stomach, but at least Miya was willing to give him a chance and that was a start.

_A small start, but an important step forward. Miya...loves me. She still cares, even after everything I've done..._

"Sam's always been pretty sensitive. I'm not surprised he's taking the news about your past as a personal insult," Miya murmured, her eyebrows narrowing into a thoughtful frown. "I mean, I know Nao's pretty sensitive, too, but unlike Sam he seems to have an easier time of staying positive when something terrible happens. I don't blame Sam for feeling hurt and betrayed, but I also think he's being a bit selfish. How does he expect to move on with his life if he won't even try to forgive you?"

"If only we could find a way to make him happy again," Minomon said sadly, shaking his tiny head and glancing miserably towards the door to the foyer.

Sighing softly, Ken nodded in agreement and he reached out to stroke his partner's small body. "I've never felt so lost in my whole life, not even as the Emperor. I just...I don't know what to do. What am I supposed to say to Sam to make him change his mind about me? How am I supposed to talk to him when he doesn't even want to _look _at me? How do you connect with someone who know longer believes you have any value?"

"Is that what you believe?" Miya snorted, rolling her eyes. "Dad, I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. Do you honestly believe Sam doesn't care about you anymore? That's just plain ridiculous. The reason Sam is so upset right now is _because _he cares about you and he just can't believe someone who is so important to him would ever do such terrible things. Don't you see, Dad? You're not the one he hates, even if on the surface it might seem like you are."

"But-"

"The person he truly hates right now is himself. It's simple really. He loves you, and he hates himself for being unable to stop loving you, even after everything you've done. Those feelings are eating him up inside, and all he wants is for them to disappear. To hate those you love without fear of feeling guilty...it's a nice thought, and very tempting. Too bad life doesn't work that way, and I think Sam is finally beginning to realize that, even though he won't admit it."

Ken slowly lifted his head, and blinking in surprise, he pulled back slightly so he could look directly into his daughter's amber eyes. "You really believe that?"

"He wants to hate you, but he can't," Miya said simply, her lips twitching into a faint smile. "Just like me, only there's one major difference. Unlike Sam, I've decided I'm not going to ignore what my heart is trying to tell me, even if it means taking a big risk. Mom's always telling us to follow our hearts, and every time she says something like that I groan about it, but well...maybe it's time we finally followed her advice. Besides, if you listen to your head, all it does is confuse you. That's not how it works with the heart. Your heart always knows the way. You just have to let it guide you in the right direction."

_Just like mine led me to Davis and my other friends..._

Gazing down into his daughter's smiling face, Ken quickly nodded in agreement and somehow he managed a smile of his own. "I love you a million times over, Miya."

Miya kissed his cheek and said softly, "Same here."

"If it means you'll forgive me then you can be angry at me all you want tonight. Take your time, and when you're ready I'll be here waiting for you."

"I know. Thanks, Dad. Listen, I know it's hard to believe, but one day Sam will understand. He just needs a little bit of time to come to terms with your past. Don't give up yet, and don't worry about the future. Nao and I will help you in any way we can, I promise. You can be sure Mom will help and I know the four of us will find a way to open Sam's eyes. He's not capable of hating the people he loves and he knows it. That's the real problem."

Ken frowned thoughtfully at his daughter's words, but before he could ask her if she really believed what she was saying, there was a sudden commotion that caused him to look up in surprise. Frowning in confusion, he slowly let go of Miya, and getting to his feet, he quickly moved towards the door for a better look at what was going on, his long strides allowing him to cross the room with ease. Unfortunately, what he saw made his heart leap into his throat. Sam stood alone at the top of the stairs, his cheeks stained with tears, and his normally vibrant gaze lacked any expression whatsoever. He looked like someone who had lost his soul, and the fact that Mickey hadn't followed him made Ken feel very uneasy.

"Sam," Miya whispered, appearing suddenly in the doorway with Minomon in her arms. Ken hadn't even heard his daughter come up behind him, and the sound of her voice startled him so much it was all he could do to stop himself from leaping backwards and stepping all over her feet. Yolei must have heard the commotion in the foyer, as well, because she suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, behind Miya, Nao clinging tightly to her purple skirt. Poking her head around the doorway, she let out a soft gasp at the sight of her eldest son standing at the top of the stairs. "Sam, what..."

"Where's Mickey?" Matty demanded, lifting his head and frowning suspiciously at the raven-haired Digidestined.

Instead of answering, Sam suddenly started to make his way down the stairs, and seeing as how it didn't look as if the raven-haired Digidestined was going to stop, even for his friends, the four young teens and their digimon quickly flattened themselves against the railings on either side of the staircase to prevent themselves from getting trampled. Without even so much as a smile, Sam silently moved past his friends, and as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he quickly made his way towards the door.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Dai snapped, leaping to his feet and crossing his arms over his chest.

Sam paused, his hand on the doorknob, but instead of answering Dai he merely ignored the goggle-headed leader and turned to gaze unemotionally at his mother. "I'm sorry, Mom, but I can't stay here tonight."

"You idiot," Matty muttered, shaking his head.

Letting out a deep sigh, Yolei slowly moved towards the raven-haired Digidestined and she gently pulled him into her arms. "Where will you go?"

"I'm going to Uncle Mantarou's apartment. Taka won't mind if I share his room tonight, and besides, Aunt Kiyomi is always telling us we should visit more often. I just...I need to get away from all of this. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay. Just...make sure you're on time for school tomorrow."

"I will."

"That's it?" Dai shouted, staring at the raven-haired Digidestined in disbelief. "You're just going to _leave?_ What about the Digital World?"

"I'm not going if _he's _going," Sam said flatly, avoiding the goggle-headed leader's eyes.

Ken winced, but he did not dare try to defend himself. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he hadn't failed to notice the way Sam seemed unable to look at him, and it was clear the raven-haired Digidestined wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.

_It's like I no longer exist anymore. To him, I"m nothing. A passing shadow not even worth mentioning. Am I really of so little importance?_

Something inside of Ken seemed to die, and turning his back on his son, he hung his head and closed his eyes in pain. "If it bothers you that much then you can stop worrying. I'm not going to the Digital World tomorrow. Didn't Mickey tell you? I guess that means you're free to go. I suggest you take Dai up on his offer, especially since Joe has agreed to tag along. If you're not going to do it for me then at least do it for Glimmermon."

"Where is Glimmermon anyways?" Fluttermon asked hesitantly.

Ken hadn't expected Sam to answer him, but what did surprise him was the raven-haired Digidestined's failure to respond to Fluttermon's inquiry, so much in fact that he turned around again to stare at his son in astonishment. Was Glimmermon still upstairs with Mickey?

"Fine, leave!" Ryoko suddenly shouted, his face turning an unpleasant shade of red. "Go ahead and run away because we all know that always solves everything! I never thought you could be such a coward, but I guess I was wrong about you!"

"Ishida, will you _shut up?_" Dai groaned.

"If I recall, _you _were the coward, not me," Sam said bitterly. "You want me to prove you wrong? Sorry, _Ishida, _you're the one who's supposed to be proving me wrong, not the other way around."

The anger in Ryoko's eyes suddenly faded away and he hung his head in despair. "Please...don't go."

"Please?" Takara whispered.

Sam stared at Ryoko in surprise, clearly startled by the golden-haired Digidestined's sudden change in attitude, but instead of answering he quickly pulled on his backpack, which he had brought down the stairs with him, and yanked open the door.

"Come back soon!" Nao cried tearfully.

"I won't stop you from leaving, but don't you dare turn your back on us," Miya said sternly, frowning at the raven-haired Digidestined. "If you do, I'm going to make sure you regret it, little brother."

"Sam, we all love you," Yolei said quietly, her voice trembling with emotion. "Don't you ever forget that. When you're ready we'll all be here waiting for you."

_I'll never stop waiting. If I have to, I'll wait forever._

Sam must have sensed what he was thinking because the raven-haired Digidestined suddenly stopped and turned towards him. For the first time since Sam had appeared at the top of the stairs their eyes met, and the pain in Sam's deep blue eyes was almost more than Ken could bear. "Sam, I..."

Sam held up a hand for silence and he turned once more to face the door. "Make me _want _to forgive you. It's our only hope."

Ken couldn't have responded, even if he had wanted to. Sam's words cut through his heart so deeply, he was actually quite surprised to find that he was still standing. Instead of leaving him empty-handed, Sam had given him a small sliver of hope.

_I will, Sam. I swear I will if it's the last thing I do._

Ken silently watched his son disappear through the door, and turning to look at his wife he gave her a sad smile. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"He'll be fine, Ken. Mantarou and Kiyomi will take good care of him. Besides, maybe being away from everyone and everything related to the Digital World will do him some good."

"No, it won't!"

Mickey's sharp words echoed painfully through the foyer, and Ken looked up to see the older twin standing at the top of the stairs with Palelymon and Glimmermon in his arms. Out of all the new Digidestined, Ken thought Mickey would be the last one who would ever risk arguing with Yolei, but considering the way the rest of the day had gone so far, it really didn't come as a huge surprise.

"You mean...Sam left Glimmermon behind?" Takara gasped, gazing incredulously at the little digimon in Mickey's arms.

"Smooth move, Sam. Nice way to treat your digimon," Dai muttered.

Instead of responding to Takara's question, Mickey suddenly scrambled down the stairs and he grabbed onto his twin's wrist. "Come on, Matty! Let's go."

"Huh? What? Hey, where are we-"

"Come on!" Mickey urged, tugging on Matty's arms and pulling him to his feet.

"But-"

"We have to go after Sam!"

Matty scratched his head in confusion, and reluctantly he allowed Mickey to pull him down the last few remaining steps. "We do?"

"Yes! He's staying at our place tonight."

"He is?"

"I'm not going to let him turn his back on his friends. If we have to, we'll kidnap him from Mantarou's place and drag him all the way back to our house!"

"But-"

"You don't want him to drift away from us, do you?"

"Well, no. But...er...do you think Mom and Dad will be okay with that?"

"Of course! They're worried about him, too. He can have my bed tonight. I'll just share with you, but if you start kicking me in your sleep then you're sleeping on the floor."

"But...it's my bed!"

"Are you coming with me or not?"

Matty suddenly pulled his arm out of Mickey's grip, and turning his back on his twin, he bit his lip and gently scooped Goldmon into his arms. "Do you want me to?"

"Would I have asked you to come with me if I didn't want you there?" Mickey mumbled, gazing meekly at his feet.

"Uh...Mickey? You're not going crazy or anything, are you?"

"No! I..."

Surprisingly, Matty started to laugh, and turning to face Mickey he gave the older twin a brilliant smile. "Well, then what are we waiting for?"

Mickey's whole face lit up and he smiled back at his twin. "Thanks, Matty."

"Wait, what happened up there?" Miya asked curiously, nodding her head towards the stairs. "Did Sam talk to you at all?"

"Well..."

Ken listened in silence as Mickey quickly repeated Sam's version of what had happened in the forest to the group, and when the older twin had finished his story, Ken could not help feeling as if someone had just knocked the wind out of him. "So...it looks like we might be right about DarkAngelicmon after all."

"Those shadows that attacked Sam...they're really creepy," Takara murmured, shivering slightly. "When I think of what could have happened..."

"But nothing did happen because DarkAngelicmon saved Sam with his light!" Palelymon said happily.

"His light..." Matty mumbled, gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"There's still something he's not telling us, though," Mickey insisted, glancing hopefully at his twin before turning his attention to Dai, "and I think it might have something to do with the way DarkAngelicmon treated me earlier."

Dai nodded in agreement and he groaned in frustration. "But how? I wish we had more answers."

"Um...guys?"

"What is it, Mickey?" Yolei asked curiously.

"I...I'm really sorry I couldn't change Sam's mind."

Overcome with emotion, Ken gently placed his hand on Mickey's shoulder and he gave the older twin a warm smile. "Don't feel guilty, Mickey. You did your best, which is more than I even have the right to ask for."

_When I think of how close Sam came to losing himself to the darkness..._

"But-"

"If you can convince Sam to come with you to your house, call us and let us know, okay? I'd feel better knowing exactly where he is."

Mickey beamed at him and said softly, "Of course."

"Go on, then."

"Do you want us to come with you guys?" Takara asked hesitantly.

Mickey shook his head and he quickly made his way towards the door. "Don't worry about it. You guys get some rest tonight. Besides, I think it'll be easier to convince Sam to come with us if there aren't a whole lot of people around to remind him of what happened today."

"Forget talking! We're just going to steal him back, remember?" Matty laughed.

"Can we please hurry?" Glimmermon whimpered. "I don't want to be alone anymore."

Mickey gave the little digimon a sympathetic pat on the head and he quickly pulled the door open."We'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Wish us luck!" Matty called back over his shoulder.

As soon as the twins, Glimmermon, Palelymon, and Goldmon had left, Yolei suddenly put her face in her hands and she let out a soft sob. "Oh, Sam, do you even realize how close we came to losing you today? If those shadows had gotten their hands on you..."

Pulling his wife close, Ken held her silently in his arms while Dai and the others got ready to leave for their respective homes. He knew exactly how Yolei felt, but at the same time he also knew who was responsible for keeping his son alive and safe; someone who had every reason to want Sam's heart to become enslaved by the Powers of Darkness.

Someone whose light might end up being the very source of their salvation.

_Thank you, DarkAngelicmon, wherever you are..._


	163. The Power of Persuasion

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This is one of my favorite chapters so far so I hope you all like it!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 163: The Power of Persuasion

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Back again, are you? My, the Ruler of Darkness must really enjoy your company, DarkAngelicmon. When it comes to his other servants, he's normally only too eager to have them removed from his site as soon as possible, but not you. You're usually in here at least once a day, and somehow you always manage to come out in one piece. Truly remarkable."

_Indeed, how truly remarkable..._

Standing stiffly in front of the large double doors leading into his master's favorite chamber within the castle, DarkAngelicmon slowly lifted his head and he turned to gaze at the feline digimon lounging against the stone wall on the left-hand side of the door. Persiamon's tone was light, and her silly antics were meant to tease him rather than insult him, but even so he refused to give her even the tiniest hint of a smile. It had been a long day, and right now all he wanted to do was curl up in his own bed chamber and get some sleep. "Did the Ruler of Darkness summon me, or not?"

"Of course he did!" Phelesmon snapped, shifting suddenly in the dark shadows to the right of the door and pointing his finger at his fellow fallen angel. "And you're late! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were purposely trying to enrage our master, but of course you, our master's _favorite _servant, would never dream of doing such a thing. How very disappointing. I must admit, I'd love the opportunity to...put you in your place."

"Ignore him," Persiamon said smoothly, dismissing the fallen angel with a flick of her wrist. "The Digital World could finally be ours for the taking and he'd still be in a foul mood. Why don't you go on in. The Ruler of Darkness is very anxious to see you."

_I bet he is._

Although DarkAngelicmon would never admit it, Phelesmon's harsh words had startled him badly, nearly causing him to jump in surprise, but thankfully he had managed to compose himself before the fallen angel could notice his reaction. Showing any sign of weakness in front of Phelesmon was risky at best, but he had been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that somehow he had spectacularly missed sensing the other angel digimon's presence. It also didn't help that Phelesmon blended in quite nicely with the shadows. It was enough to make any fallen angel digimon feel slightly jealous.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Phelesmon snapped, jerking his head towards their master's chamber. "Do you need help getting through the doors? I'd be more than happy to drag you in there by your wings, if you'd like."

_Fool._

Ignoring the two digimon on either side of the doors, DarkAngelicmon quickly made his way into the large chamber and he came to a stop at a respectful distance from his master. Off to his right, the broken pedestal where the Crest of Courage had once resided looked dark and lonely sitting there all by itself, a shadowy pile of sharp, jagged chunks of stone, and the wall where the rest of the crests used to shine faintly in the darkness seemed unusually bare, almost like an unfinished painting. For some reason the comparison made DarkAngelicmon feel oddly resentful, and dropping to his knees, he quickly averted his gaze from the offending object of his frustration. Was it really only yesterday when a certain goggle-headed leader by the name of Daichi Motomiya had stood in the exact same place where the Ruler of Darkness himself now stood, head bowed and hands clasped together behind his back? The irony of the situation made DarkAngelicmon wince and he fluttered his black wings in irritation. Truly that cursed wall was mocking him, and the laughter echoing in his ears made him want to scream in agony.

"There you are, DarkAngelicmon. You're a terrible servant to have kept me waiting so long."

Instead of answering, DarkAngelicmon remained silent and he kept his gaze focused intently on the stone floor stretching between himself and his master. He felt, rather than saw, the Ruler of Darkness glide towards him, and a small gasp escaped his lips when a gloved hand suddenly came to rest gently against the top of his raven head. "I spoke with Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon a few minutes ago. So...the Spirit Chip of Bravery is on the top of Infinity Mountain, but...you already knew that, didn't you."

Again, DarkAngelicmon remained silent, but he could not stop himself from flinching at his master's touch.

"Very good, my faithful servant. I suspected you would figure out what I had planned for your fellow companions."

"You think too highly of me, master. It was Vampiramon herself who told me what you had commanded her to do, therefore she deserves all the credit, not me."

"And what about my plans for you? Did you tell her I have ordered you to capture Lucemon?"

DarkAngelicmon hesitated before answering, "No, my lord, though I think she suspects that is what I've been ordered to do."

"I see. Well, it is of little importance. Does she know you were on File Island today?"

DarkAngelimon jerked his head up in surprise, and he stared at the cloaked form of his master in shock. "How did you..."

"I didn't, until now. You've already admitted you know about the Spirit Chip on Infinity Mountain. How could you possibly know about it unless you were on the island yourself?"

_To be caught in my own web of deception. How very fitting._

Inwardly cursing himself for his own foolishness, DarkAngelicmon quickly ducked his head again and he proceeded to gaze humbly at his knees. "I doubt Vampiramon was aware of my presence on File Island. She may have suspected I was there, but there's no way she could have known for sure."

"Not that it matters in the end. I just don't want her interfering in my plans for Lucemon. She's much more useful when she's out of the way, don't you agree? And since we do need the Spirit Chips to reach our goals, having her run after the Digidestined is a much more effective way to use her skills to our advantage. I can't have you wasting your valuable talents on such foolishness, though ultimately you will be the one to acquire the Spirit Chips, not Vampiramon."

"But-"

"Patience, my dear servant. Right now I have more important things for you to do. Now, do you recall the orders I gave you this morning?"

DarkAngelicmon squeezed his eyes shut and he slowly nodded. "Yes, master."

"I see. Tell me, DarkAngelicmon, since you clearly remember what it was I asked you to do, then please explain something to me. Why were you on File Island when you were _supposed to be searching for Lucemon?_"

_Forgive me, old friend..._

"Answer me!" the Ruler of Darkness hissed.

To hide the hatred burning in his emerald green eyes, DarkAngelicmon quickly buried his face against the rough fabric of his master's dark cloak and he clenched his trembling hands into tight fists. "Lucemon is on File Island. He is following the Digidestined."

"Is he now..."

"Yes, my lord."

"I see. This...changes things..."

_It does?_

Frowning in confusion, DarkAngelicmon slowly lifted his head, and to his disgust he found himself gazing directly into his master's deep violet eyes. Laughing softly, the Ruler of Darkness gently patted his head and leaned over him to lightly stroke his black wings. "Such a wonderful creation. It seems my plans for you have changed a little, DarkAngelicmon. Tomorrow, I want you, Jestermon, and Spritemon to head to Infinity Mountain with Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon, do I make myself clear? Inform the other four as soon as possible. I'm sure they'll want to hear the good news, especially Vampiramon."

"I...I don't understand, master."

"If Lucemon truly is following the Digidestined then you must capture him before he has a chance to speak with those meddlesome humans. Above all else, you must not allow our traitorous friend to join forces with the Digidestined. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord, but...why?"

The Ruler of Darkness suddenly pulled away from him and he turned to gaze thoughtfully at the broken pedestal where the Crest of Courage had once kept silent vigil over the shadowy chamber. Lost in his own memories, he appeared not to have heard the question that was asked of him. "The first digimon to ever break through from that cursed Wall of Fire, and yet even he could not withstand the power of the Digidestined. Am I doomed to fail as he did?"

_The Wall of Fire? Wait...it can't be...unless the rumours of past history are true._

Shifting uneasily on the stone floor, DarkAngelicmon quickly wrapped his arms around himself and he pulled his wings closer to his body. "My lord?"

"Tell me, DarkAngelicmon, do you think I will fail?"

"No, master, not with me by your side you won't."

Turning back towards him, the Ruler of Darkness let out a soft laugh and he nodded pleasantly in agreement. "Indeed, he did not have you. A shame, really. He had such a wonderful vision, but now that vision is _mine_ and I refuse to let a mere group of humans slaughter my plans for the Digital World. Perhaps I should send Takahiro Kuroki my sincerest gratitude. If it weren't for him, perhaps I would not be the Ruler of Darkness today, though that is certainly debatable. After all, if nothing else, Takahiro, that foolish lover of justice, managed to at least get rid of one possible nuisance for my future plans."

_What is he...talking about?_

Shaking his head in frustration, DarkAngelicmon angrily flapped his wings and he glared furiously at his knees. He had heard rumours about the first Digidestined leader in the past, but thanks to the passage of time, many of the finer details about what had happened during Tal Kuroki's reign as the leader of the Digidestined were lost, and now all that remained were scattered fragments of a tale that whispered of a battle for the entire universe itself, not just the human world and the Digital World. The stories spoke of a powerful digimon who had covered the entire Digital World in darkness.

A digimon who had called himself the Ruler of Darkness.

_Could it be? Could my master be the same digimon who broke free from the Wall of Fire several centuries ago?_

In the human world, Tal and his friends had defeated the Ruler of Darkness only thirty-three years ago, but because time between the human world and the Digital World didn't become synchronized until four years after Tal and his friends had left the Digital World, caused by the appearance of Apocalymon, it meant that in the Digital World, hundreds and hundreds of years had passed since Tal's victory over the darkness. So much history had been lost, and yet DarkAngelicmon had a feeling his master knew exactly what had happened thirty-three human years ago.

_He shares the name of the one who came before him, and yet he speaks as if they are two different digimon. If he had been defeated by Tal, then he would not be here now. No, they must be two different digimon, but if that's the case then who was the digimon who first broke free from the Wall of Fire? I wonder if Gennai knows. He must! The fortress! Tal's history would have been recorded on the walls of the old fortress! Curse that human lover and his fool counterparts! Why did I never take the time to learn the old language of the Digital World? I always left that sort of thing up to Lucemon and Luciamon. They would know what is written on those walls. Vampiramon was there, but like me she wouldn't have been able to read it either..._

"Daemon was a fool, just like his master before him. To think he believed he would be the one to carry out his master's vision," the Ruler of Darkness murmured, his violet eyes sparkling dangerously in the flickering light of the torches hanging along the walls of the circular room. "Then again, I suppose I should thank him, as well. His death proved to be the catalyst for my freedom. Perhaps, when the time is right, I will reward him, but for now we must focus on the present."

_Daemon...why? Why can't I remember? Wait a minute...Daemon's master. But...that could only be..._

Spreading his wings out behind him, DarkAngelicmon let out a soft gasp and he flinched away from the Ruler of Darkness. There were some things about the war he vaguely remembered, but most of it was still a mystery to him. He still did not know who or what he had been fighting for, and every time he did recall something, those memories would suddenly fade away almost before they were fully formed. Despite his elusive memory, though, he did know one thing. Daemon had once had a master, a master whose disappearance could never be fully explained.

_Daemon's master. The Ruler of Darkness...a digimon spoken of only in legend..._

Could that digimon have been the one Tal defeated?

Even after all this time, DarkAngelicmon still did not know exactly what his master had planned for the Digital World, though he was certain there was someone who did. Not Phelesmon, certainly not him, but what about the feline digimon who was always looking at him as if she knew something he didn't know? Persiamon had joined the Ruler of Darkness after him, along with Phelesmon, but even though she hadn't been in their master's service as long as he had, he knew they talked often, and he also knew the Ruler of Darkness trusted her.

_More than he trusts me, I think. Does she know about my past? Did he tell her what he won't tell me?_

The only thing DarkAngelicmon and his four companions knew for certain was their master's true name, which told them absolutely nothing. They knew little of his true plans, but there was one other thing DarkAngelicmon did know that he was sure Vampiramon and the others were not aware of. Unlike his companions, DarkAngelicmon knew exactly what was hidden beneath his master's dark cloak, and every time he thought about it, a small, icy shiver would race down his spine. "Master..."

"Oh, yes. Forgive me, DarkAngelicmon, I seem to have gotten a bit off topic. And Lucemon used to be such a loyal servant. Very much like you, in fact."

"Master, why-"

"The details are not important. Lucemon and the Digidestined must _not _be allowed to meet. That is all you need to know."

"I doubt there is much risk of that yet. Judging from the way Lucemon has been acting so far, I'd say it looks as if he's quite hesitant to reveal himself to the Digidestined at this point in time. That will more than likely remain the case for quite a while."

"Even so, we must exercise caution. Knowing Lucemon, eventually he will work up the courage to speak with the Digidestined, and when he does I have no doubt he'll pick the worst possible moment."

"Indeed, master. Now that you mention it, that does seem to be a bad habit of his."

"Which reminds me, I also want you to keep your eyes on Vampiramon and the others. I don't trust them not to mess up my plans on Infinity Mountain. Do what you can to help them secure the Spirit Chip of Bravery, but at the same time do not forget about Lucemon. As for the Spirit Chips, remember...stealing them is not enough. We have to be able to _use _them."

"Yes, master."

_Have you forgotten I was the one who pointed out that lovely little fact to you? How you forget so easily...I was the one who also told you about needing the crests..._

"Which brings me to Daichi and his amusing little friends. Do you remember what we have planned for them? They will all become victims of the Powers of Darkness, only instead of us doing all the work, after stealing the Spirit Chips, they will cause their own destruction. Rather convenient, don't you agree? And to think I used to believe we'd have to corrupt the Spirit Chips to bend the Digidestined to our will, but really it's the other way around. Of course, my power will ultimately be what controls them in the end."

_It might not be that easy. If it was, Sam would already be ours._

DarkAngelicmon suddenly felt the Ruler of Darkness place a hand under his chin, and lifting his head he once again found himself gazing into his master's deep violet eyes. "You seem tired, DarkAngelicmon."

_If you could use light the way I can, you would be too._

DarkAngelicmon could not remember the last time he had used his Zenith Point attack, or if he had ever even used it all. He was sure he had, but he could not recall when or where, and the amount of energy he had used to perform it in the forest was making him feel so exhausted...

"DarkAngelicmon, do you remember the promise I made you?" the Ruler of Darkness asked softly, kneeling in front of him and gazing deeply into his emerald green eyes.

DarkAngelicmon nodded and slowly whispered, "Power. You promised to grant me incredible power if I could successfully fulfill all of your orders."

"Yes, power...the power to rule the Digital World at my side. The power to become a mega..."

"A...mega..."

"And those orders now include Lucemon," the Ruler of Darkness murmured, watching him closely. "Do you think you can honour my request? You are my most valuable servant. When both the Digital World and the human world are finally under my control, you will be rewarded above all the others. Does your loyalty to me still hold?"

"Yes, master. Always."

"So, that is why you've taken such an interest in the Takaishi children. You knew if you could fulfill your duties, I would use their power to grant you your wish, but you also suspected their Spirit Chips would be useless unless you could find a way to drag them into the darkness. We cannot force them to turn to evil; that is something they must do for themselves, but...we can offer them a little bit of assistance, help them along a bit so to speak. Only then will I be able to use my power to gain full control of the Spirit Chips. I did not see the truth until you told me of your suspicions. It also explains your wish to steal the crests. Of course, we now know that was the wrong thing to do, but back then that wasn't the case. I see it clearly now. That is why you revealed your concerns to me and that is why you haven't let the Takaishi children out of your sight. You know exactly how to achieve what you desire, and you wanted to make sure I kept my promise."

DarkAngelicmon bowed his head and he slowly nodded, trying unsuccessfully to keep the expression on his face completely neutral. With a swish of his cloak, the Ruler of Darkness suddenly leaped lightly to his feet, but despite the fact that he did not appear to be angry, DarkAngelicmon wasn't foolish enough to risk lifting his gaze. "With their Spirit Chips, I will be a servant worthy of your praise. That was your promise to me, but I am not the only thing you wish to use the Spirit Chips for. You have other plans for all six of the Spirit Chips, plans that will help you secure the Digital World and the human world."

_You fool. Matty's power will be useful to me, but it won't mean much if his brother continues to slip out of my grasp. I am nothing without the Spirit Chip of Innocence. Are you so blind that you cannot see it? Without Makiya Takaishi's power, I am worse than useless, and if Matty continues to get in the way..._

"Compared to many of my other servants, your intelligence truly is a breath of fresh air. Indeed, I do, but they do not concern you at the moment. In time, when you are ready."

"When I'm...ready?"

The thick, black cloak surrounding the Ruler of Darkness suddenly fell to the floor in a pile of dark fabric, and jerking his head up in surprise, it was all DarkAngelicmon could do to stop himself from crying out in anger and despair. Instead of looking upon the cloaked form of his master, he found himself gazing into the bright amber eyes of Makiya Takaishi.

"Do you want power?" the voice of Mickey whispered, the older twin's left hand reaching out towards him. "Do you want to be unstoppable? Do you want to inflict fear in all those who dare to oppose you?"

_You hate me for who I've become, but what would you have done? Tell me, Mickey, what would you have done in my place..._

"Well? Don't you want them to feel pain? Don't you want _me _to feel pain?" Mickey demanded, the light of the torches flickering eerily in his amber gaze.

_Yes...feel my pain, Mickey. Feel what I feel, and you will see. You and your brother..._

Pushing the older twin's hand away, DarkAngelicmon quickly got to his feet, and trembling with rage he somehow managed to gaze calmly at the small boy standing before him. "Yes, that's exactly what I want."

_Will Sam understand? Hatred only spawns more hatred, and he must not be allowed to fall yet. Do not fail me, Ken, or I may have to take drastic measures._

The boy in front of him suddenly flickered, and a moment later he found himself gazing upon the smiling face of Masato Takaishi. "Then you know what you have to do. Capture Lucemon, secure the Spirit Chips, and tear every last inch of my soul to pieces. Destroy my heart and you will have your Spirit Chip of Innocence. When one of us falls, the other will follow, and then our power will be yours, but unlike me Mickey will not be swayed so easily. You know what you have to do. Mickey will never bend to your will if you cannot claim my heart first. As long as I'm in the way you will _never _have my brother or his Spirit Chip!"

_He knows! My master truly does know! Matty, you live only because I need your Spirit Chip. Once I have it in my possession, you will no longer have any purpose. Your days are numbered, Masato Takaishi..._

"Go now, inform the others of our plans."

DarkAngelicmon gave the younger twin a quick bow, and taking a step back he quickly moved towards the door. "As you wish, my lord."

"Do not grieve for Lucemon, my dear servant. Soon the two of you will be reunited and the Digital World will be ours. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

DarkAngelicmon paused with his hand on the door, and turning slightly to look over his shoulder he said calmly, "Yes, I'd like that very much."

"I thought you would. Let us begin the next phase of our plan then and we shall see where it leads us."

"You knew, my lord. You knew right from the very beginning that Lucemon and Luciamon had betrayed us. Why did you never say anything? If you had, I never would have let Luciamon into the castle, and the crests..."

"Are better off where they are now. Isn't that what we agreed upon?"

"Yes, but..."

"Would you truly have turned Luciamon away, even knowing of her betrayal?"

DarkAngelicmon fell silent, and frowning he lowered his eyes to the ground. He wanted desperately to say yes, but for some strange reason he could not seem to find his voice.

"Do you see now why I did not tell you? It would not have done you any good to know. If you trust me, then you will understand. It was for your own good. Go! Tell the others of my plans and get some rest. I need you to be ready for tomorrow."

Offering only a nod in reply, DarkAngelicmon quickly pushed his way through the doors and he glided past Persiamon and Phelesmon without even looking at them. Although he could not explain why, for some odd reason he felt a sudden desire to stab his spear straight through the heart of his master. The thought made him smile bitterly at a passing group of Dracmon, and he glared at them for emphasis, causing the five small digimon to jump in fear.

Makiya and Masato Takaishi. He would make them feel his pain, every single little bit he had suffered. He had to. He had no choice...

_The Ruler of Darkness_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

As soon as DarkAngelicmon had left the room, the Ruler of Darkness turned his back on the doors leading into the stone corridor and he proceeded to gaze unemotionally at the flickering torches hanging on the wall in front of him. His cloak, which had been lying on the floor only moments ago, was once again wrapped around his body, and his face was hidden by its deep, dark hood. He knew perhaps trusting DarkAngelicmon was a risky move, but despite his servant's erratic behaviour, the fallen angel was still his best chance of securing a victory over the Digidestined.

_And considering the way he acted tonight, it's clear he's still very much mine to do with as I please. Truly, he is a masterpiece, and I intend to make use of him. So many possibilities..._

"Master?"

Without turning around, the Ruler of Darkness calmly placed his hands behind his back, and reluctantly he tilted his head towards the intruder who had interrupted his thoughts. "Persiamon, what is it? You sound concerned."

At the edge of his vision, he spotted the feline digimon moving gracefully towards him, but instead of kneeling on the floor as a servant should, she reached out and placed her claws hesitantly on his arm. "Master, do you think it's wise to let DarkAngelicmon confront Lucemon?"

"Explain yourself, please."

"What if Lucemon tells him things about...you know...Daemon and the Wall of Fire? If DarkAngelicmon finds out the truth about his past..."

"That will not happen."

"But-"

"Even if Lucemon does tell him the truth, he won't believe a word of it. It is the Digidestined we need to worry about. They are the real threat, but as long as we keep them away from Lucemon, DarkAngelicmon will not question his loyalty to me."

"But if the Digidestined do meet up with Lucemon..."

"Then there is a chance my plans for DarkAngelicmon could be ruined, and of course I cannot allow that to happen. Together with the Digidestined, Lucemon may be able to convince DarkAngelicmon to...change his way of thinking, but alone that will not be possible. Lucemon needs the Digidestined as much as they need him."

"Which is why you don't want them to meet."

"Indeed, and if they do, I may...require your assistance. Phelesmon's, as well."

"I am ready to serve at your command, master."

Deep within the confines of his hood, the Ruler of Darkness smiled. "You may take your leave then. I must think for a while. There is still so much that needs to be done."

"As you wish, master."

With a sharp flick of her long tails, Persiamon quickly left the room, and making his way towards the wall where the crests used to shine, the Ruler of Darkness lightly placed his hand on the cold remains of the broken stone pedestal standing by itself in the empty room. The light of the torches flickered across its rough, dark surface, but the Ruler of Darkness barely noticed the shadows flitting across his gloved hand. The Digidestined were indeed becoming a rather large nuisance and their constant babbling about light, truth, and justice was becoming more of a threat than he was comfortable with.

_Which is why we need to secure their power and eliminate them as soon as possible. Lucemon can preach all he wants, but it won't do him any good. You are mine, DarkAngelicmon, and I will make sure you remain in my service, even if it means I have to teach you a very painful lesson..._


	164. Home Away From Home

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Renmi Igawa, who was created by CrestOfHealing for the Following the Footsteps of Destiny fanfiction challenge. Congratulations, CrestOfHealing! If you don't know, her story 'My Brother's Keeper' won the FTFOD challenge. If you haven't had a chance to read it, please do so as it focuses around Ami who doesn't get as much time in the story as the main characters, and if you have a chance I recommended reading all the other stories that were also submitted for the contest, as well. Renmi is CrestOfHealing's OC character.

A/N: Well, we are now at the chapter where we get to meet the sons and daughters of the Inoue children! (I'm talking about Yolei's siblings, of course) Now, not to worry, they won't be taking over the story or anything like that, but they'll probably be popping up every now and then for some scenes. They may only be side characters, but I hope you all like them. Speaking of that, I have to admit, I'm always a bit wary when it comes to creating new OC characters because you just never know how well they'll be received, so let me know what you guys think of them and let me know who your favorites are! We'll be getting to some more really interesting chapters in the near future and soon we'll be back on Infinity Mountain again where Dai will have the biggest test of his life to date! Enjoy! Also, I apologize if I have the eye colours of the Inoue siblings wrong. I have yet to find a picture that shows them close enough where you can see their eyes clearly, but I can change them if necessary.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 164: Home Away From Home

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Standing alone in a dark, shadowy hallway, which was located on the fourth floor of the apartment building where the older brother of a certain lavender-haired Digidestined lived with his wife Kiyomi, Sam Ichijouji took a deep breath and he scrubbed vigorously at his cheeks, trying unsuccessfully to regain some control over his emotions. He wasn't quite sure how long he had been standing there gazing uncertainly at his uncle's front door, but the longer he stared at it, the more he wanted to turn around and run back the way he had come, his feet aching desperately to reach the safety of the elevators. In fact, his desire to return home was so powerful, he had to squeeze his eyes shut to prevent himself from crying out in pain and sorrow. Thankfully, since the corridor was completely deserted, no one had witnessed his frantic race down the hallway, nor had they heard his soft sobs, but at the moment his erratic behaviour and the way he had made a complete fool out of himself were the least of his concerns.

Even though he was no longer in Mickey's presence, he still could not help feeling as if he had somehow betrayed a friend who was one of the closest people in the world to him and the guilt he felt eating away at his heart was so strong, it literally made him feel sick to his stomach. Mickey was never going to forgive him for being so _stupid, _but despite how much he hated himself for snubbing the older twin, it was the heart wrenching sobs of his digimon partner that had affected him most of all, and even if Glimmermon ever did manage to forgive him, he knew he would never forget his partner's tears or the little digimon's desperate pleas for him to stay, desperate pleas he had completely ignored.

_And it's all because of my father. I'm sorry, Glimmermon. I'm sorry I'm such a terrible partner, but...I had to leave. I couldn't stay because...because I don't deserve to have a partner like you._

Shaking his head, Sam leaned against the wall next to the front door of the Inoue apartment and he covered his face with his hands, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. Now that his initial shock had worn off and he had had some time to think about everything that had happened in the Digital World that afternoon, including the truth about his father, instead of feeling better he only felt even worse, mostly due to the fact that, at the moment, he felt absolutely nothing at all. All of the anger, hatred, sorrow, sadness, and betrayal he had felt earlier were still swirling around inside of him like a raging tornado, but because there were so many things he wanted to feel, he wasn't quite sure which of his emotions he needed to express first in order to ease the pain in his heart. How was he _supposed_ to feel after so many people he cared about had hurt him so deeply? He didn't know, and his inability to feel anything was ripping him apart inside.

_Dad...why didn't you trust me? Why didn't you tell me the truth, and why can't I stop caring, even after everything you've done? And, Ryoko...I thought you were my friend, but...it's not just you. If Dai had been in your place, he would have done the same thing and I'm sure Mickey, Matty, and Kara would have followed your example, as well. They pretty much admitted it earlier. I just don't know what to do. How can anyone expect me to just forget about the Emperor and move on with my life? I can't do that, and it hurts so much. I don't want to have to deal with this. I...I want things to go back to the way they were before, back to the beginning when the Emperor was nothing more than a shadow of the past..._

It was a nice thought, but unfortunately neither the human world nor the Digital World worked that way and Sam knew that only all too well without being told. His father's past wasn't just going to go away, and somehow he was going to have to find a way to deal with the ghost of the Emperor, as much as he did not want to.

_And somehow I don't think standing around in a dark hallway is going to help me very much. Well, I've come this far. There's no turning back now, and maybe being away from the others, especially my dad, will help me understand what it is I really want._

Besides, as much as he wanted to turn around and go home, the thought of confronting his family and friends again completely terrified him.

_Glimmermon...you probably hate me for what I've done to you..._

Wincing at his own depressing thoughts, Sam slowly took a step closer to his uncle's apartment, and sucking in a deep breath he knocked hesitantly on the door. At first he thought perhaps no one would be able to hear his weak greeting, but a moment later the door swung open and Sam found himself gazing into the curious gray eyes of his cousin, fourteen year old Taka Inoue. Dressed in a pair of long khaki cargo shorts, a striped beige, brown, and white long-sleeved shirt, and an orange t-shirt over top, it was obvious the older boy favoured the same colours as Taysuke when it came to his clothing, but the same could not be said for their hair. Whereas Taysuke's hair was undeniably bright orange, Taka's wind-blown tresses were dirty-blond, a sandy colour that perfectly complimented his sparkling gray eyes. His personality, though, much like Takara's younger brother, was the exact opposite of Sam's personality. Unlike the raven-haired Digidestined, Taka had a very light-hearted personality and he was incredibly easygoing, much like a certain troublemaker by the name of Renmi Igawa, though he didn't get into trouble half as much as Ren did. Then again, even _Dai _didn't get into trouble as often as the youngest of Sam's female cousins, and that was definitely saying something. It also explained why, out of Sam's entire extended family, Ren was closest to Taka, who was the most like her.

_If you don't count Makku..._

"Sam! What are you doing here?" Taka asked curiously, scratching his head in confusion. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but..."

"Yo, Sam! What's up? Came to join the party, did you?" a voice coming from somewhere behind Taka suddenly shouted, the sound carrying out into the hallway.

_Speaking of Makku..._

Smiling for the first time since he had walked out on his parents and shaking his head in amusement, Sam poked his head into the small foyer and he spotted Taka's older brother, seventeen year old Makku Inoue, leaning against the wall next to the shoe rack, and judging by how many pairs of shoes were on the rack, it looked as if the Inoue family had company. "Hey, Makku."

Pushing away from the wall, Makku quickly moved towards him and he felt the older boy ruffle his dark hair, the usual trademark grin on the older boy's face already in place. Whereas Taka had his father's dirty-blond hair and his mother's gray eyes, Makku had Kiyomi's fiery red hair and Mantarou's amber eyes. Perched on the bridge of his nose were a pair of stylish glasses, and his red tresses were sticking up in all directions. Add in the lime-green polo shirt he was wearing with a pair of faded blue jeans, and you got Makku Inoue. In Sam's opinion, the best way to describe the older boy was to call him slightly crazy, though he was definitely crazy in a good way and he was even more easygoing than Taka.

"Ignore him," Taka laughed, rolling his eyes. "So...what's up, Sam? We weren't expecting to see you here today."

"You got that right," Makku agreed, cheerfully shoving his brother out of the way and running a hand through his outrageous hair. "Mom and Dad invited the whole extended family over for dinner tonight, but Aunt Yolei and Uncle Ken said they already had plans."

"We assumed that meant you, Miya, and Nao weren't coming either tonight," Taka added.

"Yeah, well...it's kind of...complicated. So, everyone else is here then?"

Makku nodded, and leaning close to him the older boy whispered, "Yeah, and between you and me there are _way_ too many women in this apartment. They're driving me crazy. You showed up just in time, buddy. We need to even the odds a little."

"Just because you and Hana don't get along doesn't mean you have to take it out on the rest of us," a voice snorted from the doorway leading into the living room.

Jerking up straight in surprise, Sam glanced over Taka's shoulder and he spotted his mischievous cousin, fourteen year old Renmi Igawa (affectionately called Ren) standing just inside the foyer with her hands on her hips. With amber eyes and dirty-blond hair the same colour as Taka's and that of her mother's falling over her right eye, the frown on her face was even more menacing than it otherwise would have been, and despite her obvious disapproval, the corners of her mouth were turned up in a small smile. Contrary to the right side of her head, the bangs on her left were held back by two green barrettes, and the rest of her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that fell to her upper back, just between her shoulder blades. As for what she was wearing, her taste in clothing appeared to mirror that of Taka's because she wore a light green long-sleeved shirt with a white vest pulled over top and faded blue jeans. At the moment, she was wearing only her socks, but Sam knew from her taste that the pair of gray and blue sneakers on the shoe rack definitely belonged to her. In other words, both Ren and Taka were very casual, which emphasized the fact that Ren was a bit of a rebel and a tomboy. At school (the same school that Ami, Noah and all of her older cousins, including Miya, went to in fact) Ren shared a large circle of friends with Taka and she was known for her love of always wanting to be the centre of attention, especially when it came to kids who were younger than herself. Unfortunately for her, most of the attention she usually received was punishment for her habit of goofing off and pulling pranks on other people all the time. Like Dai, she seemed to have a knack for getting into trouble, and often she'd end up dragging Taka down with her, despite his resolve not to get involved in any of her crazy schemes. Surprisingly enough, though, despite being very outgoing, Ren had a tendency to act rather awkward around adults and kids who were older than herself, the exception being Makku, mostly because the red-headed teen never acted his age, or as Hana liked to say, he was incredibly immature.

"It's not my fault your sister is extremely annoying," Makku cheerfully replied, winking at his younger cousin.

Not surprisingly, Ren wrinkled her nose and she nodded in agreement. "You're right about that."

"Don't tell me you two have been picking on Hana _again," _Taka groaned, slapping a hand against his forehead.

"Well, we wouldn't have to if she wouldn't act like such a drama queen all the time! It's annoying and I bet you she does it on purpose just to bug me," Ren shot back, making a face.

Needless to say, Renmi Igawa was not a fan of drama, which explained why she was usually the first one to poke fun at someone who was fond of making a big dramatic production out of everything, Hana being a perfect example. Sam figured that was probably one of the reasons why he had never been particularly close to Ren, on top of the fact that he was much more well-behaved. He tended to get a little dramatic himself sometimes, and considering what had just happened with his father, he had a feeling Ren wouldn't put up with his behaviour the way Mickey had.

_I don't know who I should feel sorry for the most, Ren or Hana!_

As the oldest of the three children born to Emori and Chizuru Igawa, sixteen year old Hana Igawa was nothing like her younger sister Ren and even less like her younger brother, eight year old Hikaru Igawa, and seeing as how Ren was the middle child, it sort of explained why she always wanted to be the centre of attention, especially with an older sister like Hana to compete with.

_Even Miya has trouble getting along with Hana, and she usually gets along with everyone!_

The only person Hana didn't seem to annoy was sixteen year old Tamami Enomoto. Tamami was the oldest of two daughters born to Tatsuya and Momoe Enomoto, and although she wasn't the drama queen Hana was, the two of them were still surprisingly close. Tamami usually seemed more amused than irritated by Hana's antics, and unlike Ren, she took it all in good stride. Tamami's younger sister, fifteen year old Rumi Enomoto, also didn't get along all that well with Hana, but that could have something to do with the fact that she was much more quiet and thoughtful than Tamami.

_She's kind of like Mickey, which is a nice change compared to the rest of my extended family._

Out of the seven cousins he shared with his siblings, Taka, Rumi, and Makku were the three he felt the closest to, Taka being his first choice when it came to spilling his secrets, and because of that he often hung out with them the most whenever he went to visit his aunts and uncles. Despite the fact that Taka was Ren's partner in crime, he was also surprisingly sympathetic and that's what Sam liked about him the most.

_I wonder what he would say about my father, but even if I did tell him about the Digital World, I doubt he would ever believe me..._

"Hiya, Sammy! I didn't think we'd be seeing you today," Ren suddenly piped up, startling Sam out of his thoughts. "Talk about waiting until the last minute. The rest of us were just thinking about leaving soon."

"Only because your mom's tired of the way you keep harassing everyone," Makku snorted.

Ignoring the red-haired teenager, Ren slowly moved further into the room, and frowning slightly, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Where's the rest of your family? I thought Aunt Yolei said you guys were busy today."

"Uh...well...it's kind of a long story..."

"Really?"

Sam felt his face heat up, and trying desperately to avoid his cousin's eyes, he quickly averted his gaze, his heart pounding frantically in his chest. Uncertain of how to respond, he nervously twisted his hands together and he turned instead to smile hopefully at the Inoue children. "Hey, guys, do you think your parents would mind if I stayed for the night?"

Taka and Makku glanced curiously at each other before turning to look at him, and frowning in confusion Taka said slowly, "Not at all, but..."

"What? You don't want me here?"

"Of course we do!" Makku insisted, giving him a warm smile. "Better you than Hana."

"Just be glad you don't have to live with her," Ren joked, punching Makku lightly in the arm.

Biting his lip, Sam gazed uncertainly at his feet, but he quickly lifted his head again when he suddenly felt Taka's hand on his arm. "Come on, Sam, you know you can always share my room. It's just...you usually don't ask at the last minute."

"And what's with the look on your face?" Ren asked, rolling her eyes. "Please don't tell me you're going to start acting like Hana."

"Where are Uncle Mantarou and Aunt Kiyomi?"

"In the living room with the rest of the adults. Why?"

"Sam, are you feeling okay?" Makku asked, looking a bit concerned.

"As if I didn't already have to deal with Hana!" Renmi groaned.

Ignoring his cousins, Sam quickly made his way into the living room and he came to an abrupt stop when he spotted Mantarou and Kiyomi sitting on the forest green love seat. His aunts, Momoe and Chizuru, were sitting on the sofa next to Chizuru's husband, Emori, and Momoe's husband, Tatsuya, was sitting in the arm chair. In the left-hand corner of the room furthest from the door, Hana and Tamami were sitting on the floor across from one another, and both of them were talking in soft whispers. Curled up on the floor in front of the sliding glass door that led out onto the balcony, Rumi sat with her chin resting in her hands and a thick book propped up against her knees, the expression on her face clearly stating she was completely absorbed in whatever it was she was reading. Sprawled out on the beige carpet next to Rumi, Hikaru was playing with the Inoue family pet, a fluffy white cat Kiyomi had named Flurry.

All of them looked so happy, with the exception of Hana, and the smiles on their faces were enough to make Sam feel completely miserable.

_How can they be laughing when I feel like my whole world is falling apart? It's just not fair..._

"Sam!" Mantarou suddenly shouted, leaping to his feet and moving swiftly towards the raven-haired Digidestined and his three cousins.

Sam let Mantarou ruffle his dark tresses, and holding tightly to the straps on his backpack, he gave his uncle a weak smile. "Hey, Uncle."

"Hey, little buddy, what's up? I didn't expect to see you here. Yolei totally ditched us earlier when we asked her if you guys wanted to join us for dinner this evening. She said something about having to work, but personally I think that was just an excuse to hide the fact that she didn't want to put up with me tonight. It's been a while since you've spent some time over here. We were starting to miss you."

Despite how terrible he felt, Sam couldn't help himself from laughing at his uncle's humorous jokes about the youngest sibling of the Inoue family, and although Sam knew his mother wouldn't have appreciated Mantarou's comments very much, he was deeply grateful for being given a reason to smile again. Dressed in jeans and a yellow t-shirt, Mantarou was every bit as casual as his sons when it came to his clothing, and combined with his short, dirty-blond hair, amber eyes and glasses, he looked like he could still be a college student.

_Well, if you ignore the lines around his eyes._

"It's good to see you again, Sam," Kiyomi said warmly, moving swiftly towards him and pulling him into a quick hug. "Are Miya and Nao here, too?"

"No, they're still at home, but...I'm sure they'd love to be here right now. More than you know..."

"That's too bad. If you don't mind me asking, how come you're here so late in the evening, especially since you have school tomorrow?"

Like Mantarou, Kiyomi was a very easygoing person and she had a wonderfully light-hearted personality, which like Makku completely contrasted the shade of her shiny tresses. With long, fiery red hair and sparkling gray eyes, she was the kind of person who could be picked out easily in a crowd. Dressed in a deep turquoise shirt with three-quarter length sleeves and white capris pants, she looked quite stunning and classy standing next to her husband, but what Sam liked about her the most was her sympathetic silver gaze. She had the same eyes as Taka, which explained why the older boy was someone Sam felt he could confine in. "I just...wanted to see everyone. Mom and Dad already said it was okay for me to come here so...um...I was wondering if maybe I could stay for the night?"

"Of course you can, though I don't think Taka has cleaned his room in about three months, so if you feel a bit claustrophobic in there feel free to yell at him. It's not like he ever listens to me!" Kiyomi laughed, rolling her eyes and sending her youngest son a disapproving look.

"But if I clean it up then I won't know where anything is anymore!" Taka protested.

"That's just a convenient excuse not to do any work and you know it."

"It's true!"

Giving his cousin a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, Sam turned to face his other aunts and uncles, who had all somehow managed to crowd around him without him noticing their presence, and he gave them all what he hoped was a cheerful smile. "Hey, guys."

"Sam, it's so good to see you again! I can't believe Yolei turned down Mantarou's offer," Chizuru said disapprovingly, pulling him into a hug. "It's been a while since we've all had a chance to spend time together."

"I guess."

"What was she thinking? Oh well, at least you're here. That's what counts," Chizuru snorted, dismissing Yolei with a wave of her hand.

Sam returned his aunt's hug with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, and he shrugged his shoulders in response to her amusing compliment. Dressed in black slacks and a white button up blouse lined with green, blue, and black vertical stripes, Chizuru's amber eyes were beaming at him from behind her glasses, but he didn't feel much like smiling back at her. With short, dirty-blond hair, roughly the same colour as Mantarou's, she looked a lot like an older, more sophisticated version of Ren, if you ignored the fact that Renmi didn't share her mother's taste in clothing or hairstyles, nor did she wear glasses.

Standing next to Chizuru, Ren's father, Emori Igawa, was wearing a dark blue dress shirt with a matching blue and black tie and a pair of black dress pants. His raven hair and deep blue eyes sparkled under the living room lights and the warm smile on his face matched the twinkle in his sapphire gaze. "Hello, Sam. How are you doing? You should come and visit more often. If you did, I'm sure you'd be a great influence on Renmi, and considering her recent behaviour, I think it's pretty safe to say she needs all the help she can get!"

"Hey! How was I supposed to know that guy was standing right below the balcony!" Ren complained, glaring at her father. "Besides, it's Makku's fault! He's the one who dared me to do it."

"Whoa, hey! Don't drag me down with you!" Makku yelped, cowering behind Taka to avoid his mother's glare.

Letting out a loud sniff, Chizuru placed her hands on her hips and she glared at her younger daughter. "So, you were the one throwing eggs off Mantarou's and Kiyomi's balcony earlier this afternoon. I should have known it was you. It was, wasn't it?"

"Er...would you believe me if I said it wasn't?"

"I think it's a little too late for that," Taka muttered.

"What am I going to do with you?" Chizuru sighed, shaking her head at her daughter.

Placing her hands behind her back, Ren shrugged her shoulders and she grinned sheepishly at her mother. "You have to admit, it was funny when one of the eggs cracked open on his head!"

"So...that's what he was yelling about when he came to the door earlier. I wondered," Mantarou said thoughtfully. "He was ranting and raving so much I couldn't even understand what he was trying to say."

"I thought so. That would explain why you slammed the door in his face," Kiyomi said dryly. "You do know he lives on the bottom floor, don't you? How much do you want to bet he's never going to let us forget what happened to him today?"

"Hey, it's not our fault!"

"No, it's Renmi's fault," Chizuru muttered, turning to frown at her daughter. "You should go to him and apologize. Honestly, Ren, sometimes I think you should have been Mantarou's child instead of mine."

Glancing at Renmi, Mantarou scratched his head in confusion and he gave Chizuru a suspicious look. "Why do I feel like I should be insulted?"

"Ignore them, Sam," Momoe interrupted, pulling him away from Chizuru and wrapping her arm around his shoulders. The oldest female of the Inoue siblings was wearing a long blue skirt with yellow flowers on it and a matching yellow tank top. Her dark brown hair, which now hung just past her shoulders, was partially pulled back in a silver clip and her amber eyes were peering at him from behind a pair of blue-rimmed glasses.

Standing on Momoe's right was her husband, Tatsuya Enomoto, whose sunny blond hair and bright green eyes made Sam think of Angelicmon, though despite sharing the same hair and eye colour the two didn't look anything alike. Like Mantarou, Tatsuya was wearing dark blue jeans, but his orange and white striped polo shirt made him look more like an adult than Mantarou's yellow t-shirt, despite the fact that he was younger than his brother-in-law.

_It doesn't seem to matter where I am. Even when I want to get away from the Digital World, I still can't stop myself from thinking about it..._

"We were just on our way out the door, but now that you're here, I think it's only fair if we stick around a little while longer," Tatsuya said, winking at him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Rumi was asking about you earlier. I'm sure she'll be happy to spend some time with you."

"If you can get her attention that is," Momoe laughed, turning to smile fondly at her younger daughter.

At the sound of her name, fifteen year old Rumi Enomoto lifted her head and she carelessly tossed aside the book she had been reading, her lips curving into a shy smile. With long blond hair the same shade as her dad's and bright amber eyes hiding behind a pair of red-rimmed glasses, Sam couldn't help but marvel at how much she reminded him of a female version of Mickey, though Mickey obviously didn't wear glasses. It wasn't that the two of them looked all that much alike, it was more the fact that she seemed to radiate the same kind of innocence, which was emphasized by her sweet, caring personality and her shy smile. Dressed in a light pink hoodie, with the lacy hem of her long white tank top poking out underneath, and a pair of light blue jeans, she looked very comfortable in her own skin, and Sam had no doubt she owned the pair of pink flip-flops that were sitting on the shoe rack by the door. Her shiny blond hair fell to the middle of her back and despite the fact that her long bangs were constantly falling into her eyes, they didn't appear to cause her any discomfort. In fact, Sam secretly suspected she liked her long bangs because they gave her an excuse to hide her embarrassment whenever someone would say something that made her blush.

_Which happens a lot since Makku and the others like to tease her all the time._

"Sam, I'm glad you're here," Rumi said softly, leaping lightly to her feet and coming over to join him. "It's been awhile since we've seen each other."

"Yeah, I know. I'm really sorry about that, but...I've just...I've been kind of...busy lately."

"Nao didn't come with you?" Hikaru asked, looking slightly disappointed.

"No, he's still at home."

"Well that's dumb. He should have come with."

Sam sent the younger boy an apologetic smile, but instead of smiling in return Hikaru merely scowled at him and went back to teasing the cat.

_I swear one day he's going to be as bad as Ren, if not worse._

Despite the fact that Hikaru was becoming quite the rebel, he was surprisingly fond of Nao, which was odd considering the fact that the two cousins couldn't be any more different from each other if they tried. Though Hikaru didn't quite have Ren's knack for getting into trouble, Sam was sure the boy's spirit and love for adventure would eventually get the better of him in the not so distant future. In many ways, he reminded Sam a little of Tai. Dressed in long jean shorts, a gray t-shirt with white bands around the sleeves, and a black baseball cap sitting backwards on his head, Hikaru had Chizuru's dirty-blond hair and Emori's bright blue eyes, but despite the fact that he looked like both of his parents, he didn't really seem to act like either one of them.

_No wonder Nao acts so shy around him, but Hikaru doesn't seem to mind. He might not even notice, which wouldn't surprise me. Hikaru tends not to pick up on things like that. Poor Nao. When we visit Emori and Chizuru, Hikaru's always dragging him along on some new adventure!_

"What happened, Sam? Did Uncle Ken and Aunt Yolei kick you out of the house?" Tamami joked, coming up beside him so suddenly he almost jumped about three feet in the air, his heart leaping into his throat.

"Tamami! Don't scare me like that!"

"What do you mean? It's not like you couldn't see me coming."

Considering Tamami's appearance, Sam had to admit she was quite right about that. Unlike her sister Rumi, Tamami had Momoe's medium-length dark brown hair and Tatsuya's bright green eyes. The longest layers of her shiny tresses were dyed a shocking shade of pink and she wore a short pink skirt over black capris tights. To complete her outfit, she wore a long gray t-shirt with tiny pink flowers all over it that matched the colour of her skirt. Even though she was barefoot at the moment, Sam was sure the pink ballet-style shoes sitting on the rack by the door belonged to her .

"You're enough to scare anyone, Tams," Makku joked, ruffling his cousin's pink and brown tresses.

Rolling her eyes, Tamami pushed Makku's hand away, and Sam felt her arms wrap around him in an enthusiastic hug. "It's too bad Miya couldn't come, but you're just as good."

"Thanks, Tams."

"Besides, even I need a break from Hana once in a while," she whispered confidentially in his ear.

_Speaking of Hana..._

Glancing over Tamami's shoulder, Sam spotted his cousin Hana Igawa standing next to Rumi with several crumpled tissues in her hand. Her amber eyes, which she had inherited from Chizuru, looked suspiciously tearful, and although Sam didn't know what her problem was, he had a strong feeling he was going to find out, whether he wanted to or not.

"Hello, Sam," Hana said mournfully, shaking her head. "I hope your day was better than _mine, _but I'm sure it was. After all, _nobody _could have had a worse day than _me."_

_I wouldn't bet on that if I were you._

Without thinking, Sam accidentally blurted, "Why? What happened?"

"You had to ask, didn't you!" Renmi groaned, slapping a hand against her forehead.

"Only the worst thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life!" Hana cried, flinging her tissues into a nearby trash can. "It all started when-"

"Come on, guys, let's go talk in my room," Taka interrupted, motioning them all towards the back of the apartment. "It's getting too crowded in here."

"Just remember, your aunts, uncles, and cousins can't stay too much longer," Kiyomi warned. "Ren and the others have school tomorrow."

"Like we need to be reminded," Ren complained.

"I don't know what you're so upset about. It's not like you actually do any work when you're at school!" Hana said coldly, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

With shiny black hair the same colour as Emori's pulled back behind her head and held up by at least thirty bobby pins, Hana was the opposite of her sister even in the way she looked. Like several of her cousins, Hana's eyesight was questionable, but instead of wearing glasses she had chosen to wear eye contacts. Dressed in a short black skirt, a dark purple tank top and a black shrug worn over top of her shirt, Hana's taste in clothing was much more feminine than Ren's, and Sam was quite positive she was the owner of the black knee-length boots sitting on the shoe rack.

"Do we really have to listen to Hana _again?" _Makku groaned, flopping down on Taka's bed and shoving a pillow behind his back.

Hikaru quickly scrambled onto the bed beside the older boy, and Flurry, who had followed them into the room, happily curled herself into Hikaru's lap. Surprisingly, she began to purr loudly, having forgiven the young troublemaker for teasing her earlier. Though nobody, except possibly Sam and Rumi, understood why, for some reason Hikaru seem to idolize Makku, and recognizing the younger boy as a possible partner in crime, Makku had been only too happy to take him on as an apprentice, much to Hana's disgust.

_Not that Makku's presence really makes all that much of a difference. Hikaru also looks up to Ren and she's even worse than Makku!_

"As I was saying before I was so_ rudely _interrupted," Hana snapped, glancing meaningfully at Taka before sitting down gracefully on the bed next to Hikaru, "I had the worse day ever and no one even cares how I feel!"

Trying desperately not to groan in frustration, Sam sat down on the bed between Ren and Rumi, and he turned to look at his distressed cousin."I got that part already. What I want to know is _why _you're so upset."

"M-my boyfriend broke up with me today!"

"Gee, I wonder why," Ren muttered, wrinkling her nose and elbowing Taka lightly in the ribs.

Instead of replying, Taka, who was sitting on Makku's other side, merely ignored Ren, though he was unable to stop himself from shaking his head in amusement.

"Cheer up, Hana," Tamami said cheerfully, patting her friend's shoulder and settling herself on the bed next to Rumi. "If you ask me, I think you're better off without him. Once he has a new girlfriend, you-"

As soon as the words were out of Tamami's mouth, Hana promptly burst into tears and she buried her face in one of Taka's pillows. Clearly she did not like the thought of her ex-boyfriend hooking up with some other girl and seeing as how she was so busy crying her eyes out, it wasn't surprising she failed to notice the silly faces Ren was making behind her back.

"Uh...was it something I said?" Tamami asked, twirling a strand of pink hair around her finger and frowning curiously at her best friend.

"Okay, moving on," Makku interrupted, cheerfully ignoring Hana's sobs, "what's up with you, Sam? Come on, spill. You must have come here without the others for a reason."

"I...uh.."

"Sam, are you okay?" Rumi asked softly, leaning close to him and gazing anxiously into his eyes. "You seem really sad. Did something happen?"

"N-no, I'm fine.."

"You're lying," Hikaru said bluntly, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Rumi and Hikaru are right. You don't seem at all like yourself today," Taka said slowly, studying him closely. "What's wrong, Sam? You can tell us."

_How can I tell any of you about the Emperor and the Digital World when there's no way you'll believe me? Because I was so _stupid _earlier, I don't even have Glimmermon here to back up my story..._

And yet, even though he had wanted to get away from the Digital World and all those associated with it, for reasons he could not explain, all of a sudden he felt a desperate need to tell the others what was bothering him.

"Sam?" Taka asked hesitantly, reaching out to place a gentle hand on his arm.

"Oh no, you really are going to start acting like Hana!" Ren joked, throwing up her hands. "Come on, Sam, you look like your favorite pet just died. It can't be that bad."

_Try worse._

Unable to stop the tears from welling up in his deep blue eyes, Sam quickly turned away from Ren, determined to avoid any more of her teasing remarks. "You won't believe me. None of you will."

"Is that what you think?" Makku asked, looking offended.

"You know we'd believe anything you have to say," Tamami said encouragingly. "Besides, it's easy to tell when you're lying."

"Just like you were a minute ago!" Hikaru said triumphantly.

"I could tell something was wrong as soon as you came into the living room," Rumi said quietly. "Please, Sam? We want to help."

"I noticed it, too," Taka added, giving him a sympathetic smile. "Right when I opened the door. You know you can trust us, don't you?"

They were all staring at him, every single one of them, including the cat. Even Hana had stopped crying long enough to gaze curiously at him and all of a sudden he knew he couldn't keep the Digital World a secret anymore. Even if they laughed at him, it wouldn't matter. He had to talk about his father. If he didn't, he was sure he woud go crazy.

"I...I guess I should start from the beginning. It was all Gennai's fault. If he had never sent Piximon and that stupid e-mail..."


	165. The Abduction of Sam

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, another chapter done! Just to let you all know, the chapter that comes after this one is one of my all time favorites, and even though I've gone over it so many times, it still brings tears to my eyes, so I'm hoping you will all like it. I'll try to keep the chapters coming as soon as possible, but I also want to start writing my next Trinity chapter. Plus, I have started the sequel to my Kingdom Hearts story, (for those of you who have read the first part called _The Way to the Heart_) but I won't be posting any of the chapters until I finish it on paper first. I've got two chapters done so far. It won't be a long story. Probably about the same as_ The Way to the Heart_. Just so you all know if you're looking for my next FTFOD chapter. (Those, as I said, will still be coming hopefully every week, or as much as I can post since I'm quite busy this time of year.) And yes, as you may have guessed, if we're going by tradition like the show, there should be a new digivolution coming up soon...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 165: The Abduction of Sam

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Crouching behind a low hedge and feeling almost like a spy in a really bad made-for-t.v. move, Matty peered anxiously over the bushes and he frowned suspiciously at one of the tall apartment buildings located just across the street from him, his amber eyes studying a brightly lit window shining brilliantly on the fourth floor of the large, shadowy structure. Beside him, Mickey was also gazing at the apartment building, but unlike Matty, the older twin did not appear to be nervous. Instead, Mickey merely looked worried, and in the pale light of the moon, Matty could tell his brother's amber eyes were sparkling with sorrow.

_And it's all because Sam was acting like such a jerk earlier. I can't believe he actually said he didn't want to be anywhere near his friends, even Mickey! If he thinks we're going to let him get away with that then he's about to receive the biggest surprise of his life!_

A surprise Matty sincerely hoped would teach the raven-haired Digidestined a valuable lesson.

_I wonder what he's doing up there. Could he have told Taka and Makku about the Digital World? I don't see why he would, especially since he wanted to avoid everything that has to do with the Digital World, but you never know...._

"Well, do you think we should go in now?" Mickey whispered anxiously in his ear, glancing around unnecessarily to make sure they were still alone.

Wrinkling his nose, Matty glared at the apartment building and he crossed his arms over his chest, vehemently wishing Sam could see him right at that very moment. He wasn't quite sure how long he had been watching the Inoue residence with Mickey, but considering how badly his back was starting to ache, he felt sure it was pretty safe to say he had been crouching behind the bushes for quite some time.

_We've definitely been here long enough for Sam to tell Taka and Makku everything there is to know about the Digital World and what's been happening lately, but maybe that's not such a bad thing. It won't really be a big deal if Yolei's nieces, nephews, and siblings find out about the Digital World, and it might do Sam some good to talk to people who won't be as biased about Ken and the Digital World, one way or another. But still....I wish he would talk to us..._

"Matty? Matty, are you even listening to me?"

Jumping at the sudden feel of Mickey's hand on his shoulder, Matty quickly sat down on the grass with his back turned towards the apartment building, and reaching into his bag, which sat next to him on the ground, he gently stroked Goldmon's fluffy ears. "Why do you even need to ask? It's not like you're really going to give me a choice! Besides, we're not going to accomplish anything by sitting out here."

"Hey, Matty? Do you think Sam might have told them about the Digital World?"

"Well, I was thinking the same thing, but....even if he did, I don't think it's really that big of a deal."

Letting out a deep sigh, Mickey sat down next to him and the older twin frowned thoughtfully at the full moon shining faintly in the distance. "I guess you're right. Poor Sam. I wish he could see the whole picture, but it's like he's refusing to even try. Somehow we have to get through to him, but...."

"We will," Palelymon whispered softly from the depths of Mickey's backpack. "You'll think of something, Mickey. I believe in you."

"Do you think Sam doesn't want to be my partner anymore?" Glimmermon whimpered from his place next to Palelymon.

"No!" Mickey said sharply, frowning disapprovingly at his backpack. "Don't say things like that! Of course Sam still wants to be your partner. He's just a little....confused right now. Once he comes to terms with Ken's past, I'm sure he'll be his old self again."

"But what if that never happens?"

Reaching into Mickey's backpack, Matty gave the small digimon a gentle pat on the head and a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry so much, Glimmermon. We've got the issue with Sam covered. With us on the job, he'll be his old self again in no time."

"We would never let Sam turn his back on you," Mickey said seriously, smiling fondly at the little digimon.

All of a sudden, the bulb on Glimmermon's head began to glow brightly in the darkness, and beaming at them from the confines of Mickey's backpack, the little digimon nodded and he gave them a shy smile. "Thanks, guys. I know you would never let me down."

Turning once more to face the Inoue residence, Matty glanced sideways at his twin and he mumbled, "Hey, Mickey? Do you think we'll ever end up there? I mean, do you think the World of Darkness will ever come for us?"

Mickey's shoulders went rigid, but to Matty's surprise, instead of their eyes meeting, the older twin wrapped his arms around his knees and he turned once more to gaze at the moon. "Not if we don't let it."

"Maybe.."

"We'll be fine, Matty," Mickey said softly, his voice just barely above a whisper in the darkness. "If we keep believing in ourselves, we'll be just fine."

"And each other?"

"_Especially_ if we believe in each other."

_But what if we can't?_

Squeezing his eyes shut, Matty turned his back on Mickey and he hugged his backpack tightly against his chest. "Mickey, I don't want to end up like Sam. I...I don't want _us _to end up like Sam."

"We won't."

"Please don't give up, Matty," Goldmon whispered encouragingly from his backpack. "I know it's tough, but we'll find a way to get past all the darkness surrounding us and our friends, even if it doesn't look like it at the moment. I know it might not seem like it now, but if the darkness ever gets too strong for us to handle alone, Mickey and Palelymon will be there to help us out, and we'll do the same thing for them."

"Matty, no matter what happens in the future, I know it won't stop us from remembering what's really important. Somehow we'll get through this, and if we do ever end up like Sam, I know we'll help each other find a way back to the people we care about," Mickey said quietly, oblivious to Goldmon's words.

"Really?"

Matty felt Mickey give his shoulder a quick squeeze, and turning to face his twin, the two of them smiled almost shyly at each other. "I'm glad you're my brother, Matty. We might not always think alike, but if we continue to do our best to understand each other, it'll never be a problem."

"Or at least it'll stop us from ripping each other's heads off!"

Laughing, Mickey grabbed his arm and quickly pulled him to his feet. "Come on, let's go knock some sense into Sam. Sitting here and arguing with each other isn't going to solve anything."

"But taking out our frustrations on Sam will be extremely satisfying. Hey, Mickey, a lot has happened to us since we joined the Digidestined. Do you think our story would make a good movie?"

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of a television show."

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Sitting on Taka's bed with his head in his hands, Sam swallowed a huge lump in his throat and he scrubbed vigorously at his eyes, trying desperately to regain control over his emotions. Even though he was starting to have second thoughts, he knew he had already come too far to even consider turning back now, and since he had no other choice, he forced himself to finish his story about the Digital World, despite feeling very unsure of himself. His tale came to an end with the news of his father being the Digimon Emperor, and unable to look at anyone, especially Ren, he pulled up his legs and buried his face against his knees, wishing desperately he had done himself a favour and kept his big mouth shut. Although he hadn't really known what kind of a reaction to expect from his cousins, the sudden silence in the room was unnerving, and for the first time in his life he was starting to regret coming from such a big family.

_They either think I'm crazy or they think I'm lying, and why shouldn't they feel that way? So many bizarre things have happened to me lately, I'm starting to wonder if I even believe them myself.._

The uneasy silence hovering over Taka's bed seemed to last for an eternity, but after a quiet moment of thoughtful contemplation, Taka's sympathetic voice suddenly cut through the tense atmosphere of the room, causing Sam to jerk his head up in surprise. "Sam, I....wow. That's..."

"Crazy? Go ahead and say it. I know it's crazy, but even if you don't believe me it's all true."

"Sam..."

"You probably think I'm lying, don't you. Not that I have any right to complain. If I were you, I wouldn't believe me either."

"Sam," Taka interrupted, his voice firm and his gray eyes dark and serious, "nobody here has accused you of lying about anything. It's just....this Digital World you've told us about....it's a lot to take in all at once."

"And you guys say I exaggerate," Hana sniffed, tossing her head.

"Hana, you don't really believe Sam is making all of this up, do you?" Rumi asked quietly, shaking her head and tugging rather harder than necessarily on her long, blond hair, a gesture that was becoming a bit of a habit with certain members of the Inoue bloodline.

"I never said that!"

"No, but you certainly made it sound like that's what you were implying," Tamami snorted, rolling her eyes at the raven-haired female.

Sam glanced uncertainly at Hana, but a sudden tug on the sleeve of his green top made him look up in confusion, and turning to his right, he found himself gazing into Renmi's amber eyes. Frowning, he muttered, "If you're going to tell me I'm acting like Hana, save your breath."

"Excuse me, and what is that supposed to mean?" Hana shouted.

"I don't think you're lying," Ren said slowly, ignoring her sister. "I mean, you're usually not in the habit of making stuff up, you know?"

"That's true," Rumi agreed, nodding her head for emphasis. "I believe you, Sam."

"Besides, it's too crazy not to be true!" Makku joked.

"Sam, do you have your Digivice with you?" Taka asked curiously.

"Can we see it?" Hikaru gasped, hopping up and down excitedly on his knees. The young boy's sudden movements startled Flurry, and letting out a hiss of surprise, she quickly leaped out of Hikaru's lap and hid herself under the bed.

_They....believe me?_

Sam stared at his cousins with his mouth hanging open, and all of a sudden he started to laugh.

_I can't believe I forgot about my Digivice! Even though I don't have Glimmermon with me, it doesn't matter because I still have a way to prove my story is true!_

"Don't tell me you didn't bring it with you!" Hikaru complained, clearly disappointed.

Instead of responding, Sam pulled his Digivice out of his backpack and he dropped it on the bed directly in front of Hikaru. For a long time, Taka and the others just stared at it, as if unable to believe what they were seeing, and smiling in amusement, Sam motioned for Tamami to pick it up. "Go ahead. You're not going to be struck down by lightning just because you touched it."

"So this thing allows your partner to, what did you call it? Digivolve?" Hana asked skeptically.

Tamami gave Hana a surprisingly dirty look and she quickly scooped the purple D-Coder into her hands. "Of course it does, and it makes a pretty cool fashion accessory too!"

"Um....Sam? Where is Glimmermon?" Rumi asked hesitantly, watching him closely.

Convinced she had somehow managed to read his mind, Sam blushed and he quickly ducked his head. "I....left him with Mickey."

"Can we meet him sometime?" Hikaru asked eagerly, "And tell your friends we want to meet their digimon, too."

"It must be a real interesting experience having to take orders from Dai," Makku laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

"This Digital World of yours must be pretty desperate if it's willing to let someone like Daichi take charge," Hana said disapprovingly. "That's almost as bad as letting Renmi run the show."

"Better me than you!" Ren shot back. "At least I wouldn't bore all the bad guys to death!"

"How come we didn't get to be Digidestined?" Tamami asked indignantly, "And why didn't Ami, Noah, and Miya tell us what was going on?"

Rumi smiled softly to herself and she gave her sister a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Isn't it obvious? Like Dai, Ami, and all the others, we probably had our data scanned too, but unfortunately, as was the case with Ami and her friends, we didn't quite make the cut. As to why Miya didn't tell us about the Digital World, she only found out about it not that long ago herself, and I bet she didn't tell us because she wasn't quite sure if Davis and the others would approve. I'm sure the adults wouldn't want to put us in any unnecessary danger."

"Still, Miya should have said something, and you too, Sam. Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"Well, truthfully it never crossed my mind, and even now I wasn't sure if I should tell you because I didn't think you'd believe me."

"Sam? Listen, I'm sorry for teasing you earlier," Ren said a bit awkwardly, avoiding his eyes. "I never meant to make you feel as if we wouldn't believe you..."

Shaking his head, Sam wrapped his arm around Renmi's shoulders and he gave her a quick smile. "Don't worry about it."

"Okay, I won't, but...just so you know, no matter what happens, we have your back. So...if you ever need any help..."

"You guys will find me standing on your doorsteps."

Ren suddenly smiled and she gave him a hearty pat on the back. "Good, that's what I wanted to hear. Hand over that Digivice, Makku! I want to see it, too."

Sam waited patiently while his D-Coder was passed around the circle, but despite the now light-hearted atmosphere, he could tell his cousins all had something on their minds.

_I bet they're thinking about my dad._

As if to confirm his suspicions, Taka suddenly glanced at him and said hesitantly, "Sam, about your father....I don't think you should be too hard on him. He had a pretty rough life, especially with the death of his brother, and....if you ask me, I think he's done an amazing job of putting the past behind him. It couldn't have been easy for him to overcome all of the terrible things he did."

"Uncle Ken is such a sweet person. I don't think he meant to hurt anyone. Sometimes bad things happen to good people," Tamami said gently, her sympathetic green eyes daring anyone to disagree.

Biting his lip, Sam let out a deep sigh and he gazed miserably at his stockinged feet. "I know, but..."

"Considering you have an evil angel after you, one who seems to be playing both sides of the battlefield, along with an egotistical fairy, a psycho jester, a spider lady, a crazy vampire chick, and a phantom calling himself the Ruler of Darkness, don't you think you have bigger things to worry about?" Makku said dryly, raising his eyebrows.

"It's the people who don't believe they deserve forgiveness who should be forgiven most of all," Rumi said softly. "They're the ones who truly understand the consequences of their actions. Your father isn't stupid, Sam. He knows he's done a lot of terrible things and he is well aware of the fact that he has no right to ask you to forgive him. Doesn't that tell you anything?"

Sam was about to answer when Taka's bedroom door suddenly burst open, and to his complete surprise, Mickey and Matty charged into the room, their amber eyes full of determination.

"Oh! Hey, guys!" Taka said cheerfully, waving them over to the bed.

Gaping at the twins, Sam rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't just imagining things, and realizing they weren't suddenly going to disappear, he felt his cheeks turn a bright shade of pink. "Mickey! Matty! What are you guys doing here?"

"Bringing you back your partner," Mickey said quietly, his amber gaze settling on the purple D-Coder in Renmi's hands. "You told them?"

"About the Digital World? Yeah, I told them everything, including the stuff about...about my dad..."

"We were just in the process of telling Sam he has no reason to be angry with his father," Rumi said softly, giving Mickey a warm smile.

"You are awesome, Rumi! You totally just read our minds!" Matty cheered, beaming at the golden-haired female.

Mickey nodded in agreement and he returned Rumi's smile. "Thanks, Rumi. So, I guess that means you guys also know both Matty and I are also Digidestined then?"

"That's right and it wasn't fair of you guys to keep the Digital World a secret from us!" Tamami said disapprovingly, frowning at the twins.

"So, what's this about Sam's partner?" Ren asked curiously.

"Are you guys saying you brought Glimmermon with you?" Hikaru piped up, his bright blue eyes shining with anticipation.

"Who let you guys in here anyway?" Makku asked, scratching his head in confusion. "I didn't hear a knock on the door."

"What? Are you deaf?" Matty snorted. "We were pounding on the door loud enough for the whole building to hear us. Your mom let us in."

"Can you blame us? Sam tells a really good story. How can you expect us to hear the door when we're still trying to get over the fact that apparently these digimon Sam told us about can talk!"

"Of course they can talk! How else do you think we communicate with them?" Matty shouted indignantly.

"And yes, Hikaru, we did bring Glimmermon with us," Mickey interrupted, frowning disapprovingly at both his brother and Makku.

"Awesome! Can we see him?"

Leaping off the bed, Sam pulled Glimmermon out of Mickey's backpack, and he hugged the little digimon fiercely against his chest. Feeling incredibly ashamed of the way he had treated his partner earlier, Sam buried his face against the top of Glimmermon's head and mumbled, "I'm sorry, Glimmermon. I'm sorry for leaving you behind."

"Sam, don't you want to be my partner anymore?" Glimmermon whimpered, snuggling against his chest.

"Of course I do! Glimmermon, you know I care about you, and no matter what happens you know we'll always be partners and friends. I just....needed a little time to think."

"Even though it didn't help? You're no closer to forgiving your dad than you were before. I can tell. Please don't push me away, Sam. I want to help you."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad to be with you again," Glimmermon said happily, sighing contently in his arms.

_I always feel so much better when I'm with Glimmermon. How could I have ever left him behind? I never realized Mickey understood me so well. He knew all along I didn't really want to leave Glimmermon. That's why he came after me! And Matty.....Matty always wants everyone to be happy all the time. I wonder if he realizes what a good friend he is..._

Smiling fondly at the little digimon in his arms, Sam let out a happy sigh and he humbly bowed his head. "Thanks, Mickey."

"Don't mention it."

"You too, Matty. I....thanks."

"Did you really think we were going to let you pull off something this stupid?" Matty shot back, looking quite pleased with himself.

"You mean to tell me that thing is alive?" Hana squeaked, pointing a trembling finger at Glimmermon.

"He's so cute!" Tamami squealed.

"He really does talk," Renmi muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Hello, everyone," Glimmermon said shyly.

Setting Glimmermon gently on the bed, Sam beamed at his cousins and he said proudly, "This is my digimon partner, Glimmermon. Glimmermon, these are my cousins, Taka, Makku, Hikaru, Hana, Tamami, Rumi, and Renmi."

"Let me hold him!" Hikaru demanded, flinging out his arms.

Glimmermon happily hopped into the younger boy's lap, and turning to Mickey and Matty, Sam motioned for them to open their backpacks. "Why don't you show Taka and the others Palelymon and Goldmon? I'm sure your digimon don't want to be left out."

Mickey quickly hopped onto the already crowded bed next to Rumi and Matty nudged Ren over to make room for himself across from Makku. Palelymon and Goldmon were quickly introduced to a new crowd of admirers, and soon enough Palelymon was snuggled in Rumi's arms while Goldmon sat happily in Taka's lap.

"I guess they're kind of cute," Renmi laughed, tickling Goldmon's fluffy ears.

"How many times do I have to keep telling everyone? They're not cute!" Matty groaned.

"They're cool! Right, Matty?" Hikaru said happily.

"Hey, you've held Glimmermon long enough. Hand him over, you little runt!" Makku joked, snatching the little digimon out of Hikaru's arms and ruffling the younger boy's hair.

Shaking his head at Makku's behaviour, Sam glanced at the twins and he frowned thoughtfully to himself, his brain going into overdrive. Mickey, Matty, and the rest of the new Digidestined were pretty well acquainted with his cousins, having met Taka and the others quite a few times in the past, and he was glad his cousins normally got along quite well with his friends, but there was just one thing bugging him. On the surface it looked as if Mickey and Matty had decided to stick around after delivering Glimmermon because they wanted to spend some time catching up with Taka and the gang, but despite their perfectly innocent behaviour, Sam had a feeling the reason the twins were still there was because they still had unfinished business with him, an ulterior motive for sticking around so to speak.

Mickey must have sensed what he was thinking because the older twin suddenly looked at him, a hesitant smile on his face. "Is something wrong, Sam?"

"You didn't come here just to deliver Glimmermon, did you."

"Well, no. Actually, the real reason we came here was to kidnap you!" Matty said cheerfully.

"Huh?"

"From the way you're acting, it looks like you've settled down a bit when it comes to your father, but I know you better than that," Mickey said quietly. "You're trying to hide it, but I can tell your father's past is still eating you up inside."

"I'm fine, Mickey. Well, I'm fine if...if I don't think about it too much..."

"Hiding from your father's past isn't going to help you heal," Rumi said simply. "If you want to find happiness again, you're going to have to face the truth. It might be hard, but if it means reuniting with you father, all of your suffering will be worth it."

"I'm sorry, Taka, but Sam's going to be sleeping at my house tonight," Mickey said firmly, climbing off the bed and giving Rumi's shoulder a grateful squeeze.

Sam blinked and he stared at the older twin in surprise. "I am?"

"Yes, and you'd better be grateful because Mickey's threatening to kick me out of my own bed!" Matty grumbled, making a face. "We hope you don't mind, Taka."

"I'll admit I was kind of hoping Sam would stay here tonight, since I haven't seen him in a while, but considering what's been going on lately, I think it might be better if he stayed with you guys. As long as he's in good hands, I'm cool with it. You might want to tell my parents, though. They can phone Ken and Yolei and let them know what's going on."

"Good idea," Mickey agreed.

In response to Mickey's words, Matty quickly scooped up all the digimon and he tossed them unceremoniously into the two backpacks sitting on the floor, and before Sam could even attempt to protest, he found himself being dragged to his feet by Mickey and pulled towards the door. "Hey! What if I don't want to-"

"You're coming, so quit complaining," Mickey interrupted, tugging firmly on his arms.

"What just happened here?" Renmi asked, scratching her dirty-blond hair in confusion.

Taka suddenly got to his feet and Sam felt the older boy's arm go around his shoulders. "At least think about what we've said, okay?"

_Am I the only one who feels like my dad betrayed us?_

Biting his lip, Sam managed a quick nod to his cousin before both Mickey and Matty literally dragged him out the door.


	166. Beyond the Horizon

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: And another chapter done! I don't have much to say this time because personally I think the chapter sort of speaks for itself.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 166: Beyond the Horizon

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

_Standing beneath a canopy of thick, dark leaves, Sam Ichijouji slowly lifted his chin and he gazed silently up at the pale blue moon shimmering eerily above the dark forest, its weak rays of light streaming through the branches of the tall trees keeping silent watch over the Digital World and all those who dwelt within it. How Sam knew he was in the Digital World, he could not say, but something about the forest seemed familiar somehow, and the dark trees surrounding him appeared to be calling out his name, their dry, wistful voices just barely reaching his ears before fading to the point where he could no longer hear them. It was as if their words had been swept away by the gentle breeze rustling the leaves on the trees._

Where am I? I know this place, but I can't recall ever coming here in the past. Have I been here before? Why is it so dark?

_Frowning in confusion, Sam glanced uneasily at the circle of trees surrounding him, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. He was standing in a small clearing, and even though he appeared to be alone, he could not shake the feeling that someone was watching him._

There are eyes everywhere. This place is dangerous. If I stay here, the darkness will find me.

_Knowing instinctively that he was right, Sam began to move quickly towards the edge of the clearing, his silent footsteps taking him deeper into the woods. To his complete surprise, even though there were twigs and roots snapping beneath his feet, and leaves brushing against his cheeks, the forest remained oddly quiet, the sound of his body and limbs coming in contact with the wildlife flourishing beneath the trees making absolutely no sound whatsoever._

It's like I'm not even here, but if that's the case then why can I feel the forest reaching out to me?

_For what seemed like the span of a lifetime, though for all he knew time could have stopped completely, Sam continued to make his way through the forest, the thick tangle of trees stretching out before him like a never ending row of tall, dark pillars keeping silent vigil over their sacred lands. Sam was sure they were laughing at him, mocking his weak attempt to escape from the forest, and their silent giggles almost made him give up in despair. They were servants of the night, and he was an intruder, someone who did not belong in their world. If he did not leave soon, they would make him suffer the same fate as all those who had succumbed to the darkness before him. They would make him one of them, and he knew with a certainty that caused a shiver to race down his spine, if he could not resist their power, his heart would become a tool of darkness._

But how? How do I get out of here? Glowmon, help me!

_Sam glanced at the trees and then down at his feet, desperately hoping to spot his digimon partner, but he knew it was hopeless to believe Glowmon would suddenly materialize out of thin air and come flying to his aid. He was alone, and considering the way he had treated his partner earlier, he had no right to expect any help from the little rookie._

I'm sorry, Glowmon. I hope you can forgive me...

_Fighting back tears, Sam fought his way through the trees and just when he was truly starting to believe the forest might go on forever, the branches hovering above his head began to thin and his right foot suddenly sank into a pile of soft sand. Glancing down at his gray and green sneakers in surprise, Sam frowned and he shook his head in confusion. _Sand? But...I'm in a forest. Normally you only find sand in a desert or at the...

_Summoning a spark of energy he didn't know he had, Sam put on a burst of speed and he pushed his way through the thick undergrowth, his sapphire eyes focusing intently on the horizon, which appeared to be a long, thin line of dark water peeking between the trees. Almost before he could catch his breath, the trees suddenly thinned, eventually disappearing into the background behind him, and he found himself standing on a long sandy beach that stretched out on either side of him before disappearing into the distance. In front of him, the ocean looked dark and menacing, and yet at the same time it seemed almost peaceful. From his position at the edge of the forest, he could see the tide rolling in, but strangely enough, he could not hear the sound of the waves. The sand beneath his feet looked silver in the moonlight, and the moon itself hung over the murky black waters of the ocean, its cold blue light offering little warmth or comfort._

This place....This..this is....

_The Dark Ocean._

_Although Sam had never been to the Dark Ocean before, he knew instinctively that was where he was, and all of a sudden he understood why the forest had seemed so familiar. This was the World of Darkness and he was at its mercy._

No! No...I don't want to be here again. Please...

_Sam slowly began to back up, but just as he was about to run back into the forest, he spotted the dark shape of a human sitting near the edge of the water. Whoever it was had their back to him and he could tell the boy had his legs crossed, a sign he had been sitting there for quite some time. Whoever it was appeared to be gazing out at the water, and although Sam knew he should be cautious, for some odd reason he did not feel the least bit afraid. In fact, he felt oddly drawn to the boy, and before he could stop himself, he quickly made his way towards the edge of the water. Upon closer inspection, Sam realized with some surprise that the boy was holding a small bottle in his left hand, and in his other hand he held a thin stick with a circular end on it for blowing bubbles. As Sam watched in fascination, the boy made several attempts to blow bubbles out into the water, but almost all of the bubbles were either small and weak or they broke before they were fully formed._

I know him. I've seen his face before....

_Sam had reached the water by this time, and without waiting for an invitation, he sat down next to the other boy, turning slightly to gaze at the dark horizon calling out to him in the distance. "You're blowing too hard. You're never going to make a decent bubble with that kind of technique."_

_"Maybe not, but I bet you could make nice bubbles. Would you like to show me how? I never could get it right."_

_Sam hadn't expected to receive an answer, and as a result the other boy's sudden words caught him by surprise. Turning to face his mysterious companion, Sam felt his breath catch in his throat. This was the first opportunity he had received to get a closer look at the boy, and what he saw was enough to make his heart skip several beats. The boy had sapphire eyes, cobalt-coloured hair, and a smile that was slightly condescending, though there was a warmth and tenderness about that smile, as well. Perched upon the bridge of his nose were a pair of round glasses, and yet despite his somewhat ordinary appearance, Sam was unable to look away from the miracle that sat only mere inches away from him._

_This boy was no ordinary boy._

_Sam had definitely seen the be-speckled youth before, never in life, but many times in the old photographs that even now hung upon the walls of his home, those eyes gazing at him from somewhere beyond the grave. How often had he wished for a chance to meet the one he had been named after, but always the dream had been an unattainable goal._

_Until now._

_It was crazy. It was completely impossible, and yet here he was sitting beside the one member of his extended family he had never had the chance to know, the one person who would never see him smile or watch him grow up, or give him the words of comfort he so desperately needed._

It's really him. He's really here...

_Tears stinging his eyes, Sam placed a trembling hand on the other boy's shoulder and almost unable to utter the word he whispered, "Uncle?"_

_The late Sam Ichijouji smiled at him, but instead of answering his plea or the many questions that were racing through his mind, his uncle merely held out the bottle and pressed the wand for blowing bubbles into his hand. "Go on. I want to see your bubbles. How am I going to get any better if I don't have anyone to practice with?"_

_Tears blurring his vision, Sam almost couldn't see the wand in his hand, but somehow he managed to dip it into the bottle, and holding it close to his lips, he made a weak attempt to blow a couple bubbles. To his complete surprise, five large beautifully shaped bubbles suddenly burst free from the wand in his hand and they floated leisurely over the water before disappearing from view. What was even more astonishing was the fact that instead of being clear like his uncle's, all the bubbles had been a different colour, the significance of those colours becoming immediately recognizable to him. Five bubbles, each one a different colour. Red, blue, green, yellow, and orange. The same colours as the five D-Coder Digivices that belonged to his five closest friends._

Dai, Ryoko, Kara, Mickey, Matty.....

_"See? I knew you could do it," his uncle murmured, turning once more to gaze at the ocean. "Just like _he _could. I envy you, Sam."_

_"Me?" Sam stared at his uncle in surprise, and shaking his head he quickly dropped the bubble wand back into its bottle. "Why?"_

_Instead of answering, the late Sam Ichijouji frowned at the dark waters lapping gently against the shore and he let out a deep sigh. "Sam, what are you doing here? You don't belong in this world."_

_"It's not like I have a choice, thanks to DarkAngelicmon."_

_"There's always a choice, Sam, even if you can't always see where each road begins or where each road will end. Don't you see your path just over the horizon?"_

_Sam looked to where his uncle was pointing, and to his complete astonishment, he saw a small sliver of light glimmering faintly at the edge of the horizon, just past the dark waters surging quietly towards the shore. The light was barely visible, but it was still there, shining like a beacon to guide him through the darkness._

Is that where my family and friends are waiting for me? Dad....what about you? Are you waiting there, too, in the place where I belong?

_Unable to stop the tears he had been trying so desperately to hold back from slipping silently down his cheeks, Sam quickly shook his head and he gazed hopelessly at the ocean, unable to accept a future that seemed so out of reach. "What am I supposed to do? I want to forgive him, but I don't know if I can..."_

_"Do you love your dad?" his uncle asked quietly, without even looking at him._

_"I...of course I do! I just..."_

_"Kindness and compassion will show you the way. Let yourself feel what you want to feel, not what you think you have to feel. Can you do that for me?"_

_"I'll...I'll try. Uncle, why? Why did you have to leave us? Why did you have to die?"_

_"I'm always with you, Sam. Always."_

_Losing his resolve completely, Sam began to sob uncontrollably into his uncle's shoulder. "Why did all of this have to happen? Why? You, my dad, everything! I wanted to meet you. I wanted..."_

_"I wanted to meet you, too."_

_"But, I..."_

_Sam felt his uncle's hand touch his shoulder, and choking back the sobs that were threatening to overwhelm him, he lifted his gaze and he stared directly into his uncle's sad eyes. The fingers pressing gently against his shoulder felt so real, it was hard to believe the boy beside him was no longer a part of the world occupied by the living. The late Sam Ichijouji himself seemed to feel that endless barrier between them quite keenly, as well, because he smiled sadly and murmured, "Sam, can you promise me something?"_

_"Of course! Anything you want."_

_"Do what I never had the chance to do in life. Let your father know how much you care about him before it becomes too late to say what you feel inside your heart. He knows you loved him once, but now he's not so sure. Do you want him to someday leave your world believing you feel nothing for him?"_

_Sam buried his face against his uncle's shoulder and he violently shook his head. "No! No...it's not like that. I do care. That's why it hurts so much..."_

_"Then live each day with no regrets. You never know what might happen in the future, Sam. Make the most of the time you have and use it wisely. Something I never did..."_

_Clinging tightly to his uncle's arm, Sam turned his head slightly to gaze at the black sky looming above the dark waters of the ocean, and shaking his head he bit his lip. "Uncle, am I a disappointment to you? I'm not smart like Miya or...or...perceptive like Nao, and I'm not really particularly good at anything. I'm just....just average. I'm not special like you were. I know my parents gave me your name, but I don't think I can ever live up to your standards..."_

_Without looking at him, the late Sam Ichijouji smiled faintly and once again he pointed towards the light in the distance. "You should go now, Sam. It isn't good for you to stay here so long."_

_"But-"_

_"Go back to where you belong. If you don't, the others will be worried about you."_

_The words were so reminiscent of what DarkAngelicmon had said to him earlier that for a moment all Sam could do was stare. Thankfully, his uncle didn't seem to notice and chewing anxiously on his lower lip he mumbled, "But...what about you?"_

_"I have my own place in the light, thanks to Ken. Go, Sam. The others are waiting for you. Don't turn your back on them, not now when they need you so much, especially your dad."_

_Impulsively, Sam reached out and he flung his arms around his uncle's neck in a tight hug. "You can't leave yet!"_

_"Sam, tell Miya and Nao....tell them I wish I could have met them, and tell Ken....tell your dad...I miss him..."_

_"I will, I promise."_

_Sam felt his uncle's arms go around him in a brief hug, but before he could say anything more, the late Sam Ichijouji suddenly pulled away from him and stood up. "Goodbye...Sam."_

_"Wait! You can't go! You never answered my question! I'm not.."_

_"You're my nephew," his uncle said quietly, without turning around to look at him. "For me, that's enough. You deserve a better name than mine."_

_Leaping to his feet, Sam hugged himself and he smiled through his tears. "Goodbye, Uncle. I'll see you again."_

_The late Sam Ichijouji paused and he turned around long enough to smile at him over his shoulder. "Not for a very long time, I hope. Don't forget your promise. Remember, kindness and compassion will show you the way. Just follow the bubbles."_

My friends...

_Sam watched his uncle disappear into the shadows, and turning to face the light in the distance, he held out his hand._

I don't know if I can do what you want, Uncle, but I'll try. For Dad.....

_Even as the darkness around him began to fade away, Sam couldn't help but smile at the murky depths of the ocean lapping gently against the shore beneath his feet. He had no proof, but somehow he just knew his uncle was watching over him, and no matter what happened, he knew the late Sam Ichijouji would always be proud of him. For now, that was enough._

_***********_

Gasping for breath, Sam woke with a start, and jerking into a sitting position, he glanced frantically around the dark room, trying desperately to figure out exactly where he was. Almost immediately, his gaze settled on the shadowy forms of Mickey and Matty, both of whom were curled up beneath the blankets and sleeping peacefully in the younger twin's bed just on the other side of the nightstand.

_A dream, but....it felt so real...._

Sam frowned in confusion, and shaking his head, he gazed thoughtfully at the partially open door, the memory of his uncle still fresh and vivid in his mind. Beside him, sleeping happily on a pillow, Glimmermon hadn't even sensed his sudden movement, and although he would have loved a chance to speak with his partner, he didn't really feel like waking the poor digimon. Although Glimmermon would never admit it, Sam could tell his partner was exhausted, and also because of his earlier actions, he knew he was partly to blame for his partner's fatigue. Clearly Glimmermon needed a good rest, and Sam wasn't about to cause his partner any more stress than he already had.

_Uncle....I want to keep my promise, but I don't know if I can. What should I do? Where do I go from here? How do I find a way to forgive when my heart feels so empty?_

They were good questions, but unfortunately there was no one around who could give him the answers he so desperately needed, not even the twins. Before arriving at the Takaishi residence, Sam had been a bit uncertain about confronting T.K. and Kari, but instead of scolding him, they had merely held him close, given him something to eat, and put him to bed without ever mentioning a single word about his father. Even Rina hadn't said a word about the Digimon Emperor. Instead, the young female Takaishi had merely come into the room to give Glimmermon a hug and to say goodnight before scurrying off to her room, though her big, blue eyes had told him all he needed to know about where she stood concerning the former Digimon Emperor. The only time T.K. and Kari had even mentioned his parents was to let him know his mother had phoned, informing them that Mantarou had called her about his whereabouts. He was sure spending some time away from his father was for the best, but at the same time the words of his friends and cousins, and most importantly the promise he had made to his uncle were eating away at his heart.

_It was just a dream, but....if that's true then why can I still feel his hand on my shoulder and hear his voice whispering in my head?_

A voice he had never heard in life, and yet he knew it instinctively.

Glancing over at the twins, Sam rubbed his eyes and he studied their sleeping faces, envious of the ease in which they had left the waking world of reality behind. It was just a dream, but he knew Mickey would call it something else, and Matty....he didn't really know what Matty would think.

_**"Let yourself feel what you want to feel, not what you think you have to feel...."**_

_I'll try, Uncle. I promise I'll try._

Glancing once more at the half hidden face of Makiya Takaishi, a face that even in sleep seemed to be telling him not to give up, Sam curled himself beneath the blankets again and he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

For the second time that night, Sam's breathing fell into a deep, steady rhythm, and as soon as Matty was sure his friend was asleep, he slowly opened his eyes and he poked his twin lightly in the shoulder. Mickey, who like him was only pretending to be asleep, quickly turned to face him, and the two of them stared silently at each other from across their pillows, their amber eyes shining faintly in the darkness of the room. At first, Matty wasn't quite sure what to say, but luckily his twin seemed eager to talk.

"Hey, Matty?" Mickey murmured, his voice barely above a whisper in the darkness. "What do you think Sam was dreaming about?"

"I have no idea. I hope it wasn't a nightmare."

"I don't think it was. He didn't seem scared to me, just....surprised."

"Maybe..."

"What's wrong, Matty?"

Unable to look his brother in the eyes, Matty quickly turned to face the closet and he pulled the blankets over his head. "Mickey, I'm really worried about Sam. I know he says he's going to come with us to the Digital World tomorrow, but...I can tell his heart just isn't in it and that might cause us some big problems."

"You're right, but even if that's true, we can't give up on him. Think about it, Matty. If we can't find a way to make ourselves believe he'll eventually overcome his father's past then how is he supposed to believe in himself? You saw the way he looked at us when he thought we were asleep. He needs us and we have to support him no matter what happens."

_I know Sam needs to come with us, but I can't help thinking it might be better if he stayed behind. What if everything goes wrong tomorrow? If Vampiramon manages to steal the Spirit Chip from us, we're going to be in big trouble...._

"There's something else on your mind, not just Sam. What is it, Matty?"

Blushing furiously under the sheets, Matty kept his back turned towards his twin, and knowing already it was useless to deny Mickey's accusation, he squeezed his eyes shut and he clutched his pillow tightly against his chest. "Nothing, only...you told Mom how you really felt about DarkAngelicmon long before you said anything to me."

"Matty, I-"

"Why? Why did it take you so long to tell me? You...you practically tried to hide your feelings from me! Don't try to deny it!"

Without warning, Mickey suddenly yanked the blankets back, exposing their upper bodies, and feeling an unexpected rush of cool air on his face, Matty reluctantly opened his eyes. Rolling over onto his back, pillow still clutched tightly in his arms, he found himself gazing into his brother's bright amber eyes. Mickey was leaning over him, and from the look on the older twin's face, Matty could tell his brother was deeply disappointed. "Do you honestly believe I didn't want to tell you? Matty, the only reason I didn't say anything right away is because I knew you wouldn't take me seriously, and judging from the way you were acting earlier today it looks like I was right! I wanted you to understand why I feel so strongly about DarkAngelicmon before I said anything, but...obviously that's not how it worked out. Mom understands, but...you act like you don't even want to try!"

Jerking into a sitting position, Matty shoved his pillow into his brother's arms and he gave the older twin a dirty look. "Did it ever occur to you that you're the one who's not taking me seriously?"

To his surprise, instead of protesting, Mickey blushed and he buried his face in the pillow. "I know. I promise I'll try to be more cautious from now on, but....you need to be cautious, too."

"I know that! Last time I checked, I wasn't the one pulling all kinds of crazy stunts in the Digital World the last few days!"

"But you want to fight DarkAngelicmon. I know you do."

"As long as he stays out of our way, I don't care what he does, but if he tries to threaten the Digital World and our safety, I will have Angelicmon stop him. He's the one who wants to fight my partner, not the other way around."

"Speaking of Angelicmon...do you think he's hiding something from us?" Mickey asked hesitantly, clearly anxious to change the subject. "Gabrielmon, too, even more so for that matter. The way both he and Celestimon were acting earlier in the Digital World today..."

"You mean just when we were coming home. Yeah, something about the forest..."

"Something _in _the forest," Mickey whispered.

The two of them turned simultaneously to gaze at their partners, and Matty felt a shiver race down his spine, more out of anticipation than fear. Goldmon and Palelymon were sleeping peacefully together on a pillow above the spot where Mickey's head had been resting only a moment ago, but despite their innocent appearance Matty could tell they knew something they weren't telling everyone, even their own partners.

"Do you think there might have been someone in the forest?" Mickey asked anxiously, nervously twisting his fingers together.

Gazing thoughtfully at their digimon, Matty shrugged his shoulders and he rested his chin in his hands. "If there was someone in that forest they weren't our enemy. If we were being watched by someone like DarkAngelicmon, Gabrielmon and Celestimon would have warned us."

"I know, but if it wasn't someone like DarkAngelicmon then who...."

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. You're curious, too, aren't you?"

Mickey smiled shyly at him, and nodding in agreement the older twin gestured towards their digimon. "Of course, but do you think they'll tell us?"

"We'll make them tell us."

"But-"

Matty crossed his arms over his chest and he glared at the two little in-training digimon. "I'm tired of secrets, and if you think I'm going to let my own partner hide things from me, forget it!"

"But-"

"Come on, we'd better get some sleep. If we don't, we'll be useless tomorrow."

Without waiting for a reply, Matty grabbed his pillow out of Mickey's arms and he happily dived under the blankets, the heel of his left foot somehow connecting squarely with Mickey's right knee.

Wincing in pain, Mickey settled down beside him and the older twin gave him a dirty look. "I thought I told you not to hurt me."

"It's my bed! If you don't like it, sleep on the floor! You're worse than Ryoko, you know that? If you're going to complain, why don't you just share with Sam?"

"Because, Sam needs his space right now," Mickey said patiently, his amber eyes dancing suspiciously in the pale light of the moon streaming through the window. "Besides, I'll never escape your snoring no matter where I sleep."

Hitting his brother lightly in the chest, Matty curled himself into a small ball and he closed his eyes, eager to get some sleep. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, and truthfully he didn't really care. No matter what the Digital World had in store for him, he needed to be alert and ready for action. "Goodnight, Mickey."

In response to his words, Mickey suddenly leaned close to him and the older twin gave his shoulder a quick squeeze. "You're a great brother, Matty, and an even better friend. Don't ever forget how much you mean to us, even for a moment. I know you probably don't believe me, but one day you'll realize just how important you are, not only to me, but to everyone else who cares about you. It might be hard to accept now, but I know you'll eventually realize the truth. Until then, don't forget how much _I _care about you, okay?"

_He knew. He knew all along how I felt, even before Gabrielmon spoke to me. His partner just confirmed what he already believed._

Instead of answering, or even opening his eyes, Matty just smiled at his twin and he snuggled his cheek against the pillow resting beneath his head. Apparently on the short ride back to the human world on Dragermon's back, Mickey hadn't been ignoring him after all.


	167. Never a Dull Day

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry about the wait, but I do have another chapter done! I will most likely be alternating between this story and _The Eyes of Twilight_ every week until that story is done. (It only has five chapters to go so it won't be long, and then I will be back to this one full time again.) Basically this chapter leads into the next phase of this story. Enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 167: Never a Dull Day

_Nobunari 'Noah' Kido_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Glancing impatiently over his shoulder and trying unsuccessfully to look beyond the seemingly impenetrable wall of students blocking his view of the long hallway, Nobunari Kido pushed his way through the thick crowd of bodies moving slowly towards the front entrance of the school, and letting out a frustrated sigh he quickly leaped up the staircase on his left, realizing all at once that he would have a better view of the traffic flowing beneath him if he gazed upon the crowd from a higher platform, one that was more suited for searching out the faces of his female companions.

Standing on a small landing about halfway up the steps, he frowned at the massive sea of his fellow classmates, most of whom he knew by sight, if not by name, and he scratched his head in confusion, feeling just a little bit unsure of himself. Though he was actually looking for both Miya and Ami, at the moment it was Miya who concerned him the most, especially since she had been suspiciously absent from the cafeteria during their lunch break. Since Miya was normally the social butterfly of the group, her sudden absence had come as a huge surprise, most notably to their friends who didn't know about the Digital World.

_Even Shina came over to find out what was going on, and despite being my friend, she doesn't usually hang out with Miya. Shina would never admit it, but I could tell she was a bit concerned about Miya and she's not the only one. Hiro seemed especially worried. I hope he doesn't have a thing for Miya..._

Feeling suddenly both annoyed and depressed, Noah leaned wearily against the banister surrounding the right side of the landing and he glared accusingly at the crowd now flowing in both directions, fully convinced that the entire school was working against him. Since he was a year older than Miya, the two of them didn't have any classes together, and as a result he hadn't seen the raven-haired female all day, including during lunch break. Twice he thought he had caught a glimpse of her in the hallway, but both times she had disappeared into the crowd before he could reach her, and although he didn't want to admit it to himself, he was sure she was avoiding him. The same seemed to be true for his cousin, too, because at lunch Ami had informed him that she hadn't seen Miya all day either.

_Ami and I already agreed to go to Dai's house this afternoon, but what about Miya? Last night, I'm sure Takara and the others would have told her about Izzy's plan to go to the Digital World today, but that doesn't mean she'll want to come. I wonder if she knows about the Emperor yet. Did Sam say something or did Dai and his friends tell her? She must know if she's avoiding us._

Shaking his head at his own confusing thoughts, Noah dropped his chin into his hands and he frowned thoughtfully at the crowd beneath him. "What in the Digiworld could have happened at Miya's house last night? Dai and his friends were there. They must know what went on between Sam and Ken."

_Which means I should at least find Ami. The sooner we get to Dai's house the sooner we can find out what's wrong with Miya. Besides, I'm anxious to know how Sam's doing. What if he doesn't want to go to the Digital World anymore?_

Ignoring the odd looks he was receiving from students passing by him on the landing, having accidentally mentioned the Digital World out loud, Noah quickly whirled around and he proceeded to fight his way back down the stairs. Since no one in his school was old enough to remember what had happened twenty-five years ago, (after all, none of them had been born yet) he wasn't too concerned about his small slip of the tongue, but even so he knew he still needed to be a bit more cautious.

_Where are you, Ami?_

Lost in his own thoughts, Noah didn't see the boy with flaming red hair until the two of them were almost on top of each other.

"Watch out!" a blond girl climbing the steps on his left called out, motioning for him to be careful.

Unfortunately her warning came a little too late. Unable to stop his momentum, Noah crashed into the other boy and the two of them fell against the wall, nearly knocking several other students down the stairs in the process.

_Ouch, that hurt!_

Ignoring the dirty looks piercing him between the shoulder blades, Noah lifted his head in surprise, and gazing curiously at the boy he had almost just flattened, his dark eyes immediately lit up with sudden recognition. "Makku?"

Groaning in response, the oldest child of the Inoue family winced and he gingerly rubbed the back of his head. "Noah, right? Man, you really need to watch where you're going, buddy."

"Sorry about that. Hey, you haven't seen your cousin by any chance, have you?"

"Which one?"

Rolling his eyes, Noah grabbed Makku by the wrist and ignoring the other boy's startled gasp, he proceeded to drag his quarry down the stairs and over to a nearby water fountain. Thankfully, much to his relief, the crowd had finally thinned out a little bit, giving them at least a small amount of privacy. "Miya, of course. You haven't seen her, have you?"

"Oh, _that _cousin," Makku teased, his amber eyes twinkling under the fluorescent lights.

Taking a step back, Noah crossed his arms over his chest and frowning suspiciously at the older boy he said, "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come on. I'd have to be blind and stupid not to know you like her."

_He knows? But..._

Noah felt his cheeks turn bright red, and leaning back against the wall he gazed uncertainly at his feet. "You have a problem with that?"

"Me?" Makku snorted, shaking his head. "Why would I care? In fact, you might do her some good. I don't know if you've noticed, but she can be a bit wacky sometimes. Not as bad as Hana, though. _Nobody _can surpass Hana."

Blinking in surprise, Noah suddenly started to laugh, and lifting his head he gave Makku a warm smile. Truthfully, he didn't really know the other boy all that well, which was also the case with the rest of Sam's cousins, but from what he had glimpsed of Makku in the halls or on the rare occasions when they had met briefly at the Ichijouji house just as one or the other was on their way out the door, he had liked what he had seen. Makku was a year older than him, and since they'd never really had an opportunity to get to know each other very well or hang out together at school, he felt kind of odd and a little bit out of place talking to the other boy now. It wasn't as if they had never exchanged words before, but something about the atmosphere between them seemed different this time, and the way Makku was looking at him made him feel like there was something he was missing...

"So, you haven't seen her?"

"Actually, I have. She was heading towards her locker with Ami."

"Really? They must be heading to Dai's house. I'd better catch up with them. If Sam doesn't show up..."

Glancing self-consciously at his feet, Noah quickly stepped away from the water fountain, but before he could hurry towards Miya's locker, Makku suddenly grabbed his arm and the older boy pulled him to a stop. "Look, if this is about the Digital World you don't have to worry. I already know."

"What?"

Makku grinned at the look on his face and to his surprise the older boy gave him a friendly nudge in the ribs. "Sam told me."

"Sam...told you?"

"Sure he did. I am his amazingly cool older cousin, am I not?"

"But...how? When?"

"Why don't we find Miya first and then I'll explain. Besides, if I know the rest of my cousins they'll already be bombarding her with questions by now."

Taking the hint, Noah gave the older boy a quick nod, and together the two of them hurried down the hallway towards Miya's locker. Rounding the corner, the first thing they saw was Hana and the rest of Makku's cousins, excluding Hikaru, crowded around Miya and Ami, their bodies creating a tight circle around the two embarrassed females. Makku's younger brother was also there, along with Hana and the others, and all of them were talking loudly and gesturing wildly with their hands.

"Miya, I can't _believe _you didn't tell us about the Digital World" Hana scolded, wrinkling her nose. "We had to hear about it from Sam."

"What about your dad?" Taka asked anxiously, hovering next to Rumi's shoulder. "How is he doing?"

"Are all digimon like Glimmermon and his friends?" Renmi asked curiously, "I mean...they can all talk, right? Goldmon and Palelymon could."

"Poor Sam," Rumi murmured. "Is he...okay?"

Staring at Rumi with her mouth hanging open, Miya blinked stupidly in confusion and she placed a hand against her forehead, clearly at a loss for words. "I...don't know. I haven't seen him since...since last night. How do you..."

"How do you know about the Digital World?" Ami demanded, coming to her best friend's defence.

"It's not important. Right now we want some answers!" Tamami shot back.

Raising his eyebrows, Noah turned to look at Makku and he gave the other boy a small smile. "Think we should rescue them?"

"Why not? I'm feeling a little generous today."

"Like I believe that. You just want to be part of the action!"

Instead of denying the accusation, Makku merely grinned at him and the older boy stalked over to the crowd surrounding Miya and Ami. Pushing his way into the circle, he grabbed Tamami in a headlock and he ruffled her multi-coloured tresses, an amused smile slipping across his face. "Hey, come on, guys. Give the poor girl some space, would you?"

"Let go of me, you dork," Tamami laughed, pushing his hand away.

"It's only fair if she tells us the truth!" Renmi protested.

Shaking his head in amusement, Noah quickly joined the group, and wrapping his arm around Ami's shoulders, he gave the dark-haired female a quick smile. "I've been looking all over for you two. Does this mean you've convinced Miya to come with us to Dai's house?"

"Yes, she wants to see Sam."

"If he decides to show up, that is."

"He'll be there," Rumi said firmly. "I know it."

"I still don't understand, how did you guys find out about the Digital World?" Ami asked curiously, her brown eyes growing dark and shadowy.

"I knew Sam was at your place last night before Mickey and Matty dragged him back to their house, but...I never thought he would actually say anything about the Digital World," Miya murmured, glancing between Taka and Makku.

"He didn't want to at first, but...something made him change his mind," Taka said quietly. "I take it your parents told you about my dad's phone call?"

"Yes, that's the only reason I even knew Sam had left your house last night. Uncle Mantarou didn't want my parents to worry so he phoned to let them know Sam had gone to Mickey and Matty's house. My mom then phoned T.K. and Kari to let them know she was aware of the situation. What...exactly happened at your house?"

"Allow me to explain," Makku interrupted, nudging his brother aside with a flourish. Quickly, the oldest of Sam's cousins explained what had happened at the Inoue residence the night before, including the sudden appearance of Mickey and Matty, and in turn Miya gave them all an account of the confrontation between Sam and Ken. She also told them about the appearance of Dai and his friends, and along with the talk she herself had had with Ken, she told them about all the conversations that had taken place at her house, and she gave them a brief account of her father's theories concerning DarkAngelicmon. When she was finished, no one seemed to know quite what to say.

After several silent minutes of contemplation, Ami was the first one to find her voice, and wrapping her arm around Miya's shoulders, she gave the raven-haired female a weak smile. "And here I was hoping the news about us possibly still having a chance to be Digidestined would cheer you up. Dai told you the news, right?"

"Of course he did. It did cheer me up a little bit. I mean, the fact that I was even considered a possible candidate to begin with makes me feel better about not being chosen, but with the news about my dad..."

Gazing into Miya's shadowy eyes, Noah gently took her hand and he gave it a tight squeeze. "So, that's why you've been avoiding us today."

"I was lucky to catch up to you even now," Ami scolded, glaring at her best friend.

Blushing a deep shade of red, Miya ducked her head and she nervously twisted her hands together. "I'm sorry, but I needed some time by myself. You should have seen my dad this morning. I mean, normally he's pretty quiet in general, but every time his gaze fell on Sam's empty chair at breakfast...I've never seen so much pain in his eyes before. It hurts just to look at him. I don't think he got any sleep last night, and come to think of it, neither did I. Nao's completely miserable and Minomon looks like he wants to cry all the time. As for my mom, let's just say she's been slamming things around the house and snapping at everyone more so than usual. After taking Nao to school, Dad left for the store with Mom and I was pretty much left alone to fend for myself. It's horrible, and I wish...I wish everything would just go back to normal..."

"Miya, do you forgive your dad?" Rumi asked softly.

Blinking back tears, Miya leaned against her locker and she buried her face in Ami's shoulder, obviously distraught. "I won't deny that I was angry. I'd be lying to myself if I said it didn't bother me. I felt so humiliated, but most of all I felt like he had betrayed me somehow. I couldn't understand why he had kept his past a secret. It was as if he didn't even trust me enough to believe in him. His own daughter! I felt so lost, and it hurt to realize just how much he had deceived me..."

"Oh, Miya," Rumi whispered, wrapping her arms around her cousin in a tight hug.

"At least, that's how I used to feel. I don't feel that way anymore. I've had a lot of time to think about what happened last night, and after listening to my dad's side of the story, I...well, I think I understand now why he kept the truth about the Emperor a secret."

"I thought that was obvious. He didn't want to lose any of you," Taka said simply.

"I know," Miya mumbled. "He wanted to protect us."

Letting go of Miya's hand, Noah crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze shifting to settle miserably on his feet. "I wish...I was hoping somehow you'd be spared the truth, but obviously that's not the case."

"No, I think it's better that I know. Besides, I would have found out sooner or later, even if Sam had ever said a word. And you don't have to bother explaining what happened at Dai's house after I left. Ami already told me."

"But no one told us!" Hana shot back.

Letting out a deep sigh, Noah quickly told Miya's cousins about Joe and Izzy's plan to go to the Digital World. When he was finished, Renmi glanced uncertainly at him before she quickly looked away again, her surprisingly shy and somewhat awkward smile catching him by surprise. "So, you guys are going to Dai's house now?"

"That's right."

"And none of you have seen Sam since last night?" Tamami interjected, tugging on a strand of pink hair.

"Unfortunately no," Ami groaned. "Listen guys, we'd love to stick around, but we really should get going."

"Can we come with?" Taka asked eagerly. "If Sam is there..."

"Maybe some other time. First we should break the news to our parents that you now know what's going on," Miya said apologetically. "It's not that we don't want you guys there, we just don't want to scare Sam off. He may regret telling you about the Digital World, and if that's the case, having you guys there might make him lose his resolve."

"But-"

"If that's what you want, Miya, but don't forget we're here to help," Rumi said softly.

Beaming at the other girl, Miya nodded and she gave each of her cousins a quick squeeze. "Thanks, guys, I won't forget, and I appreciate what you've done for Sam. It sounds like you might have gotten through to him, at least a little bit. And thanks for...for believing in my dad."

"Er...was that ever an issue?" Makku asked, returning his cousin's hug and scratching his head in confusion.

"We should get going," Ami said abruptly, nodding her head towards the front entrance of the school. "Dai and the others would have already seen Sam today..."

Reaching for Miya's hand again, Noah gave her fingers a quick squeeze, and smiling at her he quickly tucked her books under his arm. "Are you ready to go?"

"I'm ready."

"But...I want to hear more about the Digital World!" Taka protested.

Without turning around, Noah quickly led his two female friends back down the hallway, his thoughts once again turning to Sam. Unfortunately, despite how worried he was for Miya's little brother, his concern didn't prevent him from overhearing Taka's shouts, nor did his thoughts prevent him from blushing when Hana suddenly shouted, "It's not fair! Miya's so lucky. Why can't I find a guy like Noah?"

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Frowning at the contents of his locker, Daichi Motomiya shook his head and he let out a deep sigh, unable to summon even enough energy to groan over the test Mrs. Hanari was threatening to make them write the next day. Luckily, his next soccer practice had been postponed until the week after, which gave him one less thing to worry about, but unfortunately, without soccer on his mind, he now had more time to worry about Sam.

_Speaking of Sam, he sure did a fine job of avoiding us today. I saw him when he arrived at the school this morning with Mickey and Matty, but since then the only time I was able to keep an eye on him was during class. And it's not just me. Sam was even avoiding Mickey._

Slamming his locker door shut, Dai whirled around and he squinted at the crowd of students passing by him in the hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of Takara's long, dark ponytail. According to Mickey, Sam hadn't said a single word to anyone during breakfast that morning, and instead of giving T.K. and Kari a cheerful goodbye, he had merely walked out the front door of the Takaishi residence without looking back. Mickey and Matty had been forced to chase after him, just to keep up. Since then, Sam's mood hadn't improved in the slightest and Dai couldn't help worrying that the raven-haired Digidestined might end up becoming more of a hindrance than a help on their upcoming trip to the Digital World.

_Well, at least he agreed to come with us, even if it is only because Ken and Yolei opted not to join us today. And where in the Digiworld is Takara? I thought she said she was going to meet me at my locker._

Muttering to himself, Dai caught the sleeve of the first person to get close to him, and squealing in surprise, the girl turned to look at him, her gray eyes suddenly lighting up when she realized who had been trying to get her attention. "Oh! Hello, Dai! What's up? You nearly scared me half to death!"

"Hey, Megumi. Sorry about that. You haven't seen Kara lately, have you?"

In response to his words, Megumi's face fell and she gave him a regretful smile. "So...it really is her. I was hoping there was nothing going on between the two of you, but I guess that was just wishful thinking on my part."

Dai stared at her, and frowning to himself, he scratched his head in confusion. Megumi Takayama was one of his classmates, and although they were friendly to each other he didn't really know her that well. Despite that, though, he suddenly remembered Takara mentioning something about her.

_She asked me about Megumi earlier. What was it she wanted to know again? I never did get what she was trying to say._

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"It's nothing, only...Takara's a lucky girl. I have to admit, I'm kind of jealous."

"So, you have seen her?"

Megumi laughed and smiling she shook her golden head in amusement. "You can be so clueless sometimes, you know that? I saw her heading towards the computer room about a minute ago. If you hurry, you might be able to catch up to her."

"Really? Thanks, Megumi, I owe you one!"

"In that case do me a favor and don't screw anything up otherwise Kara will never forgive you!"

Dai just barely heard Megumi's shout over the noise of the crowd and even though he didn't have a clue what she was talking about, he gave her a quick wave before hurrying off in the other direction. Lately, the thought of being around Takara always seemed to make his heart beat a little faster than it usually did and every time he recalled some of his earlier actions, most notably the time when he had uncharacteristically kissed her on the cheek, his face would suddenly feel like it was on fire.

_What was I saying last night? Did I really mean all of those things I said to Tai?_

The words had burst from his mouth without any kind of warning whatsoever, and looking back now on what he had said, he couldn't help wondering if maybe his actions hadn't been an accident like he had first believed, after all.

_Okay, so maybe Ami's right. Maybe I do like Kara a little bit...not that it matters. To her, I'm probably just another 'cousin', doomed to always share the spotlight with Mickey and Matty. It figures, doesn't it? I always seem to have bad luck._

"Dai, is that you?"

_Wait, what in the Digiworld am I thinking? Ami can't be right. I don't like Takara. I mean I do, but...not like...like that..._

"Dai!"

Looking up in surprise, Dai spotted Mickey poking his head out into the hallway, and giving the older twin a quick smile he nodded his own head at the door Mickey was hanging out of. "What about the others? Is everyone already here?"

"Yes, we were waiting for you."

Stalking into the room, Dai spotted Takara sitting on a desk and the sight of her pretty face made his heart skip a beat. Ryoko was sitting on the floor by her feet with the digimon crowded around him, and next to him, Matty sat on a chair by the computer closest to the left window of the classroom. Sitting by himself on the teacher's desk, Sam was staring blankly at the ceiling, his face lacking any kind of emotion whatsoever. And yet, despite his seemingly calm attitude and serene expression, Dai knew the raven-haired Digidestined was still very upset.

_He can't hide from his parents forever. I wonder what he'll do when he has to go home tonight. Mickey and Matty aren't always going to be around to rescue him, which means he won't be able to avoid Ken when he has to go back home this evening._

"What took you so long?" Ryoko snapped, glaring at him.

Realizing the golden-haired Digidestined's anger wasn't exactly directed at him, Dai decided to let the comment slide. Turning to Takara instead he mumbled, "I thought you said you were going to meet me at my locker."

"Oh, I'm really sorry, Dai. One of the girls on the soccer team held me up. By the time she finished talking, I figured you probably would have already made it to the computer room."

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"

Takara laughed and she quickly shook her head in denial. "No way. I only came here first instead because I thought you'd already be here."

Feeling suddenly warm inside, Dai smiled at the female Digidestined, and leaning over he quickly scooped DemiEmbermon into his arms. "Everyone ready to go? My parents are probably wondering where we are."

"I hope your mom gives us something to eat before we go. I hate being stuck in this room all day!" DemiEmbermon complained.

"Are you ready to go, Sam?" Mickey asked quietly, moving over to Sam's side and placing a gentle hand on the raven-haired Digidestined's shoulder.

Instead of answering, Sam merely shrugged and he reached down to pick up Glowmon. Just like at the Takaishi residence, Sam hadn't spoken to anyone at school all day, including his fellow Digidestined, and judging from his current behaviour, it didn't look like he was planning on saying anything for a while.

_It's a good thing Mickey and Matty did follow him otherwise we never would have known about Taka and the others. At least, now we're prepared._

During lunchtime, Mickey and Matty had told the rest of them about Sam's visit to the Inoue residence, and even though Dai had already known Sam was going to Taka's house he had never suspected the raven-haired Digidestined would tell his cousins about the Digital World.

_I guess we'd better let Tai and the others know..._

What concerned him the most, though, was Sam's attitude towards Ryoko. It was obvious Sam was giving Ryoko the cold shoulder, which explained the golden-haired Digidestined's lousy mood, and contrary to what the others might think, Dai hadn't failed to notice the way Sam was also avoiding his eyes, not just Ryoko's.

_Why do I get the feeling the rest of today is going to be a long day?_

"Well, seeing as how Sam obviously isn't going to say anything, I'll say it," Matty snorted loudly, frowning at the raven-haired Digidestined. "We're ready."

"Come on, we're wasting time," Ryoko said coldly, leaping to his feet and stalking towards the door.

Shaking his head, Dai quickly followed the golden-haired Digidestined out into the hallway, but despite the neutral expression on his face, his heart was pumping wildly with uncertainty. How in the Digiworld was he going to locate the Spirit Chip of Bravery when he couldn't even keep his own team from falling apart?


	168. The Catalyst

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Hello everyone! Another chapter is here! Now, I was hoping for more time to post throughout January, but it looks like I'll be pretty busy so I may not get a chance to, but as usual I will post again as soon as I have a chance. Hope you all had a Happy New Year!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 168: The Catalyst

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Trying unsuccessfully to put a smile on his face, Daichi entered the small room his parents used for an office, Takara and his friends trailing along behind him, and smiling in amusement, he found there was barely enough room for him to make it through the door. With the exception of Ken and Yolei, all the other adults had come to see them off, along with Noah, Miya, Ami, and the six younger children, all of whom were crowded around the computer. Most of the adults and their digimon were either leaning up against the walls or sitting on the carpet, except for Izzy, who was sitting in front of the computer and Mimi who was sitting on a chair next to the bookcase. The third and final chair in the room was occupied by Taniko, and as usual the dark-haired female was sitting next to her father, her deep brown eyes studying the computer monitor.

_Forget about the Digital World. I bet the real reason everyone showed up today is because they want to see Sam._

Rolling his eyes, Dai stepped over DemiVeemon, but before he could make his way safely over to the computer, Nao suddenly flew past him, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Sam!" the younger boy cried, flinging his arms around the raven-haired Digidestined's waist.

To Dai's complete surprise, instead of pulling away, Sam chewed anxiously on his lower lip and gently he ruffled his little brother's lavender hair. "Hey, Nao. Listen, I...I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have been so mean to you."

"It's okay, Sam. I'm just glad you're here."

"We were worried about you," Miya said quietly, watching the raven-haired Digidestined closely.

Blushing furiously, Sam shrugged and he muttered, "Don't you remember what I said yesterday? I told you I'd be here."

"You're only here because Dad isn't here. You still haven't forgiven him, have you."

"Have you?"

Miya lifted her chin and frowning she crossed her arms over her chest. "Dad's past doesn't just affect you, Sam. I hope you realize that."

"I forgive Daddy," Nao mumbled, burying his face against Sam's ribs.

Conscious of so many people looking at him, Sam ducked his head and he slipped his arms around Nao's thin shoulders in a tight embrace."Can we please go now?"

"Why, so you can avoid us?" Miya demanded, shaking her head. "I won't deny I was upset, but...if you live in the past forever, you'll never appreciate what the future holds."

"I really missed you, Sam," Nao said shyly. "You'll come home with us tonight, won't you? I don't want Mommy and Daddy to be sad anymore."

"I don't think I really have a choice."

"He'll be there," Mickey assured the younger boy, without even glancing at Sam. "Are we ready to leave?"

Dai held up a hand and shaking his head he turned to look at Izzy. "Wait, before we go, there's something you should know. Sam told all of his cousins about the Digital World last night. If you want to know the details, ask Mickey and Matty, since they were sort of there. They can explain it a little bit better."

"We already know," Mina interrupted. "Miya told us just before you got here."

"Huh?"

"Taka and the others confronted me at school today," Miya mumbled. "It happened just as Noah, Ami, and I were leaving to come here."

"You can imagine my surprise when I ran into Makku and he told me he already knew all about the Digital World," Noah said dryly.

"Izzy, now that Taka and the others know, it isn't going to be a problem, is it?" Takara asked anxiously.

Turning away from the computer, Izzy glanced at her and smiling he quickly shook his head. "I don't think so. As long as they don't go around telling the whole world, we should still be fine. Miya already told us about what happened at her house last night, including Mickey's talk with Sam and Ken's theories about DarkAngelicmon, but-"

"What theories?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Well, if you hadn't been hiding in your room all night you would know," Ryoko said shortly, tossing his head.

Sam glared at Ryoko, but before he could come up with a rude insult, Mickey grabbed the raven-haired Digidestined's arm in a firm grip, effectively cutting off his nasty retort. Frowning, Mickey gave Sam a hard look, and studying the raven-haired Digidestined closely he said, "Do you remember what I said to you last night? When you're ready, we'll tell you."

"Fine, it's not like you guys haven't kept secrets from me before!"

"That's not what we were doing!" Ryoko snapped. "You heard Mickey! When you finally decide to stop acting like an idiot we'll tell you."

"Acting like a complete idiot is better than acting like a complete jerk!"

"As I was saying, " Izzy interrupted, his tone neutral and his voice surprisingly mild, "Ken's theories are certainly interesting and I'd love to hear more, but I'd also like to hear what Mickey and Matty have to say about last night."

Glaring at both Sam and Ryoko, Matty quickly told the adults about what had happened at Taka's apartment, much to Sam's embarrassment, and with Mickey's encouragement, Matty also told the adults about what had happened at the Takaishi residence, as well.

"Your story matches the one Taka and the others told Miya," Sora said quietly.

"They told you?" Sam gasped, rounding on his sister.

"Yes, I pretty much said that already. Weren't you listening? I mean really, what did you expect? You never told them to keep quiet."

Much to Dai's amusement, Sam turned a deep shade of red, and twisting his hands together the raven-haired Digidestined muttered, "Can we please _please_ go now?"

"Of course, if everyone is ready," Izzy said cheerfully, ignoring the blush on Sam's face. "Now remember, your goal is to get the Spirit Chip of Bravery, not to fight."

"So, in other words, we're not aloud to have any fun," Tai joked, grinning at the computer expert.

"Maybe not, but you can bet Vampiramon will be looking for a fight. I think it's pretty safe to assume she'll be waiting for you guys on Infinity Mountain and more than likely DarkAngelicmon and the others will be with her, despite the Lucemon issue. That was certainly the case last time. Avoid them at all costs, and don't pick a fight with them unless you have to. If you get into any trouble, let us know immediately. Taniko and I will be watching your progress on the computer."

"As if you'd be doing anything else," Matt snorted. "I take it Gomamon and the others are waiting for us at the gate?"

"Yes, I spoke to them last night after Mina, Taniko, and I got home from Davis' house. If we're lucky they may have spotted Vampiramon making her way up the mountain. The last time I talked to them, which was just before you came, Matt, they hadn't seen anything, but you never know. Things could have changed since then. Even just knowing exactly where they are at the moment could prove to be a huge advantage."

"No kidding," Matty mumbled.

Motioning for the others heading to the Digital World to gather around him, Daichi held out his D-Coder Digivice and with a flourish he pointed it at the computer. "Well, it's now or never. Digiport open!"

With a flash of light, Dai felt himself disappear into the computer, and catching one last glimpse of Sam's face, he couldn't help feeling just a little bit nervous. If their mission turned out to be as hopeless as the look in Sam's eyes then they were going to be in serious trouble.

_Vampiramon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Long, red hair and inky black cape streaming out behind her in the wind, Vampiramon stood at the very edge of the narrow, rocky path that would eventually lead the Digidestined to the peak of Infinity Mountain, and glaring at the thick forest spreading across the landscape below her, she wrinkled her nose, her eyes closing suddenly to take in the cool breeze swirling around her body. At the moment, she was standing about halfway between the bottom and the top of the mountain, but unfortunately, thanks to her master, she wasn't alone.

"What's taking them so long?" an angry voice behind her complained. "They should have been back by now."

_What was my master thinking? It was a foolish idea to send all of us here today. The others are going to ruin my plans, especially DarkAngelicmon._

Clenching her hands into angry fists, Vampiramon whirled around in a fit of rage, and glaring at the digimon who had spoken she let out a sound of disgust. "Honestly, BlackWidowmon, do you want Gomamon and the others to miss spotting us, or not? If we want to be in position before the Digidestined show up then we need to be inconspicuous. If that means we have to wait a little longer for Jestermon and Spritemon to return then so be it."

"Indeed, if they're not going to do their job properly then they might as well not come back at all," a quiet male voice interrupted, catching Vampiramon off guard.

_I wish you would leave and never come back._

Muttering to herself, Vampiramon sent the fallen angel a nasty look, her bright green eyes studying the unreadable expression on his handsome face. Unlike BlackWidowmon, DarkAngelicmon didn't seem to be in any hurry to put their master's plan into motion, and judging from the way he was leaning casually against the rocky cliff towering above his head, he was clearly quite content to remain exactly where he was. Obviously he was willing to wait for something to happen, but for what exactly he was waiting for, Vampiramon did not know. Beside the fallen angel, BlackWidowmon was sitting on a large boulder, glaring at her hands, and from the way she kept glancing suspiciously at DarkAngelicmon, it was obvious she too thought he was being unforgivably casual about their upcoming mission.

_He shouldn't even be here. He should be looking for Lucemon._

After heading back to Cyber the day before, Vampiramon had assumed instead of going after the Spirit Chips, DarkAngelicmon would be continuing his search for Lucemon, but unfortunately her master seemed to have other plans. After speaking with the Ruler of Darkness last night, DarkAngelicmon had come to her bearing their master's new orders and she had been shocked, to say the least. At first, she had not wanted to believe him, and taking matters into her own hands, she had gone to the Ruler of Darkness herself to confirm the fallen angel's words, but much to her disgust, the Ruler of Darkness had assured her that those were his orders. After that, there had been nothing she could do except to continue her plans for Infinity Mountain. Unlike DarkAngelicmon, she knew her place. If you were smart, you kept your head down and you did what you were told. One did not argue with the Ruler of Darkness. Even the idea itself was unthinkable.

_Does this mean my master wants DarkAngelicmon to capture Lucemon and get all of the Spirit Chips?_

If that were true, it would explain why the Ruler of Darkness had also included Jestermon and Spritemon in his plans for stealing the Spirit Chip of Bravery, but it did not explain how DarkAngelicmon could be in two places at once.

_How can he even think about searching for Lucemon if he's stuck here on Infinity Mountain? The idea itself is completely ridiculous._

Unless, of course, Lucemon was somewhere close by.

_Impossible._

Lifting her chin, Vampiramon gazed at the edge of the cliff looming above the heads of her fellow companions, but to her relief and slight disappointment, there was nobody peeking down at them from somewhere higher up on the mountain. A quick glance to her left proved there was nobody standing on the path ahead of them either, and another glance to her right confirmed they weren't being followed. On the surface, it certainly looked as if they weren't being watched or spied upon, but she still had her doubts.

_It's highly unlikely that Lucemon would be here on File Island, and it's even less likely that he would be climbing Infinity Mountain just for the fun of it, especially at this exact moment in time. Unlike us, he has no reason to be here, and if he's really serious about defying the Ruler of Darkness then he should be going to Gennai and Azulongmon, not the Digidestined. The Four Guardians and their allies would certainly be able to make more use of him. Besides, he never had any courage to confront the Digidestined before. Why would he start now?_

Still feeling slightly suspicious, Vampiramon turned to study the fallen angel's handsome face, but if Lucemon was anywhere near Infinity Mountain, DarkAngelicmon gave no sign that he felt the other angel digimon's presence.

_Could DarkAngelicmon be hiding something from us? It's no secret the Ruler of Darkness gave him some sort of special mission, and other than the Spirit Chips, Lucemon is the only thing my master seems to be concerned about at the moment, though he hasn't actually admitted it in so many words. He doesn't have to, I can tell. There's just no other mission DarkAngelicmon could have been given. He has to be looking for Lucemon._

The fallen angel certainly looked innocent enough, but for a digimon like herself who was suspicious by nature, that was exactly the problem. He looked just a little _too _innocent in her opinion.

_Perhaps my master has decided to put the search for Lucemon on hold for the moment. The Spirit Chips are clearly our first priority, and as long as Lucemon remains in hiding, he won't be an issue or a threat to our plans. If I'm right, then it's possible the Ruler of Darkness will wait to capture Lucemon until after we get the Spirit Chips, unless, of course, Lucemon decides to make a move between now and then, but considering what a coward he is, I highly doubt that will happen._

Her theory certainly made sense, but if she was right then that could mean only one of two things. Either the Spirit Chips were important enough to give up on Lucemon for the moment, or the Ruler of Darkness didn't trust her enough to fulfill his orders on her own. If the latter were true, it meant her master had only pulled DarkAngelicmon, Spritemon, and Jestermon from their current mission because he didn't believe she, Vampiramon, could get the job of stealing the Spirit Chips done without a little bit of help.

_And after acquiring the Spirit Chip of Bravery, the Ruler of Darkness will most certainly order DarkAngelicmon and the others to resume their mission of capturing Lucemon, at least until Gennai confirms the location of the next Spirit Chip._

Angry at the direction her thoughts were taking, Vampiramon gave the large boulder on her left a hearty kick, trying unsuccessfully to control the sudden spark of rage surging through her veins. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at the fallen angel, who was gazing calmly back at her, and making a face she snapped, "Where are those two? Can't they do anything right?"

"And you had the nerve to yell at me for my attitude!" BlackWidowmon muttered.

"Pipe down and keep your comments to yourself! I'm tired of listening to-"

"Maybe you should take your own advice," a female voice coming from the path they had travelled earlier snorted loudly, a hint of malice in her tone. "Keep your fangs on, would you? We're right here."

Startled by the sudden interruption, Vampiramon whirled around just in time to see Spritemon and Jestermon coming up the path behind her, and judging from the looks on their faces their mission had been a complete success. Despite their earlier complaining, having been annoyed with taking such a pitiful job, as Spritemon had called it, both mega digimon were now smiling and they looked mighty pleased with themselves. "Well, did they see us?"

In response to her question, Jestermon quickly shook his head. "Nope. As far as we could tell, Gomamon and the others have no clue we've already started making our way to the top of Infinity Mountain. They're still waiting at the gate for the Digidestined to arrive. Although I will point out it's a good thing we had Airdramon fly us halfway up on the opposite side of the mountain from Gomamon and his friends otherwise they would have spotted us."

"Now that we've got that settled, what's our next move?" Spritemon asked curiously.

Vampiramon motioned for the other four digimon to gather around her and huddling together in a tight circle she proceeded to tell them the details of her plan. "First of all, now that we're on the same side of Infinity Mountain as Gomamon and his friends, we need to be extremely careful they don't spot us, which means no flying! If you have wings, you're not to use them, understand?"

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Spritemon grumbled.

"As soon as the Digidestined arrive here today, they're going to immediately make their way to the top of Infinity Mountain, and when they do finally arrive at their destination, we need to already be there waiting for them. Unfortunately, in order to be ready and in position, one of us needs to follow the Digidestineds' progress up the mountain."

"So, in other words, one of us needs to keep tabs on them and communicate what we've learned to the group waiting at the top of the mountain," Jestermon said slowly. "That way we'll know where the Digidestined are at all times and we'll know exactly when they'll arrive at their destination."

"I see, that way they won't be able to surprise us or catch us off guard," BlackWidowmon smirked.

"Exactly. The little DemiDevimon I brought with us can carry messages back and fourth between the one watching the Digidestined and those of us who remain on the mountain top. I've left him with Airdramon until we need him."

"I think I'm starting to like this plan," Jestermon cackled, doing a little dance to vent his excitement. "It'll be a little game of hide and seek, or capture the flag, if you prefer."

"Yes, there's only one problem. As soon as the Digidestined arrive here in the Digital World they're already going to know we're waiting for them, unless they're even more stupid than I thought they were, and as a result, they're not going to just come charging up the mountain. They're going to be cautious, and if we don't hurry them along a little, they may lose their nerve to confront us."

"I see," Spritemon murmured, "In that case, we need to give them a good reason to come to us."

"Precisely. We need to make sure they retrieve the Spirit Chip and the best way to motivate them into getting it is to give them no other choice. In other words, we must give them a reason to _need _the Spirit Chip."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" BlackWidowmon demanded.

"It's simple really. We're going to attack them where it hurts."

"Huh?"

"Their friends," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, speaking for the first time. "Why not hold one of the Digidestined as a hostage? If we take one of the humans and bring them to the top of Infinity Mountain with us, the Digidestined will have no choice but to follow. If they feel their fellow Digidestined is in danger, then they will probably try to use the Spirit Chip to defeat us and retrieve the hostage."

Glancing at the fallen angel, Vampiramon nodded in agreement. She would not let his presence get to her, nor was she going to let him get in the way of her plans. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Any human would probably do, other than the one the Spirit Chip belongs to, but I think it would be best if we captured one who is especially important to the owner of the Spirit Chip. That would give our prey even more incentive to come and find us. Obviously the Digidestined know we can't kill their friend yet, but they also know we can still hurt our human hostage very badly."

"That's great and everything, but we still don't even know if the Spirit Chip belongs to either Daichi or Ryoko," Spritemon countered.

"Wouldn't it be better if we just captured the owner of the Spirit Chip?" Jestermon suggested.

"That won't work. We can't get the Spirit Chip until the owner of the Spirit Chip gets it first, and in order for him to get it, I suspect he'll have to have a reason to need it. That's normally how trinkets like the Spirit Chips and the crests usually work."

"And lucky enough for the owner of the Spirit Chip, we're kind enough to supply that reason for him," BlackWidowmon said gleefully.

"Yes, the best way to give him a reason to need it is to threaten someone who's important to him."

"But we still don't know who the owner is!" Spritemon practically shouted, rolling her eyes. "How many times do I have to say it?"

"It's Daichi," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, causing everyone to stare at him in surprise. "If we want to bend him to our will I suggest we hit him where he is most vulnerable. All of his friends are important to him, but there are two who are his greatest concerns at the moment. By that I mean he is uncertain of how he feels about them and how they feel about him."

"And who would they be?" Jestermon asked curiously, his ruby red eyes lighting up with sudden interest.

"The Ishida boy and the girl. If we want to hit Daichi where it hurts, we must capture one of those two."

"But what if we're wrong and the Spirit Chip really belongs to Ryoko? Capturing the Ishida boy will ruin our plans," BlackWidowmon pointed out.

"Then capture the girl. Problem solved."

"How can you be so sure the Spirit Chip belongs to Daichi?" Spritemon asked suspiciously, glaring at the fallen angel.

DarkAngelicmon crossed his arms, and frowning thoughtfully at the bright blue sky he turned his back on the group. "Because I know. The rest of you shouldn't be so quick to disregard the humans. I see things you do not see. That's why all of your plans have failed so far."

"So have yours!" BlackWidowmon cried indignantly.

Hating herself for what she was about to say next, Vampiramon clenched her hands together behind her back and taking a deep breath she snapped, "I believe DarkAngelicmon may be right about Daichi. He does seem to be the most logical choice, and judging from events I've witnessed earlier, capturing the girl would probably be our best choice. It also eliminates the complications with Ryoko, and if the Ishida boy really is the owner, it won't matter. The girl is also important to him, as well."

"Indeed," DarkAngelicmon murmured. "And as much as Daichi may be worrying about Sam at the moment, the little Emperor isn't the one he's doubting his feelings for. Now then, shall we proceed with our plans?"

_The little Emperor? What is he talking about?_

"Of course. BlackWidowmon and Jestermon, I want the two of you to go to the top of Infinity Mountain. You'll be waiting there for the Digidestineds' arrival. Spritemon, as soon as I give the order, you'll be our spy. Stick close to the Digidestined and watch them as much as possible. DemiDevimon will be your companion. You're to go pick him up as soon as you leave. Since he is small and less likely to be noticed, he is of course permitted to fly. We'll need someone who can move quickly between our two groups. Be sure to send him back to all of us with reports at regular intervals after we've captured our prey. DarkAngelicmon and I will take on the task of capturing the Kamiya girl. Once we have her in our possession we will be joining Jestermon and BlackWidowmon at the top of Infinity Mountain. There we will wait for the Digidestineds' arrival. Spritemon, as I said, your job begins after we capture the girl. Stay near that large cliff about a quarter of the way down from the peak and wait for us to meet with both you and DemiDevimon. After we have Takara, the rest is up to you. You'll report to Jestermon and BlackWidowmon on the mountain and also to DarkAngelicmon and myself once we get there. Understood?"

"Easy."

Turning in a circle, Vampiramon frowned at the four digimon standing around her. "Any questions?"

"None at all," DarkAngelicmon said softly. "Let's get moving. They'll be here soon."

With one more warning to Spritemon and the fallen angel about their wings, Vampiramon quickly took the lead, glancing once more over her shoulder to make sure Jestermon and BlackWidowmon were heading in the opposite direction. As much as she hated DarkAngelicmon there was a good reason why she had chosen him to accompany her.

_If he's with me, I can watch him, and watch him I most certainly will. That way, if he even attempts to ruin my plans, I can finally get rid of him once and for all..._


	169. An Unexpected Twist

Disclaimer: For the one-hundredth and sixty-ninth time, I do not own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, another chapter done. The next one will be in a new POV so watch for it!

Chapter 169: An Unexpected Twist

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Letting out a startled gasp, Daichi stumbled rather ungracefully out of the gate, and losing his balance he promptly fell on his knees, his nose nearly smashing painfully into the hard, dry earth crumbling beneath his hands and feet. Off to his left, Takara was apologizing profusely to Matty, whom she had just flattened, and on his right Mickey was attempting to help Sam into a sitting position, but from the way Sam kept trying to push Mickey's hand away, it was obvious the raven-haired Digidestined didn't want any help.

In more ways than one.

_I had a feeling Sam would try to pull something like this, but if he thinks Mickey is going to put up with his attitude forever then he's in for a big surprise. I know Mickey acts a bit timid most of the time, but he can be pretty aggressive when he has to be, especially if his heart is really set on something. And what's even more funny is the fact that most of the time Mickey doesn't even realize just how much his concern for the people he cares about makes his true personality shine brightly through his shy exterior. How can Sam just ignore someone who's trying so hard to help him?_

Glaring at the raven-haired Digidestined, Dai opened his mouth to make a retort, but before he could utter a single shout or reprimand, somebody slammed into his back, knocking him flat on his face in the dirt. Turning his head slightly, he caught a glimpse of golden hair, and muttering to himself he quickly squirmed out from underneath the blond who had just tried to flatten him. "Ouch! Hey, Ishida, watch we're you're landing!"

"Oh, sorry."

_What? That's it? Not even a single insult?_

Sneezing and coughing up dirt, Dai slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, and turning to face Ryoko, he plastered what he hoped was a reassuring smile on his face, his hand coming up to give the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder a quick squeeze. "Don't worry about Sam. I promised you I would fix things and I'm not going to break my promise just because he's acting like a complete jerk to all of his friends."

"I know," Ryoko murmured, avoiding his eyes. "It's just...it's hard, and I feel so useless. I mean, he won't even _look _at me!"

"Of course it's hard, you idiot! Having friends isn't supposed to be easy. Besides, he's avoiding me, too, not just you."

"What should we do?"

"Nothing for now. We have a job to do, remember?"

"Yeah, but..."

"I told you, don't worry about it. Let Sam give us the cold shoulder. It's not like you're all alone, Ishida. We're in this together, remember?"

Ryoko stared at him, and smiling faintly the golden-haired Digidestined mumbled, "Nothing you say is going to make me feel any better, but...I guess I don't mind being an outcast for the most part as long as I have someone to share the burden with."

"That's what I'm here for."

"Huh?"

Glancing around to make sure no one could overhear them, Dai whispered softly in the golden-haired Digidestined's ear, "That's what being the leader of the Digidestined is all about. It's my job, isn't it? But, I'm not just helping you because I'm your leader. I'm mostly doing it because I'm your friend."

"Dai..."

_And there he goes again, calling me by my nickname, but what does it mean? I don't understand him. Why doesn't he just call me 'Dai' all the time? Is it because I always call him 'Ishida?' I only do it because he does the same thing to me..._

"Gatomon!" Kari suddenly shouted, the sound of her voice catching the goggle-headed leader off guard.

Pulling away from Ryoko, Dai turned to see Gatomon, Gomamon, Hawkmon, Penguinmon, Armadillomon, and Gotsumon hurrying towards them. As Izzy had instructed, all five digimon were present, and as far as Dai could tell, before his large party of Digidestined had arrived from the human world, the small group of digimon had been lounging in a small patch of green grass near the gate, waiting patiently for three of their partners to make an appearance, but at the same time it was obvious they had also been keeping a close eye on Infinity Mountain, watching for any signs of unusual activity.

"Kari, I've really missed you," Gatomon said soberly, leaping into her partner's arms and burying her face against the female Digidestined's neck. "It's good to have you back in the Digiworld. My claws have been itching to pick a fight with Vampiramon. Once I get to be Angewomon again, even DarkAngelicmon won't be able to stand against my arrows!"

Laughing, Kari hugged Gatomon tightly and rubbing her eyes she gave the little female digimon a warm smile. "I've missed you too, Gatomon. I hope you're not upset it took me so long to come and see you."

"Don't worry about it. I've been helping Dai and the others as much as I can, even without you here, but it is nice to have you back."

"It's been along time, Noriko," Penguinmon said solemnly, turning to his partner and hiding his face against her legs. "I was starting to think we'd never see each other again."

"Same here, Penguinmon. I can't even tell you how glad I am to be here. You've been watching over Dai for me?"

"Of course, but he's a very stubborn human. Kind of like you."

"See? I knew it!" Davis shouted triumphantly, pointing an accusing finger at his wife. "It is your fault!"

Rolling his eyes, Daichi glanced between his parents, but instead of getting angry, his mother merely waved aside his father's insult with a smile, and hugging Penguinmon tightly around the neck she said, "Thank you, Penguinmon. When we head back to the human world, you're coming with us. Now that you and I are finally together again, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"That's good. I really want to meet Ami."

"What about you, Gomamon? Aren't you going to say hi to your partner?" Matty asked curiously, nudging the little rookie with his foot.

Instead of answering, Gomamon stuck his nose in the air and frowning he turned to gaze at the shadowy form of Infinity Mountain, its dark surface hovering menacingly over File Island. The barren landscape beneath their feet seemed to spread out from the base of the mountain like a plague and the comparison caused a shiver to race down Dai's spine. Since the gate was positioned right where the grass began to recede, eventually disappearing completely beneath a sea of rocks and dirt, the mountain itself wasn't hovering directly above their heads, but they were still close enough to its base to get a good glimpse of the jagged rocks and steep cliffs winding around its rough surface.

_A path, but we can't see the whole thing because parts of it are hidden behind rocks and boulders. I bet it circles around the entire mountain. That must be our way up, but...is it safe? Vampiramon could already be waiting for us..._

"Hey, Gomamon, sorry I'm late," Joe said pleasantly, crouching next to his partner. "You're not angry, are you?"

Turning to face his partner, Gomamon said nonchalantly, "I guess I'll forgive you, this time."

"Is that supposed to be your way of showing you care? Thanks a lot, Gomamon. You never change, do you."

"You're one to talk!"

For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other, and then without warning Joe suddenly pulled Gomamon into his arms, surprisingly the little digimon. Smiling slightly, he gave his partner a quick hug. "It's good to be back."

"It's good to have you back," Gomamon mumbled, looking suspiciously teary-eyed.

"Is something wrong, Gomamon?" Joe asked, looking concerned.

Squirming out of his partner's arms, the little rookie huffed and quickly shook his head. "No way! I just have something in my eye. Are you ready to knock this Vampiramon down a peg or two?"

"As long as you're with me, I'll take on anything," Joe replied, smiling at his partner. "And just so you know, I feel the same way. About being here with you, I mean."

Gomamon ducked his head and blushing he proceeded to fiddle with a small rock lying next to the cobalt-haired Digidestined's foot. "I know."

"So, you guys really are going to climb Infinity Mountain?" Gotsumon asked anxiously, glancing nervously over his shoulder.

"Of course!" Tai said enthusiastically, pumping his fist into the air. "Besides, it's not like we really have much of a choice."

"But-"

"Don't worry, Gotsumon, they'll be back before we know it," Armadillomon said mildly. "Until then, I intend to take a nice, long nap. It makes the time go faster."

"Sam, Izzy told us about your father," Hawkmon suddenly interrupted, his voice surprisingly calm and his face expressionless. "I'm very sorry to hear how upset you are. I hope you won't forget how important he is to you, even if you believe you'll never be able to forgive him."

Blushing bright red, Sam bit his lower lip and shaking his head he quickly turned his back on the little rookie. "I haven't forgotten anything. Well? Aren't we going to climb Infinity Mountain? That's the reason you guys all dragged me here in the first place, isn't it?"

"Speaking of Infinity Mountain, I know you talked to Izzy not that long ago, but I still have to ask in case anything has changed since then. Did you guys catch a glimpse of Vampiramon or one of the others trying to reach the Spirit Chip before us?" Matt asked, ignoring Sam and turning his attention to Hawkmon's group. "As you already know, Izzy certainly thought there would be a chance you'd catch them sneaking around. I can't see them just sitting back and waiting for us to get the Spirit Chip without having their say in the matter. That's really not their style."

"No kidding. They like interfering with our plans," Davis snorted. "They knew we were coming here today and I bet you anything they're waiting to ambush us."

Shaking his head, Hawkmon sent Matt an apologetic look. "Unfortunately, no. Nothing has changed since we last spoke to Izzy. We haven't seen a single digimon come anywhere near Infinity Mountain all day, but...I can't help thinking they might have somehow gotten past us."

"You mean, you think they've already reached the top of Infinity Mountain?" Agumon asked curiously.

Gatomon leaped out of Kari's arms, and landing on the ground next to Agumon she waved her fist in the direction of Infinity Mountain. "I don't know about having reached the top yet, but I definitely know they're up there somewhere. It's just this feeling I have."

"We all feel it," Gotsumon mumbled, shuffling his feet. "We've done our best to keep out of sight as much as possible, but considering there aren't exactly many places to hide around here, it hasn't been all that easy to do."

"If they are waiting for us on Infinity Mountain, they would obviously have had to start climbing from the opposite side otherwise you guys would have seen them," Ryoko said shortly, wrinkling his nose. "How much do you want to bet they have a scout of their own?"

"You think Vampiramon had someone watching Gomamon and the others earlier today?" Alopemon asked quietly.

"Who says it was a while ago? They could be watching us right now, even as we speak."

"Halomon?" Mickey gasped, rounding on his partner.

Reacting instantly to Mickey's request, Halomon fluttered into the air, and turning slowly in a circle he frowned at the landscape, his bright blue eyes narrowing in concentration. "If there is someone watching us, it's not DarkAngelicmon."

"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean DarkAngelicmon has forgotten about us," Celestimon countered. "At the moment, we're not close enough to Infinity Mountain to be able to sense him yet, which means he could still be waiting for us."

"But he's definitely not waiting for us on the ground. That's one small consolation, at least," Noriko sighed.

"Too bad it doesn't mean much," Tai snorted. "Like Halomon said, one of the others could have been watching Gomamon's group or they could be watching us right now. Knowing exactly where your enemy is can be a huge advantage. With that kind of information, they could easily climb Infinity Mountain without anyone noticing. I know some of Vampiramon's allies aren't all that smart, but if they really want to stay out of sight there are still some places to hide around here, closer to the mountain. There are several possibilities they could use, though DarkAngelicmon wouldn't be able to."

"Tai's right. We don't have a clue where they are, but they might know where we are. If that's true, it puts us at a huge disadvantage," Ryoko complained. "They must know about this gate, even if not exactly its actual location. No wonder Izzy wants us to be so careful..."

Making a face, Dai turned to look at the television monitor, and crossing his arms over his chest he gave the man staring back at him a expectant look. "What do you think, Izzy?"

"I think you all need to be extremely careful. Anything could happen on Infinity Mountain today, so keep your guard up. I know Soulmon was following us yesterday when I mentioned the gate, but I don't think he was close enough to hear my words, and even if he was, I'm pretty sure we got rid of him before he had a chance to mention the gate to Vampiramon. But...even if I'm right that doesn't mean Vampiramon didn't already know about the gate near Infinity Mountain. We really are at a potentially huge disadvantage, but I knew already after talking to Gennai that using the gate near Infinity Mountain would be risky..."

"We'll be careful," Takara promised.

"Hawkmon, if you don't mind, I'd like you, Armadillomon, and Gotsumon to remain behind. I'll be keeping in contact with you through the gate so stay close by in range of the television monitor. I know it's not the same as actually being on Infinity Mountain, but if you spot anything unusual on your end, be sure to let me know. Davis and the others will stay in touch with me through e-mail in case something goes wrong, but if for some reason they can't contact me, you guys will be my backup, assuming you see anything of course, but I'm sure something like a big battle, the light of a Spirit Chip, or a huge explosion won't be _too_ hard to spot. I like keeping my options open when it comes to lines of communication."

"Sure, you can count on us," Gotsumon said eagerly.

"Great, now you've got me imagining all of the things that could go wrong. Thanks a lot, Izzy!" Matty said weakly, "'If for some reason we can't contact you'...Talk about the wrong kind of motivation."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine," Izzy said cheerfully, waving them off. "Have fun, and whatever you do don't let Vampiramon get her hands on that Spirit Chip!"

"That's easy for you to say," Embermon grumbled.

"Izzy, tell Yolei not to worry about Sam," Hawkmon instructed. "I will most certainly do what I can to help, but I don't think any effort on my part will really be all that necessary. Sam will find his own way, maybe sooner than we think. "

"Don't worry, I'll let her know."

"Say hi to Rosa for me!" Gotsumon shouted, anxious to be heard over the sudden burst of conversation from the rest of the group.

"He doesn't have to, I'm right here!" Rosa called out, her face appearing suddenly on the television monitor. "I miss you, Gotsumon, but don't worry, I'll be there before you know it."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Appearing suddenly beside Rosa, completely obscuring Izzy from view, Cody peered into the monitor and he smiled at his partner. "I'll come as soon as I can, Armadillomon."

"Don't worry about me, Cody. I'll wait as long as you need me to," Armadillomon said pleasantly, setting himself next to the monitor and curling himself up into a ball for a long nap.

"Wake up, lazy bum!" Hawkmon scolded. "Don't expect me to watch Infinity Mountain all by myself!"

"What about me?" Gotsumon piped up.

"Half the time you're as bad as he is!"

Shaking his head at the bickering trio, Daichi quickly pulled out his D-Coder, and taking extra care to make sure he kept it covered with his hands, he pointed it at Infinity Mountain. "Well, the Spirit Chip is definitely still up there. Now that we're close to Infinity Mountain again, my D-Coder has started to glow like crazy."

"Same with mine," Ryoko said quietly, holding out his own D-Coder for emphasis. "You know what that means, don't you? We need to be extra careful to keep them hidden. If Vampiramon and the others really are on Infinity Mountain, any sigh of the light coming from our D-Coders will give away our location, which is exactly what I don't want. After what happened yesterday, I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."

"Are the crests glowing too?" Kari asked, glancing curiously at her brother.

Tai gave her a quick smile, and discreetly holding out his crest, he nodded his head at its glowing surface. "Looks that way. What about you, Matt?"

"Mine's definitely glowing. How about you, Joe? Has your crest started to glow?"

Taking a quick peek at the small trinket hidden beneath his shirt, Joe blinked in surprise and he slowly lifted his head to gaze at the golden-haired Digidestined. "Yes, actually it is. I have to admit, I wasn't really convinced it would glow, but it looks like you guys were right."

"Of course we were!" Tai snorted, rolling his eyes.

A sudden gasp caught Dai's attention, and turning around to search for the source of the noise, he spotted Takara staring wide-eyed at something in her hands, the look on her face a mask of shock.

"What's wrong, Kara?" Dovemon cried, hovering anxiously next to her partner's shoulder.

Immediately, Tai was at his daughter's side, and slipping an arm around her shoulders he gave her a concerned look. "What is it, Kara?"

"You're not hurt, are you?" Glowmon gasped.

Instead of responding, Takara slowly spread her fingers apart, and she held out the object in her hands, taking extra care to keep it at least partly hidden from any intruders who even now could be watching them from afar. At first Dai couldn't figure out what was wrong, but a second look at the Digivice in Takara's hands made him freeze in his tracks, his heart leaping painfully into his throat.

Takara's D-Coder Digivice was glowing.

"Impossible!" Matty whispered, shaking his head in denial.

"I don't understand," Mickey gasped, scratching his silky blond hair in confusion. "Kara, your D-Coder didn't glow yesterday, so why..."

"The Crest of Courage," Tai said quietly, staring at the D-Coder in his daughter's hands. "Why didn't I see it before? It's because of the Crest of Courage!"

"But Mickey's right! Takara's D-Coder didn't glow yesterday when both my D-Coder and Daichi's D-Coder started to glow," Ryoko protested.

Blushing a deep shade of red, Takara quickly ducked her head, and avoiding Ryoko's eyes she mumbled, "Maybe it did, but we just didn't notice."

"What do you mean?" Kari asked uncertainly.

Dai took a small step closer to Takara, and almost as if she could sense his presence, the female Digidestined suddenly looked up at him, giving him a weak smile. "Dai, the only reason I noticed your D-Coder glowing is because it was sticking half out of your pocket. With Ryoko, he was already holding his D-Coder in his hand, and since he had it displayed where everyone could see it, it's not like his D-Coder's glowing surface was all that hard to spot, but with me..."

"You had your D-Coder in your back pocket," Ryoko said bluntly, his deep blue eyes lighting up with sudden understanding, "But unlike Dai, your Digivice wasn't sticking half out of your pocket. Yours was entirely hidden, and not only that you also didn't have your back turned towards us like Dai had his back turned towards you. So, even if a faint glow could be seen coming from your pocket, we never would have noticed it."

"If I recall, the only time you pulled your Digivice out was when we were all with you near Infinity Mountain. You had Dovemon digivolve," Sam mumbled, avoiding the female Digidestined's eyes. "It was glowing then, but the D-Coders always glow right when our partners digivolve, so I never thought anything of it. After Dovemon became Ibismon, unlike the rest of us, you put your Digivice back in your pocket right away. That would explain why we never noticed your D-Coder glowing..."

"But...after we left, Kara stayed near Infinity Mountain with Mina and Izzy to take on Vampiramion," Mickey countered. "She must have pulled her Digivice out at least once while Ibismon was fighting. It's just natural instinct to do so. Wouldn't someone have noticed it glowing then?"

Everyone turned to look at Takara, and shrugging her shoulders the female Digidestined gazed self-consciously at her feet. "No. Except for one small incident, I kept my D-Coder in my pocket the whole time."

"When was that?" Tai asked curiously. "I mean, when did you have it out?"

"I took it out briefly to check what was going on with the rest of you guys, and now that I think about it, it was glowing at the time, but...I thought it was just responding to Dovemon being in a higher state of digivolution. Looking back on it now, I realize how wrong I was. Our Digivices only glow when our partners first digivolve and once they reach a new digivolution the glow normally disappears. Our Digivices don't usually keep glowing the entire time our digimon are in an evolved state. At the time, though, I was so busy worrying about everyone else that I didn't even notice. I never thought..."

"I noticed your Digivice glowing too, but like you, at the time it never even occurred to me that it would be because of the Spirit Chip," Mina suddenly said softly from the television screen. "It makes sense, though. You have a connection to the Crest of Courage because of your father, just like Dai, whose own connection to the crest comes from Davis. It's only natural that your D-Coder would respond to the barrier created by the crests."

"Prodigious, this is fantastic!" Izzy shouted happily from the monitor, leaning around his wife for a better look at the screen. "Only...I can't believe I overlooked something so important! Of course Takara's D-Coder would glow! Gennai's information wouldn't make any sense if it didn't."

"There he goes again!" Mimi groaned from somewhere in the background.

"How could I have missed such a crucial point in my theory? You don't think it's because I'm getting old, do you?" Izzy asked, ignoring Mimi and glancing anxiously at his wife.

"Of course not. I think it's more because you keep getting too excited all the time!" Mina laughed, kissing her husband's cheek. "Time to settle down a little, I think."

"But-"

"Isn't it obvious why Takara's D-Coder went unnoticed?" Matt said seriously. "It's because we were so busy focusing on Dai and Ryoko that no one bothered to remember all of Gennai's words. We were so convinced the Spirit Chip had to belong to one of them, and because of how sure we were, any other possibilities there might have been out there never even crossed our minds."

"And look at the result!" Davis snorted.

"Davis is right. I think from now on we need to be a bit more careful," Noriko said seriously. "Another mistake like this could cost us a Spirit Chip."

"No kidding," Veemon piped up. "And that would be bad."

Ignoring Veemon and his parents, Daichi turned to look at Kara, and gazing into her eyes, he gave her a steady look. "So...the Spirit Chip might not be mine after all. It might not even be Ishida's. It could belong to you."

"Dai, I..."

"How could I ever forget about you?" Tai murmured, pulling his daughter into a hug and tugging gently on her ponytail. "You've always been brave, even when you were little."

Beaming at her father, Takara whispered, "It's okay, I don't mind. Even I didn't notice, and besides, there were so many other things going on yesterday...with being attacked and then having to worry about Sam..."

"I know, but I still feel guilty. What kind of father forgets about his baby girl?"

"Oh, Dad."

Feeling suddenly uncertain, Dai looked away, trying unsuccessfully to avoid Takara's eyes, and frowning he said quietly, "The Crest of Courage is just as much a part of you as it is a part of me, if not more so. The Spirit Chip should belong to you."

"Maybe, but I know it's not mine," Takara said softly.

"Huh?"

Taking his hand, Takara smiled at him, and giving his fingers a tight squeeze she said, "I'm not saying I'm not brave, but just because the powers of the Crest of Courage originally belonged to my dad that doesn't mean the Spirit Chip of Bravery belongs to me. It belongs to _you_, Dai. I know it in my heart and it suits you better than it suits me."

"I don't know about that..."

"When it comes to bravery no one matches you, Dai, no one expect maybe our fathers."

Without thinking, Dai quickly pulled the female Digidestined against his chest, and wrapping his arms around her waist in a tight hug he murmured, "But...you are really brave. That's one of the things I admire about you."

"It's one of the things I admire about you, too," Takara mumbled, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink.

"If you two are done, can we go now?" Ryoko smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jerking away from Takara in surprise, and taking extra care to avoid Tai's eyes, Dai glared at the golden-haired Digidestined.

_Does he...could he actually approve of me as a...of Kara and I being together?_

"You'd better hurry," Izzy warned from the computer. "We don't want another late night."

"Wait!" Sam cried, his cheeks turning pink. "Hawkmon, I..."

"You'll be fine, Sam," Hawkmon said simply. "I believe in you."

Grabbing onto Sam's arm, Dai quickly dragged the other boy towards the base of Infinity Mountain, the rest of the group trailing along behind him.

_Kara...what do you really think of me?_

"Daichi, wait up," Ryoko said nonchalantly, appearing suddenly out of thin air beside him, his bright blue eyes twinkling mischievously in the afternoon sunshine. "You know...the next time Kara compliments you, you could at least try to kiss her something. Don't you think it's time you put some of that bravery of yours to good use?"

"Huh?"

Instead of replying, Ryoko merely smiled innocently at him, but before he could say anything in response, the golden-haired Digidestined quickly melted back into the crowd, disappearing from view. Blinking in surprise, Dai felt his cheeks turn a deep shade of red, and realizing he had been left behind, his mouth hanging open almost to the ground, he quickly hurried after the rest of the group, wondering what in the Digiworld had just happened.


	170. Celestial Bonding

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, I have to say, this chapter was quite the challenge to write. It didn't turn out exactly as I wanted it to, but sometimes that sort of thing just happens. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! (Oh, and you will see Mickey and Matty's reactions to Angewomon coming up. I promise.)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 170: Celestial Bonding

_Halomon/ Gabrielmon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Soaring quietly through the air next to Mickey's left shoulder, Halomon let out a soft, weary sigh, which was completely out of character for a rookie who was normally so cheerful, and lifting his deep blue gaze to the sky, he glanced anxiously at the shadowy peak of Infinity Mountain, his sapphire eyes narrowing in concentration. At the moment, the Digital World seemed oddly peaceful, and the lack of any suspicious digimon lurking around the area made him feel slightly nervous, though he could not exactly explain why his heart kept trying desperately to warn him that they were in danger. As a celestial digimon, he had been fully expecting to sense DarkAngelicmon almost as soon as he had come through the gate, but unfortunately, it looked as if the fallen angel was determined to avoid being detected, at least until they were all on Infinity Mountain together, which could potentially cause a lot of problems for Mickey and the rest of the Digidestined later on, especially if they weren't careful while climbing Infinity Mountain.

_Could Vampiramon have been right about us? Maybe Celestimon and I shouldn't rely too much on out ability to track DarkAngelicmon. After what happened near the gate yesterday, I feel like I don't know anything anymore._

Glancing discreetly at his human partner, Halomon anxiously twisted his small hands together, uncertain of what he should do. He wanted to tell Mickey about the mysterious presence he had sensed in the forest, but at the same time he felt to do so would somehow betray the other angel digimon's trust. And when speaking about another angel, he was of course referring to the celestial digimon who had been watching them silently from afar. Deep inside his heart he knew Celestimon also believed it was best to stay quiet for the moment, but even so he could not help feeling a little bit guilty.

_Lucemon, it must have been you, but why were you hiding from us? I know that's not what you want and yet you still keep your distance. Can't you see that now is the right time to speak? I don't understand. All we want to do is help you..._

"Halomon?"

At the sound of his name, Halomon let out a squeak of surprise, and tumbling through the air in a somersault, he nearly crashed into the back of Ryoko's silky blond head, managing only to regain control of his wings just as his nose brushed the golden-haired Digidestined's shiny tresses. Luckily, much to Halomon's astonishment, Ryoko didn't appear to notice anything out of the ordinary, which was nothing short of a miracle considering how perceptive the golden-haired Digidestined could be, especially when there were secrets causing tension within the group.

_Secrets like the one I've been trying to hide. I wonder if DarkAngelicmon knows Lucemon was here on File Island. If he does and Lucemon is still here..._

Whirling around in alarm, Halomon spotted something hovering just inches away from him, and realizing he was gazing at a familiar digimon, he let out a sigh of relief.

_DarkAngelicmon isn't here. If he was I'd be able to sense him._

Poking the other rookie gently in the stomach he said, "Celestimon! Don't scare me like that! For a moment there I thought you were an evil digimon."

"And evil digimon would never be able to sneak up behind you, silly."

Halomon blushed, and watching the other rookie closely he felt a small stab of fear in his heart. "What's wrong, Celestimon? You look a little worried about something."

Glancing anxiously over his shoulder at Matty, who thankfully wasn't looking in their direction, Celestimon casually shrugged his shoulders, and making a face he said, "Actually, um...Halomon, can I talk to you for a minute? It's kind of important."

"Is this about...you know, what we felt in the forest?"

"Not so loud!" Celestimon whispered fiercely in his ear, tugging anxiously on his arm and pulling him towards the back of the group. "Come on, I don't want Mickey and Matty to hear us."

"But-"

"It's not just Mickey and Matty. I don't want any of the others to hear us either."

Shaking his head in defeat, Halomon allowed himself to be dragged along by the wrist, and hovering closely to Celestimon while trying not to look too suspicious he mumbled, "It was Lucemon. It had to have been him."

"You don't have to convince me, Halomon. I believe it was Lucemon too, but...even if we are right, I don't know what we're supposed to do. If we tell the others about him, we might put him in danger, but if we keep quiet..."

"We might end up putting him in even more danger."

"He must have a reason for wanting to keep himself distant from us, but I can't figure out what that reason might be," Celestimon said quietly. "I wish he would confront us so we wouldn't have to worry about what to do anymore. Besides, I really want to meet him."

Halomon gave the other rookie a gentle pat on the back and ducking his head he said shyly, "I want to meet him, too. Maybe it's too early to judge, but from what we've learned about Lucemon so far, he sounds like a really nice digimon. At least to me he does."

"Kind of like you," Celestimon said softly, giving him a warm smile.

Halomon felt his small cheeks turn bright pink, and doing his best to ignore Celestimon's words he whispered, "Do you remember what I said to Matty yesterday? I really don't think Lucemon wants to hide from us, but he might feel like he has to because of DarkAngelicmon."

"You mean because DarkAngelicmon is looking for him. I guess that makes sense, but only if he knows about DarkAngelicmon's plans, which I get the feeling he does. I don't know how he could find out, but...I guess it doesn't really matter. The important thing is he knows and I bet he wants to keep his distance because he thinks confronting us will put him in danger, especially since DarkAngelicmon is hanging around us all the time."

"Maybe, but...I don't believe that."

"Huh? Why not?"

Tugging playfully on Celestimon's wings and fluttering around the other rookie's body in a lazy circle he said, "I think Lucemon is keeping his distance because he doesn't want to put _us _in danger, not the other way around."

"I don't know," Celestimon said slowly, fluttering his long fluffy ears in frustration.

"I know it's a bit hard to believe, but I'm sure I'm right. At first I didn't know what to think either, but after talking to you, I believe I'm finally starting to understand now."

"Halomon, do you think DarkAngelicmon knows Lucemon is here on File Island?"

"Oh! You think Lucemon is still here too?"

"Yes, and if DarkAngelicmon knows..."

Nodding his head silently in agreement, Halomon tugged anxiously on his small toes, his body turning over in a nervous flip through the air. "Lucemon must still be here on File Island. Just because we can't sense him right now doesn't mean he's left the island completely."

"You think it's because he wants to stay close to us?" Celestimon asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I'm sure he'll confront us eventually, but in the meantime, we have to be careful of DarkAngelicmon. I don't have any proof, but I'm sure he knows Lucemon was here on File Island yesterday and if he feels the same way I do then he'll know Lucemon is still here."

"Which would be bad."

Halomon once again nodded in agreement and he gave Celestimon a sad smile. "I feel so guilty, Celestimon. I want to tell Mickey about Lucemon so badly, but..."

"Same here. I wish I could tell Matty, but I think for right now we should still keep what we know a secret. We have to respect Lucemon's feelings, especially since he doesn't appear to be in any danger at the moment. Depending on what happens today, though, that could definitely change."

"I hope not. Okay, I promise I'll keep what we know a secret, but if Lucemon does end up getting himself into trouble today you have to promise me we'll tell the others about him. How does that sound?"

"I promise," Celestimon whispered, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze. "By the way, speaking of Mickey and Matty, I'm really worried about them."

"So am I, but I know they'll be fine. They care about each other too much to let someone like DarkAngelicmon stand in the way of their relationship as brothers, and as friends."

"Are you sure?" Celestimon asked anxiously, his bright green eyes sparkling softly in the sunshine. "You heard the things Matty was saying yesterday. He thinks he's useless!"

Halomon gave his fellow rookie a quick reassuring squeeze and smiling he nodded his head towards their partners. "I don't think Matty actually believes anything he said yesterday. He's just really worried about Mickey, and Mickey's really worried about him. Once they realize what the real problem is I'm sure they'll work things out."

"Maybe you think so, but I'm not so sure. Why can't they be more like us?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"We never doubt each other," Celestimon said almost shyly, avoiding his eyes. "Why do you think we make such a great team? And it's not just us. I trust Embermon and our other digimon friends just as much as I trust you. That's why we all work so well together. Why can't out human partners act like we do? And it's not just Mickey and Matty. Look at Sam..."

_Poor Celestimon. He's so worried about everyone, just like me. What can we do? He trusts me, but I don't know if I can help..._

Despite having never actually had the opportunity to meet each other until after becoming partners with Mickey and Matty, the two of them had fast become close friends, and Halomon knew it was because of their human partners. As much as he cared about Mickey, he was also very fond of Matty, which was one of the reasons why he wanted to help Celestimon so badly. The fact that Celestimon seemed to think so highly of him always made him feel a bit shy, but because he returned those feelings it never seemed to cause a problem between them. Before Mickey and Matty, a thought like that probably never would have even crossed his mind, but after having had the chance to interact with humans, he was very slowly beginning to understand their way of thinking.

_Just like Celestimon._

That was another reason why he wanted to help Celestimon. It was because they were friends.

_He wants to do the same for me. For Mickey..._

Grabbing onto Celestimon's wrists and gazing directly into the little rookie's eyes, Halomon said softly, "Don't worry, Celestimon, I'll help you protect Matty. You can count on me."

To his surprise Celestimon sniffed and the little rookie gave him a watery smile. "I know."

"Everyone keep your guard up!" Tai suddenly shouted from the front of the group. "We're almost at the base of the mountain."

"What do you expect? It's not like we were that far away to begin with!" Matt snorted. "Ignoring Izzy again, I assume."

"No! I was just making sure everyone is aware of the situation!"

"Well, whatever the case, we need to be extremely careful from here on in," Noriko said firmly. "Mind you, it would help if we could find out whether or not Vampiramon has managed to make it onto the mountain before us. That way we could be a little bit better prepared for whatever might happen."

"Who says we can't find out?" Davis demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. "We shouldn't have any problem finding out where Vampiramon is hiding if DarkAngelicmon is with her. You heard what Izzy said. Why don't we just send Angelicmon, Gabrielmon, and Angewomon on a scouting mission before the rest of us start climbing the mountain? They can find out whether or not DarkAngelicmon is already on the mountain and report back to us with the news. That way the rest of us will know exactly what we're getting ourselves into. If DarkAngelicmon really is up there, I'm sure Vampiramon and the others won't be too far behind."

"But...your plan will only work if DarkAngelicmon is actually on Infinity Mountain," Kari said slowly. "Even if Angewomon and the other angel digimon sense him, that doesn't mean Vampiramon and the others are going to be with him. He could be on Infinity Mountain all by himself. Or...what if he's not on Infinity Mountain, but Vampiramon and the others are? If Angewomon and the other angel digimon can't sense DarkAngelicmon that doesn't mean Vampiramon and the rest of her allies won't be somewhere on Infinity Mountain."

"So? It's still worth a shot!" Davis insisted, pumping his fist into the air. "If DarkAngelicmon is up there it will at least tell us _something._"

"Allowing our angel digimon to get that close means DarkAngelicmon will be able to sense them, too. If he's paying attention that is," Kari countered. "Then again, since Vampiramon and her allies already know we're going to be climbing Infinity Mountain, it's not really that big of a deal. In fact, we could use it to our advantage. They'll find out we're here as soon as we start climbing the mountain anyway. At least, this way, we can prepare ourselves for our climb ahead of time."

"What do you think, Halomon?" Mickey asked hesitantly.

Startled by his partner's sudden question, Halomon let out another loud squeak of surprise, and blushing he quickly fluttered away from Celestimon, determined to avoid anyone detecting his suspicious behaviour, especially his partner. "Oh, Mickey! I think it's a good idea. I'm willing to try if Celestimon and Gatomon come along with me."

"Like you need to ask. We'll find him easily," Gatomon said confidently. "Besides, all this waiting is giving me fur balls."

"I'm coming too!" Celestimon shouted, diving into Matty's arms and tugging urgently on his partner's blue hoodie. "Please, Matty?"

"Well..."

"Come on, guys," Dai insisted.

"I don't know, Dai, are you sure about this?" Mickey mumbled, looking just a little bit uneasy.

"Of course I'm sure!"

Smiling to himself, Halomon fluttered into Mickey's arms and beaming at his partner he gently nestled his cheek against the older twin's shoulder. "We'll be fine, Mickey. You don't have to worry about us. As soon as we find out anything we'll come back immediately. I promise."

"As long as they're careful, they should be okay," Joe said reasonably. "Just make sure you guys don't put yourselves in any unnecessary danger."

"What do you think, Uncle Tai?" Ryoko asked anxiously, turning to gaze uneasily at the former leader.

Tai glanced at the golden-haired Digidestined and shrugging his shoulders he said, " I trust Dai's judgment and I also trust Davis. Halomon and the others will be fine."

"Are you saying you don't trust me, Ishida?" Dai snapped, glaring at the golden-haired Digidestined.

"What? No! That's not...I didn't mean it like that."

"Well, it sure sounded that way to me!"

Ryoko blushed and he quickly shook his head. "No, it's not like that."

"But-"

"Look, just forget it. I don't want to argue with you. Haven't I lost enough friends already?" Ryoko said coldly, turning his face away.

"Oh, right..."

Peeking over Mickey's shoulder, Halomon wasn't surprised to see Sam's face turning a deep shade of red. Clearly, Ryoko had been referring to the raven-haired Digidestined and Sam knew it only too well.

"You guys," Takara sighed, her lips twitching into a small smile.

"Are you ready, Gatomon?" Kari asked, holding out her crest.

"Ready when you are. Gatomon digivolve to, Angewomon!"

"Your turn, Celestimon!" Matty shouted, holding out his Digivice, which he was careful to cover with his other hand.

"Celestimon digivolve to, Angelicmon!"

Leaping out of his partner's arms, Halomon smiled at Mickey, and while still hovering in the air he pulled his knees against his chest and shyly wiggled his toes. "I'm all set to go."

"Please be careful."

"I will be."

"Okay. Now, Halomon!"

Feeling a sudden surge of power running through his veins, Halomon quickly squeezed his eyes shut, allowing the energy within him and the power he felt from Mickey to burst forth from his body in what he hoped wasn't too bright a blaze of light. Thankfully, like with Gatomon and Celestimon, the Digidestined quickly surrounded him to shield most of the glow from view. "Halomon digivolve to, Gabrielmon!"

"You three be careful," Kari warned.

"Come back as soon as you can," Mickey mumbled, anxiously twisting his hands together.

_I should be worrying about you, Mickey, not the other way around._

Fluttering his wings in amusement, Gabrielmon smiled fondly at his partner, and reaching out his hand he gently ruffled the older twin's golden hair. "We'll be back before you know it."

"This way," Angelicmon ordered, leaping into the air and pointing towards a small section of large rocks clustered together near the base of the mountain.

Taking extra care to fly as low to the ground as possible, wanting above all else to avoid the attention of any eyes that may be watching them from the peak of Infinity Mountain, Gabrielmon quickly followed after Angelicmon and Angewomon, his six gold and white wings carrying him swiftly through the air. As soon as the three of them reached the base of the mountain, Angelicmon immediately dived towards the rocks he had pointed to earlier, and taking the hint Gabrielmon quickly fluttered after his fellow angel, descending rapidly from his position in the air at an almost dangerous low level of altitude, which unfortunately could not be avoided. Thankfully, due mostly to his careful nature, a trait he wielded effectively as a general rule, and an uncanny ability to accurately judge the distance in the air between himself and the ground below him, he was able to land safely next to the other celestial champion, though he was sure Mickey would scold him later for his reckless behaviour.

_It seems my partner's rash actions and his tendency to put himself in danger are beginning to rub off on me. I must be more careful from now on. I won't be able to protect Mickey if I start getting myself into trouble the way he has!_

Shaking his head at his own amusing thoughts, Gabrielmon crouched behind the cluster of large rocks between Angelicmon and Angewomon, and narrowing his eyes in concentration he gazed up at the peak of Infinity Mountain looming above his head. Unfortunately, he could not see the top, since he was now close enough to the mountain to begin climbing its rocky cliffs and steep paths, but even so, that did not stop him from sensing the presence of another celestial digimon nearby.

"He's here," Angelicmon murmured, his emerald green eyes scanning the jagged, slightly obscured path winding around the mountain.

"I feel him, too," Angewomon said calmly, fluttering her wings in anticipation. "His presence is strong and yet..."

"The darkness around him is wavering slightly. I sense confusion, like his thoughts are a scattering of leaves caught in a storm," Angelicmon said quietly, knowing instinctively what Angewomon had been about to say.

Nodding in agreement, Gabrielmon glanced curiously at Angewomon and placing a hand on her arm he said, "This mountain is covered in darkness. We must warn the others to be careful."

"Well, we know now that DarkAngelicmon is definitely on Infinity Mountain, but what about the others?" Angelicmon asked slowly. "Do you think Vampiramon and the rest of her allies are here?"

"There's no way to tell for sure, but my heart tells me they are close by. Vampiramon was the one the Ruler of Darkness specifically ordered to search for the Spirit Chips. I can't see her not being here."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't explain DarkAngelicmon's presence here today. I thought his main job was to capture Lucemon. If that's true then what is he doing here on Infinity Mountain?"

"Good question."

"His presence does not concern me," Angewomon interrupted, dismissing the fallen angel with a wave of her hand. "But there is one thing I am curious about. What is this other presence I feel?"

_Huh?_

Gabrielmon stared at the female angel in surprise and frowning in confusion he glanced back at Mickey and the rest of the Digidestined, fully expecting to see either a new ally or a new enemy whom he had not noticed before, but when nothing suspicious immediately captured his attention he turned back to Angewomon and said quietly, "What presence?"

"Do you not feel it?"

"I don't understand..."

Laying a hand on his arm, Angewomon pointed to the thick line of trees circling around the left side of the mountain, and glancing in the direction indicated by her finger, Gabrielmon frowned in confusion. "What is it?"

"It can't be!" Angelicmon suddenly gasped, leaping to his feet and gesturing wildly at the trees. "Gabrielmon, concentrate! You must feel it!"

Growing even more confused Gabrielmon studied the forest intently, and to his unexpected surprise, he suddenly felt the presence of something lurking in the forest. It was a familiar aura, one he had felt before, and yet it was still somehow new to him, as if he had only just experienced sensing such a warm, powerful presence fairly recently. In fact, he was sure it was the same presence he had felt watching him from the trees near the gate the night before, and if he was right then that could mean only one thing...

_Lucemon! What is he doing here? It's dangerous to be so close to DarkAngelicmon!_

"That fool," Angelicmon muttered, fluttering his wings in frustration. "What does he think he's doing?"

Gabrielmon nodded firmly in agreement, and leaning close to Angelicmon he whispered, "Maybe he's not as much of a fool as we think he is. We can sense both him and DarkAngelicmon because we're right in the middle of the two, but he's still far enough away from Infinity Mountain that I don't think DarkAngelicmon will be able to sense him."

"But..."

"Oh, DarkAngelicmon definitely knows he's on File Island, that much is certain, and our fallen angel counterpart probably even knows Lucemon is close by, but-"

"There's no way DarkAngelicmon can know at this distance just how close he is," Angelicmon finished, looking somewhat relieved. "Perhaps our friend does know what he's doing."

"Yes, he's staying far enough away so DarkAngelicmon won't be able to pinpoint his exact location, though I'm sure he's close enough that DarkAngelicmon may be able to guess he's somewhere in the forest."

"But considering it also looks as if DarkAngelicmon is going after the Spirit Chip, I'm guessing he has decided to put Lucemon on hold for the moment," Angelicmon said quietly, frowning thoughtfully at the trees. "Lucemon must have realized the same thing, which would explain his presence this close to Infinity Mountain, but there's still one thing I don't understand. How did he find out about our plans and does he know what DarkAngelicmon is up to?"

Gabrielmon quickly pulled Angelicmon back down beside him and whispering softly in the celestial champion's ear he said, "I'm not sure, but this new turn of events has me worried. If Lucemon can track us so easily, knowing less I think than DarkAngelicmon about our plans, then our chances of eluding our enemies is slim at best. And if he's also tracking DarkAngelicmon, then his information could be extremely useful to us, and yet despite how much help he could be, he's still hiding from us."

"He must have only just arrived. I didn't sense his presence when we first landed here."

"Me either, though I admit I was a bit preoccupied."

"Maybe you were, but I certainly wasn't and neither was Angewomon. She and I became aware of Lucemon's presence at almost the exact same time. He definitely wasn't there before."

"I will have to take your word for it."

"I'm surprised you sensed him at all since you clearly had your head in the clouds," Angelicmon said dryly, smiling in amusement. "Both you and Mickey are such a handful."

Giving the celestial champion a gentle push Gabrielmon smiled and shook his head. "What about your partner?"

"Matty? Yes, well, his only problem is he's too stubborn for his own good."

"Kind of like someone else I know."

"Mocking your fellow digimon, are you? I didn't think you were capable of such a thing!" Angelicmon laughed, poking him the ribs.

Grateful for the sudden distraction, Gabrielmon ducked as Angelicmon pulled playfully on one of the small feathery wings sprouting from his golden head and pretending to look insulted he said, "How do you know I wasn't talking about Lucemon?"

"This presence I feel. Do you know who it is?" Angewomon interrupted, her tone indicating she already suspected the truth and was merely waiting for them to confirm her suspicions.

_She knows about Lucemon. How could I have overlooked something so obvious? Like Angelicmon and myself, Angewomon is also able to sense the presence of other angel digimon, so of course she would be able to feel Lucemon's presence in the forest. We should have been more careful. Why didn't we at least consider the possibility that there was a chance Lucemon might attempt to follow us again? And why didn't I realize it could happen in the presence of either Angemon or Angewomon? If Angewomon tells Kari about Lucemon, we could be in a lot of trouble. I have no doubt Kari would tell Mickey and Matty, and if the twins find out they'll most definitely tell the rest of the Digidestined. If that happens, Angelicmon and I will end up betraying Lucemon's secret._

And yet, despite his reluctance to betray Lucemon, he could not forget Ken's words from the night before.

_**"Every decision we make affects the lives of others, and we have to be prepared to take responsibility for our actions. By keeping the truth a secret I almost forgot that painful lesson those digimon taught me, but I won't make the same mistake twice. Look how my actions have affected Sam. This kind of thing can't be allowed to happen again..."**_

_If I disregard Ken's warning then I am no better than the fallen angel DarkAngelicmon claims to be. To keep the truth about Lucemon a secret would mean betraying my own human partner, but if I do say something I'll be betraying Lucemon. What am I supposed to do? I'm sorry, Mickey. No matter what I do you'll still be disappointed in me..._

"Well?" Angewomon demanded, crossing her arms over her chest and gazing coolly at each of them in turn.

"I...we...of course not!" Angelicmon replied, trying unsuccessfully to smile. "This is the first time we've felt something like this before. Isn't that right, Gabrielmon?"

"It is?"

"I see. So...you do know," Angewomon murmured, studying them closely.

Gabrielmon suddenly felt Angelicmon's elbow collide painfully with his ribs, and wincing slightly at the contact he said hastily, "We don't know any more than you do, Angewomon."

"It's Lucemon, isn't it. He's following us, just as we are attempting to track DarkAngelicmon."

"Don't you think it's a little too soon to be jumping to con-"

"How long have you known about this?" Angewomon interrupted, the small bit of her face they could see growing dark and serious.

Gabrielmon felt a hand clutch the middle wing sprouting from his left side, and turning slightly he spotted Angelicmon cowering behind him. At first he wanted to smile, but then he realized he was finally beginning to understand just how Mickey would feel when his mother would scold him for misbehaving. It was a shocking realization and all of a sudden he didn't feel like smiling anymore. "You won't say anything to Kari, will you?"

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Please?" Angelicmon pleaded. "We would never forgive ourselves if we ended up betraying Lucemon's trust."

"This presence I feel...It really is Lucemon," Angewomon said slowly, shaking her head in disbelief. "Why haven't you informed your partners of his whereabouts?"

Feeling guilty, Gabrielmon avoided the female digimon's eyes and blushing he said quietly, "We only just recently discovered he was following us."

"He hasn't been following us for very long," Angelicmon explained, gazing nervously at the female angel. "We've only ever felt his presence once before."

"Where?" Angewomon asked curiously.

"He was hiding in the forest near the gate by the beach. We sensed his presence just as were were heading back to the human world."

"Yesterday, you mean."

"Yes. That's the only time we've ever felt him before, which means he was obviously only able to locate us just recently. Gabrielmon believes Lucemon is keeping his distance because he doesn't want to put us in any danger, and...well...I think I'm starting to believe the same thing."

"He appears to be pure of heart, and yet I sense a shadow hanging over his head."

Placing his hands on Angewomon's shoulders Gabrielmon said softly, "I don't think Lucemon wants to hide from us, but it's like he feels he has no other choice. He must know DarkAngelicmon wants to capture him, and confronting us would put him at risk, since DarkAngelicmon is constantly coming after us all the time, but like Angelicmon said, we believe the main reason he wants to keep his distance is because he feels contacting us will somehow put our partners in danger. I'm sure he'll confront us eventually, but until then he's trusting us to keep his secret. I don't know how I can possibly know something like that, but I just feel it in my heart. When he feels the time is right, he'll speak to us."

"I just hope he doesn't wait too long," Angelicmon muttered.

_Lucemon...can't you see there's another way?_

"To think this is the fate of one who dwells on the past," Angewomon sighed, shaking her head. "Very well, I shall keep your secret, but I must warn you. I do not think it is a good idea to hide the truth from your partners, though I understand why you are having such a hard time deciding what to do."

Sighing in relief, Gabrielmon beamed at the female angel and smiling he gave her fingers a quick squeeze. "Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me, but again I must warn you. I do not like keeping secrets from Kari as a general rule and you would do well to follow the same guidelines with your own partners. If you insist on hiding the truth then at least do not forget my words of wisdom."

Exchanging a quick look with Angelicmon, Gabrielmon gave the female angel a brilliant smile, and lowering his eyes to the ground he humbly bowed his head. "We won't forget, I promise."

"Then come," Angewomon said warmly, holding out her hands. "Let us return to the others. We must tell them what we have learned. I'm sure they'll be very interested in our news about DarkAngelicmon."

Taking hold of her hand, Gabrielmon quickly leaped to his feet, and lifting his head he turned just in time to see Angelicmon take the female angel's other hand. Once the three of them were standing, Angewomon briefly laid her hand against Angelicmon's cheek in a gesture that was very reminiscent of the way Kari would sometimes show affection for Mickey and Matty, and smiling she quickly fluttered into the air, anxious to rejoin her partner.

"They hold so much wisdom and knowledge," Angelicmon said softly, obviously referring to Angemon and Angewomon. "I do not think we could ever truly hope to reach their level of experience."

"Perhaps not, but we will do our best to try."

Smiling mischievously, Angelicmon gave his wings a hearty tug, but before he could retaliate the other celestial champion quickly dived over the rocks, disappearing from view.

_You, my friend, are much too playful to ever exude the same kind of grace and dignity Angemon possesses! But...perhaps that is why I am so fond of you. You act just like how Matty used to act before he began to doubt himself..._

Dismissing the thought with a flick of his wings, Gabrielmon fluttered over the rocks, his attention turning to Angewomon. Despite knowing, however briefly, that Patamon and Gatomon were also celestial digimon before actually seeing them digivolve, he could not help feeling a sense of awe every time he laid eyes on the two more experienced angel digimon, and he knew Angelicmon felt the same way. It was a humbling experience, and it made him want to gain their approval.

_Does DarkAngelicmon also feel the same way about Lucemon? Or is it the other way around? Lucemon...you must know we've felt your presence and yet you still continue to keep your distance. Why? Aren't you afraid we'll reveal your secret or do you really trust us as much as I want to believe you do? Why do you sit there merely watching us when you must know we are watching you in return? I know you have your reasons, but I cannot help wondering if those reasons are worthy enough to justify your actions. I suppose we shall see, and when that time comes I hope myself and my fellow digimon will be strong enough to protect you, just as you so badly want to protect our partners..._


	171. The Road to Infinity Mountain

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, as I've stated many times before.

A/N: Another chapter done!! After this they'll finally be on their way up the mountain.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 171: The Road to Infinity Mountain

_Lucemon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Crouching behind the thick trunk of a large tree at the very edge of the forest, Lucemon silently watched the three angel digimon, who were huddling beneath the shadowy form of Infinity Mountain, suddenly disappear from view, and leaning back on his knees, he let out a deep sigh. "And so it begins. I had a feeling DarkAngelicmon would be here already, and judging from the look on Gabrielmon's face, along with the expressions of Angelicmon and Angewomon, it looks like I was right. Although...the looks on their faces are not really telling me anything I don't already know for myself."

"Can you feel DarkAngelicmon's presence?" MarineAngemon asked hesitantly, gazing anxiously at the dark peak of Infinity Mountain.

"His presence is overwhelmingly strong here on File Island, but at this distance I cannot pinpoint his exact location on Infinity Mountain, though I can tell he's definitely somewhere on the mountain, however faintly, but that's mostly due to the fact that I've been paying close attention. And just as I can tell he's on the mountain, he can probably tell I'm in the forest, but like me there's no way he can know for sure just exactly where I am. Although, if he is ignoring me, he may have missed my presence altogether."

"Wouldn't that be a nice change, but somehow I don't think he's going to let you off the hook that easily. What about Gabrielmon and his friends? They weren't able to sense DarkAngelicmon until they reached the base of Infinity Mountain, but you're able to sense him all the way from here. How come? Is it because of your close bond with DarkAngelicmon?"

"Yes, I have known DarkAngelicmon a lot longer than the Digidestined have, and because of our once powerful friendship we are able to feel each other instantly on a much deeper level than other celestial digimon. Perhaps, in time, Gabrielmon and his friends will be able to establish the same kind of bond with DarkAngelicmon, or even me, but for now they must settle with the connection they do have, however elusive it might be."

"Speaking of the Digidestined, Angelicmon and the others know we're here," MarineAngemon whispered anxiously. "Angewomon pointed right at us!"

"Indeed she did, but that was to be expected."

"But...but I thought you wanted to keep your distance from the Digidestined."

Smiling slightly, Lucemon nodded in agreement, and scooping the little mega into his arms he gestured towards the base of Infinity Mountain. "You're right, MarineAngemon, but in order to keep up with what's going on, I can't disregard them completely."

"But..."

"It is true I want to keep my distance from the Digidestined, but we still need to know what's going on. The only way to keep track of what DarkAngelicmon is planning is to follow the Digidestined, since it would be foolish of me to confront DarkAngelicmon myself, but unfortunately there is a slight setback. In order to keep an eye on the Digidestined, I knew I would need to establish a strong bond with at least one of their celestial digimon, which I was able to do last night when the Digidestined passed by us on their way back to the human world. Only, instead of just one, I was able to connect with both Angelicmon and Gabrielmon. The bond I share with them certainly isn't as strong as the one I share with DarkAngelicmon, but it will grow with time. At least, I hope it will."

"But it is strong enough for you to follow their movements, which will allow you to maintain contact with their whereabouts, and that in turn will allow you to keep track of what Daichi and his friends are doing."

"Indeed, and knowing exactly what they're up to will allow me to keep an eye on DarkAngelicmon."

"Gabrielmon and his friends must feel strongly about you since they were able to sense your presence so easily. I guess you were right. You didn't need to speak to them after all. You just needed to feel them."

Lucemon nodded in agreement, and frowning to himself he humbly bowed his head. "Yes, we've definitely overcome that hurtle, but although they seem to feel strongly about me, my bond with them doesn't explain _how _they feel."

"They must care," MarineAngemon said firmly. "You said it yourself. If they didn't, they wouldn't have any reason to feel close to you."

"I suppose we shall see."

"Lucemon, you've been adamant about wanting to keep your distance, but now that Gabrielmon and the other celestial digimon know about you, aren't you afraid they're going to say something to their partners? If Mickey, Matty, and Kari find out about you, they'll tell the other Digidestined for sure! If that happens, everyone will know. I mean, this is now the second time Gabrielmon and Angelicmon have felt your presence. They must know by now that you're following them..."

Thinking back on the three angels as they had sat there gazing into the forest, Lucemon couldn't help but think they had understood his predicament. "No, MarineAngemon, they won't say anything."

"Huh? How do you know for sure?"

"I feel it in my heart. I trust them and I know they'll keep my secret safe. I could see it in their eyes. Besides, I want so badly to believe they also trust me."

"They knew we were watching them," MarineAngemon insisted. "Well, maybe not me, but they definitely know about you, and while we were watching them, they were watching us in turn. From here on in, you know they'll be keeping an eye on you. How can you stand it? How can you keep your distance when you so badly want to help them? You can say you need to keep your distance all you want, but in reality you're not avoiding them at all!"

Instead of denying MarineAngemon's words, Lucemon nodded slowly, and frowning slightly he quickly turned his face away, unable to look the little mega in the eyes. "Maybe you're right. It seems I am a failure at almost everything I do..."

"Lucemon..."

_You know why I can't get close to the Digidestined, MarineAngemon. If I do, DarkAngelicmon's wrath will rain down upon their heads like a vicious hurricane. I have to keep my distance. It's the only way to protect them._

As reluctant as he was to meet the Digidestined, though, there was a small part of him that could not help secretly hoping Gabrielmon and the other two celestial digimon would reveal his secrets.

_Even though I must stay away, I still have to remain close by. How else will we know whether or not the Digidestined are in trouble? Besides, I couldn't bear to avoid them completely..._

And yet, if they did ever need his help, would he have the courage to offer them assistance, despite DarkAngelicmon?

_If that were to ever happen, I wouldn't have to worry about my presence causing DarkAngelicmon to take his anger out on the Digidestined. By that time, he would already be trying to hurt them, with or without me somewhere close by._

And there was also the possibility that the Digidestined wouldn't want his help. That, above all else, even more so than DarkAngelicmon, was the main reason why he was so reluctant to meet them, though the fallen angel was most definitely first on his priority list. After all, it didn't matter how the Digidestined felt about him as long as they were safe.

_I can't let DarkAngelicmon hurt them, no matter how they feel about me. I...I just can't..._

"And what about DarkAngelicmon?" MarineAngemon scolded, hovering around his head in a circle and giving him a disapproving look. "You say you want to avoid him, as well, but so far you haven't been doing a very good job of keeping your distance."

"Perhaps you're right, but I am doing the best I can. It's impossible to avoid him completely, especially if we want to keep tabs on the Digidestined. Like us, he too must follow Mickey and the others if he wants to keep track of where the Spirit Chips are, but that was to be expected. After all, how else will he be able to steal the Spirit Chips? Don't worry, MarineAngemon, I will stay far enough away from him that he won't be able to capture me. I must admit, I'm surprised you are so worried. Earlier you were the one who was so insistent about meeting the Digidestined, and although you didn't say it I could tell you wanted us to contact DarkAngelicmon as well. No doubt in an effort to change his mind. Why the sudden change?"

"I'm worried about you," MarineAngemon mumbled, his small cheeks turning a slightly darker colour than the rest of his skin. "Ever since we stumbled upon Armadillomon and Hawkmon last night, I've been afraid something bad is going to happen. To who, I don't know, but if the Digidestined aren't being threatened then it could be you."

"MarineAngemon..."

_Even now I still cause a lot of pain to those who are close to me. It seems I am doomed to hurt all those who try to befriend me..._

After witnessing Sam's flight through the gate the night before, and after coming in contact with Celestimon and Gabrielmon, Lucemon had gone on a quest to discover what the Digidestined had planned for the next time they returned to the Digital World, and after wandering around File Island with MarineAngemon for most of the night, fully expecting to come up empty handed, he had accidentally stumbled upon Hawkmon and Armadillomon, who much to his astonishment had been gathering food near the ocean a little further down from where he had seen Sam leave through the gate. Upon meeting them he had discovered exactly what the Digidestined planned to do the next day.

Apparently, just after he had left the gate near the ocean, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, Gatomon, and Gotsumon had arrived at the same gate where they had proceeded to talk to Izzy. Izzy had, of course, asked them to watch Infinity Mountain, and Gatomon and Gotsumon had gone ahead, leaving Hawkmon and Armadillomon behind to gather the food they needed for dinner. Clearly, after talking to Daichi's group, they had finally decided to stay near the gate by the ocean, but since Sam had obviously reached the gate long before them, it was clear they had made several stops along the way before arriving at their destination, one of those stops being Primary Village, according to Hawkmon's information. After finding what they were looking for, the two had then gone on to join Gatomon and Gotsumon at the gate near the base of Infinity Mountain.

Once they had left, Lucemon had remained behind until the next day, intending to wait until the last moment to once again come in close contact with the Digidestined. That was why he had only just arrived in time to see the three angel digimon crouching behind the rocks at the base of Infinity Mountain.

_After talking amongst themselves, Hawkmon and Armadillomon were unknowingly able to tell me everything I needed to know. Now I have just as much information about the Spirit Chips as DarkAngelicmon and I know exactly what the Digidestined are planning to do from here on in. No longer does DarkAngelicmon have an advantage over me and for that I am grateful. In fact, if I'm lucky, I may even know more now than he does. Hawkmon and Armadillomon were quite free with their tongues. It's a good thing MarineAngemon and I were the only ones watching them._

There was only one thing that was bothering him. In listening to what they had to say, he now knew exactly what was wrong with Sam and knowing how the raven-haired Digidestined had taken the news about the Emperor made him feel like there was a fist clenched around his heart.

_Sam...if only there was a way for you to understand just how lucky you really are..._

The news about Sam, which Izzy had given to Hawkmon and the other remaining digimon partners, hurt him deeply, but his first sight of the Takaishi children, though they had been too high up in the air for him to see them clearly, had brought a smile to his face, but he was also worried about them as well.

_Are they really having problems as Hawkmon and Armadillomon seem to believe?_

_"_Well, now that we know DarkAngelicmon is on Infinity Mountain and the Digidestined are planning to get their hands on the Spirit Chip of Bravery, what are we going to do?" MarineAngemon asked curiously.

Gazing thoughtfully at the peak of Infinity Mountain and settling himself comfortably in the bushes, Lucemon said softly, "Now, we wait."

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sitting on the rocky ground next to Embermon, his legs stretched out in front of him, Daichi waited impatiently for the three angel digimon to return, his thoughts drifting back to his earlier conversation with Takara. The female Digidestined had always been a bit of a mystery to him, but thanks to the Spirit Chip of Bravery, he was starting to see her in a whole different light. Deep down inside, he had always known she was strong, brave, and capable of doing anything she put her mind to, but only now was he starting to realize just how truly special she was.

_She's so different from all the other girls at school. I don't think there's anyone like her in all of Japan. Maybe even the whole world. What is it about her that makes her so unique? I feel like I should know what it is, but every time I think I'm close to figuring out the mystery behind her smile, the answer always slips away from me, kind of like a faint echo in the forest or the sound of laughter floating on the wind. She's like an illusion that always seems to drift just out my reach..._

Blinking in surprise at his own poetic thoughts, Daichi nervously adjusted the goggles on his spiky head, and feeling a little embarrassed he quickly turned his face away from the rest of the group sitting a few feet away from him to hide the blush on his cheeks. For some strange reason, lately his thoughts seemed to be focusing an awful lot of Takara, much more so than usual, but no matter how hard he tired to focus on something else, he couldn't seem to stop thinking about the female Digidestined whose name alone would somehow cause what felt like a herd of butterflies to attack both his heart and his stomach.

At first he hadn't thought much about it, but now he was starting to wonder if perhaps there might be something wrong with him.

_It's like my thoughts have a mind of their own. How am I supposed to function like a normal person under these conditions?_

Well, it was all technically Takara's fault. Could the female Digidestined have possibly cast some sort of a spell on him? He had always known girls were weird, but it still never ceased to amaze him just how much they managed to get away with, especially during those moments when they would somehow proceed to turn an entire group of boys into a bunch of babbling idiots, just by doing nothing at all. At least, nothing he could ever see. If they could do that then who knew what else they were capable of? It also didn't help that the female Digidestined was sitting unusually close to him on his right, and every time she would turn her head, her long ponytail would brush gently against his cheek, the soft silky strands of her hair tickling his nose every time he gazed at her when she was looking in the other direction.

_Her hair smells nice. Like vanilla and peaches. Actually, now that I think about it, all of her smells kind of nice. Wait, what?_

Shaking his head at his own confusing thoughts, Dai blinked, trying unsuccessfully to clear his brain, and frowning he jumped when Takara's arm suddenly brushed against his side, startling him so badly he nearly shot to his feet in surprise. The two of them were sitting a little apart from the other Digidestined, with only their digimon partners for company, and the female Digidestined's powerful presence was starting to make his head spin a little bit.

Being one of those rare individuals who have no use for personal space, having never bothered to construct a bubble around himself like so many other members of the human race, Daichi Motomiya was not the type of person who usually noticed things like the feel of someones hand on his arm or the presence of someone sitting close beside him. Whether it was a hug, a friendly pat on the back, a handshake, or an arm draped across his shoulders, he took it all in stride, the process of connecting with another human being feeling so natural to him, it wasn't really something that was worth spending a lot of time thinking about. Sure, he would sometimes get embarrassed if his parents or his sister would hug him in front of his friends, and of course he hadn't failed to notice Ryoko's unusual behaviour towards him, most notably those fleeting moments of affection that were so rare and so hard to read he often wondered if maybe he had only just imagined them, but they weren't things he dwelt upon, analyzing every touch and every gesture until he exhausted all the possibilities of what they could mean. It didn't really matter what they meant. What mattered was that they took place. You enjoyed the moment while it lasted and then you moved onto the next one. The way you interacted with other people wasn't supposed to be something that was difficult or hard to do, and Daichi wasn't the type of person who would let his fears and insecurities stop _him _from getting his point across. It wasn't even really that he didn't notice the closeness of others. On a subconscious level, he was sure he did, but to him it really wasn't that big of a deal, and therefore most of the time he didn't _bother _to notice.

_Communication is the key to survival. If you distance yourself from others, you become your own worst enemy._

It was his own personal motto. Perhaps that was the reason why everyone at school knew his name. Maybe that was why so many people smiled at him in the hallways, or if they knew him personally they would take a moment to chat with him before moving on to their intended destination. Maybe that was why so many guys tried out for the soccer team every year.

Maybe, just maybe, that was the very reason why he had been chosen to become the next leader of the Digidestined.

_I bet Kara would think so. She's always saying things like that._

Kara, his childhood friend, whose hand was resting on the ground just inches away from his own. It wouldn't take much to reach out and touch her fingers, and for some odd reason he couldn't really explain, he wanted desperately to feel the texture of her skin against his palm. The sensation made him think of yesterday when Takara had been sitting _on _him instead of beside him and his face suddenly felt like it was on fire. At the time, due to his practical nature, it had only made sense, since there was very little space on the Ichijouji staircase for all of them to sit comfortably side by side, but now that he looked back on the moment, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe his heart had had other intentions. Could he have encouraged Takara to take a seat on his lap because he had wanted to be close to her, or had he merely been thinking of space? Even more astonishing was the fact that Takara hadn't objected to using him for a comfortable seat in the slightest, which made him wonder if maybe she had been hoping for a chance to get close to him as well.

_What am I thinking? She probably just didn't want to hurt my feelings._

Despite numerous attempts to figure out what it was about Takara that fascinated him so much, he still couldn't put his finger on exactly why she felt so special to him. It wasn't because she was pretty, that he knew for sure. There were tons of pretty girls at his elementary school, some of whom could even be considered prettier than Takara, though he didn't think so and would vehemently deny it if anyone ever even suggested such a thing. No, it was something else, and if he didn't figure out what it was soon, he was sure it was going to drive him crazy.

_Could it be because I do like her maybe just a little more than I should, maybe even more than I think I do? But...she's my friend. I'm so confused..._

"Dai? Hey, are you feeling okay?" Takara suddenly whispered in his ear, her lips just inches away from touching the sensitive skin on his neck.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking."

"Really? About what?"

Ducking his head, Dai turned to gaze uncertainly at the shadowy base of Infinity Mountain and jumping at the sudden feel of Takara's fingers brushing against his hand, he mumbled without thinking, "Your hair is really pretty and you smell really nice."

"Sorry? Did you say something?" Takara asked curiously, obviously misunderstanding his jumbled words.

_What am I doing? How could I have said something so stupid?_

Feeling his face heat up, Dai nervously pulled his hand away and shrugging his shoulders he said, "It's nothing. Oh, look! I think I see Angewomon coming now!"

_Sometimes I look at her and she's my friend. Other times, I feel like there's something more between us. Is it because I really do like her, more than if she was just my friend? I don't know. I can't seem to decide. What is wrong with me? Why does my brain feel so scrambled?_

"Do you think they were able to find out any news for us?" Embermon asked hopefully.

"I hope so," Dovemon sighed, anxiously flapping her small wings. "I would hate to have to climb Infinity Mountain practically blindfolded."

Hopping to his feet and holding out his hand for Takara to grab a hold of, Daichi couldn't help but smile at the two little rookie digimon chattering by his feet, completely oblivious to the actions of their partners. Thankfully, Dovemon didn't appear to have heard his words earlier either, which was a good thing because if the little rookie had been listening to him, she most certainly would have mentioned his embarrassing slip of the tongue to Takara.

_Unless she's just waiting for the right moment to spill the beans. What if she says something to Takara when I'm not around?_

Waving Angewomon over to her side, Kari beamed at the female angel, her lips twitching into a warm smile. "You're back! So, what's the situation?"

"Well, it's a little complicated, in more ways than one."

"DarkAngelicmon is most definitely on Infinity Mountain, but unfortunately we cannot speak for Vampiramon and the other megas," Angelicmon announced, landing gracefully on the rocky ground next to Matty. For some strange reason the celestial digimon kept glancing anxiously at Angewomon, and despite the smile on his face he seemed nervous about something.

_I wonder what's going on. Is he acting weird because of DarkAngelicmon, or is it something else?_

"They are waiting for us, all of them," Gabrielmon said quietly, landing next to Mickey. "I feel it in my heart. We must be extremely careful."

"Well, whether it's all of them or just DarkAngelicmon, it doesn't really matter to me," Matt said darkly, glancing suspiciously over his shoulder at the shadowy base of Infinity Mountain. "Either way whoever is on that mountain is going to have their sights set on Ryoko and Dai, which means keeping them out of trouble will be our main priority."

"I don't need a babysitter!" Ryoko grumbled, glaring at his father.

Raising his eyebrows, Matt gave his son a level look, the neutral expression on his face never changing. "If I recall, the last time both of you insisted you didn't need a babysitter Vampiramon nearly sliced you to pieces."

"That was different!"

"You will stay close to both me and Gabumon," Matt said seriously, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'm sure Alopemon won't object."

"Don't worry, Matt, you can count on me," Alopemon said firmly. "I won't let Ryoko stray from your side."

"Alopemon!"

Frowning at his partner, Alopemon said quietly, "You are too stubborn for your own good, Ryoko."

"Oh and like you aren't!"

"Matt does make a good point, though," Tai interrupted, reaching out to ruffle Ryoko's golden tresses. "We can't ignore who their targets are. Thankfully they don't know about Takara, but at some point in time they're obviously going to go after Dai and Ryoko and when they do we need to be ready for them."

Smiling at Tai and glancing at his father, Dai rolled his eyes and said, "What about you, Dad? Does this mean you're going to stick to me the whole way, just like Ishida's getting stuck with Matt?"

"Of course! I'm not going to let Matt get away with looking like a better parent than I am!"

"Uh, Dad, I think you're missing the point."

"Don't worry, Dai, Embermon and I will protect you!" Veemon said enthusiastically, throwing his arm around the scarlet rookie's small shoulders.

"That's right," Embermon agreed, nodding his head vigorously for emphasis.

"Thanks, guys."

"Besides," his father whispered quietly in his ear, "If I don't, your mother will kill me."

"I think it's a good idea for all of our digimon to keep their eyes on both Dai and Ryoko," Joe said reasonably, his eyebrows narrowing into a small frown. "We don't know what's going to happen on Infinity Mountain, but we do know they want Ryoko and Dai, which is why they should be our main priority. The Spirit Chip comes second."

"Good idea," Noriko agreed, nodding her head in approval. "What do you think, Penguinmon?"

"I think it's a great idea."

"Do you think you guys can handle it?" Joe asked, smiling at each of the digimon in turn.

"No problem, Joe," Gomamon said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "You can count on us."

"Are we ready to go then?" Kari asked, glancing at her brother for confirmation.

"Yeah, but we'd better keep from digivolving for now. As much as I want to teach Vampiramon a lesson, we need to be inconspicuous, especially since we aren't sure how many of them are waiting for us."

"You ready, Dai?" Takara whispered softly in his ear, giving his fingers a tight squeeze.

Trying unsuccessfully to ignore the butterflies in his stomach, Dai lifted his head and said firmly, "Let's go."


	172. Ambush

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: I know it's taken me a while, but the new chapter is finally here! Also, for those of you who are interested, I've started a bit of a contest with this story that you can view on my forum **_**Digital Connections**_** if you're interested. The thread is called,**_** Your OC Digimon in FTFOD! **_**For those of you who have been reading this story for a while, you already know a little about Tal Kuroki and his gang of Digidestined. They will be appearing in the story again, but four members of Tal's team need digimon. What does that mean? Well, this is your opportunity to give them one! As I stated in the story, Kenji already has a Halomon, but Tal, Mai, Inca, and Seta all need partners! Have any OC digimon lying around? (Come on, I know you've all created a few of your own at some point!) This is your opportunity to get one of your creations into my story! Full credit will go to you, of course, and I'm planning to do a one-shot story about Tal's gang where your OC digimon will also appear. Maybe even more than one. Full details are on the forum. Check it out if you want to contribute!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 172: Ambush

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Carefully picking his way over the loose gravel littering the hard ground beneath his feet, Daichi Motomiya slowly began to climb the uneven path circling its way around the rocky slopes of Infinity Mountain, and although he did not know for sure, he assumed the path would eventually end once they reached their final destination, the very peak of the mountain, which according to his D-Coder Digivice appeared to be where the Spirit Chip was located. Walking at the head of the group, the only exceptions being Embermon and Veemon who had taken it upon themselves to lead the group safely to the Spirit Chip, Daichi was trying valiantly to watch his step, but unfortunately there were so many thoughts running through his head, he was having a difficult time trying to keep his mind focused on the task at hand.

_I have to stop thinking about the Spirit Chip! Vampiramon and her buddies are the real problem and if I let my guard down, this whole mission could end in failure. If that happens, Takara will be so disappointed in me..._

Frustrated by his inability to concentrate, Daichi wrinkled his nose, and shaking his head in annoyance, he frowned at the sea of small rocks crunching beneath his feet, the sound ringing almost painfully in his ears. If he were alone, the echo bouncing off the side of the rocky wall to his right wouldn't have bothered him so much, but with so many Digidestined and digimon travelling along behind him, all of whom were making just as much noise as he was, he couldn't help thinking they were walking right into a trap. The echo ringing in his ears was so impossibly loud, there was just no way DarkAngelicmon could miss hearing their footsteps. Whether he was close by or not. At least, that was how it sounded to Daichi, but perhaps the echos of their footsteps weren't really as loud as they sounded in his head, and instead of having a huge crisis on their hands, he was merely acting just a little _too_ paranoid for his own good.

_I wish it could be that simple, but somehow I don't think my over reactive imagination has anything to do with this fear I suddenly have of being caught by our enemies. It's always when I think I'm overreacting that bad things tend to happen, and when they do most of the time it turns out I wasn't imagining things after all..._

On the contrary, it was then when things he thought were merely just a figment of his imagination would suddenly become much too real for his liking, but despite his resolve to remain calm and focused, he couldn't help glancing suspiciously at the cliff looming above his head over the right side of the path, and without even realizing what he was doing, he began to glance anxiously in all directions, including back towards the gate, hoping in vain to spot any sign of danger before it could reach them.

Beside him, Takara had a firm grip on his hand and together they were able to help each other over some of the more difficult obstacles blocking their path, which included a large variety of jagged rocks and some rough terrain where one could easily slip and slide right over the edge of the cliff if they weren't careful.

Much to Daichi's surprise, as he had noted earlier, Embermon had immediately taken the lead with Veemon almost as soon as the two of them had reached the base of the mountain, and thanks to their draconian nature, both digimon looked quite at home amongst the rocks and cliffs sprouting from the ground on both sides of the rough, uneven path. The endless amount of energy they appeared to possess was enough to make Dai feel extremely exhausted, despite not having done much walking yet, and although Embermon's desire to be at the front of the group wasn't exactly unusual in itself, the fact that both he and Veemon had taken their positions with an almost obscene amount of enthusiasm, more so even than usual, was suspicious enough to make Dai secretly suspect they had taken the lead to put themselves in the line of danger if anyone tried to attack him.

_And they're not the only ones. If Agumon tries to get any closer to me, he'll be stepping on my heels! I guess they were serious when they promised the adults they would protect both me and Ryoko, Gomamon having spoken for all of them._

Smiling slightly, Daichi couldn't help rolling his eyes in exasperation, but despite how frustrated he was, their behaviour was at least understandable, which most definitely wasn't the case when it came to Takara, who was _still _holding his hand.

After giving his fingers an encouraging squeeze just before the group had set out for the base of Infinity Mountain, Daichi had been sure Takara would drop his hand, choosing either to join her father or to mingle with the rest of the new Digidestined, but instead she had continued to walk beside him, her fingers grasping his hand in a firm grip, and despite his efforts to understand her motives for remaining close to him, unfortunately the expression on her face did not give him any indication as to what she was thinking, nor did it explain the reasoning behind her actions.

_Don't be an idiot, Daichi! She's probably only holding your hand because the path is so rough. It doesn't have anything to do with you. And why am I even having this stupid conversation with myself? If Mickey and Matty were the ones standing next to her instead of me, she'd probably even hold _their_ hands just to stay upright. It's not because she has any...feelings for me, and even if she did, why should I care either way?_

It was a good question. One he did not have an answer for.

_Ryoko pretty much said outright he only likes Takara as a sister, but why should it matter so much to me? Why does the news make me feel so happy, and why do I so badly want his approval? Why does it hurt so much to think Takara could possibly have feelings for Ryoko, even though he clearly likes her only as a friend? I'm so confused. I know I tried to deny it earlier, but...maybe..._could _Ami possibly be right about me? Do I really like Takara more than I think I do? I can't! I mean...she's my friend..._

Although he would die before he would ever admit such a thing, truthfully he felt a bit nervous holding Takara's hand, especially since he could feel Tai watching him, the former leader's dark gaze practically burning into the back of his skull, but despite the rather unfortunate situation he had inadvertently placed himself in, through no fault of his own, somehow he managed to summon enough courage to glance over his shoulder at the former leader, his stomach fluttering anxiously at the thought of what Tai's reaction might be to the image of a young male hand wrapped securely around Takara's fingers.

_I'm so pathetic._

Angry at himself for acting like such a coward, Dai boldly gave Kara's hand a tight squeeze, but to his surprise, instead of looking ready to strangle him to death, Tai merely glanced curiously at their intertwined fingers before turning to gaze thoughtfully at the sunny sky filled with white puffy clouds, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

_Even if I do sort of like Kara, it must just be a phase I'm going through. This kind of thing probably happens to a lot of guys who have female friends. It probably won't last. I'm sure things will go back to normal in a few weeks, and once they do, I'll forget any of this ever happened. Maybe hanging around in the Digital World for too long has got me imagining things that aren't true. Maybe I only _think _I like Kara, but I'm really just worried about her. Besides, it would be stupid of me to start having feelings for my closest female friend. That's how friendships get ruined, and more importantly, Kara would kill me if she ever found out I was thinking about her in such an embarrassing way. Then again, it worked for Tai..._

And yet, if his feelings were merely just a figment of his imagination then why couldn't he seem to forget the words he had spoken to Tai about Takara the day before?

_**"I told you, we're not talking about anything and there's nothing going on. At least, not yet."**_

_Did I really say say all of that? I must be going crazy..._

"Dai, you've been awfully quiet this afternoon. Are you sure there isn't anything wrong?" Takara asked quietly, lowering her voice to prevent the others from overhearing.

Pulling gently on the female Digidestined's hand, Daichi helped her over a particularly large boulder blocking their path before mumbling, "I'm fine. I just...I have a lot on my mind right now."

"Don't we all. Everyone has been in such a bad mood lately, it's really starting to bug me. It's...depressing, and I'm so worried about Sam..."

"Same here, but he's not the only problem we've got on our hands right now."

"No, if anything, he might end up being the least of our problems," Takara sighed, shaking her head. "Dai, somewhere along the line we're going to have to do something about Mickey and Matty."

"I know, but what are we supposed to do? We can't force them to get along."

"That's the thing, I have no idea."

Slipping his arm around Takara's waist, Dai frowned in annoyance, and shrugging his shoulders he gave the female Digidestined a quick smile. "And then there's Ryoko, but in my opinion he's been an issue ever since this whole Digital World thing started!"

"Only because you refuse to tell him how you really feel," Takara scolded, giving him a light push. "Don't you think it's about time you said something to him? After what happened with Sam, it might cheer him up a little."

"You've got to be kidding me! If anything, it'll make him feel even more depressed."

"Dai!"

Letting out a soft laugh, Dai lifted his arm, giving his female friend's shoulders a quick squeeze, and to his surprise Takara suddenly slipped her arm around his waist. "Fine, do what you want, but just so you know, you can't hide from your feelings forever. One of these days they're going to catch up with you and when they do I hope you're ready to face them with no regrets."

"Hey, Kara? Um...how...I mean...do you..."

"What is it, Dai?" Takara asked curiously, her hazel eyes lifting to meet his gaze.

"It's nothing, only...um...how _do_ you feel about Ryoko?"

Although Takara looked a little confused by his question she nevertheless smiled and said, "It's like I have two brothers instead of just one. Like you, Ryoko has been one of my best friends since we were babies. He knows me so well, and I know him as well as I know Taysuke, which is why I don't think you should dismiss his feelings so easily. You may be surprised by what might really be going on in his head."

_She sees Ryoko as a...brother?_

Leaning close to the female Digidestined, Dai whispered, "What about me? Am I like a brother to you, too?"

For some reason Takara's cheeks suddenly turned a deep shade of red and turning her face away she mumbled, "No. You...you're different."

Dai had no idea what she meant by that, but at the moment he didn't really care. The only thing that mattered to him was the fact that Takara did not, in fact, have feelings for Ryoko after all.

_She only likes him as a friend and a brother, and judging from the way Ryoko acted earlier, his feelings are pretty much the same as Kara's. Is that why he was encouraging me to...to..._

"Dai? Dai, are you okay?" Takara asked anxiously, reaching up to take his hand again. "You look a little dazed."

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. All this walking must be affecting my brain, especially with the heat and all. Maybe I'm just tired."

"Dai, we've only been climbing Infinity Mountain for about twenty-five minutes," Takara said gently.

"Um...well..."

"Time must have taken its toll on this mountain because the path is a lot harder to travel than I remember," Tai said cheerfully, coming up suddenly behind them, and yet despite his words he didn't seem to be having any trouble avoiding all the dangerous obstacles blocking the road himself. "It's definitely a lot easier to get yourself into trouble on this path than it used to be. I don't blame Dai for being tired already."

"Maybe," Takara said slowly, though she didn't look convinced. "Are you sure you're okay, Dai?"

Feeling suddenly as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, Dai flung his arms around Takara, and hugging her tightly against his chest he said, "Don't worry about me, Kara, I feel fine. Actually, I feel better than fine. I feel great!"

"Oh. Um...how come? Did I do something?"

Smiling he whispered softly in her ear, "Don't worry about it."

"Huh?"

Instead of replying, Dai glanced over his shoulder, his gaze coming to rest on Tai's face, and beaming at the former leader he said softly, "Thanks."

"For what?" Tai asked, raising his eyebrows. "I didn't do anything."

Dai gaped at the former leader in surprise, but before he could come up with a coherent reply, Tai smiled mysteriously at him, his dark eyes sparkling in the light of the sun, and turning on his heel the former leader dropped back to join Matt in the middle of the group, the expression on his face giving no indication as to whether he approved of what was going on or not.

_He must have heard our entire conversation! Well, maybe not the whole thing, but at least most of it..._

"I bet Embermon will look really amazing when he digivolves to the ultimate level," Takara said excitedly, her arm tightening around his waist as they walked.

"If he digivolves to the ultimate level."

"He will. It'll be him for sure," Dovemon said firmly, fluttering happily in the air just above Takara's right shoulder.

Dai took a moment to gaze fondly at his partner before turning his attention back to Kara, and feeling suddenly guilty for his earlier behaviour he mumbled, "Hey, Kara? I hope you don't think I'm mad at you for the whole thing with your D-Coder and the Spirit Chip. If the Spirit Chip of Bravery really doesn't belong to me then I'd want it to belong to either you or Ryoko."

"Silly leader! Don't you think I know that? I never thought for even a minute you were mad at me. I know how much you want the Spirit Chip of Bravery, so it's only natural for you to be worried. If it doesn't belong to you, you _should_ feel disappointed. The rest of us won't blame you for being a little bit upset."

"Thanks, Kara. I was afraid I might have come off sounding a little bit selfish earlier, but I should have known you would understand my feelings."

"Ryoko understands, too. You're not alone in how you feel, Dai. We'll support you no matter what."

_Even Ryoko?_

"Hey, Dai? I know this is kind of sudden, but I think maybe you should have a talk with Matty, and the sooner the better. He won't admit it, but I can tell he's been feeling really insecure lately, and I don't think Mickey is the only reason for his sudden odd behaviour. Actually, if you want to know the truth, I think you might have something to do with the way he's been acting lately, too."

"You mean because of Ryoko?"

"Dai, Matty thinks very highly of you," Takara said softly, her fingers once again curling around his hand in a tight grip. "I think he's afraid you might forget about him."

_Matty, you...you idiot! Do you really think I could ever replace you? How can you be so _stupid?

Without even thinking about what he was doing, Daichi spun around, nearly tripping over a rock lying next to his foot, and clenching his hands into tight fists, he glared furiously at Matty, his face turning an angry shade of red. Sensing his gaze, Matty looked up in confusion, obviously searching for the source of his sudden discomfort, and as soon as their eyes met the younger twin blushed, knowing instinctively he had done something wrong.

_Matty, have you really lost all your faith in me? I thought you were the one who understood me the best..._

"Don't be too hard on him, Dai," Takara suddenly whispered softly in his ear, interrupting his thoughts. "You should be flattered. He obviously cares about you a lot. Why do you think he's so afraid to lose you? You'll talk to him, won't you? Please?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Dai quickly turned his back on Matty, having come to a decision about what he was going to do. "Yeah, I'll talk to him, but if he tries to turn his back on our friendship, I'm going to hit him over the head with one of my soccer balls."

Takara started giggling, and cuddling her cheek against his shoulder she whispered, "Thanks, Dai."

_She feels so nice and warm against my side, and her hair is so soft and shiny. I wonder what it would feel like to _really_ kiss her..._

"Embermon, stop!" Angelicmon suddenly shouted from the back of the group, his golden spear materializing suddenly in his hand.

"Everyone, stay where you are!" Angewomon commanded, the tone of her voice leaving no room for argument.

"What's going on?" Alopemon demanded.

Crouching next to the little rookie, Gabrielmon frowned, and he glanced suspiciously at the cliff on his right. "DarkAngelicmon's presence has grown stronger. He's somewhere close by."

"Very close and I don't think he's alone," Angewomon said calmly, summoning her bow and holding it steady in her hands, a glowing arrow already in place and the string held taunt.

"Where?" Mickey cried, tugging anxiously on Angewomon's wings. "Are they in front of us?"

"No," Gabrielmon said quietly, his blue eyes growing suddenly wide with horror. "They're behind us!"

Pulling Takara tightly into his arms, Dai instinctively whirled around, and letting out a loud gasp he nearly stumbled over the edge of the cliff in shock. Standing directly in the middle of the road behind their group, conveniently blocking their escape path, stood two of the last digimon he was hoping to encounter on Infinity Mountain.

Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon.


	173. A Game of Hide and Seek

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: And here's another chapter! And just so you all know, I'm hoping to post a oneshot story next week which will focus on Tal Kuroki's gang. It won't feature any of their digimon yet, since the contest is still going on, but it will give you all a chance to get to know some of their characters, which I think will also help for those who may still want to contribute some OC digimon. And of course, once the contest is over, there will be more oneshots that will feature the digimon with their partners. Not sure how many, but I'd like to do at least two. Enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 173: A Game of Hide and Seek

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Greetings, Digidestined! Lovely afternoon, isn't it? A perfect day for stealing one of your Spirit Chips, if I do say so myself," Vampiramon said smugly, her lips twitching into a nasty smile. "Oh, come now, don't look so surprised. You knew we'd be here. Don't tell me you've forgotten about us already."

"Not likely," Ryoko snorted, glaring at the female mega. "What do you want, Vampiramon? If you've come here to capture either Daichi or myself, you're wasting your time."

"We're not handing the Spirit Chip of Bravery over to you without a fight!" Embermon snapped, darting suddenly in front of Ryoko, his small body dropping into an offensive crouch next to Alopemon.

Gazing calmly at the vampire digimon, Daichi gently untangled himself from Takara's grip, and taking a small step towards the two evil digimon blocking their escape route, he glanced curiously at the fallen angel standing just slightly behind Vampiramon's left shoulder. Normally, DarkAngelicmon was a surprisingly talkative digimon, and after enduring several of the fallen angel's clever insults himself, Daichi knew full well he was never likely to forget the way DarkAngelicmon always had a few insightful words of wisdom for any occasion, but today the fallen angel seemed unusually quiet and the blank expression on his face did nothing to emphasize just exactly how he was feeling at the moment. As a general rule, DarkAngelicmon usually focused most of his attention on either Mickey or Matty, but considering his current behaviour and the way his emerald gaze kept flicking between all the members of the group assembled on the mountain, never settling on one particular digimon or human for long, with the exception of Vampiramon, that no longer appeared to be the case anymore. If anything, he looked like he was trying his best to ignore the Takaishi twins.

_Doesn't he care at all about Mickey and Matty anymore? I should be relieved, but instead I feel like there's something not right about the way he's acting. And his lack of interest in the twins isn't the only thing that's bugging me. I don't really know how to explain it, but he looks like he no longer has any interest in the Spirit Chip. No...that's not it. It's more like...like he wishes he was somewhere else. I get the feeling he doesn't even want to be here, but that doesn't make any sense at all. Which reminds me, why is he here? I thought the Ruler of Darkness wanted him to find and capture Lucemon, but if that's true then why is he here on Infinity Mountain helping Vampiramon steal the Spirit Chip of Bravery? I know what Izzy said, but still...why would the Ruler of Darkness send DarkAngelicmon here instead of ordering him to seek out Lucemon?_

Matty must have been having similar thoughts because the younger twin crossed his arms over his chest, and glaring at the fallen angel he said coldly, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be looking for your old friend, or do you want us to find him for you?"

"Why?" Sam suddenly wailed, gazing sadly at the fallen angel. "After everything you've done, what is it about you _he _can see that I can't see? Why did he want to be your friend in the first place? I just don't understand. Is it the same thing Mickey sees because all I see is darkness..."

"What are they talking about?" Vampiramon asked slowly, glancing suspiciously at the fallen angel.

DarkAngelicmon quickly lowered his bright green eyes to the ground, and although Daichi couldn't read the expression on the fallen angel's face he had a feeling DarkAngelicmon was doing his best to stop Vampiramon from finding out about what was really going on with Lucemon. "It's nothing."

_He sounds so...so lifeless. It's like he's given up. I don't get it. What's wrong with him?_

"I can't believe you, DarkAngelicmon," Sam whispered, his deep blue eyes welling up with sudden tears. "You are such a fool."

"Am I now? You're certainly one to talk."

"Huh?"

"Tell me, Sam, how is your father doing? I hope you haven't hurt him _too_ terribly," DarkAngelicmon said dryly, a hint of his old personality flickering quite unexpectedly in his tone of voice.

"It's none of your business how he's feeling!"

Slipping a comforting arm around Sam's shoulders, Mickey ignored the angry red blush on the raven-haired Digidestined's cheeks, and turning to gaze solemnly at the fallen angel he said softly, "Actually, Ken is doing pretty well, all things considered. I...DarkAngelicmon, you shouldn't be here. You...you don't look well."

"Mickey! The fate of the Digiworld could be at stake if we let them get their hands on the Spirit Chip of Bravery and you're worried about how he's feeling?" Matty groaned, shaking his head in amusement. "That is _so_ like you."

"Not that it's any of _your_ concern, but I'm fine," DarkAngelicmon said shortly, avoiding the older twin's amber eyes. "Say what you will, but I doubt my well-being is at the top of your priority list."

"That's not true!"

"It is as it should be, nothing more. You would do well to worry more about yourself than to waste your time on me."

"Why?" Mickey whispered, gazing uncertainly at the fallen angel. "Why are you here? You never answered Matty's question. _He's _out there somewhere and you're doing nothing to locate him. I don't understand. Isn't that what you were...I mean...we thought...and Jestermon said..."

DarkAngelicmon slowly lifted his head, and the look he gave Mickey was clearly a warning. As soon as their eyes met, the older twin quickly snapped his mouth shut and DarkAngelicmojn turned to gaze uneasily at Vampiramon. Daichi wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but to him it looked as if DarkAngelicmon was attempting to hide something from Vampiramon.

_Is he trying to stop her from finding out about his orders to capture Lucemon? That doesn't make any sense. He must know Vampiramon suspects what he's up to so why would he try so hard to stop her from finding out something she could probably easily figure out all on her own? Unless...could Lucemon be somewhere on or near Infinity Mountain? That would explain why the Ruler of Darkness would send DarkAngelicmon here with Vampiramon, and that would also explain why it looks as if he doesn't want us to talk about Lucemon, but that doesn't make any sense either. Maybe he's trying to prevent Vampiramon from figuring out just how close Lucemon is, but why would he do that unless he was trying to stop the Ruler of Darkness from capturing Lucemon? Wait! Could...could DarkAngelicmon possibly be trying to protect Lucemon?_

Whirling around in surprise, Daichi glanced at the path up ahead, fully expecting to spot a male version of Luciamon standing behind him, but to his extreme disappointment there wasn't a single new celestial digimon in sight. A quick glance at the rest of the Digidestined proved to Dai that the possibility of Lucemon being on Infinity Mountain had not yet occurred to any of the others and despite Izzy's earlier logic, all of a sudden he found himself wondering why he hadn't questioned DarkAngelicmon's presence on Infinity Mountain back when Angelicmon and the other celestial digimon had first informed the group about the fallen angel's whereabouts.

_I wonder if..._

Frowning slightly, Daichi glanced suspiciously at the three celestial digimon, all of whom were pointing their weapons at DarkAngelicmon and Vampiramon, and studying their faces he let out a sigh of frustration. All three of their expressions, though with Angewomon it was hard to tell, lacked any kind of emotion whatsoever, but there was something about the look in Angelicmon's emerald eyes that made Dai wonder if maybe they knew more than they were letting on.

_Angelicmon and Gabrielmon have been acting a little weird lately. Could they possibly be hiding something about Lucemon? Wait, forget I asked. My brain is starting to hurt. I wonder what Ryoko thinks. Maybe I'll ask him later. He's better at figuring these sort of things out than I am._

"You're afraid," Mickey whispered, staring at DarkAngelicmon in shock. "I can't believe it..."

"Will you quit your incessant babbling?" Vampiramon snapped, glaring at the older twin. "As much as I'd love to continue this conversation, I don't have time for your nonsense! There's a Spirit Chip waiting for us at the top of Infinity Mountain, and we need a catalyst, so to speak."

"We should hurry," DarkAngelicmon murmured softly in the vampire digimon's ear, his gaze darting uneasily towards the forest down below. "Our master is waiting for us."

The nervous gesture was so unlike the fallen angel's normal behaviour it was enough to make Dai wonder if perhaps he was stuck in some sort of bizarre dream.

"Wait!" Sam suddenly gasped, stepping forward as if to take the fallen angel's arm. "I...I didn't mean it! You know...what I said about...about my friend. It's not true."

_What the..._

"Now, Vampiramon," DarkAngelicmon said firmly, ignoring the raven-haired Digidestined's desperate attempt to communicate with him. "The Ruler of Darkness is waiting."

"I know that, you idiot! Well? Don't just stand there, make yourself useful! Our prey needs to be captured and since you seem to have plenty of time on your hands to chat you might as well put it to good use. Bring the catalyst to me!"

Stepping away from the vampire digimon, DarkAngelicmon moved quickly towards Ryoko, but a swirling blast of fire suddenly erupted at the fallen angel's feet, stopping him in his tracks.

"If you get any closer to Ryoko or my partner, there will be more where that came from!" Embermon warned, his bright green eyes narrowing in concentration.

"You, a rookie, dare to stand in my way?"

"You think he's alone?" Alopemon said quietly, his pale blue fur bristling at the insult. "As a champion your strength is no greater than ours. We have digimon of all levels on our side. Together we can easily take down both you and Vampiramon."

"If you want to fight, bring it on!" Veemon shouted, shaking his fist at the fallen angel.

Hurrying over to stand next to Ryoko, Dai glanced around the raven-haired Digidestined's shoulder at his father, and raising his eyebrows he gave his dad a quick smile. "You think they got it from us?"

"Well, we might have helped a little bit, but I think they'd be like this even if they weren't our partners!"

"Great, this should be interesting," Ryoko said sarcastically.

Shaking his head, Dai couldn't help himself from smiling in amusement, but before he could scold his partner, he suddenly felt his dad come up behind him, the former leader's arm slipping around his shoulders in a tight embrace. "Stay close to me, Dai. This could get pretty nasty."

"Remember what I said earlier, don't let your guard down," Tai said quietly, having already moved into position next to his fellow former leader.

"You keep your hands off my son!" Matt warned, his Digivice already in his hand. The former musician was hovering protectively in front of Ryoko, next to Alopemon, and Gabumon was standing on his right. Somehow, the three angel digimon had managed to get behind Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon, and all of their weapons were pointed surprisingly at the the fallen angel's back, not at Vampiramon. Kari, Noriko, Mickey, Matty, and Sam were standing off to the side with Glowmon and Penguinmon, and both rookies looked just as eager to fight as the group crowded around Embermon. Joe, Kara, Dovemon, and Gomamon were in the rear behind the group that had materialized around Ryoko, Dai being a member of that group, and they too seemed to feel DarkAngelicmon was on the verge of doing something drastic.

_Are Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon really going to try and capture both of us?_

Gazing calmly at Embermon, DarkAngelicmon took another step forward, but this time he was stopped by a glowing slash of pale blue light across his face, courtesy of Alopemon's tail.

Clapping a hand against his cheek, the fallen angel stumbled backwards a few steps, nearly knocking Vampiramon off her feet.

"Watch where you're stepping!" the vampire digimon snapped, tugging angrily on her long skirts.

Flipping over backwards in the air and landing lightly on his feet, Alopemon scowled at the fallen angel and said quietly, "You're making a big mistake."

"You do realize your behaviour will not go unpunished, I assume?" DarkAngelicmon said mildly, smiling in amusement.

"What's so funny?"

The fallen angel snapped his fingers and the dark spear he often wielded in battle appeared suddenly in his hand, the intricate gold pattern covering its dark surface sparkling brightly in the sunshine. Pointing the spear straight at Alopemon's heart DarkAngelicmion said coldly, "Don't make me hurt you."

"Pepper breath!"

"Blue Blaster!"

"Opal Laser!"

"Glow Beam!"

"Ice Prism!"

Gazing in surprise at the display of colourful blasts, all of which mingled together to cause a small explosion, Daichi watched the fallen angel disappear in a cloud of smoke. When the dust finally cleared, the fallen angel was still standing, and although he did not appear to be hurt, the look on his face seemed to suggest he had lost some of his earlier confidence.

_Wait a minute, that's not right. He definitely still thinks he can beat us, which means the way he's acting now doesn't have anything to do with lack of confidence. If anything, he looks disappointed about something. It's almost like he's disappointed in our behaviour. Obviously he didn't think we would be so quick to attack him. What's going on here? Ryoko probably knows, but I don't have a clue what all of this means..._

"Hey, DarkAngelicmon, maybe you should take your own advice. Don't make _us_ hurt _you!"_ Agumon warned, wisps of smoke still streaming from his mouth thanks to his Pepper Breath attack.

"You'd better watch what you say or I'll sweep you over the side of the cliff with my Marching Fishes attack!" Gomamon threatened, scowling at the fallen angel. "Tell him, Joe!"

"Uh...can't we all just sit down and talk about this?"

"Joe!"

"Will you hurry this up?" Vampiramon snarled, tugging vigorously on the fallen angel's dark wings. "We don't have all day here!"

"You're not taking my son away from me!" Noriko shouted, clutching her D-3 Digivice tightly in her hand.

"Why?" Kari said sadly, her arms wrapping protectively around both of her sons. "Why are you doing this?"

Turning on his heel, DarkAngelicmon frowned at Kari, completely ignoring the Takaishi twins in the process, and studying the female Digidestined's face he said flatly, "So...you're the last one. There are too many of you. Your celestial digimon are starting to make me feel ill."

"That's not true!" Mickey protested, shaking his head in denial. "You don't mean that."

"If you don't leave Ryoko and Dai alone, your health will be the least of your problems," Angewomon warned, pulling back the string on her bow. "I do not wish to delete you, but I will if I have to."

"I can digivolve any time," Veemon informed the fallen angel, glancing hopefully at his partner. "Davis and I will never let you do anything to hurt Dai or Ryoko."

"Do you dare to fight against us?" Angelicmon demanded.

Turning his back on the group of celestial digimon, all of whom were watching his movements very closely, DarkAngelicmon sighed and said softly, "It never ceases to amaze me just how much you digimon and your human partners ignore the obvious. Daichi and Ryoko are not my concern. Their fate will rest in the hands of another of my companions. I came here for one purpose only and if you don't want her to get hurt then I suggest you cooperate with me."

_Wait...her? What the..._

Before Daichi could even attempt to make sense of the fallen angel's words, DarkAngelicmon suddenly launched himself into the air, his unexpected take off stirring up a cloud of dust and dark feathers. Hovering menacingly in the air, he dived right over Matt's head, and stretching out his arms he caught Takara around the waist, his momentum taking the female Digidestined right off her feet. Ignoring Takara's sudden screams, DarkAngelicmon quickly launched himself back into the air again, and hovering several feet above the group with the female Digidestined's smaller body held securely in his arms, he smirked at the stunned group standing below him. "Mission accomplished."

"Excellent work, DarkAngelicmon," Vampiramon said approvingly, looking surprisingly pleased with the fallen angel's performance. "That was better than I expected."

"It was too easy. I'm actually a little bit disappointed. I was expecting our mission to be a little bit more of a challenge."

_Takara? What? Why? I don't understand...I don't understand what's going on! Kara...No! Kara!_

"Kara!" Dovemon cried, hovering anxiously next to Joe's shoulder. "Leave my partner alone, DarkAngelicmon!"

"Let me go you big oaf!" Takara shrieked, hitting the fallen angel hard in the chest with her fists.

Frowning in annoyance, DarkAngelicmon caught one of the female Digidestined's hands in a tight grip and nodding his head towards the rocky cliff beneath their feet he said dryly, "Be still, young human. If you don't want to fall to your death, then I suggest you stop struggling. It would be a shame for both of us if you suddenly slipped out of my grasp. You would lose your life, and Vampiramon and I wouldn't be able to proceed with our plans. It would be in both of our best interests if you came quietly. And if you don't mind, I'd like to savor my victory in peace."

"Did you forget? I have a name!" Takara shouted indignantly, smacking the fallen angel's left ear for good measure.

"You humans certainly are a violent species."

"Hey! Don't make me hit you again!"

Although Daichi couldn't be certain, it looked as if the fallen angel was actually enjoying himself, and glancing frantically at Tai, he swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. Much to his dismay, the former leader's face had turned a ghostly shade of white and the fear in Tai's eyes was almost unbearable to witness. As far as Dai could tell, Tai hadn't even uttered a single cry at his daughter's sudden capture, not because he hadn't wanted to, it was mostly due to the fact that he had clearly lost his ability to speak. Never in all the years Daichi had known Tai had he ever seen the former leader looking so scared before, and despite his own fear he knew he could never even imagine what could possibly be going through the former leader's mind at that moment.

_If something happens to Takara, what will I do?_

Tai's behaviour must have somehow rubbed off on him because all of a sudden he felt like his heart was going to explode with fear. "D-Dad?"

His voice came out as a croak, and taking a step back he felt his father's arm suddenly slip around his shoulders. "It's okay, Dai. It's okay. We'll get her back. Somehow everything will work out. You can't give up now. We've been through this kind of thing before and somehow we've always managed to save everyone. Why should this time be any different?"

Whipping around, Dai buried his face against his father's chest and shaking his head he mumbled, "No...we can't...Kara...you don't understand."

_It's not the same! It _is _different this time. Kara, I can't...I can't lose you..._

"Now that we've accomplished what we've set out to do, it's time we were leaving," Vampiramon smirked, tossing her long red hair over her shoulder. "DarkAngelicmon, if you would please do the honours."

"What do we do?" Embermon cried helplessly.

"No! Kara!" Dovemon wailed.

Had Joe not been holding her back, the little rookie probably would have tried to take on DarkAngelicmon all by herself, but thanks to the cobalt-haired Digidestined's quick thinking, Dovemon had no choice but to remain where she was.

"Tai, we have to do something!" Agumon gasped, tugging anxiously on his partner's leg. "They're going to get away!"

Overcome with fear, Daichi yanked himself out of his father's arms, and avoiding his mother's attempts to grab him he raced towards the edge of the cliff, his gaze never leaving Takara's face.

"Kara!"

"Be strong, Dai!" Takara cried, her arms wrapping around DarkAngelicmon's neck and her head coming to rest against the fallen angel's shoulder. "I'll be fine. Please, take care of my dad for me!"

"No! Kara, I..."

Blinking back tears, Takara smiled at him and waving her hand she said firmly, "I know you'll find me again. Don't let them get to you, Dai! Whatever you do, don't let them steal your heart! If you do, we...we'll fail..."

"Enough of this, let's go!" Vampiramon snapped impatiently, tugging angrily on her skirts.

"I won't let you get away with this!" Veemon threatened.

"No!" Mickey and Sam shouted at the exact same time. "DarkAngelicmon, don't do this!"

"You fool," Gabrielmon murmured.

Something about the look on DarkAngelicmon gave Gabrielmon and the two humans seemed to radiate sadness, and regretfully shaking his head he once again summoned his spear and held it high up into the air. "If you want to see Takara again, you humans know what you must do. Follow me, Daichi Motomiya, if you dare. The top of Infinity Mountain awaits. Dark Teleportation!"

The mountain around Daichi suddenly disappeared, along with his mother, Ryoko, and several of the others who had come up behind him, and all of a sudden he found himself standing in complete darkness. He thought he heard Takara shouting something, but before he could make sense of what she was trying to say, the darkness enveloped him and he lost consciousness.


	174. The Daughter of Courage

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry about the wait, but I finally have another chapter done! And don't worry, the story will soon be moving a bit faster. I promise!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality." -Richter Abend (Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World)_

Chapter 174: The Daughter of Courage

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

_What...where...where am I?_

Wincing in pain, Takara slowly opened her eyes, and lifting her head she let out a small gasp of fear.

Daichi and the rest of her fellow Digidestined were gone.

_What happened? How did I end up here?_

Unsure of exactly where she was, Takara took a quick look around, her hazel eyes scanning the rough terrain and the rocky path circling just out of sight in both directions, though because the mountain was so thick in diameter, she had to squint in order to spot where the path eventually disappeared from view. As far as she could tell, she was obviously still somewhere on Infinity Mountain, but whether or not she was close to the peak or at the bottom was still a complete mystery to her. The only thing she was sure of was the fact that she just knew instinctively she was no longer anywhere close to her friends.

_Dai, Dad, Dovemon...where are you guys? I bet you're all really worried about me..._

Blinking back tears, Takara slowly sat up, and doing her best to ignore the small stones digging into her rear and the backs of her thighs, she vigorously shook her head, attempting quite unsuccessfully to dislodge the dust and small pebbles buried deep within her long ponytail. Not surprisingly, DarkAngelicmon had placed her limp body at the base of the jagged slope leading up towards the peak of the mountain, away from the edge of the cliff, clearly as a safety precaution to prevent his hostage from falling off the side of the mountain. Takara knew technically she should probably be grateful, but instead all she felt was bitter resentment. After all, DarkAngelicmon hadn't been protecting her because he was concerned about her safety. He had only done it to fulfill his master's evil plans, whatever those plans might be.

_I must have blacked out when DarkAngelicmon used his Dark Teleportation attack. Dai...did you even hear my words? Don't you know how much I care?_

_"__**Stay strong, Dai! I love you!"**_

Much to Takara's embarrassment, even just thinking about her final words to the goggle-headed leader caused her cheeks to turn a brilliant shade of pink, and although she was hoping perhaps maybe he hadn't heard her words, the most important part of her, her heart, was desperately hoping he had heard her voice loud and clear.

_But I know he didn't. I wasn't quick enough. I said the words too late..._

If anything happened to her, Dai would never know exactly how she felt, and although she was scared to admit it, she knew she was running out of time to tell the goggle-headed leader what was in her heart. There was no telling what might happen in the future, and if she didn't tell him the truth soon, there was a possibility she could end up losing her one last chance to reveal her feelings altogether.

_Ryoko's right, I have to tell Dai how I feel as soon as possible, but...what if I'm already too late? What if...something bad happens to me? No! I have to be brave. I have to be brave like Dai and my father. Oh, Dovemon, I wish you were here with me..._

"Excellent work, DarkAngelicmon," a female voice suddenly cried gleefully, interrupting Takara's thoughts. "And to think only just this morning I was starting to lose faith in you. You've certainly outdone yourself this time. Our master will be very pleased."

"Why thank you, Spritemon. You're learning, I see. I was almost starting to believe courtesy might be beyond your capabilities."

"Since I happen to be in such a wonderful mood, I'll ignore what you just said. It's about time that Kamiya girl got her comeuppance. Once our master is done with her, I'm going to make sure she pays for making me look like a fool earlier."

"Making you look like a fool isn't exactly a hard thing to do," another female voice snorted, her tone emphasising her obvious disgust. "Honestly, Spritemon, you're a _mega!_ It's time you started acting like one."

"That's rich coming from you! I'll have you know I was _this _close to taking out _WarGreymon. _A little more of my pixie dust and he would have been toast! Who are you to tell me to act like a mega?"

"Your commander and the leader of this operation, that's who!"

Looking up in surprise, Takara spotted Vampiramon, Spritemon, DarkAngelicmon, and another digimon who looked like a rookie huddling together near the base of the cliff, and shaking her head in amusement, she crossed her arms over her chest, her lips twitching into a small smile.

_They sound like a dysfunctional family, in a creepy sort of way. Don't they ever get along, even just once in a while?_

"Enough of this, we're wasting time!" Vampiramon snapped, glaring at the little fairy digimon standing next to her. "Now that we have the Kamiya girl, it's time to begin the next phase of our plan. Spritemon, do you remember what it is you're supposed to do?"

Rolling her eyes, Spritemon made a face and snapped, "Of course I do! You want me to spy on Daichi and his friends and then I'm supposed to have DemiDevimon report back to you."

"Piece of cake!" the little rookie hovering over DarkAngelicmon's left shoulder shouted enthusiastically. "Spying is what I do best!"

"BlackWidowmon and Jestermon are already in position. They're waiting for your arrival," Spritemon added. "I'll make sure to keep in touch with them until the two of you reach the peak. That way DemiDevimon and I will know when you arrive at your destination."

Unable to prevent herself from speaking, Takara snapped, "You won't get away with this!"

_Dai, wherever you are be careful!_

"Quiet, human!" Spritemon hissed, whirling around to glare at her. "Don't make me come over there!"

"You're awake, I see," DarkAngelicmon said pleasantly, moving slowly towards her. "I assume you realize we're holding you as bait?"

In response, Takara shrank back as the fallen angel suddenly knelt in front of her, and wrapping her arms around her knees she whispered, "Why me? Why did you capture me?"

_There's no way they could know about my D-Coder reacting to the barrier surrounding the Spirit Chip of Bravery yet! I haven't pulled my D-Coder out since arriving on Infinity Mountain, nor have I talked about its glowing surface. Unless...were they maybe spying on us before we started climbing the mountain? No, that can't be right. Angelicmon and the other angel digimon would have felt DarkAngelicmon's presence near the gate if he had been watching us earlier. Clearly DarkAngelicmon was on Infinity Mountain the whole time, but that doesn't make any sense either. If he doesn't know about my crest, why did he capture me? Why didn't he capture Dai or Ryoko? Wouldn't it make more sense to capture one of them? They're the ones who might own the Spirit Chip. I mean, I guess one of the others could have been spying on us, but I don't think that's the case. From the way they're talking, it sounds like all of them have been on Infinity Mountain the whole time. Spritemon herself hasn't started spying on anyone yet, and there was nothing for Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon to see._

"I believe the Spirit Chip of Bravery belongs to Daichi, as do you, I think, which means when it comes to stealing a hostage, you were the logical choice."

"I...was?"

"Daichi cares about you," DarkAngelicmon said simply, his hands resting comfortably on his knees. "We knew you and your friends would be expecting to find us waiting for you on Infinity Mountain today long before we set out for the Eastern Hemisphere, and as a result, we knew you were all going to be a little bit cautious. I must admit, because of recent history, we thought perhaps you and your friends would end up losing your nerve before making it all the way to the top of Infinity Mountain, and because I'm not the type of digimon who believes in taking unnecessary risks, and by that I mean losing my chance to steal the Spirit Chip, I thought it would be a good idea to help you all along a bit on your journey, so to speak."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in order to steal the Spirit Chip, we need to make sure Daichi retrieves it first, and the best way to do that is to give him no other choice. We needed to give him a reason to_ need _the Spirit Chip of Bravery and you are that reason."

"I...am?"

"Of course. The best way to defeat your enemies is to use their weaknesses against them. Daichi's greatest weakness is his friends. We knew if we acquired a hostage, Daichi wouldn't hesitate to follow us to the top of Infinity Mountain and that's obviously where you come in."

Glaring indignantly at the fallen angel, Takara snapped, "That still doesn't explain why you picked me."

"Oh, any human would have done, Daichi's sense of justice wouldn't have let him leave any hostage to his or her fate, but we thought it would be best if we captured someone who was especially important to Daichi. That person is you."

"M-me?"

"Capturing someone important to Daichi will give him even more incentive to follow us, and since we knew capturing the owner of the Spirit Chip would be a waste of time, we decided to do the next best thing."

_He doesn't know about my D-Coder!_

"We can't steal the Spirit Chip until Daichi gets it first, and in order for him to get it, I suspect he'll have to have a reason to need it first. Isn't that how it normally works with trinkets like the Spirit Chips and the crests?"

"Well yeah, but..."

"I am not blind, Kara. Daichi cares deeply for all of his friends, but there are two who, at the moment, are his greatest concerns. And by that I mean he is uncertain of how they feel about him. You are one of those two people. The other human is Ryoko Ishida."

"W-what?"

_Dai is...uncertain of how I feel? But...that doesn't make any sense. He knows how much I value his friendship. I can understand with Ryoko, but for him to be questioning my feelings? I've never given him any reason to believe there might be a rift between us. I don't understand..._

"If that's true then why did you pick me over Ryoko?"

"Some of my companions are still worried the Spirit Chip might belong to Ryoko, and if that's true capturing him would ruin our plans. We can't have the wrong person looking for our hostage. It needs to be the owner of the Spirit Chip," DarkAngelicmon explained, smiling slightly. "The same would be true if it were the other way around. If we assumed the Spirit Chip belonged to Ryoko, capturing Daichi would ruin our plans. What if it turned out we were wrong? Ryoko wouldn't be able to get the Spirit Chip and Daichi, being the hostage, wouldn't have sufficient reason to need the Spirit Chip. He could try to use it to save himself, but somehow for him I don't think that would be a good enough reason to need the Spirit Chip."

_Dai, you're always trying to save everyone, but what about you? If you end up in trouble, who's going to save you? Ryoko, Mickey, Matty, Sam...please don't let me down..._

"Since Daichi is uncertain about your feelings, as well as Ryoko's, we knew that would give him even more incentive to rescue whoever we chose because he doesn't want anything to happen to either one of you. To put it plainly, he doesn't want to lose his chance to figure out just exactly how both you and Ryoko feel about him. You know what Daichi is like. He wouldn't be able to live with himself without having a chance to respond both to your feelings and to Ryoko's feelings. To live never knowing how both you and Ryoko truly feel about him would be worse than death and I am well aware of the fact that he would do anything to fix the unresolved issues he has with his friends, namely you and Ryoko. Funny enough, Ryoko is the same way. Do you understand now?"

"I..."

"As you can see, since both Daichi and Ryoko are off limits at the moment, we did the next best thing," DarkAngelicmon said smoothly, ignoring her uncertain pause. "We decided to capture someone who is important to both of them. Problem solved, and quite nicely I might add, though Ryoko isn't questioning his feelings about you the way Daichi is, but I'm not too concerned about that."

"Why not?"

"Because I _know _the Spirit Chip belongs to Daichi, but if giving Ryoko a reason to need the Spirit Chip will also keep my companions quiet then I'm happy to ease their fears. Their whining and complaining can be rather annoying at times."

Growing suddenly angry, Takara crossed her arms over her chest and giving the fallen angel a dirty look she snapped, "And what if you're wrong, huh? What if the Spirit Chip does belong to Ryoko?"

"It doesn't. As I said before, you know that as well as I do."

_He sounds so sure of himself..._

Gazing into the fallen angel's eyes, Takara found herself unable to look away from his surprisingly sympathetic green gaze. For the first time since she had met DarkAngelicmon, the two of them were sitting close enough to one another for her to suddenly realize she was seeing something she had never noticed before. Contrary to his evil nature, DarkAngelicmon's bright green eyes were surprisingly kind, gentle, and understanding, and not only that they were also filled with such deep wisdom and knowledge, it was almost impossible to comprehend just how much his gentle spirit defied his sometimes harsh actions. It was a humbling experience and it made Takara's heart ache with sadness.

_Mickey was right all along..._

"Well? You seem unusually quiet. I do hope my explanation was sufficient enough," DarkAngelicmon said dryly, smiling in amusement.

"You still didn't really answer my question. _Why me? _Why would Dai ever question how I feel about him..."

"I told you, Daichi cares about you, more than you know. It seems you harbour similar feelings, although judging from your reaction it appears you have failed to tell him the truth about what it is you really feel within your heart. All the more better for me, I suppose."

"W-what?"

_Is he saying Daichi cares about me as...as more than a friend? No way! How could he possibly know something like that? I'm only hearing what I want to hear..._

"You would do well to listen to your heart," DarkAngelicmon said softly, almost to himself. "Something I never did..."

_DarkAngelicmon...what do we have to do to make you believe in us..._

"Honestly, DarkAngelicmon, you're not supposed to _visit _with the hostage!" Spritemon scowled, causing both Takara and the fallen angel to jump in surprise. "And you're not supposed to be telling them our plans either! What is _wrong _with you?"

"What difference does it make? She's in no position to be telling the Motomiya boy and the rest of the Digidestined about our plans," DarkAngelicmon said shortly, leaping gracefully to his feet. "Pardon me for interrupting your rant, but don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"DarkAngelicmon is right," Vampiramon snapped, frowning at the little sprite digimon. "I think it's time you got to your post. Daichi and his friends will have picked up Takara's signal on their D-Coders by now, and although it will take them some time to reach us, we still need to hurry. We must make it to the top of the mountain before they come in contact with us again. Remember, when we get there send DemiDevimon back to us frequently with information about what Daichi and his little friends are up to, and for the love of hades don't let them out of your sight! Watch them closely and make sure they don't fly their way up the mountain. I want to know what's going through their heads at all times, and although Takara's D-Coder can help us with their location somewhat, it's still too general. I want to know exactly where Daichi and his friends are with every little step. You should find them on the south side of the mountain, about less than a quarter of the way up. I doubt they've had time to get very far in the last ten minutes. And don't forget, until DarkAngelicmon and I reach the top of the mountain, remember to keep in touch with Jestermon and BlackWidowmon so we know what's going on."

"I know, I know!" Spritemon grumbled, tossing her head in annoyance. "Come on, DemiDevimon, let's get this over with."

"Yes, of course, your evilness!"

_I almost forgot! I can keep an eye on Dai and the others with my D-Coder at all times! Not only that..._

Scrambling quickly to her feet, Takara quickly pulled out her D-Coder Digivice and holding the glowing green gadget out in her hand she gave the four evil digimon a triumphant smile. "You guys are so sure you have everything all figured out, but you're not as smart as you think you are! All this talk about Dai and Ryoko, but none of you ever stopped to think about me! Have you forgotten the Crest of Courage belongs to my father? Look at my D-Coder! That Spirit Chip could belong to me and if it does then your plans are ruined! Maybe next time you should be a little bit more careful with who you capture!"

For a moment the four digimon merely stared at her D-Coder in disbelief, and as soon as they realized the implications of what her glowing Digivice might mean, the expressions on their faces, with the exception of DarkAngelicmon, changed from shock to complete outrage.

Whirling around so fast her skirts sent up a cloud of dust, Vampiramon smacked the fallen angel hard on the back of his head. "You idiot! Why didn't you tell us about the Kamiya girl?"

"What were you thinking?" Spritemon shrieked, tugging viciously on the fallen angel's wings.

"Truthfully, I did not know about Takara. An oversight, to be sure, but it is of little importance."

"I don't know, it seems pretty important to me," DemiDevimon mumbled anxiously.

"DarkAngelicmon, you fool! How can you even say something like that?" Spritemon cried, stomping heavily on the fallen angel's left foot. "Of course it's important! We might have captured the wrong person! If the Spirit Chip really does belong to Little Miss Snotty here, then we should have captured her precious goggle-headed leader instead!"

Bristling at the insult, Takara pointed her finger at the little mega and snapped, "Excuse me? Little Miss Snotty? Are you sure you aren't referring to yourself, Spritemon?"

"Why you little-"

"If you ladies are done now, can I please say something?" DarkAngelicmon interrupted, grabbing onto his foot and sending Spritemon a reproachful glare. "I admit I feel a little foolish having overlooked Takara's connection to the Crest of Courage, but I don't think there's any need to get all upset."

"Why not?" Spritemon demanded.

"It's quite simple really. The Spirit Chip does _not _belong to Takara, therefore there is no reason to worry about her D-Coder."

_Again he sounds so sure of himself. Maybe he really does feel the same way I feel..._

"And what if you're wrong?" Vampiramon snapped, glaring at the fallen angel.

"It belongs to Daichi, plain and simple. At the present moment, Takara's glowing D-Coder is of little importance. It's merely reacting in the same fashion as Ryoko's D-Coder."

"But-"

"Excuse me, Spritemon, but don't you have a job to do?" DarkAngelicmon asked mildly, completely ignoring the vampire digimon and turning instead to smile serenely at the small sprite digimon standing next to him.

Tossing her head, Spritemon let out an irritated sigh and frowning she muttered, "Fine, but I still think you're an idiot. Come on, DemiDevimon, let's get going."

"Yes, your evilness!"

Takara expected the small sprite digimon to quickly hurry off down the path, but much to her surprise, instead of leaving, Spritemon suddenly started to move towards her. In response to the little mega's sudden movement, she let out a small squeak of fear, her back hitting the cliff wall behind her as she scrambled back in terror.

"You've got a lot of nerve trying to pull a trick on us," Spritemon said coldly, her hands on her hips. "DarkAngelicmon might be a bit of a fool sometimes, but I know from experience that he can see right through humans and digimon like you. You told us about your D-Coder on purpose because you wanted us to think we had captured the wrong person. Trying to catch us off guard, are you? Too bad your little plan didn't work!"

"No! That's not-"

"Don't lie to me!" Spritemon hissed, her brown eyes sparkling dangerously in the afternoon sunshine.

Takara was about to protest, but before she could open her mouth Spritemon suddenly grabbed the collar of her shirt, causing her to lose her balance, and forcing herself to remain calm she allowed the little mega to give her a rough shake.

"You're only alive because my master needs your Spirit Chip," Spritemon snapped, her cheeks turning an unpleasant shade of red. "If I were you, little Kara, I'd stay on my guard. You're going to pay for making me look like a fool. Once my master is through with you, you're going to be mine and unlike him I'm not going to go easy on you."

"You're the one who should watch your back, not me!"

"You've been warned," Spritemon said coldly, releasing her grip and turning once more to get DemiDevimon's attention. "When the time comes, your death will be sweet."

_I have to be brave! I have to be brave like you, Dai..._

Willing herself not to cry, Takara nervously watched Spritemon and DemiDevimon disappear from sight, and realizing all of a sudden there was nowhere for her to run and that she was now left alone with Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon, the fear in her heart quickly gave way to despair.

_Dovemon..._

"Come, Kara," DarkAngelicmon suddenly murmured, his voice interrupting her miserable thoughts. "We've wasted too much time already."

Takara let out a whimper, and wrapping her arms around herself she whispered, "Where are we going?"

"Were you not listening? BlackWidowmon and Jestermon are waiting for us at the top of Infinity Mountain. That's where the Spirit Chip of Bravery is located, as you very well know."

"I wouldn't act so smug if I were you. If it wasn't for Gennai, you wouldn't know a thing!"

"Neither would you. Come, we must reach BlackWidowmon and Jestermon before Daichi and the rest of your friends manage to catch up to us."

Glancing at her D-Coder, Takara let out a sigh of defeat. As far as she could tell, it didn't look as if Dai was going to catch up to her any time soon. Whereas she was near the peak of Infinity Mountain, Dai's glowing red dot was close to the bottom, the gap between them so wide they might as well have been on opposite sides of the Digital World.

"Well? Do I have the pleasure of enjoying you company?" DarkAngelicmon asked pleasantly, smiling in amusement.

Biting her lip and wishing desperately for help she knew would be a while in coming, Takara did the only thing she could do. Clutching her glowing D-Coder tightly in her hand, she proceeded to follow the fallen angel and his vampire companion up the path towards the very top of the mountain, the light of her Digivice leading the two digimon confidently towards their destination.

_Dai...courage isn't a lack of fear. It's knowing you're afraid and finding the strength to overcome your fear. Please...whatever you do, don't give in. Don't give in to your fears. If you do, we'll never stop all this darkness..._


	175. Smoke and Mirrors

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry about the wait, guys, but I finally have another chapter done! I know the title might seem a little confusing, but think about it long enough and I know you'll all get its meaning. That's it from me! I know I said this would be up last week, but I had computer problems so I couldn't post. Sorry!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 175: Smoke and Mirrors

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Groaning softly, Daichi slowly opened his eyes, and reluctantly lifting his head he glanced around in confusion, trying unsuccessfully to make sense of what had just happened. He remembered the darkness surrounding him earlier, but other than that his memory was a complete blank.

_Where am I, and why am I lying on the ground? My head feels kind of funny..._

"Dai? Dai, are you okay?" his mother's voice suddenly murmured softly in his ear, interrupting his thoughts.

Lying sprawled out on his stomach, Dai managed to wave his hand weakly in reply, and pulling himself into a sitting position, he gingerly rubbed his forehead. "Ouch, my head is killing me! I must have smacked my forehead on a rock or something."

"You're not the only one," Embermon groaned, sitting up beside him. "I think my brain is all scrambled."

Smiling fondly at his partner, Dai gave the little rookie a sympathetic pat on the knee and turning to the golden-haired Digidestined lying unconscious on his left he murmured, "Come on, Ishida, wake up!"

Ryoko groaned in response, and rolling his eyes, Daichi gave the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder a gentle shake.

_Can't he ever make anything easy for me?_

"Wake up, Ryoko!" Embermon suddenly shouted loudly in the golden-haired Digidestined's ear, his emerald green eyes sparkling mischievously in the afternoon sunshine.

Letting out a yelp of surprise, Ryoko quickly sat up with a start, and glaring at the little rookie he snapped, "You don't have to shout in my ear like that!"

"But...I was really worried about you," Embermon said innocently, beaming at the golden-haired Digidestined.

Dai snorted loudly, but before he could comment on his partner's behaviour, Alopemon suddenly sat up next to Ryoko, and judging from the scowl on his face he didn't look too pleased about something.

"What's wrong, Alopemon?" Embermon asked curiously, catching sight of the angry expression on the little fox digimon's face.

"Someone's crushing my tail!"

Raising his eyebrows, Dai glanced over at his father, who was just pulling himself into a sitting position behind Alopemon, and realizing all at once that he was the culprit, the former leader quickly scurried backwards, instantly releasing the little rookie's tail from where it had rested trapped beneath his legs. "Sorry about that, Alopemon."

Muttering to himself, Alopemon gave the former leader a dirty look. "My tail can be very sensitive, you know."

"I said I was sorry! No offence, Alopemon, but sometimes you're as bad as your partner!"

"Hey!" Ryoko shouted, smacking the former leader hard in the chest.

Blinking in surprise, Dai gaped at the golden-haired Digidestined, but instead of getting angry, his father merely ruffled Ryoko's shiny blond tresses, his lips twitching into a small smile.

_Wow, I have to give Ryoko credit, he's really got some nerve. Everyone keeps telling me I'm the one who's brave, but I don't think I could ever find the nerve to smack Matt the way he just hit my dad!_

Shaking his head in disbelief, Dai turned to look at his mother, and wrapping an arm around her waist he said softly, "Hey, Mom, what about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dai, don't worry about me. I'm just glad _you're _safe."

"Are you sure?"

His mother smiled at him, and leaning over she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"I hope you never change, my little black sheep," she said softly in his ear, hugging him closely.

"Mom!"

"Is everyone okay?" Kari called out, sitting up next to her sons and glancing around to make sure the rest of the group was slowly starting to regain consciousness.

Mickey and Matty glanced at each other and together they said quietly, "We're okay."

"My head feels like it's going to explode," Sam complained, wrinkling his nose and resting his forehead gingerly against his knees.

Cuddling himself against Sam's side, Glowmon nodded his head in agreement, and wings drooping slightly he said meekly, "I feel like I've lost some of my energy. I hope I can still digivolve..."

"That attack of DarkAngelicmon's is quite powerful," Joe said thoughtfully, smiling sheepishly at his partner. "We were unconscious before we even knew what hit us."

"He caught us off guard!" Gomamon protested, sticking his nose in the air. "If we had been ready for him there's no way he would have been able to pull a stunt like that on us!"

"We'll get him next time," Veemon said confidently.

"But...my partner!" Dovemon whimpered, hiding her face against Tai's chest.

Frowning in confusion, Dai stared at the little rookie curled up in Tai's arms, wondering what in the Digiworld she was talking about, but then all of a sudden it hit him.

Takara had been captured by DarkAngelicmon!

"Kara, no!"

Leaping to his feet, Dai glanced frantically at the deep blue sky hovering above the beautiful scenery surrounding Infinity Mountain, but unfortunately his female friend was nowhere to be seen and neither was the fallen angel who has whisked her away like a feather caught in a whirling tornado.

_Why? Why did he take Kara? I don't understand..._

Desperate to catch a glimpse of his friend, Dai leaned over the side of the cliff, his gaze scanning the landscape below for any sign of Kara and the fallen angel, nearly losing his balance in the process, but before he could teeter over the edge, Matt caught his arm, stopping his momentum just seconds before he would have fallen over the edge.

"Let me go!"

"Dai, she's gone," Matt said quietly, the pain in his eyes betraying his calm words and the serene expression on his face.

Dai winced, the golden-haired Digidestined's words slicing through his heart like a knife through butter, and lowering his eyes to the ground he tried unsuccessfully to pull his arm away.

"It's dangerous here," Gabumon interrupted, nodding his head towards the edge of the cliff. "We should move back a bit further."

"The last thing we need is someone falling off the side of Infinity Mountain," Penguinmon agreed, glancing anxiously at his partner.

Despite the sudden stab of fear he felt welling up inside of him, Dai was unable to prevent himself from noticing the look of relief on his father's face and the grateful smile his mother sent Matt's digimon partner, and for some odd reason he couldn't quite explain, their reactions made him feel suddenly both annoyed and angry.

"Come on, Dai, you should move back a bit," Agumon said hesitantly, exchanging a look with Gabumon.

"No! I want to see Kara!"

"Wishful thinking alone cannot bring her back, Dai," Gabrielmon said gently, shaking his head.

"Well then why didn't you guys go after him!"

"If we had approached him, he would have just used his attack immediately, without bothering to give a speech, and then he would have flown away before we could reach him," Angelicmon said sympathetically, shaking his head. "You know this to be true, Dai."

"If you want to save Kara, you must focus on what it is we need to do next," Angewomon agreed, holding out a hand to Angelicmon and quickly pulling the less experienced angel to his feet.

Dai glared at the celestial digimon, and turning to Matt he snapped, "I told you to let go of me!"

"No. Not unless you want to fall to your death. I wouldn't recommend it, though. You can't help Kara if you're dead."

"Dai, please?" Embermon pleaded, his forked tail flicking against the hard, rocky ground.

Instead of responding, Dai blatantly ignored his partner, and struggling violently in Matt's grip he made yet another attempt to pull his arm away, but unfortunately for him, the golden-haired Digidestined had reached the end of his patience. Letting go of his arm, Matt suddenly grabbed him around the waist from behind, catching him by surprise, and before he could let out even a squeak of protest, he found himself being dragged away from the edge of the cliff.

_Kara..._

Twisting in Matt's grip, he tried unsuccessfully to push the golden-haired Digidestined away, but seeing as how the former musician had a firm grip on his waist, he gave up in despair, his whole body growing limp against Matt's chest.

"I don't get it, how did they find out about Kara?" Joe asked slowly, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "They couldn't have been spying on us earlier. If they had been, Gabrielmon, Angelicmon, and Angewomon would have known."

"DarkAngelicmon was on Infinity Mountain when we discovered Takara's connection to the Spirit Chip of Bravery," Angelicmon said quietly, dismissing the golden spear he held with a sharp flick of his wrist. "At the time, we were all still crowded around the gate. They couldn't have been spying on us."

"What about some of the others?" Agumon countered. "Remember what we were talking about earlier? They probably have a scout of their own. Just because DarkAngelicmon was on Infinity Mountain, that doesn't mean the rest of them were."

"No," Gabrielmon murmured, shaking his head in denial. "They couldn't have been spying on us. You heard Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon. From the way they were talking, it sounds like they've been waiting for us on Infinity Mountain for quite a while. I cannot say for sure, but I believe they've been stationed here since even before we arrived in the Digital World."

"Which means they must have somehow slipped past Gomamon and the others without being detected," Embermon grumbled. "Just like we suspected earlier."

"Hey!" Gomamon shouted, glaring at the reptile digimon.

"Most likely they got past Gomamon and the others by climbing the opposite side of the mountain," Angewomon said shortly, tossing her head. "The side Gomamon and the rest of our friends couldn't see."

"As we suspected," Alopemon agreed.

"But...if they weren't spying on us then how did they find out about Kara?" Mickey asked hesitantly.

"They didn't," Tai said flatly, his sudden words causing everyone to jump in surprise.

Whirling around in astonishment, Dai turned to gaze apprehensively at the former leader, and catching sight of the expression on Tai's face, he felt a fist clench around his heart.

_It's all my fault. I should have done something to save Kara, but I..._

"Tai?" Kari said hesitantly, moving over to her brother's side and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"What do you mean, Tai?" Joe asked slowly, gazing nervously at the former leader.

Frowning at the rocky ground beneath his feet, Tai said quietly, almost to himself, "DarkAngelicmon didn't capture Kara because of her D-Coder. He did it for...another reason..."

"What reason?" Veemon asked curiously, ignoring Agumon's warning look.

Frowning slightly, Dai glanced uncertainly at his dad, but despite the reassuring smile on his father's face, he could tell his dad was also worried about Tai.

_Just like me..._

"Tai," Gabrielmon said slowly, twirling his sceptre nervously in his hands. "What exactly are you-"

"Just forget it," the former leader interrupted, turning his face away. "Look, what's important now is finding Kara. We can worry about why they captured her later."

"But, the reason they captured her might be important," Mickey protested, gazing wide-eyed at his uncle. "We can't just ignore something that might help us get Takara back safely."

"You're right, Mickey, but until we meet up with DarkAngelicmon and his allies again, there's no point in worrying about something we can only make a guess at," Kari countered, regretfully shaking her head. "I doubt we'll even see DarkAngelicmon or Vampiramon a second time, at least until we reach the top of Infinity Mountain. You heard what DarkAngelicmon said. That's where they're keeping Kara hostage, right where the Spirit Chip is, which is why we need to focus on what's really important at the moment. They're obviously using the information they overheard from our conversation with Gennai earlier to their advantage, which means we need to be extremely careful. I bet we won't even see DarkAngelicmon's other allies until we reach our destination, as well, and if we're lucky maybe then they'll tell us why they chose Kara, but I wouldn't count on it."

"In other words, Mickey, what your mother is trying to say right now is that our priority is making it safely to the top of Infinity Mountain without any problems," Matt said firmly, a slight frown wrinkling his forehead. "Once we do that, then we can focus on rescuing Kara. The only way we're going to find out the real reason why they captured her is if we meet them face to face, and if their information turns out to be useful, we'll use it to our advantage, but first we need to find Kara. Until we do, we're pretty much in the dark about what's really going on."

Growing impatient, Dai crossed his arms over his chest, and glaring at the former musician, who still had a firm grip on his arm, he snapped, "Well, then what are we all doing standing around here for? Let's find her already!"

"It might not be that easy," Embermon warned, his large emerald eyes growing dark and serious. "I know DarkAngelicmon said he'd be waiting for us on the top of Infinity Mountain, but what if he was lying? What if they've taken Kara somewhere else? Someplace far away?"

"They haven't," Sam mumbled, holding out his purple D-Coder Digivice. "Look, Kara's signal is definitely coming from the top of Infinity Mountain."

Gazing at the raven-haired Digidestined in surprise, Dai felt a sudden spark of excitement in his chest, and pulling out his own D-Coder Digivice he gazed eagerly at its glowing screen. "You're right, Sam!"

_I can't believe I almost forgot about my D-Coder again!_

Beside him his mother smiled, and reaching out to give him a quick hug she said, "It's a start at least."

"But is it enough?" Penguinmon asked anxiously, to no one in particular.

Ignoring the little rookie, Dai turned to gaze at Sam, and beaming at the raven-haired Digidestined he said gratefully, "Thanks, Sam."

"I wasn't doing it for you!" the raven-haired Digidestined protested, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red. "I did it for Kara."

_Like I'm going to believe that!_

Instead of replying, Dai gave the raven-haired Digidestined a brilliant smile, and turning to look at his father he said impatiently, "Well, can we go now?"

"Dai..."

"Listen, Dai, I doubt reaching the top of Infinity Mountain is going to be as easy as you think," Tai said shortly, his gaze focusing on something far off in the distance. "They're plotting something, and I don't know for sure what's going on, but I have a feeling whatever it is they're planning might not be what we think it is. I'd be very surprised if they didn't have a few tricks up their sleeves, which means we could be in for a pretty rough climb."

Pulling away from Matt and stalking towards the former leader, he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyebrows narrowing into a deep frown. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying we need to be cautious, even if it means we have to move a little bit more slowly."

"How can you say that, Tai? I know DarkAngelicmon and Vampiramon said they wouldn't kill Kara, but that doesn't mean they won't still hurt her! And besides, just because they say they won't kill her that doesn't mean it's true! If they get desperate enough, who knows what might happen! And the same goes for the rest of us. They say they need us alive for our Spirit Chips, but I don't trust them to keep their word. I'll be the first one to admit DarkAngelicmon has kept _his _word so far, but the same can't be said for Vampiramon and the rest of his evil digimon allies! Vampiramon is clearly the leader of their current operation, which means even if DarkAngelicmon doesn't want to hurt Kara, I doubt the others will listen to him!"

"I'm well aware of that, thanks," Tai said a bit stiffly, his expression growing neutral.

Feeling suddenly angry, Dai glared at the former leader, and clutching his D-Coder tightly in his hand he shouted, "Then why aren't we hurrying to rescue Kara?"

"This mountain is dangerous, Dai, especially if Vampiramon decides to leave behind a few surprises. Also, I doubt they've left us on our own completely. We're probably being watched. Not by DarkAngelicmon, obviously, Gabrielmon and the other angel digimon can vouch for that, but by one of his other allies, which means we need to be on our guard. If we don't do what they want us to do, we could be attacked. Remember, they have a few scouts of their own, just like we do."

"You're right, Uncle Tai," Ryoko groaned, making a face. "I didn't even think of that, but what you said makes sense. Takara's D-Coder won't be enough for them. If their plan is to work, they're going to need somebody watching us."

As one, everyone turned to gaze apprehensively at their surroundings, but at the moment there wasn't a single evil digimon in sight.

"Don't worry," Angelicmon said after a tense moment of silence, "we will remain on the lookout for any of DarkAngelicmon's allies. The rest of you must focus on protecting Kara. If we are being watched, it can't be helped. We'll just have to do what we can to keep ourselves out of danger and our plans out of earshot."

"Everyone stay on your guard," Tai warned, motioning for Agumon to follow him. "From here on in we're going to have to be extremely careful."

Dai grabbed the former leader's arm, pulling him to a stop, and angrily lifting his chin he shouted, "Kara's in danger, Tai! You can't expect-"

"Don't you think I know that?" Tai snapped, his dark brown eyes sparkling with sudden emotion. "This is my _daughter _we're talking about!"

A sudden uncomfortable silence descended over the group, and blushing a deep shade of red, Dai quickly lowered his eyes to the ground, unable to look the former leader directly in the eyes. "Sorry, I..."

"Look, let's just get going," Tai muttered, his words taking on a more subdued tone.

_Huh?_

Lifting his head, Dai stared at the former leader in surprise, and realizing all of a sudden that Tai was watching him, he felt his cheeks turn an even deeper shade of red. "What?"

"I don't get it," Tai said quietly, studying him closely. "Doesn't DarkAngelicmon realize just how much his plan could backfire on him?"

"What...what do you mean?"

"Tai," Matt suddenly interrupted, giving the former leader a warning look.

Dai turned to gaze uncertainly at his father, but instead of giving him a reassuring smile his dad merely shrugged before turning to frown thoughtfully at Tai.

"It's nothing, Dai, don't worry about it," Tai sighed, shaking his head.

Moving over to stand next to his best friend, Matt slipped his arm around Tai's shoulders, and gazing quietly at the former leader he said softly, "Come on, Tai, Kara's waiting for us."

In response, Tai squeezed his eyes shut, and taking a deep breath the former leader mumbled, "You're right. Let's go."

_Tai..._

Making a face, Dai quickly fell in line behind Matt and Tai, and scowling at the former leader's back he proceeded to stew angrily over his stormy thoughts.

_I can't believe this! While we're taking a nice leisurely stroll up the side of the mountain, Kara could be in serious trouble!_

"Dai?"

Dai suddenly felt Embermon's small hand tugging anxiously on the leg of his jeans and glancing down at his partner he said irritably, "What is it, Embermon?"

"Um, Dai? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"But..."

Ignoring his partner, Dai turned once more to gaze at the former leader, and shaking his head he let out a deep sigh. Although he felt a little guilty over accusing Tai earlier of not caring about Takara's well being, the part of him that was still angry with the former leader refused to admit defeat.

_Kara, please be okay...I know you told me to be strong, but how can I find the Spirit Chip of Bravery if I can't even protect you? One of my closest friends?_


	176. The Mark of a Leader

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter! And in this one...well, you'll see! I will recheck the chapter tomorrow to catch any mistakes I might have missed.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 176: The Mark of a Leader

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Stumbling over a series of large boulders, which were oh so conveniently blocking the path leading to the top of Infinity Mountain, Takara gazed miserably at her surroundings, wishing desperately there was some way she could escape from her current predicament. Up ahead, much to Takara's disgust, Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon weren't having any trouble whatsoever navigating the rough terrain beneath their feet , unlike herself, despite the fact that they were both digimon who on a regular everyday bases would probably have just used their ability to fly to avoid most of the obstacles in their path, a privilege no human could ever take advantage of.

_If only Dovemon were here with me. She might not be able to take on two megas at once, but at least she would know how to cheer me up a little bit. Right now I could definitely use a few words of encouragement, and Dovemon always knows exactly what to say to make me feel better._

Unfortunately a quick look at her D-Coder made it pretty clear Dovemon, Dai, and the rest of her friends were still somewhere near the bottom of the mountain.

"Will you hurry up and walk a little faster?" Vampiramon suddenly snapped, her sudden words interrupting the tense silence that had fallen over their small group. "Honestly, you humans are so pathetic. How hard can it be to clamor over a few rocks?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Takara glared at the vampire digimon, and rubbing her scraped knees she said miserably, "It's not a few rocks. It's a lot of rocks and they're big ones, too!"

"Spare me your pathetic excuses! If you don't start making more of an effort to keep up with us, I'll have to resort to extremes measures. You know what that means, don't you?"

Wrapping her arms around herself, Takara let out a small whimper of fear, and biting her lip she mumbled, "I'm a pathetic human, remember? I can't keep up, you're going too fast for me!"

"What did you say?"

"Enough, Vampiramon," DarkAngelicmon suddenly scolded, frowning at the vampire digimon. "Humans are strong in heart, but physically they are weak compared to digimon like ourselves. If you don't want our hostage to collapse before reaching the top off Infinity Mountain then I suggest it would be wise for us to slow down just a little bit."

"We don't have time for that! Do you want to reach the top of the mountain before Daichi and his little friends, or not?"

"That isn't going to happen," DarkAngelicmon said smoothly. "The Kamiya girl's D-Coder clearly shows Daichi and his friends are nowhere near us."

"Even so, we can't take any chances!"

_There's no way I'm going to be able to keep up with them. Oh, Dovemon, I'm nothing without you. I hope you and the others are all okay. Wherever you are, please protect Dai for me..._

"Here," DarkAngelicmon suddenly said softly, ignoring Vampiramon and holding out his hand, "let me help you."

Takara stared at the fallen angel's outstretched hand in astonishment and blushing a deep shade of red she said indignantly, "I can walk on my own, you know! I don't need any help, especially not from you!"

"Yes, well, the state of your knees and your laboured breathing tell me otherwise."

"That's not true! I just...need a moment to catch my breath."

Raising his eyebrows, DarkAngelicmon suddenly leaned close to her, and whispering softly in her ear he said, "Vampiramon means what she says. You would be wise to take me up on my offer."

"Talking behind my back again, are you?" Vampiramon snapped, glaring at the fallen angel. "If you have something to say, I'd love to hear it!"

_What should I do?_

"Well, Takara?" DarkAngelicmon insisted, watching her closely. "What's it going to be?"

_Is he...trying to protect me?_

Taking a deep breath, Takara gazed directly into the fallen angel's emerald green eyes, and slipping her hand into his palm she mumbled, "Fine, but don't even think about trying anything funny!"

"What in the Digiworld is she talking about?" Vampiramon asked suspiciously, frowning in confusion.

Looking a little uncertain himself, DarkAngelicmon merely shrugged his shoulders, and smiling slightly he said dryly, "Must be a human thing."

_A...human thing?_

Laughing softly, Takara gave the fallen angel digimon a fond smile. "You digimon."

"Is something wrong?" DarkAngelicmon asked pleasantly, tilting his head to the side and studying her curiously.

"It's nothing. Just forget it. Clearly I have nothing to worry about."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that!" Vampiramon snapped, tugging angrily on her skirts. "DarkAngelicmon might have a special fondness for human pets, but I certainly don't! Now, if you two are done chatting, can we please be on our way?"

"How nice of you to ask," DarkAngelicmon smirked, smiling in amusement. "By all means, let us be on our way. After you, Vampiramon."

Instead of responding, Vampiramon merely scowled at the fallen angel, and whirling around in disgust, her red and black skirts stirring up a cloud of dust, she proceeded to stomp down the path in a fit of anger, her long red hair streaming out behind her.

"Quite the temper she has, wouldn't you agree?" DarkAngelicmon commented, shaking his raven head. "I must admit, I much prefer your company over that of my fellow companions. You, at least, appear to have a sense of humour."

Holding tightly to the fallen angel's hand, which felt surprisingly warm, Takara frowned thoughtfully at the deep blue sky hovering above her head, and stepping carefully over the rocks beneath her feet she said hesitantly, "You're making a big mistake."

"What do you mean?"

_Even the strongest can lose their focus and confidence._

"Dai won't be able to get the Spirit Chip of Bravery, let alone use it, if he loses sight of who he is. Your plan could backfire on you big time."

"Perhaps, but I doubt very much that will happen."

Gazing at the fallen angel in disbelief, Takara quickly snapped her mouth shut, unable to believe the way he had just cast aside her words of warning so easily without even a second thought. In fact, the surprise she felt was so overwhelming, if it hadn't been for DarkAngelicmon catching her around the waist right at that very moment, she most likely would have impaled herself on a series of large jagged rocks shooting out of the ground in front of her, no doubt losing an eye in the process.

"Careful," DarkAngelicmon warned, releasing his grip on her waist and grabbing onto her hand again in an effort to help her regain her balance.

Blushing a deep shade of red, Takara mumbled her thanks, and trying unsuccessfully to hide her embarrassment she snapped, "How can you be so sure? Everyone keeps saying that the Spirit Chips work like the crests, and I'm sure you know what happened to Matt's crest when he stopped believing in himself and in his friends. If Dai stops listening to his heart, the darkness could..."

"It will do nothing to Dai. Nothing," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, his firm tone leaving no room for argument. "He is his father's son, is he not?"

"Yes, but even Davis had his moments of self-doubt. Don't get me wrong, I'll be the first one to admit Davis never let the Powers of Darkness get to him, but that doesn't mean he's completely invincible to the darkness either. And as much as Dai resembles his father, in both looks and personality, he's also a lot like his mother too..."

"I see. So...you disagree then?"

"No, it's not that. It's just...Noriko had her fair share of problems in the past and Dai knows that better than anyone. You, I think, know that as well."

"And yet, as much as Daichi takes after his parents, he is also a lot like _your _father, just like Davis is," DarkAngelicmon said softly, almost to himself. "Even the chosen child of courage didn't always act like the hero he is today."

_Huh?_

Takara stared at the fallen angel in shock and tugging nervously on her ponytail, she said hesitantly, "What are you talking about?"

"You may not know this, but Daichi has something your father never had. The same was true for Davis. Unlike your father, Daichi isn't walking blinded-folded along a deserted road covered in darkness. He isn't alone. Like Davis, Daichi has a chance to learn from the mistakes of the leaders who came before him. Having never joined forces with Takahiro Kuroki and his partner Kibomon, your father never had that privilege. Do you not see it? Daichi will not make the same mistakes the Child of Courage made. I doubt very much your father will let that happen."

_My...father? Wait a minute, is he saying my father succumbed to the Powers of Darkness sometime in the past? Just...just like Matt? Is my father perhaps keeping a secret much like Ken's?_

"You believe in your father, don't you, Kara?" DarkAngelicmon asked quietly, watching her closely.

"Of course I do!"

"Then you have no need to worry. Your father will see to it that Daichi does not fail us."

"Even so, nothing is ever set in stone. You know how Dai feels about his friends. If he's desperate enough to save the people he cares about, he might give in to the darkness in his heart. If that happens, you'll never get his Spirit Chip! Even he won't be able to get his hands on it. And even if he did it wouldn't matter. It would still be useless to him. Like I said, they work like the crests, which means they'll be powerless to us unless we believe in ourselves, our digimon, and our friends."

"Exactly. That shouldn't be a problem for Daichi."

"But...you can't know that for sure."

"Can't I?"

Takara stared at the fallen angel, and reaching out he gently placed his hand under her chin, giving her no choice but to look directly into his bright green eyes. "Do you not understand why I'm so confident in my plans? Can you not see why I am so certain everything will work out as I keep saying it will?"

"I don't-"

"It's because I believe in Daichi, and I think you do as well."

_Dai..._

"You know he won't fail," DarkAngelicmon said softly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Giving in to the darkness in your heart...it could happen to anyone, even to those whose strength cannot be measured by the power of a Digivice. Everyone is vulnerable to the Powers of Darkness. No one is safe. But...succumbing to the darkness within... It _won't _happen to Daichi."

_No, I do believe in Dai. He might get a little carried away sometimes, but I know he won't forget what's really important. Knowing Dai, he's probably really worried about me right now. But...even if he does have a habit of getting a little worked up when there's trouble, I'm sure he'll find his way through the darkness. I know he will! If he couldn't fight the darkness and win_, _he wouldn't be Daichi._

"Changed your mind, have you?" DarkAngelicmon asked softly, smiling in amusement.

Takara blushed, and gazing thoughtfully at her feet she allowed the fallen angel to help her over a couple of broken boulders and some jagged rocks whose presence appeared to have been caused by a rock slide from somewhere further up the mountain. Considering her current position, she had every reason to be afraid, and yet in her heart she could not deny the fact that for some reason being around DarkAngelicmon made her feel oddly safe. "I never had to change my mind. Weren't you the one who said I've always believed in Dai?"

"Indeed I did. You're catching on."

Frowning slightly, Takara gazed curiously at the fallen angel walking beside her, and leaning close she whispered, "The others...they don't know, do they. Why? Why didn't you tell them about Sam and the Emperor?"

DarkAngelicmon stared at her, and tightening his grip on her hand he murmured, "They do not need to know. It is of no importance to them."

"How can you say that? Now that Sam knows the truth about his father, who knows what might happen to his Spirit Chip? I believe in Sam just as much as I believe in Dai, but like I said before, nothing is ever set in stone. Fate has a way of changing the whole world upside down, and once you lose your heart to the darkness, it's not easy to find your way back again. That much, at least, I've learned from the stories my parents, their friends, and their digimon have told us. They might still have their secrets, I'm sure they do, but I'm not completely blind. I know what the darkness can do to you. Are you trying to tell me the fate of Sam's Spirit Chip isn't important to Vampiramon and the rest of your allies? Are you trying to tell me they don't care if his Spirit Chip is in jeopardy?"

"Of course they would care, but seeing as how Sam's Spirit Chip is perfectly safe, I don't see why there's any reason for them to know about my conversation with the Emperor's son," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, his bright green eyes sparkling brilliantly in the sunshine. "Since I am fully confident in Sam's abilities to harness the power of his Spirit Chip, I see no reason why I should worry my companions over something so trivial as Sam knowing the truth about his father."

"Does the Ruler of Darkness know?"

DarkAngelicmon stared at her for a moment, his emerald green eyes studying her intently, and just when she thought he wouldn't answer her question, the fallen angel suddenly said stiffly, "No, he does not."

"But..."

"The fate of all those around us is determined by the choices we make, and in turn our own fate is often decided by the choices of those very same humans and digimon whose fate rests within the palm of _our_ hands, but...be that as it may, it is ultimately the choices we make for ourselves that truly decide our fate. No one can force us to walk a road we did not choose for ourselves. If we find out paths have been led astray, it is because we lacked the courage and strength to listen to our hearts."

"And if we listen..."

"Then fate is no longer a shadow taking refuge within our hearts, a shadow that ultimately leads to sadness and despair. It is a rising sun, one that opens a whole new world of possibilities for us. Remember, Kara, we choose our own destiny. Fate is merely the result of our choices, not the other way around."

"You...really believe in Sam."

"He is broken, but in time he will mend, and when he does he will become a force so powerful, even my master will not be able to ignore the strength of his heart."

Takara bit her lip, and shaking her head she said softly, "Maybe you're right, but...I don't think it will be that easy. I don't doubt he'll eventually be able to overcome the truth about his father's past, but I don't think he can do it alone. His heart can't heal itself. I think...he's going to need a little bit of help."

"And help he will receive. Like Dai and your father, Ken will not fail us either. It is those of us who can see our way through the darkness that eventually find the brightest light."

_It's true. Ryoko and Ken were right about DarkAngelicmon. He really is starting to think like them. He really believes knowing the truth about Ken will help Sam, not hurt him. Or maybe...like Ryoko and Ken were saying, deep down inside his heart this is how he has felt all along. He may have lost his focus somewhere along the line, but because of Sam, he's starting to remember why he was so intrigued by us to begin with..._

"It's not just Ken, though. Sam needs all of us, and we're not going to give up on him. Not ever!"

DarkAngelicmon nodded in agreement, and bowing his head he said quietly, "You are very wise indeed for such a young human. Perhaps that will prove to be your greatest strength..."

"What do you..."

Instead of responding, DarkAngelicmon merely smiled, and tugging gently on her hand, he proceeded to help her over yet another obstacle in their path. Up ahead, Vampiramon was trying unsuccessfully to ignore them, but Takara could tell by the look on her face and the tension in her shoulders that she was not at all pleased with the fallen angel's bad habit of consorting with the enemy.

"There's no need to worry," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, nodding his head in the vampire digimon's direction. "She's too far away to hear us."

Nodding slowly, Takara chewed anxiously on her lower lip, and glancing shyly at the fallen angel she said hesitantly, "You know...Mickey's really worried about you."

"Mickey's concerned about his brother, nothing more."

"You don't believe that anymore than I do! Mickey cares a lot about his brother, but he also cares about his friends, too! Mickey cares about everyone. That's just who he is."

"Perhaps that is true for humans, but a digimon like myself is of no value to him," DarkAngelicmon said coldly, turning his face away.

"You're wrong! Mickey cares about digimon who are _especially_ like you! Don't you understand? Mickey would love to be your friend, if you'd let him."

"And what would be the point? I've already been betrayed enough as it is!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, his bright green eyes flashing with sudden anger. "He's so much like Lucemon..."

_Speaking of Lucemon..._

Takara frowned, unsure of whether or not she should add fuel to the fire, but before she could stop herself she blurted," Why? Why aren't you searching for Lucemon like you should be? I don't understand... We know that's what the Ruler of Darkness has planned for you so..."

"I cannot hide from Lucemon and he cannot hide from me," the fallen angel murmured, almost to himself. "Our connection is too strong even for the trivial amount of power my master has promised to bestow upon me."

"Huh?"

Gazing directly into her hazel eyes, DarKAngelicmon let out a soft sigh, and placing a hand against his chest he said seriously, "Takara, do not think for one moment that I have forgotten Lucemon. He is always on my mind, of that you can be sure."

"What about Mickey? Why do you want to hurt both him _and _Matty?"

"Do I?" the fallen angel said so softly Takara just barely heard him. "Think what you will, Kara, but...even I am not so certain of what it is I want anymore."

"W-what do you mean?"

"The Spirit Chip of Innocence...it will grant me power greater than anything I've ever wielded before, and yet...is the power I am seeking truly the power I will gain if my plans are fulfilled? Perhaps instead of receiving the power I seek, I will be given the power to control my own destiny..."

"Your...destiny?"

"True power," DarkAngelicmon whispered, "The power I once held in the palm of my hand. The power I lost. The power Lucemon still holds..."

_True power...What does he mean by that?_

Tugging on the fallen angel's hand, Takara gave him a warm smile, and tilting her head slightly to the side she said teasingly, "Would you mind if I told Mickey that you have a soft spot for him?"

A ghost of a smile slipped across DarkAngelicmon's face, and to Takara's surprise, instead of answering, or even getting angry, the fallen angel merely squeezed her hand, the strength of his grip conveying all she needed to know.

"Will you two hurry up?" Vampiramon suddenly snapped, her angry words causing both of them to jump. "We're almost at the top. I can see something glowing faintly up ahead. If it's what I think it is then the peak of the mountain should be just beyond those large rocks up ahead."

_Judging by the way my D-Coder is glowing like crazy, she might just be right. _

Catching sight of the boulders Vampiramon was referring to, Takara let out a soft sound of dismay. "Those rocks are huge! I can't climb over those!"

"You won't have to," DarkAngelicmon said smoothly, smiling in amusement.

Takara glanced at the fallen angel in surprise, but before she could ask him what he meant he suddenly lifted her off her feet, his arms going around her waist in a tight grip. Launching himself into the air, high enough to avoid the obstacles in their path, but still low enough to avoid being seen by those pursuing them, DarkAngelicmon quickly flew over the rocks, setting her down only after making sure they were safely on the other side of the boulders blocking their path.

Vampiramon, who had scrambled over the rocks without the use of her bat form, glared at the fallen angel, and scowling she snapped, "What did I tell you about flying?"

"You want the Kamiya girl to be our hostage, don't you? She can't very well play the part if she's stuck on the wrong side of the mountain, so to speak."

"I know that, you fool! Oh, forget it! Just hurry up, would you?"

"As you command, great leader," DarkAngelicmon smirked.

Clinging tightly to the fallen angel's hand, Takara quickly rounded the last corner blocking her view of the mountain's peak, and stopping dead in her tracks, she let out a soft gasp at the sight of what awaited them, the glow surrounding the object that had captured her attention illuminating the startled look on her face.

There, sitting on a makeshift stone pedestal, was the Spirit Chip of Bravery.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" DarkAngelicmon said softly in her ear, leading her over to the pedestal for a closer look.

Gazing down at the Spirit Chip of Bravery, Takara couldn't help but marvel at its brilliance. Surrounded by a glowing orb made up of orange, blue, and gray light, the Spirit Chip itself was actually quite small, about the size of a crest without its tag, and in Takara's eyes it faintly resembled the look of a computer chip, only with one major difference. Carved into its translucent red surface was the symbol of a shield.

_DarkAngelicmon's right. It is beautiful._

As Gennai had foretold earlier, the multi-coloured light surrounding the Spirit Chip was clearly acting as a shield, and the light appeared to swirl around the Spirit Chip like mist. It made Takara think of the mist that had erupted from her D-Coder when it had picked up Dovemon's signal. The mist had formed into an arrow which had directed her to Dovemon's pedestal.

_I have to admit, Gennai definitely knows his stuff. The light from the crests really is acting as a seal protecting the Spirit Chip._

There was no mistaking the colours in that circular orb of light surrounding the Spirit Chip.

Courage, friendship, and reliability.

_Tai, Matt, and Joe..._

"Do you see now why the Spirit Chip can't belong to anyone other than Daichi?" DarkAngelicmon said softly, his fingers running over the inscription carved into the pedestal just in front of the Spirit Chip itself.

It was written in a language Takara was unable to understand, but thanks to the old fortress where Embermon had been hidden, she recognized the style of the words in front of her. It was the language of the Digital World, and though Takara could tell even DarkAngelicmon himself wasn't able to read the words, she had a feeling he knew exactly what it said, even without being able to interpret the words.

The inscription itself was connected to one of the seals protecting the Spirit Chip, and even though Takara knew she couldn't decipher the message herself, thus being unable to break the second seal, like DarkAngelicmon, she just _knew _instinctively what the inscription said. That was how she knew the Spirit Chip wasn't hers, and that was why she knew her D-Coder would never be able to decipher the encrypted message carved into the pedestal. Never mind the fact that the Spirit Chip was red. It was the message that truly gave away its owner.

_Bravery_

Sudden tears of happiness filled her eyes, and gazing at the fallen angel she whispered, "I guess you were right."

"No, we were both right."

"Oh, Dai..."

Gazing at the words carved into the pedestal, Takara couldn't help but nod in agreement. Below her she knew in her heart exactly what the inscription said:

_Courage is the fire that ignites the embers of the heart. Bravery is the symbol of the one who wears the mark._


	177. What is Good, and What is Evil

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Not one of the more exciting chapters, but I promise there will be fighting soon!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 177: What is Good and What is Evil

_DarkAngelicmon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

_The Spirit Chip of Bravery. How brilliant it looks sparkling in the sunshine. I wonder...my master intends to use the Spirit Chips to gain control over the Digital World, and eventually the human world too, I think, but...will that truly be possible? The Digidestined are far stronger than even I could have ever imagined. They will not fall to the darkness so easily. I hope the same can be said for you as well, Lucemon..._

"Mission accomplished, I see," BlackWidowmon suddenly smirked, interrupting the fallen angel's thoughts. "Spritemon wasn't lying."

"Let me guess, you thought we would fail," Vampiramon snapped, whirling around to face the insect digimon, her eyebrows narrowing into a deep frown.

Lounging gracefully on one of the five large rocks arranged in a circle about twenty feet away from the Spirit Chip, BlackWidowmon shrugged, her lips twitching into a nasty smile. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. I mean, I knew there was a possibility you might fail, but I must admit I was hoping the two of you would actually do something right for once. No one can fail at everything they do all the time. Not even you, Vampiramon."

Glaring at the spider digimon, Vampiramon opened her mouth to make a nasty retort, but before she could snap at BlackWidowmon, Jestermon choose that moment to intervene. "So now the real game begins. Humans are so easy to manipulate."

Raising his eyebrows, DarkAngelicmon smiled in amusement, and waving his hand at Jestermon he said, "You certainly look comfortable."

Sitting on one of the five rocks next to BlackWidowmon, Jestermon nodded in agreement. "It's not everyday I get to play with humans."

_Indeed, or is it the other way around? Perhaps it is the humans who are the ones playing with us. _

The circle of rocks where Jestermon and BlackWidowmon had made themselves comfortable were set in the centre of the large slab of earth and stone that made up the mountain's peak. The pedestal that held the Spirit Chip of Bravery was located at the edge of the cliff on the far side of the peak, directly opposite from where the path led back down the mountain. Takara was still standing in front of the pedestal, and judging from the look on her face she appeared to be lost in thought.

Smirking slightly, Jestermon nodded his head at Takara in approval. "Nice going, angel boy."

"What's this about Spritemon?" Vampiramon asked curiously, frowning at BlackWidowmon.

Stretching the eight, black spidery legs sprouting from her back, BlackWidowmon let out a soft snort, her bright red eyes rolling in annoyance at what she clearly thought was a rather stupid question. "Nothing. She's just following your orders like a good little mega. She sent DemiDevimon back here earlier to confirm she had reached the spot where you guys were planning to meet up with each other."

"That was before you and angel boy actually got here," Jestermon added. "She sent DemiDevimon back here a second time to inform us that you'd captured the girl and that you were on your way. She wanted to know if you had arrived yet, but we told DemiDevimon to inform her that you guys were still a no show. She also told us she'd reached the Digidestined, and she wants you to know she's watching them just like you wanted her to."

"Excellent," Vampiramon said approvingly, her lips twitching into a nasty smile. "All is going according to plan."

_So far. That could still change, Vampiramon._

"Spritemon said she'd check in with us again to confirm your location as soon as possible, but before she makes her report she wants to find out exactly what the Digidestined are planning now that the Kamiya girl has been captured," Jestermon informed the vampire digimon, his customary set of three black balls spinning swiftly through the air in a circle above his head. "DemiDevimon's last visit wasn't that long ago, but if Spritemon hasn't gone back on her word since then, he should be back any moment now."

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows, and smiling slightly he said, "Spritemon certainly made it down the mountain rather fast, don't you think, Vampiramon? Granted, she didn't have a human slowing her down, but even so she must have used her wings at least a little bit. After all, we were closer to our destination than she was, and yet oddly enough she was able to reach the Digidestined before we could make it to the top of the mountain."

"That idiot," Vampiramon snarled, tugging angrily on her skirts. "Doesn't she _ever _obey orders? Honestly! Well, I hope she at least had enough sense to stay out of sight!"

"I'll be the first one to admit that Spritemon has her moments of stupidity, but even she isn't foolish enough to let herself be caught so easily. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, but if you don't believe me why don't you ask DemiDevimon? Here he comes now."

"Greetings, your evilness!" DemiDevimon called out, catching the vampire digimon off guard.

Instead of responding, Vampiramon glared at the little rookie, and letting out a deep scowl, she took a seat next to Jestermon on one of the five rocks in the circle, her hands clenching into tight fists.

"Whatever kind of news you have, it'd better be good," BlackWidowmon warned, frowning suspiciously at DemiDevimon.

Whereas Vampiramon was sitting on Jestermon's left, BlackWidowmon was sitting on the male digimon's right, and every so often they would glance warily at each other, as if uncertain of whether or not they were among friends or enemies. Clearly they were still suspicious about the whole Lucemon issue, and judging from the look on Jestermon's face, he too could feel the lingering tension in the air.

_To risk coming so close to Infinity Mountain. You are getting quite bold, Lucemon._

Settling himself next to Vampiramon on one of the two remaining rocks occupying the circle and ruffling his small wings, DemiDevimon said cheerfully,"Everything is going according to plan, your evilness. I will inform Spritemon right away that you've reached the peak of the mountain."

"I'd expect nothing less of you," Vampiramon snapped, tossing her long red hair. "Do you have any news for us?"

DarkAngelicmon briefly considered claiming the fifth rock as his own, but before he could decide whether or not he liked the idea of sitting between BlackWidowmon and DemiDevimon (mostly because of BlackWidowmon, not because of the rookie) a flash of movement off to his right suddenly captured his attention, momentarily distracting him from the dilemma he currently had on his hands.

Turning slightly, he spotted Takara moving slowly towards him, having abandoned her position in front of the pedestal where she had been hovering over the Spirit Chip of Bravery, a silent guardian watching over a sacred artifact she alone had been chosen to guard with her life, and yet despite the direction she was heading in, DarkAngelicmon could not help noticing that her attention wasn't focused on him at all. Instead, she was staring at DemiDevimon.

"Do I ever!" DemiDevimon cried gleefully, a triumphant smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "As you had hoped, the Digidestined are still continuing their way up the side of the mountain, and although they're moving quite cautiously at the moment, their determination hasn't been overshadowed by their fear. Now that their little friend has been taken, there's no chance they'll give up on their quest to gain possession of the Spirit Chip."

"Excellent," Vampiramon said approvingly, her bright green eyes narrowing in concentration. "If everything continues to go as planned, we should have no trouble getting our hands on the Spirit Chip of Bravery."

"Of course, your evilness. Is there any message you would like for me to pass on to Spritemon?"

"Actually, there is. Tell her to make sure she continues to keep an eye on the Digidestined and if they make any sudden movements, or if they do anything even remotely suspicious, she's to let us know immediately. We can't afford to lose track of them, which means we can't allow them to split up or get separated either. If they start coming at us in all directions, they could end up catching us by surprise."

"Which could potentially jeopardize our chances of getting the Spirit Chip," BlackWidowmon added. "If they somehow manage to steal it right under our noses, slipping away in the process before we can make a move to stop them, our master will not be very pleased."

"If the Digidestined_ do_ attempt to try and outsmart us, Spritemon is to stop them immediately, understand?" Vampiramon said coldly, glaring viciously at the little rookie.

DemiDevimon flinched under her gaze and managing a weak smile he said meekly, "Loud and clear, your evilness."

"Um, DemiDevimon? How...how is Dai doing?" Takara asked hesitantly, her sudden words catching the little rookie off guard.

"It's okay, you may answer her," Vampiramon said coolly, her bright green eyes studying Takara's anxious face.

"I'm not really sure. There's a lot of tension in the group, and from what I can tell no one seems to want to even_ look_ at the Motomiya boy, let alone talk to him. If you ask me, he looks like a volcano waiting to erupt, which would explain why none of the others seem to want to get too close to him. I have a feeling things could get nasty from here on in, especially since the girl's father also seems pretty upset, but you never know. Things could change. At the moment, none of the Digidestined are really doing anything except walking in silence."

"Oh no!" Takara gasped, her hands coming up to cover her mouth.

_And so it begins..._

Shaking his head, DarkAngelicmon gave the female Digidestined a reassuring smile, and waving his hand towards the circle of rocks he said pleasantly, "Why don't you sit down, Takara? It looks like we may be in for a long wait."

_She might as well take my seat. I certainly have no desire to sit amongst such a worthless group of fools._

Perhaps Takara somehow sensed what he was thinking because instead of taking him up on his offer she said skeptically, "You're not serious, are you? Why would I want to sit with them?"

"Good point. I must admit, I'm rather reluctant to sit myself."

"Nobody asked for_ your_ opinion, so keep your mouth shut!" Vampiramon snapped, her emerald eyes narrowing into angry slits. "Besides, the girl is a _hostage_, not a _guest._ She can sit on the ground near the Spirit Chip. That way, we'll be able to keep an eye on her."

_But will you? That is the real question..._

"You won't get any complaints from me!" Takara shot back, glaring at the vampire digimon. "Like I'd want to sit anywhere near you!"

Vampiramon let out a snarl of rage, but before she could make a nasty retort the female Digidestined wheeled around, her dark brown ponytail whipping out behind her, and stomping off towards the Spirit Chip of Bravery she promptly sat down in a huff, her hazel eyes glittering dangerously in the light of the barrier surrounding the Spirit Chip.

_Bravery to match her father's and the wisdom to keep it in check. A dangerous combination for those who are her enemies. Vampiramon really should learn to be more careful._

"So, Daichi's acting up, is he? This game just keeps getting more and more interesting!" Jestermon cackled, a devious smile flickering across his wrinkled green face.

"Let's just hope he doesn't act up _too _much otherwise he'll jeopardize not only his own chance of getting the Spirit Chip, but ours as well!" Vampiramon scowled, frowning in annoyance. "DemiDevimon, you may take your leave. Report back here again if you have any news that may be of value to us. Also, have Spritemon send you back here as soon as the Digidestined reach the halfway point of the mountain. We'll know when that is regardless of whether you come or not, because of Takara's D-Coder, but that's not why I want you to report back to us. What I really want to know is the state of Daichi's mind at the halfway point, and the same goes for the rest of the Digidestined. A person's state of mind can reveal a lot of what it is they're planning."

_And yet what you're planning doesn't always reveal the state your mind is in. Am I not proof of that, Vampiramon? How easily you miss the things that are most important..._

Shaking his head in disgust, DarkAngelicmon turned his back on the three mega digimon and their little rookie companion, and joining Takara in front of the Spirit Chip he gently placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. For a long moment the two of them just stared at each other, and realizing all of a sudden what was causing her so much stress he said in a low voice, "Daichi will be fine. Don't let DemiDevimon's words fool you."

"Maybe, but there's no way to tell for sure. Dai is the backbone of our team. Without him we're lost."

"Which is why he will not fail you."

"But..."

"What about the girl's father?" DemiDevimon asked hesitantly, nodding his head towards the female Digidestined.

"Watch him as well. If he's anything like the stories say, he too could become an issue," Vampiramon scowled, making a face. "Now leave. You're starting to irritate me."

DemiDevimon gave her a quick salute, and leaping into the air he said eagerly, "I'll be back before you know it."

"And you'd better have good news for us, or else!" BlackWidowmon threatened.

DemiDevimon quickly fluttered away from the three mega digimon, clearly anxious to avoid any unnecessary abuse, and just as he was about to fly past the pedestal DarkAngelicmon softly called out his name, glancing briefly over his shoulder to see if Vampiramon and the other megas were still watching the little rookie.

Luckily, all three of the megas appeared to have forgotten all about DemiDevimon because not once did they glance up from their conversation to confirm whether or not the little rookie had obeyed Vampiramon's orders.

_Fools._

Motioning for the little rookie to join him, DarkAngelicmon held out his right arm, and taking the hint DemiDevimon quickly landed on the perch that had been so graciously offered to him, his small clawed feet digging into DarkAngelicmon's black gauntlet. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a quick word with you, DemiDevimon."

"Oh, n-not at all," the little rookie gasped, clearly flustered by the sudden attention he was receiving.

Studying the little rookie's face, DarkAngelicmon couldn't help noticing the way DemiDevimon was staring oddly at him, clearly fascinated, and doing his best to put the small digimon at ease he said gently, "Actually, what I really have is a request for you."

"Anything you want. I am yours to command!" DemiDevimon said eagerly, his eyes lighting up with sudden excitement.

DarkAngelicmon glanced warily over his shoulder, conscious of Vampiramon's desire to expose him as a traitor to her plans, but before he could mask the apprehension on his face, Takara said softly, "Vampiramon and the other two are so busy arguing with each other I doubt they'd notice if we started screaming in their faces. Don't worry, they're not going to hear us."

"And what makes you think I had any intention of worrying about such a thing?"

Takara raised her eyebrows, and smiling slightly she said, "You're not the only observant one around here."

"So it would seem."

"Um...DarkAngelicmon?" DemiDevimon asked tentatively, nervously rustling his wings.

Bending his head close to the little rookie he said quietly, "Watch Daichi especially. See that he does not separate himself from the others. He will need their help if he wants to overcome the darkness within himself. Can you do that for me?"

DemiDevimon frowned in confusion, but despite the look of uncertainty in his eyes he quickly plastered a confident smile on his face. "Sure, I can do that, and I'll make sure Spirtemon does the same. Well, um...if I can."

"I'm sure you'll do just fine. Spritemon is more bark than bite, trust me. Don't let her intimidate you. Go on now. The Digidestined are waiting."

DemiDevimon quickly launched himself into the air and beaming at the praise he said, "I'll be back."

"With good news for our side, I hope," Takara whispered.

Watching DemiDevimon as he dived over the side of the mountain, disappearing from sight, DarkAngelicmon couldn't help smiling slightly in amusement.

_Since when have the two of us been on the same side?_

And yet standing in the light of the barrier surrounding the Spirit Chip and gazing into Takara's hazel eyes, for some reason he couldn't quite explain at the present moment, it really did feel like they were indeed on the same side.


	178. Playing the Hero

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter is here! Well, this is where all the exciting stuff really starts to begin, so I hope you all enjoy what will be coming up soon!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 178: Playing the Hero

_Davis Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Holding tightly to his wife's hand and frowning thoughtfully at the back of his son's dark head, for the first time in just over fourteen years (his first child having been born just a little over fourteen years ago) Davis couldn't wondering if maybe perhaps he had ultimately failed as a parent after all, despite the reassurances of both his family and his friends.

_What am I going to do? I can't help him if he won't let me..._

It was strange, but as Dai turned to glance back at him, instead of gazing upon the cheerful face of his young son, Davis felt like he was staring at a complete stranger, one who, at the moment, was merely pretending to be the boy both he and Noriko had named Daichi Motomiya.

Davis knew, thanks to many of his actions in the past, that he was not the type of person who scared easily, but the thought of perhaps losing his son to the darkness frightened him more than he was willing to admit.

_Darkness. Is this what Tai was hinting at? Does he really think my son will fail?_

"Davis, Dai's going to be just fine," Noriko suddenly said softly in his ear, giving his fingers a quick squeeze. "I know he's upset right now, but considering how he feels about Kara, it's only natural he should be worried. How can we call ourselves parents if we can't even believe in our own son?"

Taking extra care to watch his step, Davis reluctantly nodded in agreement, and realizing suddenly the meaning behind Noriko's words about Kara, he said in surprise, "You mean, you've noticed it too?"

"Of course I have, and I don't blame Dai for feeling a little bit confused. He is only a thirteen year old boy after all. I think all he needs is a little time to sort out his feelings, and once he does...well, I guess we'll see what happens. He's young, which means he still has plenty of time to come to terms with his emotions, but once he does, I'm sure he'll make all the right decisions."

"All the time in the world, huh? That might change if we can't reach Kara before Vampiramon loses her patience."

"We'll save her," Noriko said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Dai will make sure we do, even if it means risking himself."

Avoiding his wife's piercing gaze, Davis said quietly, "Does that scare you?"

"Yes, but there's not much I can do about it. After all, it's in his blood. You would do the same for me."

Lifting his head, Davis gazed directly into his wife's dark eyes, and smiling slightly he said, "Yeah, I would."

"I think our biggest mistake would be to underestimate Dai. Sure, he might be just as vulnerable to the darkness as the rest of us, but that doesn't mean he's going to let it stop him from doing what he knows is right."

"Hey, Noriko...what do you think about Kara? I mean...how do you feel for her sake?"

Noriko stared at him, and leaning in to kiss him gently on the lips she said softly in his ear, "I think, like me, Takara is the luckiest girl in the world."

"Really? Wow, do I know how to pick a wife, or what?"

Laughing, Noriko slapped him playfully in the side, and turning to look down at Veemon, who was tugging vigorously on the legs of his blue jeans, he said curiously, "What's up, Veemon?"

"I'm worried too, Davis, but I promise you I won't let anything bad happen to Dai."

"Same here," Penguinmon chirped, nodding his head towards Dai. "And we're not the only ones. You know Tai and the others won't let you down."

"I know. Thanks, guys."

And yet, despite their attempts to cheer him up, he still felt like there was a huge weight resting upon his shoulders.

Glancing once more at his son, Davis could understand why none of the others appeared to want to get too close to the goggle-headed leader at the moment. Dai was clearly brooding over the injustice of their current predicament and the stormy expression on his face didn't exactly encourage any type of conversation, either with him or about him. He looked as tense as a rope about to snap, and Davis had a feeling even just one wrong word might be enough to cause Daichi to slip over the edge of his anger. Even Embermon, who was walking next to Dai, didn't seem to want much to do with his partner at the moment. Dai was walking a fine line between anger and despair, and judging from the look on Embermon's face, he too did not seem to know just how to cheer Dai up, so instead of attempting to engage the goggle-headed leader in conversation, Embermon wisely chose to remain silent.

_Dai...you know it's not a good sign when your own digimon partner starts to act like he's afraid of you. Can't you see what's happening? Don't you understand?_

"How far exactly have we managed to climb this stupid mountain? I feel like we've been walking forever," Matty suddenly groaned, interrupting the tense silence hovering thickly in the air around the entire group. "Can you check your Digivice, Mickey? I'm too tired to look."

Frowning at his D-Coder, Mickey said quietly, "We're not quite halfway yet."

"Excuse me?" Dai snapped, turning on his heels to glare at Mickey. "Not _quite _halfway? What is that supposed to mean?"

"We...we're almost there. It shouldn't be too long now. Takara's signal is still coming from the top of the mountain so I think we're still okay for the moment..."

"You only _think_ we are? Great, now I feel _so _much better! Just because her signal's still coming from the top of the mountain that doesn't mean she isn't hurt...or...or...worse!"

Mickey gazed calmly at Dai, his expression unreadable, and shaking his head he said softly, "I know that, Dai. Trust me, I know."

"Then why are we _still_ wasting time? According to you, we still have more than halfway to go, which means by the time we get there, it might be too late!"

"I know you're worried, Dai, but-"

"Oh just forget it!" Dai shouted in disgust, dismissing Mickey with a wave of his hand. "You're just as useless as everyone else!"

"Hey, he is not!" Matty cried indignantly, pointing an accusing finger at the goggle-headed leader. "I don't know what your problem is, but don't you even think about going all Sam-like on us!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Davis caught a glimpse of Sam's face, which had turned a deep shade of red at Matty's outburst, but despite the raven-haired Digidestined's obvious discomfort, surprisingly he too seemed more concerned about Dai than he did about himself.

Turning his back on Dai, Mickey lowered his amber gaze to the rocky ground beneath his feet, and holding tightly to his D-Coder he murmured, "Dai, I know you're not really mad at me, so I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear what you said. I'm not offended because I know you didn't mean it, but there's something I want you to think about. If Kara were here now, what do you think she would have to say about the way you've been acting lately?"

"I don't know, Mickey!" Dai said coldly, his dark eyes glittering like frozen ice chips in the sunshine. "I can't answer that because Takara's not here, is she!"

"You idiot," Ryoko muttered, slapping a hand against his forehead.

Standing next to Ryoko, Sam raised his eyebrows, and elbowing the golden-haired Digidestined in the stomach he said teasingly, "What's with you and calling everyone idiots?"

"Well, I wouldn't have to if you'd all just stop acting like idiots!"

"Speak for yourself."

For a moment, the two boys just stared at each other, their eyes locked in some silent conversation Davis couldn't even begin to comprehend, but then to his surprise, instead of getting angry, both Sam and Ryoko smiled hesitantly at each other before quickly turning their attention back to the fuming goggle-headed leader standing before them.

"Dai, don't you think we should keep moving?" Embermon mumbled, gazing anxiously at his human partner. "I mean, you're the one who keeps saying we should rescue Takara as soon as possible..."

"Exactly! So, why isn't anyone listening to me?"

"Don't you feel it, Dai?" Kari asked quietly, coming up behind the goggle-headed leader and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We're definitely being watched. I can sense it on the back of my neck. Don't you feel the same way?"

"So then why are we standing around here doing nothing? If we're really being watched, shouldn't we be trying to find our spy? And then, once we find him, shouldn't we be doing everything we can to get_ rid _of him?"

"Dai-"

"See? You know I'm right! Everything I've said so far is true, but all of you keep acting like I don't know what I'm talking about!"

"Are you done yet?" Tai asked quietly, his intense gaze never wavering even once from Dai's flushed face.

"No, I'm not done! And if you're thinking about giving me another speech, I don't want to hear it! In case you didn't notice, you're part of the problem!"

"And you're just making the problem even worse," Matt countered, stepping up next to Tai and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nobody asked you for your opinion!" Dai shot back, scowling at the golden-haired Digidestined.

Matt raised his eyebrows and leaning close to Tai he murmured, "Don't let him get to you. We were no different. Never forget that."

"By all means, keep talking about me like I'm not even here. We'll just ignore the fact that I'm standing right in front of you," Dai said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Dai, if you would just stop and think for a second, you'd realize this kind of fighting is going to get us nowhere," Tai said wearily, a small sigh escaping from his lips. "I know you-"

"You think you know what's best for me, but you don't!" Dai shouted, his hands clenching into tight fists. "Who are you to tell me what to do? You're not even my dad!"

"Daichi!" Noriko scolded, frowning at the goggle-headed leader.

At this point, Davis felt he should probably intervene and taking a step towards his son he said seriously, "Tai might not be your father, but_ I _am, and I think you should listen to what he has to say."

"Are you serious? Dad, I can't believe you're siding with him over me! How can you-"

"I'm not siding with anyone, Dai. I just think you should listen to what he has to say before you start jumping to conclusions. When it comes to the Digital World, Tai has more experience than even I do. If you just take the time to listen to him, you might learn something useful. Whoa, wait a second, that totally didn't sound like me just now!"

"Your father's right, Dai," Joe insisted, reaching out to give his nephew a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "I know it's hard, but if we try to take too many risks, Takara could end up in just as much trouble as she would if we were to reach her at a time when it would already be too late for us to rescue her."

"If Kara were here now, she would be very upset," Dovemon whispered, burying her face against Tai's chest.

Dai stared at the little rookie in Tai's arms, and hanging his head he mumbled, "None of you understand. You just don't get it."

"We understand better than you think, Dai," Tai said gently, giving the goggle-headed leader's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Flinching at the sudden contact, Dai quickly pulled away from the former leader, and turning to his digimon partner he said flatly, "Embermon, digivolve now."

"W-what?"

"Dai, what are you up to?" Alopemon asked suspiciously, grabbing onto Embermon's arm to stop the little rookie from obeying the goggle-headed leader's orders.

Ignoring Alopemon, Dai snapped, "Now, Embermon!"

"B-but...I'm kind of big as Dragermon. Someone might-"

"Now!"

"Okay, okay! Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"

Fully expecting Dai's D-Coder not to work, Davis was surprised when Dragermon suddenly materialized on the edge of the cliff above their heads, his large red wings stretching out to catch the warm rays of the sun. Apparently, though not entirely himself, Dai's heart hadn't yet fallen completely to the Powers of Darkness and as a result his behaviour was not preventing his Digivice from working properly.

_At least not yet, but if he continues to ignore all of our warnings, who knows what might happen?_

"Our spy will have seen the unmistakable light of digivolution," Angelicmon sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Dai, what have you done?"

"You are not a fool, Dai," Gabrielmon said quietly. "Don't insult us by acting like one."

Backing up towards the cliff where Dragermon was perched on the edge above him, Dai said bitterly, "I'm not going to be Vampiramon's pawn any longer! Don't you see? You're playing right into her hands! This is exactly what she wants from us, and maybe the rest of you don't care, but I'm not going to fall for it!"

"Dai, what are you saying?" Agumon asked anxiously, glancing at his partner for clarification.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm out of here. The rest of you can do what you want, but I'm leaving."

"You don't mean that," Gomamon snorted, shaking his head in denial.

"Dai, can't we talk about this?" Joe said quietly, his dark eyes pleading for the goggle-headed leader to reconsider.

Dai gazed mournfully at the cobalt-haired Digidestined and shaking his head he said regretfully, "Uncle...even you don't understand."

"Dai, you do realize you're making a huge mistake, I presume?" Angewomon said pleasantly, her fingers running lightly over the taunt string of her bow.

"Dai, please," Glowmon whimpered.

"If you leave now you'll regret it," Gabumon warned.

For a moment, Dai looked like he wanted to reconsider, but then his face hardened and he turned his back on all the intense gazes burning into his soul. "I guess we'll find out, won't we."

"Do you really think we're just going to let you walk away?" Tai said coldly, staring at the goggle-headed leader in disbelief.

Dai slowly began to back away from the former leader and lifting his head to look up at the cliff above him he shouted, "Dragermon!"

"Dai, no!" Noriko shrieked, racing towards the goggle-headed leader.

With lightning speed, Tai lunged towards the goggle-headed leader, grabbing him roughly by the arm, and struggling in the former leader's grip Dai shouted, " Hurry, Dragermon!"

Sensing Dai's need for help, Dragermon leaped off the edge of the cliff, sending up a cloud of dust in the process, and diving towards his partner he said regretfully, "I'm sorry, Tai!"

"Huh? What are you..."

Dai hit the former leader hard in the chest and letting out a gasp of surprise, Tai tumbled backwards onto the rocky ground, his grip loosening on Dai's arm.

Pulling free from the former leader's grasp, Dai raced towards Dragermon, nearly slipping on the sea of pebbles beneath his feet, and just as Dragermon swooped towards the group the goggle-headed leader leaped onto his partner's back, his arms wrapping tightly around the champion's long, slim neck.

_Dai, no!_

Completely shocked by his son's behaviour, since the goggle-headed leader was usually a bit more level-headed than he was, Davis was unable to move a muscle, despite having already known exactly what his son was planning to do even before Tai had made an attempt to stop the goggle-headed leader. Both his mouth and his body had become frozen upon witnessing his son's bizarre actions, but realizing all of a sudden that Dai was not in fact joking around, it was like his body gained a sudden burst of energy. "Dai!"

"You idiot! You're going to pay for this!" Ryoko shouted, shaking his fist at the goggle-headed leader.

"Dai, how could you?" Mickey moaned, covering his face with his hands.

Coming to a stop next to Tai and Noriko, Davis gazed up at his son hovering above the mountain on Dragermon's back, and shielding his eyes from the sun's glare he snapped, "Daichi, come back here right now! Don't make me ground you again!"

"I'm sorry, Dad!" Dai shouted, unable to look at him. "I'll see you when you reach the top. Hopefully..."

"Dai, wait! This isn't just about Kara!" Tai shouted, the breeze stirred up by Dragermon's wings causing his dark hair to fall into his eyes. "Don't you get it? I..."

Whether or not Dai heard the former leader's words, Davis didn't know, but considering the fact that his son probably wouldn't have answered Tai either way, it didn't really matter whether the goggle-headed leader had been listening or not.

"Dragermon, stop! Don't do what he says!" Angelicmon cried, leaping into the air and fluttering directly into the large champion's path.

"I'm sorry, but Dai is my partner. I can't just abandon him!"

"But-"

"Forgive me, Angelicmon, but you might want to move out of the way. Dragon Fire Spin!"

Without warning, a huge swirling stream of fire shot out of Dragermon's mouth, hurtling through the air where Angelicmon hovered above the dragon digimon, and taking the hint, the celestial champion quickly swerved out of the way, the stray feathers he had left in his wake turning to ash from the raw power of Dragermon's attack.

"Angelicmon!" Matty cried, his amber eyes widening in shock.

"I'm fine, Matty."

"But-"

As far as Davis could tell, it didn't look as if Dragermon had been trying to hurt the celestial digimon. It was more like he had been trying to distract Angelicmon in order to give himself an easy escape route, but even so, the fact that he had used an attack on a fellow digimon didn't bode well for the current state of Dai's mind.

"You made your digimon attack my partner, Dai!" Matty shouted furiously, his words cutting through the tension in the air like a knife. "If you want me to forgive you, you're going to have to make it up to me big time!"

Instead of replying, Dai motioned for Dragermon to head towards the peak, and as the dragon digimon disappeared from view, Davis was left wondering what in the name of the Digiworld had just happened.

_Spritemon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Crouching behind a small group of large, jagged rocks high above the Digidestined, her small form hidden from view, and leaning over the narrow ledge jutting out from the side of the cliff, Spritemon frowned thoughtfully at the empty path down below her, trying unsuccessfully to prevent herself from getting impatient with the humans. At the moment, Daichi and his friends were just out of her line of vision, since the humans had yet to navigate their way past the sharp bend in the path, and since she was lying in wait, just a little ahead of Daichi's gang, it meant she would not be able to get a good glimpse of them until they rounded the curve. That had been the case for most of the afternoon, so far, since it was necessary for her to stay out of sight, and although it was essential for her to remain one step ahead of the Digidestined, unfortunately keeping herself hidden meant she had to take her eyes off of them, sometimes for several minutes until she could find herself a new hiding place somewhere ahead of the humans on the path.

_But that doesn't mean I'm going to lose track of them so easily. I may not be able to see them, but I can still hear them!_

And hear them she did.

Thanks to the brisk breeze swirling around Infinity Mountain, the voices of the Digidestined drifted easily towards her on the wind, and judging from their angry tones and harsh words, it sounded as if they were having a huge argument.

"Pardon me, my lady, but don't you think it's a little worrisome that the Digidestined know they're being watched?" DemiDevimon whispered, hovering anxiously next to her shoulder.

Rolling her eyes, Spritemon snorted, "I'd be more concerned if they didn't know. What do you expect, DemiDevimon? The Digidestined aren't stupid. I would expect them to know they're being watched. It doesn't matter as long as they don't discover our hiding places. In fact, knowing they're being watched means they'll do exactly what we want them to do. With a spy on their tail, they'll be less likely to try anything _heroic._"

"They sound like they've gotten themselves into a really big argument," DemiDevimon said hesitantly. "Do you think maybe we should-"

"Dai, wait!" the voice of Tai Kamiya suddenly shouted, his words echoing off the side of the mountain. "This isn't just about Kara! Don't you get it? I..."

"Dragermon, stop! Don't do what he says!" the voice of Angelicmon cried a split second later.

There were sounds of a commotion down below and around the corner of the path, and Spritemon blinked in surprise when she spotted a flash of fire shoot up into the air. A moment later, a large red dragon digimon suddenly appeared in the sky high above the line of cliffs she herself was using for cover, and even from so far down below she was able to spot a small human clinging to the champion's long, slim neck.

_Daichi!_

"Look, it's the Motomiya boy!" DemiDevimon whispered in awe.

Realizing all of a sudden what Daichi was trying to do, Spritemon let out a small gasp of surprise. "He's trying to separate himself from the rest of the group!"

"But...he can't!" DemiDevimon protested. "I promised DarkAngelicmon..."

"What?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Spritemon turned to frown suspiciously at the little rookie hovering beside her. Thankfully, the hiding spot she had chosen gave them enough cover to prevent Dragermon from spotting them while in the air, but even so she still felt annoyed by the dragon digimon's disruption of her plans. "DarkAngelicmon? What are you talking about? Vampiramon was the one who ordered us not to allow the Digidestined to become separated, not DarkAngelicmon."

Ignoring her words, DemiDevimon suddenly leaped into the air, and fluttering discreetly after Dragermon's retreating form he shouted back over his shoulder, "I'm going after Dragermon! You keep an eye on the others. Whatever you do make sure they don't split up. We can't have some of them trying to follow the Motomiya boy while the rest remain behind. If they do end up separating into several groups they'll have a better chance of catching Vampiramon and the others off guard! Our master won't be pleased if they manage to steal the Spirit Chip and the Kamiya girl right out from under our noses. Vampiramon's plan has a better chance of succeeding if we keep our eyes on the Digidestined at all times, and the best way to do that is to make sure they stick together, so we can watch them closely. I'll report back later."

For a moment, Spritemon just stared after the rookie with a stunned look on her face, and realizing all of a sudden what had just happened she snapped, "Who do you think you are telling me what to do, rookie? I'm the one who's supposed to be giving the orders around here!"

DemiDevimon ignored her, and watching the little rookie disappear from view, Spritemon was left standing on the edge of the cliff with her mouth hanging open.


	179. The Spy Revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Back again with a new chapter! Thanks everyone for your reviews last chapter and I will definitely have to check out that list about evil overlords! (Somehow it doesn't surprise me that DarkAngelicmon broke a few rules!)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 179: The Spy Revealed

_Tai Kamiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Almost unable to comprehend the reality of his sudden unexpected confrontation with Daichi, Tai stared blankly at the spot where, only moments ago, Dragermon had uncharacteristically launched a swirling stream of fire at Angelicmon, catching the celestial digimon off guard. Even from several feet away, Tai could see the angry red flush on Matty's cheeks, but despite the fact that his nephew was clearly upset, Tai could not seem to summon enough energy to offer the golden-haired Digidestined even a few small words of comfort.

_Dai, no..._

Hovering majestically in the air against a backdrop of bright blue sky, his scarlet body shining brilliantly in the light of the sun, Dragermon had virtually ignored all sense of logic and reason, and his motivation for doing so was not the kind of thing Tai could easily ignore, especially since Agumon most likely would have done the same thing for him if he had been in Dai's place. In fact, Dragermon's behaviour was so reminiscent of the loyalty MetalGarurumon had shown Matt twenty-nine years ago, it was enough to make Tai wonder if perhaps he had inadvertently travelled back in time, to a place and a past he did not want to revisit.

_If Daichi goes and does exactly what I did...If he ends up like me, I'll never forgive myself. It's like what happened with the Crest of Courage all over again..._

Aware of the fact that both Davis and Noriko were anxiously leaning over him, concern evident on their faces, Tai quickly lowered his dark eyes to the ground, his heart racing and his mind growing numb with shock. An array of smooth pebbles and sharp rocks littered the path beneath his slumped body, digging into the fabric of his dark blue jeans, but despite his aching knees and the pain shooting up his legs, he did not move from his position on the ground.

"Tai, are you okay?" Davis asked, kneeling next to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about Dai. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Tai quickly shook his head, and avoiding the younger man's eyes he mumbled, "No, and you don't need to apologize."

"Tai..."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. It's my fault he ran off like that. I...I shouldn't have been so harsh. He's right, you know. I'm not his father. I shouldn't have..."

"Tai, I would consider it an honour for you to think of Dai as your son."

"Huh?"

Looking up in surprise, Tai stared at the former leader with his mouth hanging open, and blushing a deep shade of red Davis mumbled, "Well, you know...I've always looked up to you, so...if you _do_ think of Dai as your son..."

"Come on, Davis, you're a great father. With a son like Dai and a daughter like Ami, you shouldn't have any reason to doubt yourself."

"I know, but..."

Leaning close to Davis and placing a reassuring hand on the former leader's shoulder, Tai said quietly, "None of this is your fault, Davis. I told you. I'm the one who made him angry."

"If you're going to start blaming yourself again, I don't want to hear it," Davis said shortly, pulling away from him. "None of this is your fault either, Tai."

"But, I..."

"Forget it. It's no one's fault. Sometimes things like this just happen and we have no control over them."

"Cheer up, Tai," Agumon insisted, trying unsuccessfully to smile. "The Tai I know wouldn't give up so easily just because our mission hasn't exactly gone according to plan."

"I agree. The Tai I know would never give up on Daichi," Gabumon said quietly, nodding his head for emphasis.

_They're right. If I give up on Dai now, Takara might not make it. The Ruler of Darkness may need us alive for the moment, but I don't think Vampiramon shares his opinion. If we make her angry enough, she might just decide to disobey her master's orders, regardless of the consequences. If that happens, both Dai and Kara could be in serious trouble._

"What are we going to do now?" Noriko whispered, a slight tremor in her voice.

The fear in her dark eyes was so strong it made Tai feel sick to his stomach, and unable to look at her, he proceeded to gaze quietly at his hands, which were clenched together tightly in his lap.

_Kara, you would never give up on Dai. I have to keep believing. For Davis, for Noriko, and for you..._

"Well, for starters, I think the first thing we need to do is contact Izzy. He needs to know what's going on," Joe said quietly, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm sure he's been monitoring our progress on the computer, but even so the map he has of File Island isn't the same as the map he used to guide you guys through DarkAngelicmon's castle on Cyber. The map he had of the castle was an exact layout of the building's interior, which allowed him to track all of you separately or as a whole through the hallways leading towards the crests and the dungeons, but with Infinity Mountain, it's not the same. The map Izzy has of File Island is too general. It doesn't just focus on one location, which means to him our signals probably just look like a bunch of coloured dots crammed together on the small part of the map labelled Infinity Mountain. In fact, the area marked Infinity Mountain on his map of the Digital World is so small it probably won't even be able to tell him that Dai has left our group."

"I get it. Without a detailed map of Infinity Mountain, Izzy won't be able to track our progress very effectively," Ryoko said slowly, his eyebrows narrowing into a frown. "A map showing a close up of Infinity Mountain would be best, but without one the most Izzy can probably make sense of at this point in time is our general location. He can tell we're on Infinity Mountain, but that's about it, which explains why he wanted Hawkmon and the others to remain behind. They're acting as his eyes and ears, since they can probably tell more about what's going on than he can."

"Do you think they might have spotted Dragermon?" Veemon asked curiously, his words sounding just a little bit uneasy. "If they did then that means Vampiramon could have seen Dragermon, too."

"I doubt it," Joe said pleasantly, giving the little rookie a reassuring smile. "Remember, Vampiramon's waiting for us at the top of Infinity Mountain. Unless she happened to be looking over the edge of the cliff at the exact moment Dragermon made his dramatic exit, there's no way she could have seen anything. Not only that, she'd also have had to have been leaning over the cliff on _our _side of the mountain. Basically, she would have had to have been in the right place at the right time to spot Dragermon, and the chances of that having occurred are pretty much slim to none. Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Gotsumon may have seen Dragermon, but I very much doubt Vampiramon would have noticed anything out of the ordinary. Like I said earlier, she's too high up on the mountain."

"Even so, we need to be careful," Alopemon warned.

"That's easy for you to say," Matty mumbled, making a face. "As for Izzy, even with limited resources, I get the feeling he probably knows there's something fishy going on, which wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. He might not know the exact details, but this _is_ Izzy we're talking about. He is a genius, after all."

"Or so he says," Gomamon joked, trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood.

"Kari, would you mind emailing Izzy and explaining the situation to him?" Matt said calmly, his expression unreadable. "Sora deserves to know her daughter's life is in danger. I hope it doesn't come to that, but even so she should be made aware of the situation."

Tai flinched, and trying his best not to think about his wife he mumbled, "They need to know about Dai, too."

"Yes, I was going to email Izzy earlier, after Kara got captured, but then Dai started acting up and I forgot all about sending a message," Kari said solemnly, pulling out her D-Terminal. "I'm sure Izzy and the others will be worried, but right now we don't have time to ease their fears. We'll just have to do our best to keep moving. I know it's not much, but if we manage to rescue Kara, at least then we'll be able to send Izzy some good news for once, though there's still the Spirit Chip of Bravery we need to worry about."

_Sora, I'm sorry. I couldn't save Kara, just like I couldn't save you. If anything happens to our daughter, it'll be all my fault..._

"What about Dai?" Sam said meekly, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

Tai stared at the raven-haired Digidestined, and leaping suddenly to his feet he said quickly, "I'm going after him."

"W-what?" Mickey gasped, his mouth dropping open in surprise.

"Tai," Matt said calmly, gazing directly into his eyes, "don't you think we should talk this through as a team before you go running off to play hero?"

"It's not like that! Look, I'm the one who made him angry. It's my fault he left, which is why-"

"How many times am I going to have to tell you it's not your fault before you'll listen to me?" Davis groaned, slapping a hand against his forehead. "Man, you're even worse than I am!"

"But-"

"You can't leave without us!" Glowmon protested, anxiously fluttering his small wings. "If you're going to go after Dai then we're coming with you!"

Lowering his voice Tai said insistently, "That won't work. Someone needs to stay here to distract our spy. It'll be easier if I go alone."

"Oh, of _course._ Because we all know relying on our friends to help us is too risky and naturally trying to do everything by ourselves is _always_ the best course of action," Ryoko said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"It's_ not_ like that! In fact, it's the opposite! I'll be relying on you guys to stop our spy from following me. We can't afford to have someone getting in my way while I'm trying to locate Dai. If you all come with me, we'll be attacked for sure."

"Our spy will attack us regardless of whether or not it's all of us or just you who leaves," Gabrielmon countered, summoning his staff and pointing it at the cliff above their heads.

"That's exactly my point, but if the rest of you act as decoys, I'm sure I'll be able to find Dai and bring him back before the fighting gets nasty, which won't happen if we all go after Dai together. How do you expect us to find him if at the same time we're trying to fight off an enemy who is more powerful than us? And how do we know we're not being followed by more than just one digimon? Or maybe we're just getting ahead of ourselves and we're not even being followed at all! How do we know for sure? At least this way we'll have an idea of what's really going on."

"We are _not_ your decoys," Angelicmon said stiffly, and angry flush appearing suddenly on his pale white cheeks.

"And who is to say they are more powerful than us?" Angewomon said indignantly, fluttering her wings in disapproval. "I will not deny that they are powerful megas, but none of us have even begun to reach our full potential yet, most especially Dragermon and his friends. _Our _friends. It won't be easy, but we _will_ win this war. Of that I am sure."

"Um...Uncle Tai?" Matty mumbled, avoiding his eyes. "Listen, I want to help Dai just as much as you do, but I don't think going after him alone is a very good idea. You're not thinking straight and I-"

"We need to get him back! I don't care how we go about finding him, we just _need to get him back!"_

"Tai? What is this really all about?" Matt asked quietly, his sapphire eyes growing dark and shadowy.

Tai hung his head and avoiding the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes he choked out, "I don't want Dragermon to end up being another SkullGreymon."

"S-SkullGreymon?" Mickey gasped, his amber eyes growing wide in shock. "Uncle, what are you talking about?"

"So...that's what this is all about," Matt said slowly, ignoring Mickey's outburst. "I thought so. Listen, Tai, we don't have any way of knowing for sure what's going to happen. If I were you, I wouldn't give up on Dai so easily. He's strong, maybe even stronger than the two of us. I think he deserves more credit than what you've been giving him so far."

"I know, but I..."

"Tai, I'll be the first one to admit that my son has his moments, but he's _not _a quitter and he's not just going to let himself be swallowed up by the darkness," Davis said confidently, his dark eyes daring anyone else to disagree. "He's a fighter, and he''ll win. And I'm not saying that just because he's my son. He's a good leader and the fact that his friends are still here all together, despite their problems, proves just how good of a leader he really is."

_Sam, Mickey, Matty, Ryoko...They're all here together, even after everything they've been through, and it's all because of Dai. He's keeping them here with him, something I wasn't able to do..._

Tai suddenly felt Matt's hands come to rest gently on his shoulders, and looking up at the golden-haired Digidestined he mumbled, "Matt, if anything happens to Dai, Kara will..."

"_Nothing_ is going to happen to Dai, and even if something _were_ to happen to him, Kara would never blame you."

"But-"

"Look, I know you have huge expectations for Dai, as do all of us, but he's still new at this whole being a leader thing. Give him time, and I bet he'll surpass both you and Davis. Not because the two of you weren't good leaders, it's because Dai has two good leaders to learn from."

"Matt..."

"Dai has those goggles for a reason, and no best friend of mine would ever give up on someone he cares about," Matt said firmly, looking him straight in the eyes.

_He's right. Giving up on Dai would be like giving up on Taysuke, my own son. Tay would be so ashamed of me if he knew..._

Taking a deep breath, Tai slowly nodded his head, and giving Matt a weak smile he said, "Matt, I've never been so scared in my whole life."

Matt glanced back at Ryoko and gazing quietly at his son he said softly, '"I know. Trust me, Tai, I know exactly how you feel."

"You do realize Sora's going to kill me, don't you?"

"No she won't."

"Uh, Matt, this is Sora we're talking about. You know how she gets with Tay and Kara."

Matt raised his eyebrows, and smiling slightly he said dryly, "Sora won't kill you because if we _don't_ rescue Kara, I'll kill you first."

Rolling his eyes, Tai felt a genuine smile slip suddenly across his face, and pulling the golden-haired Digidestined into a tight hug he said quietly, "Thanks, Matt. You're right. I shouldn't let myself get too carried away."

"Since when did our roles become reversed? You're supposed to be the one convincing me, Tai, not the other way around."

"Hey, come on! You've caused enough drama already. It's someone else's turn now!"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were purposely trying to annoy me," Matt shot back, scowling.

Laughing, Tai quickly pulled away from the golden-haired Digidestined before Matt could plant a fist into his stomach, and turning to face the rest of the group he said sheepishly, "Sorry, guys."

"Don't worry about it," Ryoko replied, giving him a quick smile.

"I'm really worried about Dai," Penguinmon said hesitantly, glancing anxiously at his partner. "If we're not going to follow him then what are we going to do?"

"We're still going to follow him, we're just not going to let Tai go alone," Kari said firmly, giving her brother a stern look. "I agree we need to find Dai as soon as possible, especially since we have no idea what he'll try to do once he does finally reach Kara, but it's too dangerous for anyone to take on the task of looking for him without any kind of backup. I also don't think it's a good idea for all of us to go either because then we'll definitely have to fight off whoever may be tailing us, which would interfere with our task of trying to find Dai."

"You're right, Kari," Joe agreed, nodding his head for emphasis. "Whatever we do, we need to be careful, and since it sounds like you have some sort of a plan, what do you suggest would be our best course of action?"

"We should split up into several groups. At least two. One group to follow Dai an one group to fend off our enemies. Unfortunately, for our plan to work, some of us are going to have to act as decoys, but it's not like we've never been in this kind of situation before. Once Tai's group has found Dai, we can all quickly meet back up again. We'll have to if we want to get the Spirit Chip. Both Matt and Joe will have to be there."

"In that case, I'm going with you, Tai," Ryoko said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You are going after Dai, aren't you?"

"Well, If Ryoko's going with you then I'm going too!" Matty cried, determined not to be outdone by his cousin. "Please, Uncle? Take me with you!"

Tai was about to answer when a small human shaped shadow suddenly passed over the ground beneath his feet, like a bird flying over his head, and looking up in surprise, he felt his heart leap into his throat. Standing on a small ledge jutting out from the rocky wall to his left was the very spy they'd been hoping to outmaneuver.

"Thinking of splitting up, are you?" Spritemon snapped, her transparent wings sparkling brightly in the sun. Despite her size, she looked quite impressive standing on the cliff above their heads, and her brown eyes were glittering with anticipation. She was standing with her weight on one foot and her arms crossed over her chest, and judging from the expression on her face, she was not at all pleased with the events that had just recently transpired.

"You again!" Ryoko shouted, glaring at the female mega.

"What do you want now?" Sam snapped, clenching his hands into angry fists.

Spritemon raised her eyebrows, and smirking at the raven-haired Digidestined she said, "What do I want? Simple. If you want to ruin my master's plans you're going to have to go through me first. Split up, will you? I don't think so. Not on my watch you won't!"


	180. Watching from the Sidelines

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Hello everyone! Well, here's another chapter, and before you read it, I must apologize for its lameness, and of course its short length. Unfortunately, when I wrote this chapter, I was having a weird case of writer's block, (I knew what I wanted to write, I just didn't know how to write it and therefore it was hard to put down in writing.) and this lame filler chapter is the result of that. I promise the next chapter will be longer again, and it will definitely be much more interesting. A big thank you to everyone for your reviews, and also a big thank you to all of my new readers who are doing their best to catch up! All of your ideas, and of course your feedback, is much appreciated!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 180: Watching from the Sidelines

_Izzy Izumi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Shaking his head in denial, Izzy stared silently at the computer screen in front of him, his face a mask of shock and utter disbelief. The message Kari had just sent to him from her D-Terminal was displayed on the monitor where anyone in the room could read it, given half a chance, and he felt, rather than saw, Sora step up behind him, her fingers clutching the back of his chair so hard he was sure her knuckles were probably turning white. Despite what Kari had written in her email, Izzy didn't even try to stop Sora from seeing the words on the screen. After all, the female Digidestined had a right to know that her daughter's life was in danger, and yet despite what had happened to Takara, he had a feeling Sora's fear most likely reached beyond just Kara, including Daichi and his sudden disappearance, as well.

"No, it can't be!" Mimi cried, covering her face with her hands. "Kara..."

Beside Mimi, Taysuke's face had turned almost pure white, and staring at the computer screen he whispered, "No..."

"I can't believe it," T.K. groaned, slapping a hand against forehead. "How could we have been so stupid? Of course Kara would have a connection to the Crest of Courage. How could we have missed something so obvious?"

"Can you blame us?" Rosa countered, making a face. "I mean, we were so worried about Ryoko and Dai..."

"How?" Ema wailed, tugging viciously on her spiky pigtails. "How, though? How could Vampiramon have found out about Kara? Unless...unless they were able to see what we couldn't see..."

Frowning slightly, Izzy turned in his seat to face Ema, and shaking his head he said, "No, I don't think that's the problem. I highly doubt they know anything about Kara, but of course I have no way of knowing that for sure. It's just a feeling I have."

"But...if they don't know about Kara then why would they bother capturing her?" Ami asked hesitantly, scratching her dark hair in confusion.

"I can't say for sure, but I think they must have had a different reason for going after Kara. Even if they _do_ know about her connection to the Crest of Courage, I doubt that was their reason for capturing her, but again I can't say that for sure. We'll just have to wait until Kari and the others tell us the whole story before we can determine whether or not my theory is correct."

"But you must have some reason for coming up with such a crazy theory in the first place," Jun protested.

_Crazy theory?_

Izzy frowned at the dark-haired female, and crossing his arms over his chest he said indignantly, "Have you forgotten that my theories are almost always correct? I think, like us, DarkAngelicmon and his allies believe Daichi is most likely the proud owner of the Spirit Chip of Bravery, which means they must have had another reason for capturing Kara. If I'm right, then her connection to the Crest of Courage is really of no importance to them. Their main concern is Daichi, even over Ryoko I think."

"Well, if you know that much then why do you think they captured Takara when Dai is their main target?" Miya demanded, her hands clenching into tight fists.

"It's because of Dai," Sora said quietly, a slight tremor in her voice. "They stole my daughter because they want to hurt Dai."

"What do you mean?" Taniko gasped, her dark eyes growing wide with fear.

"They know. They know how much Dai cares about my daughter, and they're trying to use his feelings against him. Don't you see? They're testing him. They're using him to get the Spirit Chip."

"If that's true then it looks like they've succeeded," Miya murmured.

"I knew it!" Ami cried. "I _knew _he cared!"

"Why didn't he tell me?" Noah suddenly said quietly, looking both hurt and a little bit confused. "Especially after I told him about..."

"About what?" Miya asked hesitantly, her cheeks suddenly turning a deep shade of red.

"I...nothing."

"Oh, _of course,_" Ami snorted, smiling in amusement.

Noah glared at his cousin, and elbowing her sharply in the ribs he mumbled, "Shut up, Ami."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ema asked curiously, frowning suspiciously at her brother.

"Nothing," Ami said cheerfully, dismissing the younger female's concerns with a wave of her hand.

Thinking back on Dai's recent behaviour while in Takara's presence, Izzy found himself unable to disagree with Sora's interpretation of the recent kidnapping involving her only daughter.

_But even if they did capture Kara because Dai has feelings for her, there's still one thing I don't understand. I thought they wanted Dai to remain free from the darkness, at least for the moment. Don't they realize that capturing Kara could potentially have the opposite effect? In fact, losing Kara could potentially cause Dai to become a victim of the darkness in his own heart. There must be something I'm missing. Like Sora said, they must be testing him, but why do so when there's a chance he could fail?_

"Izzy, are you okay?" Patamon asked anxiously, hovering nervously in the air next to T.K.'s shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not particularly. Sora's theory is definitely a possibility, but again, until we find out the whole story, we have no way of knowing for sure what's really going on."

"Can you believe Dai?" Ami moaned, covering her face with her hands. "How many times have I told him not to do anything stupid, but does he listen to me? No! Instead he goes running of to play hero to Kara, forgetting all about his own safety. What an _idiot. _I swear, he has to be the most annoying little brother on the face of the earth!"

"I don't know about that. At the moment, I think it's a tie between him and Sam," Miya murmured, smiling despite the seriousness of the situation.

"You...you guys don't think they've hurt Kara, do you?" Taysuke mumbled, his voice trembling with fear.

Mimi quickly slipped her arms around the youngest member of the Kamiya family, and hugging him tightly against her chest she said softly in his ear, "I'm sure Kara's just fine. Your dad would never let anything bad happen to her."

"But-"

"Tay, I've known your dad a long time, and if there's one thing I've learned about him, it's the fact that no matter who you are or where you're from, if your life is in danger, he will do everything he can to protect you. If Tai can put his own life on the line for someone whom he's just met, or even a complete stranger, do you really think he's going to give up on his own daughter?"

"But Dai..."

"Dai will be fine, Tay. Your dad isn't going to let anything bad happen to him either."

Taysuke nodded slowly in agreement, and burying his face against the rosy-haired Digidestined's shoulder he mumbled, "I know, but I'm still worried."

"So am I," T.K. said quietly, his golden eyebrows narrowing into a deep frown.

"Me too! I want my cousin back!" Rina wailed, bursting into tears.

Giving his friend a gentle pat on the back, Nao said softly, "It'll be okay, Rina. Sam and the others will save her."

"I don't blame Dai for wanting to save Kara, but if he loses his focus while chasing after her, he could end up in a lot of trouble," T.K. sighed, wrapping his arms around Rina and giving her a quick kiss.

"Especially if Vampiramon knows he's coming," Palmon added, glancing anxiously at the computer screen.

"Palmon, you don't think Vampiramon might have seen something, do you?" Ami gasped, gazing at the female rookie in disbelief.

"There's only one way to find out!"

_Hawkmon!_

Turning swiftly towards the computer, having already disposed of the email Kari had sent him, Izzy stared at the screen and said, "Hawkmon, are you there?"

Almost immediately, Hawkmon's face appeared on the screen, and judging from the fear and apprehension in his eyes, it looked as if he had indeed seen something unusual. "You called, Izzy?"

"Yes, we have a bit of a problem on our hands."

Quickly, Izzy told the little rookie about Kari's email, and glancing over his shoulder, Hawkmon turned to gaze at what Izzy presumed to be the peak of Infinity Mountain. "Well, if Dai _has_ left the group like Kari stated in her email, which I have no doubt he did, then that would certainly explain a few things."

"I should have known something like this would happen!" Gotsumon groaned, appearing suddenly on the screen next to Hawkmon.

_Does this mean they did see something strange happening on Infinity Mountain?_

Frowning slightly, Izzy stared at the two digimon on the screen and said, "You didn't see anything, did you?"

"Well, at this distance it's a little hard to tell, but I thought I saw something red hovering briefly in the sky before it disappeared around the other side of the mountain, and I'm pretty sure I also saw something that looked almost like a flash of fire in the sky," Hawkmon said slowly, obviously choosing his words carefully. "I can't say for sure, but I think what I saw must have been Dragermon."

"You don't think Vampiramon would have seen Dragermon, do you?"

"I highly doubt it. If what I saw was indeed Dragermon, then he is much further down the mountain from where I presume Vampiramon is waiting for Dai at the peak."

"That's certainly true. According to Kari's email, Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon did say they would be waiting for Dai and the others at the peak of Infinity Mountain..."

"Don't worry, Izzy, because Vampiramon _is_ waiting at the top, she has a different view of the mountain than we do," Armadillomon said reasonably, coming into view on Hawkmon's other side. "She'd have to be hanging over the side of the cliff to see anything, and even then only luck would have aloud her to spot Dragermon. Then again, I just thought of something. It might not even matter if they saw Dragermon or not. Kara has her D-Coder with her, and if Vampiramon takes advantage of it, she could use it to track Dai easily."

A sudden tense silence fell, and gazing hopefully at the computer screen Gotsumon said, "Well, at least we know now that all five of the Ruler's minions are on Infinity Mountain. That counts for something, doesn't it?"

"Of all the things to say!" Hawkmon scolded, using one of his small wings to smack the little rookie on the back of the head.

"Uh, Gotsumon, you're not making us feel any better here," Rosa said dryly, smiling in amusement.

"Yes, Daichi could be in a lot of danger," Hawkmon agreed, nodding his head for emphasis. "He could be walking right into a trap."

"What if they ambush him while he's trying to rescue Kara?" Taysuke wailed, his arms tightening around Mimi's neck.

Shaking his head, Izzy slowly sat back in his chair, and crossing his arms over his chest he murmured, "I don't get it. By upsetting Dai, they could be jeopardizing their own plans. I mean, essentially, their plan could work if Dai responds to their challenge according to plan, but even if that's true, it seems like they're taking a big risk. At this point in time, it could go either way. It will all depend on how Dai responds to the flood of emotions in his heart. He could end up harnessing the power of his Spirit Chip to rescue Kara, or..."

"He could end up becoming a victim of the Powers of Darkness," T.K. said slowly, his bright blue eyes growing dark and serious. "It will depend on how he chooses to unleash the power he holds within himself. I don't get it either, Izzy. Why? Why would Vampiramon...no, why would _DarkAngelicmon _take such a huge risk? It doesn't make any sense. They could end up costing themselves the Spirit Chip of Bravery."

"Isn't it obvious?" Sora said quietly, her words just barely above a whisper. "Don't you see it? It's because DarkAngelicmon _believes _Dai will do the right thing, just like we do. That's why he's willing to take such a big risk."

"But...what about Vampiramon?" Tentomon protested. "I doubt she'd be willing to rely on the strength of Dai's heart for an important mission such as stealing the Spirit Chips. I'll admit DarkAngelicmon seems a bit more open-minded towards Dai and his friends, but..."

"Most likely DarkAngelicmon persuaded Vampiramon and the rest of his allies to go along with his plans," Mina explained, gazing thoughtfully at her hands. "He seems to have quite a hold on them, even though he is not their leader."

"Well, whatever the case, everything we know now is merely speculation, and until we find out what's really going on, I think maybe we should keep our theories to a minimum," Taniko warned, sitting back in her chair and letting out a soft sigh.

Izzy glanced at his daughter in surprise, and reaching out to ruffle her dark hair he said, "You're right, Taniko. Sorry about that. I get a little carried away sometimes."

"I know. That's why you have me."

_Taniko...I don't know what I'd do without you anymore..._

Giving his daughter a quick hug and turning to gaze uneasily at Sora, he said, "You're worried about Tai, too, aren't you."

"Izzy, do you remember what happened with the Crest of Courage?" Sora murmured, her voice sounding hollow and strangely subdued.

"I remember."

"We can't let the same thing happen to Dai."

"I know."

"I...I can't even imagine how Tai must be feeling right now."

"Me either."

"Do you realize what must be going through his head right at this very moment?"

Izzy let out a deep sigh, and avoiding the female Digidestined's eyes he said quietly, "I know. Trust me, I know."

"I want my daughter back."

"She'll be fine, Sora. You said it yourself, everyone in this room trusts Dai and we know he'll do the right thing."

Sora's eyes filled with tears, and hugging herself she mumbled, "We have to save both of them. I couldn't stand losing Dai any more than I could stand losing Kara."

Once again pulling up a map of Infinity Mountain, Izzy gazed helplessly at the large cluster of colourful dots all scrunched together on the small spot marking the location of Infinity Mountain, and out the corner of his eyes he spotted T.K. behind him just as the golden-haired Digidestined wrapped his arms around Sora in a comforting hug. The situation on Infinity Mountain didn't look good, and without the Spirit Chip of Bravery, the chances of Dai's group making it back to the human world in one piece were not very encouraging.

_Come on, Tai. If ever we needed you, now is definitely the time..._


	181. Making Choices

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry about the wait, everyone, but here finally is the next chapter. And before I begin, Sam would like me to inform you all that he has not in fact forgotten about his father, and he wants you all to know that their issues will become a central part of the story again. (There, how was that, Sam?)

Sam: Good. I was hoping you wouldn't forget!

B.A.: Me? Never!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 181: Making Choices

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sitting comfortably on Dragermon's back, Daichi carefully studied the mountain below him, conscious of the fact that he needed his partner to land before Vampiramon and her evil allies could spot the large champion from the peak, though he was sure he was still far enough below the top of the mountain to avoid being spotted. Then again, much to his frustration, Dragermon unfortunately stood out like a sore thumb, which meant if he wanted to have even a chance of rescuing Takara, he was going to have to be discreet.

_And somehow I don't think flying around on a huge red dragon digimon is going to help my chances any..._

Smiling faintly, Daichi quickly pointed to a large alcove about halfway up the mountain, and raising his voice to be heard over the sound of the wind he shouted, "We need to land, Dragermon! Do you see that big platform dug into the side of the mountain? It's at the halfway point."

"I see it. Do you think it's big enough for me to land on?"

"I think so. As a bonus, it's also covered by an overhang, which means it'll keep you hidden from view. See how the platform is carved into the side of the cliff? It's the perfect landing spot."

"I'm sorry, Dai."

"For what? It's not your fault you're a large champion. That's just who you are. Besides, despite what Tai might think, I'm not as stupid as the others seem to think I am."

"Is that what you really believe?" Dragermon asked quietly, sounding a little bit disappointed. "Dai, your friends don't think you're stupid. They just think you're being a bit too...hasty."

"Really? Well, you wouldn't know it from the way they were acting earlier. It's not like I'm just going to fly up to the very top of the mountain and snatch Kara right out of DarkAngelicmon's hands. Do you think I'd be dumb enough to risk putting her life in danger like that? I know I have to be careful, which is why I'm not heading straight for the top of the mountain, but that doesn't mean I'm going to take all afternoon to get there either. I'm going to move at my own pace, and Vampiramon had better not get in my way!"

"Dai, you do realize that if we land at the halfway point, Tai and the others won't be too far behind? Doesn't that make our escape kind of...uh...well...pointless?"

_Pointless? Some partner you are, Dragermon! Just whose side are you on?_

Feeling his face heat up, Dai glared at the back of his partner's head and snapped, "No! I'm still going to be moving faster than they are! Besides, we're not going to stay halfway down the mountain for very long. I just need a moment to plan what we're going to do next. Tai and the others still have a little ways to go. By the time they reach our hiding spot, we'll be long gone."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. Listen, Dai, I will go along with your plans, but...that doesn't mean I have to agree with them."

_Dragermon..._

Squeezing his eyes shut, Dai whispered, "I know. Come on, let's go."

Lowering his head and pulling his wings closer to his body, Dragermon quickly dived towards the alcove carved into the side of the mountain, the golden armour covering the top of his head gleaming brightly in the sunshine.

Landing gracefully on the edge of the cliff, instead of demanding to know what their next move would be, Dragermon proceeded to curl himself up on the rocky plateau for a leisurely nap, his large emerald eyes fluttering closed and his head coming to rest gently on the ground next to Dai's left knee.

_Despite our current situation, he looks so relaxed. Could it be? I mean, does he really think I'll be able to come up with a plan to save Kara in time before something terrible happens to her? How can he have so much faith in me when I don't even know myself if anything I do will make a difference? And then there's my Spirit Chip. I still have to find a way to get it before Vampiramon can trick me into handing it over to her. If it's even mine. I still don't know. I definitely don't feel very brave at the moment..._

After sliding off Dragermon's back, Daichi proceed to gaze unseeingly at the puffy clouds floating leisurely in the sky above the peak of Infinity Mountain, his thoughts drifting constantly back to the group of friends he had left behind, and feeling a sudden wave of guilt wash over him with the force of a tsunami, he wrapped his arms around his legs and buried his face against his knees.

_Tai...I'm so sorry..._

"Dai, what's wrong?" Dragermon asked quietly, without opening his eyes.

Slowly lifting his head, Dai said quietly, "Ryoko's right. I am an idiot."

"No one can blame you for being upset."

"No, but they can blame me for being a jerk. Matty probably hates me now. Well, at least this will solve one of my problems."

_If Matty does hate me, I won't have to worry anymore about having a talk with him. I can't reassure him about a friendship that's already broken..._

"Matty might be angry, but he doesn't hate you," Dragermon said firmly. "Besides, it was my decision to obey your orders. If anyone should be angry, it should be Angelicmon, and he should me angry at me, not you."

"You only did it because I'm your partner."

"And if Matty had been in your place, he would have acted the same way you did."

Dai made a face, and frowning at his knees he said stubbornly, "Mickey wouldn't have."

"Do you regret leaving? We could always go back."

_Tai, you probably think I'm the worst leader ever..._

Dai hesitated, and reaching out to stroke Dragermon's large head he said seriously, "No, I...I wish...I wish I could take back some of the things I said, but I don't regret leaving. I still believe I'm doing the right thing."

"If that's true then you must stop doubting yourself," Dragermon replied, cracking open one eye to give him a stern look. "How do you expect to save Kara when you cannot even believe in yourself? It doesn't matter how well you're prepared. If you don't _believe_ your plan will work, you will ultimately fail, regardless of your strength and the amount of effort you put into defeating your enemies. That is why good tends to triumph over evil. Unlike our enemies, we truly believe in our hearts we can win. Our foes merely rely more on being overly confident, instead of putting their whole heart and soul into battle, which eventually leads to their destruction. If you want to save Kara, then you have to _believe_ you can, otherwise you too will fail."

"I know, but I..."

"What is it, Dai?"

Turning his face away, he mumbled, "Dragermon, do you think Tai hates me?"

"What do _you_ believe?"

"If...if I do fail to save Kara, Tai will never forgive me for putting his daughter's life in danger."

"If that's what you believe, then do what you know is right. Don't ignore what your heart is trying to tell you."

_But...what is my heart trying to tell me? I just don't know..._

Shaking his head, Dai hugged his knees against his chest, and making a face he said, "I bet my mom's totally freaking out right about now, and my dad...he's probably really disappointed in me."

"I'm sure they're all disappointed in you."

"Ryoko's never going to let me forget this, and I doubt it's going to be easy to get back on Matty's good side. Sam already hates me so it's not like I can make that situation any worse between us, but Mickey..."

"Mickey definitely isn't angry with you," Dragermon said confidently.

Dai let out a soft sigh, and gazing miserably at his feet he mumbled, "I know. Mickey doesn't get angry. He gets really sad, which is even worse. I'd almost prefer he did get mad at me..."

_I'm sorry, guys. Dad, Mom, Tai, Matty, Mickey, Ryoko...I hope you'll all forgive me..._

Nuzzling his left knee, Dragermon said quietly, "Have you come to a decision yet?"

"I think we'll fly a little further up the mountain, but once we're about three quarters of the way up, you're going to have to turn back into Embermon. From there we'll sneak the rest of the way up. I doubt we'll be able to steal Kara without them noticing, but that doesn't mean I want to lose the element of surprise either. It might just make the difference, especially if we just use it to our advantage."

"So...you've made your choice. Very well then, Dai, let us hurry before we're spotted here."

_Kara...am I doing the right thing? You don't know how badly I wish you were here with me..._

Dai quickly got to his feet, conscious of the fact that Ryoko and the rest of his friends could be appearing around the corner at any moment, but before he could hop onto Dragermon's back again, a voice shouted, "Stay where you are! I don't want to fight you, but I will if I have to!"

Fully expecting to come face to face with an evil mega digimon, Dai whirled around in fear, but to his surprise, instead of confronting a digimon like Vampiramon, he found himself gazing at a little bowling ball with wings, who looked no bigger than a rookie. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Hey! And just what is that supposed to mean?" the little rookie cried indignantly, fluttering his wings in frustration.

Dai exchanged a look with Dragermon, and turning back towards the little rookie he said impatiently, "What do you want? I'm kind of busy here."

"Didn't you hear what I just said? You humans must have incredibly low attention spans."

"Oh, you mean the part about me not leaving? Er...don't take this the wrong way, little guy, but was that supposed to be some sort of a threat?"

"Laugh all you want about my size, but if you don't do what I say then you're going to be in a lot of trouble!" the little rookie warned, smiling triumphantly at his own boldness.

Frowning sightly, Dai said slowly, "So...you're working for them, are you?"

"Took you long enough to figure it out! My name is DemiDevimon, and I was ordered to keep _you_ in line, Daichi Motomiya!"

"Really. Wow, I'm _so_ scared."

"You'd better be because if you think I'm going to let my master down, forget it!" DemiDevimon snapped, settling himself on the edge of a large boulder blocking the path up ahead, his large eyes narrowing into angry sits.

_He's definitely brave, I'll give him that much, though I wouldn't say he's very smart. I mean, _come on_, does he really think he can beat us?_

Shaking his head in amusement, Dai turned to Dragermon and said, "Hey, didn't Tai and his friends have to deal with an evil little DemiDevimon?"

"Yes, they did. Do you think this might be the same one?"

"Can't be. If I recall, that other DemiDevimon was _eaten_ by VenomMyotismon. Well, kind of. You know what I mean."

"Even so, that DemiDevimon could have been reconfigured and the little guy we're dealing with now is the result."

Dai scrutinized the little rookie in front of him for a moment, and letting out a loud snort he said, "I don't think so. That little DemiDevimon was a bit more crafty than this little guy."

"Hey, I can be sneaky when I want to be!" DemiDevimon protested, hopping up and down on one foot and angrily fluttering his wings.

"Yeah right. You're not acting shady at all. You're just a big whiner, and no offence, but I don't have time to deal with you right now."

"You must be the spy who was sent to follow us," Dragermon interrupted, frowning suspiciously at the little rookie. "It seams our suspicions were correct."

"So what if I am?" DemiDevimon shot back, his tone indicating it didn't matter to him whether or not they knew the truth. "And just so you know, I'm not the only one who was ordered to spy on you and your friends, but unlike Spritemon, I don't care about Vampiramon's orders."

Dai glanced at the rookie in surprise, and crossing his arms over his chest he said, "Are you telling me Spritemon was with you earlier? If that's true, then where the heck is she now?"

"Beats me. If she actually listened to me earlier then I'd assume she's still watching the Ishida boy and the rest of your lame friends. The only reason I left was to follow you. You're going to pay for trying to mess up our plans!"

"So...the two of you were watching us the whole time?"

"Pretty much," DemiDevimon cackled, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "We arrived on the scene after your little girlfriend was stolen, and I have to say I haven't had this much fun in forever! You Digidestined sure know how to put on a good show!"

_My...girlfriend?_

Dai felt his cheeks turn pink, and glaring at the little rookie he snapped, "What do you know, you little twerp! Wait a minute, are you saying Spritemon's still following my friends?"

"I would assume so. Then again, I'm just a rookie and Spritemon's never been good at following orders."

Shooting quickly to his feet, Dai turned to look at his partner, and eyes growing wide he gasped, "Dragermon, you don't think our friends are in trouble, do you?"

"If Spritemon has decided to attack them, they could be."

_No...If...if anything happens to them, it'll be all my fault..._

"If Spritemon has decided to go after your friends, don't you think it would be best to join them again?" DemiDevimon said coyly, and evil smile flitting across his small face.

Dai scowled at the little rookie, and shaking his head he snapped, "You're just trying to trick me, and I'm not going to let you get away with it! How dumb do you think I am?"

_Then again_..._if Spritemon does attack my friends and they get hurt, it'll be all my fault because I wasn't there to protect them..._

"Don't tell me you're giving up on your friends!" DemiDevimon snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. "I have to admit, I expected better from the leader of the Digidestined."

_There's only one reason why Spritemon would attack my friends. It's because I left the group. It really is all my fault. If I had stayed, she might have decided to stay in hiding, at least for a little while longer...but can I trust DemiDevimon? What if Spritemon wasn't spying on us at all? What if DemiDevimon is our only spy and Spritemon is really waiting for us at the top of Infinity Mountain with Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon? Tai and his friends all trusted a little DemiDevimon and look what happened to them. I can't make the same mistake. I just don't know..._

"Well?" DemiDevimon demanded.

Dai stared at the little rookie for a moment, and clenching his hands into fists he said suspiciously, "Why do you really want me to join up with my friends again?""

Making a face, the little rookie grumbled, "I promised DarkAngelicmon I wouldn't let you guys split up and you're trying to make me break my promise!"

Dai froze, and remembering DemiDevimon's earlier outburst about Vampiramon he said uncertainly, "You mean...you're not following Vampiramon's orders? I thought she was the little leader of your operation!"

"DarkAngelicmon's orders are more important than Vampiramon's!" DemiDevimon shot back, angrily ruffling his wings. "I mean, of course Vampiramon's orders are important, but DarkAngelicmon...he's counting on me. He personally requested my assistance. I can't let him down! I promised him..."

_Wow, this little guy must think pretty highly of DarkAngelicmon. I wonder why..._

"You seem quite fond of DarkAngelicmon, DemiDevimon," Dragermon said seriously, obviously picking up on the little rookie's enthusiasm. "Why is that?"

"He's a great master, unlike Vampiramon, whose always punishing us, even if we haven't done anything wrong! DarkAngelicmon never punishes us, unless he has a reason to, and wait... why am I even telling you all of this? You're supposed to be joining up with your friends again!"

Ignoring the little rookie, Dai said softly to himself, "Why? I don't get it. Why does DarkAngelicmon want us all to stick together so badly?"

"Beats me," DemiDevimon replied, tilting his head to one side. "I'm just following orders."

"Dai?" Dragermon asked quietly, lifting his head and pulling himself to his feet.

Dai gently patted his digimon's neck, and pointing towards the peak he said, "Come on, we should get moving. Takara needs us!"

"Dai..."

"But...but what about the rest of your friends?" DemiDevimon protested. "Besides, the Kamiya girl's fine."

Dai gave the little rookie a dirty look, and rolling his eyes he snorted, "As if I'm going to believe that."

"I'll...I'll stop you!" DemiDevimon cried, moving quickly to block the road leading to the peak of Infinity Mountain.

_No...don't make me do it..._

"If you get in our way, we'll be forced to stop you," Dragermon warned.

"Do your worst! I'm not afraid of you!"

Dragermon solemnly bowed his head, and spreading his large wings he murmured, "Dai, it looks like we have no choice."

"I know, but..."

"Dai?"

_He's so little...It just doesn't seem fair..._

"Dai, are you listening?" Dragermon said gently, his emerald green eyes growing dark and serious.

Letting out a soft sound of despair, and turning his back on the little rookie, Dai squeezed his eyes shut and said quietly, "Do it!"

"Huh?" DemiDevimon gasped, "Do wh-"

"Dragon Fire Spin!"

Dai turned around just in time to see DemiDevimon avoid the large stream of fire shooting out of Dragermon's mouth, and crying out the little rookie shouted, "Hey, you're not playing fair! Take this! Demi Darts!"

Not being the fastest rookie, though he certainly wasn't the slowest, DemiDevimon aimed his attack right at Dragermon's head, but luckily the large champion was able to move his head in time to avoid the attack, despite his size, and taking advantage of the little rookie's surprise he once again shouted, "Dragon Fire Spin!"

This time, DemiDevimon wasn't so lucky. Unable to fly out of the way fast enough, the little rookie was engulfed in flames, and tumbling out of the sky, he landed on the ground with a loud thud, streams of smoke swirling up into the air from his singed body.

"Finish it, Dragermon," Dai ordered, once again turning his back on the little rookie, unable to watch.

_Kara, Ryoko, Sam, Matty, Mickey...I'm sorry. You guys are never going to forgive me..._

Beside him, Dragermon turned back into his rookie form, and shaking his head he said quietly, "I am no Vampiramon. I will end this fairly, though...I believe it's already too late for that."

"You...can't...leave," DemiDevimon gasped, his voice just barely above a whisper.

Unable to respond, Daichi clapped his hands over his eyes, and behind him he heard Embermon shout, "Ember Blaze!"

There was silence.

_Courage. What is real courage? I don't have it at all. I'm not like you, Tai. I'm not like my dad. I'm not like Kara. I'm not the leader I should be..._

"Come on, Dai, we need to get moving," Embermon said quietly, coming up suddenly beside him. "You said you wanted to fly about three quarters of the way up the mountain, right? I'll digivolve back into Dragermon and that way we can start putting our plan into action."

Dai hesitated, and slowly turning around he let out a soft cry before once again putting his face in his hands.

DemiDevimon was gone.

"Dai," Embermon insisted, "we need to hurry. Unless you've changed your mind. Are you sure you don't want to join up with Tai and the others again?"

"No, I...they'll be fine. My dad and Tai will look after them. Kara needs us."

"If you're sure, let's go then."

Feeling a sudden overwhelming wave of emotion wash over him, Daichi quickly climbed onto his newly digivolved partner's back, and burying his face against the large champion's neck, he tried unsuccessfully to swallow a huge lump in his throat.

_Please, Dad. Tai...watch over my friends. If we fail, it'll be all my fault..._


	182. True Strength

Disclaimer: I don't own...oh forget it! I'm so tired of doing the disclaimer! Ryoko, get over here!

Ryoko: What? I'm kind of busy here.

BA: Er...wrong choice. Mickey!

Mickey: Yes?

BA: Will you please do the disclaimer for me?

Mickey: Of course! Don't mind Ryoko, he's just in a bad mood. Okay, Broken Angel01 does not own Digimon! But, she does own us, but I don't mind.

Dai: *snorts*

BA: Moving on! New chapter!

A/N: Really, do I need one after that?

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 182: True Strength

_Tai Kamiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"So, you're the one who has been watching us! News flash, Spritemon, but you make a lousy spy!" Matty shouted, glaring at the female mega.

"If you think we're going to let you tell us what to do, forget it!" Ryoko snapped, shaking his head in disgust.

Tai expected Spritemon to get angry, but surprisingly, instead of throwing a fit, she merely smiled and said, "You all think you're so smart, but really you have no idea what's going on. I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed. How do you fools expect to save your precious Takara when you can't even keep track of your own leader? How pathetic!"

"You're one to talk," Alopemon snorted, his pale blue fir bristling at the insult. "Ryoko, we don't have time for this."

"I know, but..."

"Tai, what should we do?" Agumon asked quietly, lowering his voice in an effort to prevent Spritemon from overhearing their conversation.

Shaking his head, Tai took a small step towards the female mega, and crossing his arms over his chest he said cheerfully, "We don't know what's going on, do we? If that's true then why don't you explain to us exactly what you're planning?"

_Dai, hang on. We're coming, I promise._

For a moment, Spritemon merely stared at him in disbelief, and angrily fluttering her wings she snapped, "Do I look that stupid to you?"

"Do you really want us to answer that?" Matt smirked, smiling in amusement.

"Quiet, you! It's simple really. My orders were to keep you all together, and that's all you need to know. Daichi may have left, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let the rest of you split up to go looking for him. We can't afford to have a bunch of Digidestined crawling all over Infinity Mountain, which means I'm going to have to put you all in your place! You know what they say. Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. You fools aren't so smart now, are you!"

"In other words, you're afraid if we split up, we'll be able to steal the Spirit Chip of Bravery right out from under your nose," Kari interrupted, ignoring the female mega's attempts to insult them. "That's good to know. Even Vampiramon can't keep an eye on us if we're coming at her from all different directions. Or...is there another reason why you don't want us to split up?"

"What do you mean?" Spritemon asked suspiciously, frowning at the female Digidestined.

"DarkAngelicmon," Mickey whispered. "He knows. He understands. Without us, Dai might not make it..."

_Mickey...could he possibly suspect the truth?_

Reaching out to place a hand on his nephew's shoulder, Tai said quietly, "Mickey...I..."

"Uncle, I don't know what's going on with you, and I don't know what happened in the past, but I do know Dai needs us badly," Mickey said softly, his amber eyes growing dark and shadowy. "Anyone with enough common sense knows the risks of giving in to despair. Everyone is vulnerable to darkness, even Dai, which means if he gives up on himself, he might not be able to get his Spirit Chip. That much I know is certain, and it...it scares me."

_It scares me too, Mickey._

"Uncle, what's really going on?"

Tai gazed into his nephew's amber eyes for a moment, and pasting what he hoped was a reassuring smile on his face he said quietly, "I think Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon must have different reasons for wanting to keep us all together."

"Huh?"

_To protect themselves or to protect Dai. The difference is so obvious. Why couldn't I see it before? They know Dai can't become a victim of the darkness if he wants to get his Spirit Chip, but DarkAngelicmon is the only one who seems to understand that in order to remain free from the darkness, Dai is going to need the help of his friends. We're the key, not so much Dai himself..._

"Answer me!" Spritemon snapped, her brown eyes narrowing into angry slits. "Why do you question my motives?"

_DarkAngelicmon, I don't get it. What is it you hope to achieve? What is your real reason for wanting the Spirit Chips so badly, you'd even risk yourself to make sure Dai overcomes the darkness within himself?_

"We're not questioning _your _motives," Joe informed the female mega. "You've made it pretty clear why you're here."

Scowling at the cobalt-haired Digidestined, Spritemon snapped, "If you think you can distract me from carrying out my orders then I must warn you, you are sadly mistaken. If I have to, I'll destroy all of your digimon and then I'll drag you all up the mountain myself! Once your annoying little leader reaches the peak, Vampiramon can deal with him, which I'm sure she'll enjoy. As for me, I'm not going to let all of you cause trouble, nor am I going to let you ruin my master's plan. Now then, are you all going to come with me quietly, or am I going to have to beat you into submission?"

"What do you think?" Noriko snapped, pulling out her Digivice.

Spreading her wings, Spritemon quickly hopped onto the ground next to Angelicmon, and pointing her finger at Noriko she said calmly, "Is that how it's going to be? Well then, prepare yourselves, Digidestined, and know this to be true. In the name of my master, the Ruler of Darkness, your digimon will die here today!"

"All of you, digivolve now!" Matt shouted.

"Let's hurry, Sam!" Glowmon cried, leaping into the air. "Glowmon digivolve to, Dracomon!"

"Alopemon digivolve to, Tirimon!"

"Gomamon digivolve to, Ikkakumon!"

"Veemon digivolve to, ExVeemon!"

"Penguinmon digivolve to, Sabirdramon!"

"Agumon warp-digivolve to, WarGreymon!"

"Gabumon warp-digivolve to, MetalGarurumon!"

"Arctic Blast!" Tirimon shouted, a stream of ice encased in pale blue light shooting from his mouth.

Doing a back-flip, Spritemon easily avoided the attack by landing on a large rock just behind Angewomon, and realizing Tirimon's attack was heading straight towards her, the female angel quickly leaped to one side, the blast just missing her right wings.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to defeat me!"

"We've only just gotten started. Dragon Stingers!" Dracomon shouted, launching himself into the air and sending a volley of glowing purple needles straight at Spritemon.

Once again, the little mega dodged the attack, and landing on a small ledge above ExVeemon's head she said, "You really are a bunch of fools! Do you honestly think I was the only spy who was sent here to keep tabs on you?"

"What do you mean?" MetalGarurumon growled, exchanging a look with Tirimon.

"There are a lot of eyes following us today it seems," Gabrielmon murmured, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the forest.

Tai frowned in confusion, but before he could ask the celestial digimon what was up, Spritemon suddenly laughed and said, "Even now as we speak, your little leader is being followed by my companion, which doesn't bode well for all of you. If Daichi makes it to the top of the mountain on his own, Vampiramon will surely teach him a lesson, but if he doesn't make it, you'll know my companion has done his job properly."

For a moment, all Tai could do was stare at the little mega, and feeling his heart leap into his throat he said quietly, "You wouldn't dare hurt Dai. Your master needs him just as much as we do."

"Oh, you're right, of course. _I _wouldn't hurt Daichi, but I cannot speak for the rest of my colleges," Spritemon smirked, smiling in amusement. "It's true my master has a use for Daichi, but you know Vampiramon. She has a pretty nasty temper, and even BlackWidowmon and Jestermon have been known to fly off the handle once in a while. In other words, Daichi's spy might have a hard time keeping his temper in check."

"It's Jestermon, isn't it! He's the one who's following Dai!" Mickey cried, his hands clenching into tight fists.

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there!" Spritemon shot back, glaring at the older twin. "If you want to protect your leader and keep him safe, all you have to do is come with me. I'll lead you to Daichi in no time, and then all of you annoying little humans can make your way to the top of the mountain together like you're supposed to. As it stands now, I can't guarantee Daichi's safety. The choice is yours, Digidestined. Fight me and face the consequences, or come with me like a good little flock of sheep. What's it going to be?"

"I believe we've already given you our answer," Angewomon said coldly, fluttering into the air and aiming her bow straight at the female mega. "Do you honestly expect us to trust you?"

"You can't keep Dai safe," WarGreymon growled, launching himself into the air. "This is all just some trick of yours and we're not going to fall for it!"

"Enough talk. We're not going to let you stand in the way of our mission to find Dai!" Angelicmon snapped, fluttering into the air to join Angewomon, Gabrielmon right behind him. "We don't need your help! Celestial Star!"

"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon shouted, letting loose her glowing arrow.

"Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon cried, a huge orange blast erupting from the staff in his hand.

Sensing the three attacks coming straight towards her, Spritemon quickly leaped into the air again, and diving towards the ground, all three attacks missed her by several feet.

Yellow and orange light exploded against the cliff the little mega had been standing on, and Angewomon's glowing pink arrow disappeared on impact. The force of their blasts was so powerful, a piece of the cliff broke off, sending an avalanche of debris raining down from the mountain above the battle field.

Motioning for the rest of the Digidestined to take cover, Tai quickly flattened himself against the ground, his arms going over his head to protect himself from the worst of the debris.

"Careful, guys!" Kari warned, her arms going around Mickey and Sam to protect them from the debris.

"What are we going to do, Tai?" Dovemon wailed, burying her face against his shoulder. "She's too fast. All of my friends' attacks are missing and Spritemon's not even as fast as Vampiramon!"

"She's right," Joe said slowly, sitting up and pointing his finger at Spritemon. "It looks like they weren't kidding when they said they were going to start showing us their real power."

Tai nodded in agreement, and leaping to his feet he said firmly, "Then I guess it's time we started showing them what our digimon can really do! WarGreymon!"

"I'm on it! Terra Force!"

Circling above Spritemon, WarGreymon directed his huge fiery ball of energy at the little mega's back and looking up in surprise, Spritemon quickly leaped into the air again, trying unsuccessfully to avoid the attack. Having been caught off guard, WarGreymon's blast engulfed her in a ball of fire, but when the smoke cleared, there wasn't a single scratch on her body.

If anything, she looked bored, and there was a slight smirk on her face. "You call this a fight? I expected better from you, WarGreymon. You are a mega, after all."

"I don't believe it!" Noriko gasped. "It didn't even faze her!"

"I think...we're in big trouble," Davis said slowly, shaking his head in disbelief. "ExVeemon!"

"All of you, attack all at once!" Matt shouted, his sapphire eyes narrowing in concentration. "She can't avoid every blast when they're coming at her from all directions!"

"You think so?" Spritemon said coyly, raising her eyebrows. "If you're sure then prove it! Hit me with your best shot!"

"You asked for it!" ExVeemon shouted, leaping into the air and planting his fist into the female mega's lower back.

Whirling around to face the champion, Spritemon kicked him in the stomach, and shoving the small weapon equipped to her right gauntlet into his face she snapped, "Fairy Cannon!"

A huge green ball of energy exploded into ExVeemon's face and falling backwards he shouted, "Vee Laser!"

Easily avoiding the dragon digimon's blast, Spritemon fired another green ball of energy at ExVeemon, this one from her left gauntlet, hitting him in the chest, and crying out in pain, the large champion slammed into the rocky ground below, stirring up a cloud of dust.

"Try avoiding this attack!" Ikkakumon shouted. "Harpoon Torpedo!"

"Take this!" Sabirdramon cried. "Nitro Arrow!"

In response to Ikkakumon's challenge, Spritemon dived beneath the champion's attack, but she wasn't fast enough to avoid Sabirdramon's arrows. Two of the bird digimon's black arrows pierced her side, but instead of crying out in pain she merely pulled the arrows free form her body, looking completely unfazed.

"Your attacks are worthless against me! Fairy Cannon!" Spritemon snarled, letting loose another green blast from her right gauntlet, this one directed at Sabirdramon.

Two more green blasts followed in quick succession, careening into Sabirdramon's right wing, and unable to stay airborne, the bird digimon quickly dropped into a steep dive, heading straight towards Spritemon. "Mach Shadow!"

Slamming into the ground on her back, Spritemon quickly threw up her arms to protect her body from Sabirdramon's sharp beak and long talons, and rolling to the side, she launched another green blast at Sabirdramon, this one hitting the bird digimon directly in the eyes.

Crying out, Sabirdramon tried to launch himself into the air again, but before he could make it very far Spritemon screamed, "Pixie Dust!"

A shower of green dust exploded out of the little mega's body, completely engulfing Sabirdramon in a cloud of green sparkles, and crying out in pain, the bird digimon quickly reverted back into his rookie form, his energy completely drained.

"No, Penguinmon!" Noriko gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror.

"Ikkakumon!" Joe called out, holding out his crest. "This fight is going to be even harder than I thought. You'd better digivolve again."

"Right! Ikkakumon digivolve to, Zudomon!"

"I don't get it, normally the green blasts from Spritemon's guns are small, and they combine to from one big blast, but this time she's shooting her blasts separately from each gun and they're huge!" Matty cried, his voice trembling with fear. "This must be her true strength and it's even greater than it was the last time we fought her!"

"And even then she kept insisting she was using her full strength," Matt said quietly, his eyebrows narrowing into a deep frown. "Obviously she still had some in reserve. Both her power and her strength are enormous. There seems to be no limit to the energy she possesses."

"We just barely stood up to her the last time. If this keeps up our digimon are done for!" Matty moaned, covering his face with his hands.

Frowning slightly, Tai gave his nephew's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and turning to his partner he shouted, "WarGreymon, we have to stop her! Whatever you do, don't let her drain your energy!"

"Help him out, MetalGarurumon!" Matt added.

"You too, Zudomon," Joe called out.

"We're not done yet, Matty," Ryoko said firmly, his sapphire eyes sparkling with determination. "You can't give up so easily."

"We'll win. We _have _to," Sam whispered, almost to himself.

"Get her surrounded!" MetalGarurumon shouted, shooting into the air and taking advantage of his ability to fly, "Giga Missile!"

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon growled, joining MetalGarurumon in the air and sending his fiery blast in the female mega's direction.

Slamming his hammer into the ground, Zudomon shouted, "My turn. Vulcan's Hammer!"

All three attacks came at Spritemon from different angles, and rolling her eyes the female mega snorted, "Is that all you've got?"

"It's no use, our attacks aren't going to hit her!" Joe groaned, shaking his head in despair.

At first, Tai was confused, but watching Spritemon drop to a lower altitude, he could see that the cobalt-haired Digidestined was right. In the air above his head, all three of their digimon's attacks exploded together on impact, completely missing the little mega.

"Too slow!" Spritemon smirked, rising up into the air again. "Pixie Dust!"

Twirling around, a cloud of green dust exploded from her body, surrounding WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon and raining down upon Zudomon's head.

"Too strong. My energy is being depleted," WarGreymon groaned, falling backwards out of the sky and crashing somewhere down the mountain two levels below the battle field. MetalGarurumon landed near the edge of the cliff with a crash, nearly falling on top of Kari, Sam, and Matty, and doing his best to stay upright, Zudomon attempted to use his Vulcan's Hammer attack a second time, without any results.

Because of his lack of strength, the destructive wave of energy from his hammer was too wide, missing Spritemon by several feet, and with an echoing crash, his attack slammed into the side of the cliff, causing another avalanche of rock and debris.

"Come on, we must help them!" Dracomon ordered, motioning for ExVeemon and the angels to follow him."If we don't stop Spritemon soon, we'll either lose all our energy or the mountain will come crashing down on our partners' heads!"

"Let's move! Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon shouted, darting in behind Spritemon, a blast of orange light erupting from his staff.

"Litany Spear!" Angelicmon cried, taking aim with his glowing spear and throwing it at Spritemon like a javelin.

Gabrielmon's blast hit the female mega in the back, but she was able to recover fast enough to avoid Angelicmon's spear, which sailed harmlessly past her left ear.

"Your energy won't last forever! Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon shouted, aiming straight for Spritemon's heart.

"Now, Dracomon!" ExVeemon ordered, leaping into the air. "From both sides. Vee Laser!"

"Lighting Spark!"

Twisting to avoid Angewomon's arrow, Spritemon quickly back flipped out of the air, once again diving towards the ground, and glaring at the group of digimon surrounding her she snapped, "I won't be taken down so easily! Fairy Cannon!"

Her first green blast hit Angelicmon in the ribs, sending him crashing back down to the ground, and it was followed by a series of even more powerful green blasts that took out the rest of the digimon attacking her one by one.

Dracomon and ExVeemon slammed against the wall of the cliff with a thud, and Gabrielmon and Angewomon landed on a ledge just above the two fallen champions.

"Now what?" Mickey wailed, gazing anxiously at his partner.

"Now, you do what I say!" Spritemon cried triumphantly, rising once more into the air and twirling around in a circle. "Pixie Dust!"

Once again, green sparks erupted from her body, raining down onto the battle field, and groaning Angelicmon moaned, "Can't...hold...on..."

"We're...going to be...rookies," Dracomon gasped.

"Sorry, Davis," ExVeemon muttered, his eyes falling closed.

_No! We can't lose! We have to find Dai! WarGreymon..._

It was almost as if the mega had heard his thoughts because all of a sudden WarGreymon erupted into the air from somewhere down below, and lifting his arms he shouted, "Terra Force!"

Startled by the mega's sudden appearance, Spritemon wasn't able to dodge the blast in time, and letting out a gasp of surprise, she slammed into the cliff wall, her entire body disappearing in a ball of fire.

"I'd like to see her get up now! Giga Missile!" MetalGarurumon growled, appearing suddenly in the air next to WarGreymon and shooting his artillery at the cliff wall for good measure.

Sitting up, Angewomon waved to the two megas, and smiling she said, "You're just in time. That was a close call."

"Yeah, nice timing!" ExVeemon called out, nodding his head in approval. "We were nearly turned back into rookies!"

"Tai! Davis! I think we need to get out of here!" Noriko suddenly cried, picking up Penguinmon and pointing towards the cliff. "Look!"

"Oh no! The entire ledge above us is starting to crumble!" Dovemon cried, anxiously fluttering her wings.

Holding the little bird digimon tightly in his arms, Tai quickly looked to where Noriko was pointing, and feeling his heart leap into this throat he said quickly, "We've got more problems than just the mountain falling on our heads. Spritemon's already recovering from the blasts. It looks like WarGreymon's attack didn't even faze her and the same goes for MetalGarurumon's attack!"

"Tai, we need to get out of here." Kari said firmly, repeating Noriko's words. "There's no way we're going to win this battle in our current condition, and if we stay here any longer we're going to get buried in an avalanche!"

"But, where will we go? If we all try to find Dai, she'll just follow us!" Sam protested.

Tai frowned thoughtfully at the raven-haired Digidestined, but before he could say anything Spritemon suddenly zoomed out of the crater her body had left behind in the side of the cliff, and brown eyes blazing with anger she snapped, "You're gong to pay for that! Fairy Cannon!"

"Mickey, look out!" Kari shrieked, racing towards her son.

Unfortunately the female Digidestined was too far away form her son to reach him in time, but luckily Matt was standing right beside the older twin, and reacting instantly to Kari's screams he pushed his nephew out of the way just seconds before the green blast would have hit the older twin right in the head.

"Mickey, are you okay?" Matty cried, racing over to his brother and placing a hand on the older twin's arm.

Though he was trembling badly in Matt's arms, Mickey managed a quick smile and a firm nod. Giving Matty a reassuring pat on the back, he said softly, "I'm okay."

"Tai, Kari and Noriko are right! We need to get out of here now!" Matt snapped, holding Mickey protectively against his chest.

"You're not going anywhere!" Spritemon shrieked, once again taking aim with her weapons. "Fairy Cannon!"

"Tai!" Kari screamed.

Diving behind a large rock, Tai quickly covered his head as a shower of green sparks exploded into the bolder, almost cracking it in two, and leaping to his feet he shouted, "Get out of here, all of you! Ryoko, Matty, come with me. We'll look for Dai. The rest of you split up and get your digmon to fly you out of here. Spritemon can't follow us all at once! We'll meet up again when we get to the top of the mountain."

"Well, it worked before, why not this time too?" Matty said cheerfully, trying to smile.

"Matt, Mickey, you guys come with me," Kari ordered, motioning for them to follow her.

"That means Joe, Sam, and Noriko, you guys come with me," Davis shouted. "Let's split!"

_I hope this works..._

Racing towards WarGreymon, Ryoko and Matty on his heels, Tai shouted, "Remember to keep heading towards the peak! We all need to be there for Dai to have any hope at all of getting his Spirit Chip!"

"Don't worry, Tai, Matt and I will be there," Joe shouted, waving in response. "We haven't forgotten that Dai needs our crests."

"We'll all be there!" Kari said firmly, nodding her head for emphasis. "Be careful, Tai!"

"Tai!" WarGreymon shouted, diving towards him.

Holding tightly to Dovemon and scooping up Alopemon, who had just reverted back to his rookie form, Tai quickly hopped onto his partner's shoulder, and a moment later he was joined by Matty and Ryoko, whom Angelicmon had scooped up and dropped onto WarGreymon's other shoulder.

"We're ready. Lead the way, WarGreymon," Angelicmon ordered.

"Right!"

They waited just long enough to see that Kari's group had made it safely onto MetalGarurumon's back, and that Dracomon and ExVeemon had picked up Joe, Davis, Noriko, Sam, Gomamon, and Penguinmon, and flying off in three different directions, they left Spritemon trying to avoid the sudden avalanche of rocks cascading down the side of the mountain.

_Be careful, guys. If anyting happens to any of you..._

"Uncle, do you think Mickey and the others will be okay?" Matty mumbled, glancing anxiously over his shoulder.

Climbing his way over to the two boys and ruffling his nephew's golden hair, Tai said quietly, "They'll be fine, Matty. Right now we need to focus on rescuing Dai."

"Whatever he's doing," Ryoko muttered.

_Dai...whatever you do, please don't do anything you'll regret..._


	183. A Glimpse of the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. (I'll give my crew of characters a break this time!)

A/N: Well, not much to say here other than the fact that the pieces of the puzzle and the mystery surrounding the past are going to start coming together. This is just a first little glimpse! Oh yes, and you must review today! It's my birthday and I want some nice gifts! And this chapter is my present to all of you!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 183: A Glimpse of the Past

_DarkAngelicmon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Lifting his face to the sun shining brilliantly in the distance, DarkAngelicmon frowned thoughtfully at a passing cloud, its pure white, fluffy surface immediately capturing his attention, and upon gazing at the cloud a second time, instead of merely looking like an indistinguishable mound of cotton candy, it began to resemble what looked remarkably like the wings of an angel.

And not just any angel.

_Lucemon...Even if the Ruler of Darkness were to succeed, even if everything I've worked so hard to achieve finally becomes a reality, instead of being merely a fantasy or a dream, will you never cease to haunt me? I have failed you, my old friend, but perhaps with the powers of a mega, I will finally be able to protect you..._

Shaking his head at his own confusing thoughts, DarkAngelicmon turned slightly to gaze in the direction of the forest, and sensing Lucemon's presence, he felt a small shiver race down his spine.

_Such sad eyes..._

Despite his efforts to ignore the prickling sensation in his spine, he could almost feel Lucemon's pale blue eyes watching him from the forest, and nervously fluttering his wings, he felt something begin to stir ever so slightly within the depths of his heart. It was something he couldn't explain, and yet the feeling was so powerful, it almost overwhelmed him.

_Could it be? Is that what I had been trying to do? Lucemon, had I been trying to...protect you? But...if so...from what? Who would want to hurt an innocent rookie?_

_**"Angelicmon, please don't do this! I'm begging you!"**_

_**"We have no other choice. You know better than anyone how powerful Daemon is. For the sake of the entire Digital World, we must defeat him!"**_

_**"But..."**_

_**"Do you not see what is going on? If Daemon succeeds in his quest to achieve what his master could not, the efforts of the Digidestined who have come to this world to help us will have been in vain! They worked so hard to protect our world and if we fail them..."**_

_**"I know, but...Angelicmon, the World of Darkness is a dangerous place! To fight behind the Wall of Fire...If you don't come back, I...I'll..."**_

_**"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."**_

_**"No! Don't you see? The World of Darkness...it changes humans and digimon alike. If you go there..."**_

_**"Luciamon and I have made up our minds. As the leaders of the resistance, we must stop Daemon's forces before they manage to break free completely."**_

_**"Wait! If you're going then I'm coming with you!"**_

_**"Out of the question."**_

_**"Nothing you say is going to make me change my mind!"**_

_**"To become one of **_**them?**_** Is that what you want?"**_

_**"No! I...please, let me fight by your side!"**_

_**"Lucemon..."**_

_**"I couldn't bear staying behind. Please! I...we should have asked Gennai and the Four Guardians for assistance..."**_

_**"It's too late for that now."**_

_**"All this to protect the Digidestined? All this to protect me? Angelicmon, I..."**_

Jerking up straight in surprise, DarkAngelicmon let out a small gasp, his right hand coming to rest gently against his heart.

_I remember now! Daemon had a master, a master whose plans had failed. During the war, Daemon tried to resurrect his master's old plans. In the end, he even went so far as to threaten us by claiming he would set his master free. The Ruler of Darkness. It all makes sense now! The digimon Takahiro Kuroki, his partner Kibomon, and his friends defeated...The first digimon to have ever come out from behind the Wall of Fire. It was GranDracmon, the Ruler of Darkness. The King of Vampires. And his plan, Daemon's plans...The Seven Demon Lords...So...that is the secret behind your past, Tal...How could I have not seen it before? It was so obvious. The name, the Ruler of Darkness, it was the key the whole time..._

Which meant, his suspicions from earlier were correct. The digimon Tal defeated and the digimon now claiming to be the Ruler of Darkness were indeed _not _the same digimon because, as DarkAngelicmon knew only too well, his master's true name was _not _GranDracmon.

_And if my master isn't the original Ruler of Darkness then...who is he? Where did he come from? I can't remember..._

"Honestly, humans are so slow. How long does it take to climb a mountain?" BlackWidowmon complained, her sudden outburst shattering the silence that had descended upon the peak of Infinity Mountain. "And we're just waiting for them to reach the halfway point, never mind the top! At this rate, it'll be a whole week before the humans finally manage to reach the Spirit Chip!"

"Quit your whining," Jestermon cackled, juggling his set of black spheres in a lazy arc above his head. "Waiting is half the fun. We don't want the game to be over _too_ quickly. It would make stealing the Spirit Chip hardly worth the effort."

"This isn't a game!" Vampiramon snapped, glaring angrily at the court jester. "I must admit, though, BlackWidowmon does have a point. The Digidestined _are _taking rather longer than necessary to reach the halfway point of the mountain, which doesn't bode well for us. I would've thought DemiDevimon would be back by now with some information for us."

_Indeed, something about this situation seems...out of place..._

Feeling suddenly uneasy, DarkAngelicmon quickly made his way over to Takara's side, and crouching next to the female Digidestined he said quietly, "Kara, may I see your D-Coder?"

For a moment, Takara merely stared at him in silence, her bottom lip trembling and her hazel eyes sparkling with fear, and placing her D-Coder carefully in his hand she whispered, "It's bad. Oh, Dai..."

Gazing at the glowing dots twinkling back at him on the screen, DarkAngelicmon couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Daichi Motomiya's shining red dot appeared to have separated itself from the rest of the group, and not only that, it looked as if the rest of the Digidestined had separated themselves into approximately three groups.

In other words, they were in serious trouble.

_Daichi, you disappoint me, but I figured something like this would happen. Now you must rely on your friends, as I suspected all along would be the case. The question is, will you listen to their words of wisdom or will you give in to the darkness that plagues your heart and clouds your judgement?_

"DarkAngelicmon, what's going on?" Vampiramon snapped, appearing suddenly by his left shoulder, nearly causing him to jump in surprise.

"Something is wrong."

"What do you mean there's something wrong? Answer me!"

Lifting his chin to gaze up at the female mega he said quietly, "It appears Spritemon has failed us."

"What?" Vampiramon snapped, snatching Kara's D-Coder out of his hand and frowning suspiciously at its glowing surface. "You don't mean..."

"See for yourself."

Gazing incredulously at the glowing dot representing Daichi Motomiya, she said in disbelief, "Has he completely lost his mind? What _is_ that fool trying to do? He can't seriously think he'll be able to beat us, rescue the girl, _and_ get his Spirit Chip all on his own!"

"Even if you _are _right, you don't have to put it like that," Takara sniffed, glaring indignantly at the vampire digimon.

Knowing instinctively what needed to be done, DarkAngelicmon quickly leaped to his feet, his hand reaching out to snatch Takara's Digivice from Vampiramon's hands, and glancing once more at the D-Coder's glowing surface he quickly handed it back to the female Digidestined, earning himself a grateful smile from the young human at his feet and a nasty glare from Vampiramon.

Returning the female Digidestined's smile, he quickly turned on his heel, his gaze coming to rest on Vampiramon, and frowning at the female mega he said firmly, "This situation must be resolved. Wait for me here. Once the problem is fixed, I will return immediately."

"And just where do you think you're going?" Vampiramon demanded, her hands on her hips. "In case you've forgotten, I make the orders around here! You're not allowed to so much a breath unless I say so!"

Ignoring the female mega, DarkAngelicmon quickly moved towards the edge of the cliff, intending to launch himself into the air, but before he could even spread his wings, a pair of small human arms suddenly flung themselves around his waist, stopping him in his tracks.

"No! You can't leave!" Takara wailed, burying her face against his lower back. "Please, don't leave me here with them!"

"Do you want Dai to succeed in overcoming the darkness in his heart, or not?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then I must leave. I do not know what has become of Spritemon or DemiDevimon, but your friends may need help. If Daichi drifts too far way from them, all will be lost."

"But-"

Turning to face the female Digidestined, DarkAngelicmon gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, and gently patting the top of her head he said quietly, "You will be safe here for the moment."

"How can you say that? They want to kill me!" Takara mumbled, hiding her face against his stomach.

Letting out a deep sigh, DarkAngelicmon gently disentangled himself from the female Digidestined's arms, and leaping into the air he said seriously, "Not if they want to survives themselves, they won't. I'll be back shortly."

"How dare you!" Vampiramon shrieked, trying unsuccessfully to grab onto his foot. "Get back here right now, you fool!"

"In time. For now, I must be going. There is work to be done."

"Then you leave me no choice! Our master is going to hear about this and when he does you're going to be in serious trouble!"

Ignoring the female mega, DarkAngelicmon quickly fluttered out of reach, and leaving the peak of Infinity Mountain behind he proceeded to make his way towards the leader of the Digidestined.

_Vampiramon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Look at that! When angel boy gets an idea into his head he doesn't let anyone stand in his way! Not even our great and powerful master, the Ruler of Darkness himself!" Jestermon cackled, hopping up and down excitedly on his feet and nearly disrupting his juggling in the process. "This game has just gotten _much _more interesting."

"I must admit, he certainly has a way of capturing your attention. I like a digimon who knows how to get the job done," BlackWidowmon commented, nodding her head in approval. "Such style and flare. You could learn a thing or two from him, Vampiramon."

_Idiots!_

Glaring at the two megas lounging near the circle of rocks behind her and tugging angrily on her skirts she snapped, "If you two are done with your love fest over there, pay attention! DarkAngelicmon cannot be allowed to just do whatever he wants, and it's time he learned his lesson! I'm going after him."

"Huh? You are?" Jestermon said stupidly, dropping his black spheres in surprise.

"Good luck finding him," BlackWidowmon snorted. "If there's one thing DarkAngelicmon _can_ do well, it's knowing how to disappear when it's convenient for him and not so convenient for us."

"Even so, he must be stopped before he completely ruins our entire plan to steal the Spirit Chip! You two will remain here, and if any of the Digidestined reach the top of the mountain, capture them and detain them until we can get our hands on Daichi. If he somehow slips past myself or DarkAngelicmon and reaches the peak before the Digidestined, do not let him go anywhere near the Spirit Chip until I return. Understand?"

"We're on it," Jestermon replied, giving her a salute.

"And for goodness sake keep an eye on the Kamiya girl!"

Scowling, BlackWidowmon snapped, "You don't need to tell us that. What do you think we've been doing this whole time?"

"Not much, obviously."

"What about Spritemon and DemiDevimon?" Jestermon asked curiously.

"I'll deal with them later. That is, if they haven't gotten themselves deleted. If I don't meet up with Spritemon and she returns here, make sure she doesn't go running off again the same way DarkAngelicmon did."

"As you wish," BlackWidowmon replied, frowning slightly.

Turning on her heel, Vampiramon quickly changed herself into her bat form, and diving over the side of the cliff, she proceeded to make her way back down the side of the mountain.

_Lucemon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Lucemon? What is it, Lucemon?" MarineAngemon asked anxiously, concern in his voice. "Why do you have such a funny look on your face?"

Gazing intently at the peak of Infinity Mountain, Lucemon suddenly felt a small stab of fear in his heart, and leaping to his feet he gasped, "There's something wrong, MarineAngemon, I can feel it. I don't know exactly what's going on, but...we need to hurry."

"What? But...Lucemon, I thought we were supposed to stay out of sight."

"There's no time for that now! Angelicmon, his presence...It feels...different somehow. Something has changed. I can't say what, I don't know if it's good or bad, but I _feel _it. Come, MarineAngemon, I believe we have reached a turning point."

"W-wait! Hey, Lucemon, wait for me!"

Staying as low as possible to avoid being spotted by Hawkmon's group, Lucemon quickly made his way towards the base of the mountain, and glancing up towards the peak, he felt a small shiver race up and down his spine.

Although, from his position, he hadn't actually spotted anything out of the ordinary, he just _knew _there was something big happening, and whatever it was he had a feeling it was going to change everything, perhaps foretelling what was still to come and which way the tables would turn in the battle against the true nature of evil.

Not to mention he was pretty sure Hawkmon's group had seen something, since they had a different view of the mountain than he did, which would explain Gotsumon's cry of despair, which had been loud enough to reach the edge of the forest.

_Angelicmon...What's happening to you?  
_


	184. More Surprises

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm back again with another really, really lame short chapter, but I promise this will be the last one of that nature. My weird writer's block started to clear up after this one so I promise they'll be better. (Speaking of which, thank you to everyone who told me my chapters haven't been as lame as I think!) Also, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I love you all! Hugs for all of you! So, without further ado, here's another chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 184: More Surprises

_Izzy Izumi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Izzy! Izzy, I think we've got a problem!" Gotsumon cried, his chiseled gray face appearing suddenly on the computer screen. "I'm not sure what's going on, but whatever it is, it doesn't look good at all!"

"Oh dear, Gotsumon's right. I think we might have quite the situation on our hands," Hawkmon added, his voice coming from somewhere in the background.

Glancing up in surprise, Izzy frowned at the little rookie gazing back at him through the computer screen, and scratching the back of his head in confusion he said, "What are you guys talking about? I take it something must have happened?"

"You could say that," Armadillomon replied, appearing suddenly on the screen next to Gotsumon and glancing nervously over his shoulder.

"What's going on?" Cody asked hesitantly, gazing anxiously at his partner.

Normally, Armadillomon was a fairly easy going digimon who didn't often stress about circumstances he had no control over, so to see the little rookie looking so worried meant the situation had to be fairly serious for him to lose his cool.

"Well..."

"We can't say for sure, but a moment ago we thought we saw two specks appear in the sky above the peak of Infinity Mountain before they disappeared from view," Hawkmon interrupted, nudging Armadillomon aside with his left wing and nodding his head in the direction of Infinity Mountain. "At this distance, it's hard to tell exactly what's going on, but to me it looks as if the two digimon have just left the peak of the mountain, which means Dai and his friends might be in serious trouble."

"Not only that, but a little bit earlier it looked as if there was a bit of a commotion further down the mountain, as well, and although we can't be certain, we thought we saw a few digimon take off in different directions; all of them heading towards the peak," Gotsumon added, shaking his head in dismay. "We can't see them anymore at the moment, since they all disappeared around the other side of the mountain, but I'm still worried. You don't think they're in trouble, do you?"

Exchanging a look with Taniko, Izzy hesitated before saying, "The situation certainly sounds a bit...troubling. Did you see anything else?"

"Not really," Armadillomon replied, sounding a little more like his usual self. "Like we said, it's pretty hard to tell what's going on from so far away, but we do know for sure there was definitely some movement on the mountain."

"Has Dai or any of the others contacted you recently?" Hawkmon asked curiously, his tone indicating he already knew the answer, but despite the obvious he was nonetheless hoping that perhaps he was mistaken.

"No, I haven't heard anything since Kari sent me that email about Takara being taken captive earlier. I was thinking of sending one back, but at the time there wasn't much I could say. I can't help them come up with a plan if I don't know exactly what's going on. I was hoping they'd update me on the situation, but..."

"Look, Dad!" Taniko suddenly interrupted, pointing eagerly at the screen. "I think Kari has just sent you another email right now! We'd better check it out."

Nodding in agreement, Izzy quickly pulled up Kari's new email, and reading through it quickly he shook his head in disbelief.

_Dai..._

"What's going on?" Sora demanded, leaning suddenly over his shoulder for a better look at the screen.

"Well...I wish I could give you some good news, but..."

"According to Kari's email, they were ambushed by Spritemon, which has forced them to split up into several groups in order to escape," Taniko explained, making a face. "Tai, Matty, and Ryoko have gone after Dai and the rest of our friends are planning to meet up with them once they reach the peak."

"Spritemon must have been spying on them this whole time, and more than likely what Hawkmon and his friends just saw was Tai and the others trying to escape," Rosa said slowly, frowning at the computer screen.

"I guess Spritemon didn't like the idea of Dai separating himself from the rest of the group," Cody added, exchanging a quick look with his wife.

"But...what about the movement Hawkmon and his friends glimpsed near the top of the mountain?" Taysuke asked anxiously, clinging tightly to Mimi's shoulder.

Gazing intently at the computer screen, Izzy said hesitantly, "If we assume Vampiramon, BlackWidowmon, Jestermon, and DarkAngelicmon are all waiting for Dai at the top of Infinity Mountain then what Hawkmon and his friends saw...it would appear what they were witnessing was two digimon leaving the peak of the mountain."

"But...why would they leave?" Palmon asked curiously, scratching the petals sprouting from her head in confusion. "I mean, why would they suddenly just abandon their positions, especially after they went through so much trouble to capture Kara?"

"They know," Sora said quietly, her voice trembling with fear. "Like Izzy said earlier, Kara has her D-Coder, remember? They must know Spritemon failed to keep Dai and his friends all together and now..."

"Now they're going to try and fix Spritemon's mistakes," Noah finished, nodding his head at the computer screen for emphasis.

Sitting beside her brother, Ema said weakly, "That...can't be good. What are we going to do?"

"There's nothing we can do unless we start climbing Infinity Mountain ourselves," Tentomon said helplessly, anxiously fluttering his wings.

"Oh no!" Rina gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth. "I hope Mommy and my brothers will be okay."

"What about Sam?" Nao cried anxiously. "He's already not feeling very good!"

Sitting up straight in his chair, Izzy began to type out a quick message, and beaming at his partner he said, "Actually, there _is _something we can do. According to Kari, they've all separated themselves into three groups, not counting Dai, and although I won't be able to warn Tai, since no one in his group has a D-Terminal, I can warn the other two groups. Even if they can't reach Tai in time to warn him, they can at least try to intercept the two digimon who appear to have left the peak of Infinity Mountain, thus giving Tai a chance to reach Daichi without any interruptions."

"That's true, but now that Vampiramon and her allies are fighting like real megas, if Kari's group and Davis' group try to intercept them, won't they just end up putting themselves in serious danger?" Miya said hesitantly, looking unsure of whether or not she should have given her opinion.

"Not to mention we don't know who they're after," Jun added, coming to Miya's defence. "Logically, you'd think their main focus would be Dai, which would mean Tai's group would be the one in danger, but what if they're not going after Dai? What if they're just trying to prevent the other two groups from reaching the top of the mountain to stop them from interfering? If that's the case then it could be Kari and Davis who need to be on their guard."

"In other words, we don't know who they're going to go after, and any mistake on our part could cost Dai his Spirit Chip," Ami groaned, slapping a hand against her forehead.

"Ami's right. According to Kari's email, they're leaving Daichi in Tai's hands, and the rest of them are just going to try and reach the top of the mountain, either by holding off Spritemon or by avoiding another confrontation with her altogether, but if we tell them both Dai and Tai's group are in danger, without knowing for sure who Vampiramon is really after, and they go rushing to Tai's aid when they're really the ones being chased, they could end up jeopardizing their own plans to reach the Spirit Chip," Kenzo explained. "If that were to happen, they would end up bringing the enemy straight to Dai and Tai, and then they would all be at risk."

"I hate to say it, but Kenzo's right," Mina agreed, shaking her head in despair. "It's dangerous having everyone separated into different groups, but at the same time it's also a huge advantage because it means Vampiramon would have to spread her forces thin if she wants to go after all of them at once, and it's better to take on one mega at a time instead of four megas and a champion all at once."

_She's right, but...we still need to warn everyone..._

"Any ideas, Izzy?" Cody asked curiously, looking at a complete loss of what to do himself.

Frowning slightly, Izzy looked up from the message he was typing and sitting back in his chair he said seriously, "I agree with what all of you are saying, but we still need to warn Kari and Davis. I'll let them know what's going on, but at the same time I'll advise them to continue on with their original plan; at least until we find out a little bit more about what exactly Vampiramon is up to."

"That makes sense, and you'd better make sure to tell them that it's important they don't go running after Tai at this point," T.K. warned, his bright blue eyes growing dark and shadowy. "We don't want to put them in any unnecessary danger."

"Kara's already in danger," Taysuke moaned, covering his face with his hands.

"Don't worry, Tay, your dad will pull through for us," Patamon said cheerfully, giving the youngest member of the Kamiya family a sympathetic smile. "If anyone can pull off a miracle it's definitely Tai."

"Tai has never let us down before and he's not about to start now," T.K. said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Sora, are you going to be okay?" Mimi asked softly, giving her best friend a quick, reassuring hug.

Closing her eyes, Sora managed a weak smile and returning Mimi's hug she said quietly, "I'm not blaming anyone for what happened, Tai and Daichi least of all, but...I just can't stand waiting. The worst part about this is not knowing what's gong on, or what kind of shape my daugter's in. And yet, at the same time I feel a little bit guilty for being so worried. Kara's personality may be a little closer to mine than Tai's, but she thinks like her dad, and I know she's a tough kid. She might be scared right now, but she's not the type of person who's going to let her fear overwhelm her."

"Kara's really strong. There's no way she'd let Vampiramon intimidate her," Taysuke agreed, the determined look on his face daring anyone else to disagree.

Wrapping her arms around Taysuke in a tight hug Sora said quietly, "If anything, Kara's probably more worried about Dai than she is about herself."

_Tai is the same way. He's always worrying about everyone else and sometimes it makes him reckless. Davis, too, and now Dai appears to be the same way. And yet...somehow they always manage to pull through._

Which was why he felt like they weren't giving Dai enough credit, regardless of his earlier actions.

"Dad? Are you okay?" Taniko suddenly whispered softly in his ear, tugging on his arm to get his attention.

Jumping in surprise, Izzy gave his daughter a quick, reassuring smile, and pointing at the computer screen he said quietly, "Well, I've sent my email to both Davis and Kari. Hopefully they'll get the message. In the meantime, we're just going to have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully they'll get my message before anything serious happens."

_Which won't help if Vampiramon decides to go after Dai. Come on, Tai, you'd better hurry before it's too late..._


	185. Tempting Fate

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: New chapter! Okay, so just a reminder, next week I'll be posting the first chapter of my new Kingdom Hearts story and I want to update _Trinity_ and _The Demon Years_ again, so it might be a little while for the next chapter for this story, but it will be coming. That's it for now!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 185: Tempting Fate

_Tai Kamiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Clinging tightly to WarGreymon's neck, Dovemon held securely in his lap, and glancing at the two young boys who were perched on the mega digimon's other shoulder Tai called out, "How are we doing, Matty?"

"Well...according to my D-Coder, we're almost about three quarters of the way up the mountain, and judging by the position of Dai's signal, it looks like we're closing in on him pretty fast."

"Do you think maybe we should land, Uncle Tai?" Ryoko asked hesitantly, clinging tightly to Matty's right arm for balance. "If he sees us coming we might scare him off. Plus, I wouldn't want us to inadvertently give away our position, especially since we're getting close to the top of the mountain. If Vampiramon or one of the others spots us, we could be in big trouble."

"Not only that, if we get caught, we'll never be able to reach Dai before he makes it to the top of Infinity Mountain," Alopemon added, his small, lanky arms clutching Ryoko tightly around the waist.

_I don't even want to know what will happen if Dai reaches Kara and the Spirit Chip before we can find him..._

Squeezing his eyes shut, Tai quickly took a deep breath to calm himself, and nodding his head in agreement he said, "You guys aren't going to hear any arguments from me. Angelicmon, how are we doing back there?"

"So far it does not appear as if we are being followed. If Spritemon has decided to make good on her threats, then she must have gone after either Davis' group or Kari's group."

"Great, just what I needed to hear," Matty muttered to himself, shaking his head in despair. "I hope Mickey and the others are all okay..."

"They'll be okay. I believe in them," Dovemon said softly, nodding her head for emphasis.

Bringing up the rear and doing his best to protect WarGreymon's back in case Spritemon did decide to come after them, Angelicmon quickly sent his human partner a reassuring smile, but instead of smiling in return Matty continued to stare gloomily at the breathtaking scenery below him, his face a mask of fear and uncertainty.

_And it's all because of me. I'm the one who made Dai angry. I'm the reason why we're in this situation to begin with..._

"Tai, where should I land?" WarGreymon asked quickly, his sudden words interrupting the former leader's dark thoughts.

Pointing towards a relatively small ledge jutting out from the face of the cliff right before the mountain path curved sharply to wind towards the peak, he said, "Do you see that ledge up ahead? Right there should be fine. Like Matty said, it's probably better if we approach Dai on foot. That way he'll be less likely to see us coming, which means he won't have as much of a chance to run off on us if he decides he still doesn't want our help. Knowing him, he's probably not paying the slightest bit of attention to his D-Coder, so I think we'll be safe."

"I haven't seen Dragermon yet, which means Dai must be travelling on foot, as well. I doubt he'll manage to get very far before we reach him, so be prepared," WarGreymon warned, diving out of the air at top speed and quickly heading towards the cliff.

As soon as the large mega landed, he quickly turned back into Agumon, and giving the little rookie a grateful smile Tai said, "Thanks, buddy, I owe you one."

"It was nothing."

"Are we ready to go?" Angelicmon asked quietly, his bright green eyes searching the ledge above them for any sign of danger.

"Time to head up," Alopemon said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Turning on his heels, Tai quickly started up the rocky path, Agumon by his side and Dovemon cuddled against his chest, and feeling a slight tug on both of his arms he smiled weakly at the two golden-haired Digidestined, who had come up on either side of him.

"Uncle, do you think Dai would really...you know...give in to the darkness in his heart?" Matty asked hesitantly, looking uncertain of whether or not he should have spoken.

"If he does, what will happen to him?" Ryoko demanded, clearly expecting an answer.

Frowning at the two boys walking on either side of him, one his nephew by blood, the other his nephew in spirit, Tai wanted desperately to tell them about his past, but he knew now wasn't the time to be dwelling on his mistakes. Right now, he needed to focus on finding Dai before it was too late.

"Uncle?" Ryoko insisted, tugging anxiously on his arm.

"There's really no way of knowing for sure. I hope it doesn't come to that, but...if it does, we can't give up on him. We need to believe in him; now more than ever."

"I believe him," Matty said firmly, his hands clenching into tight fists. "Even if he did act like a total jerk earlier. He's not a bad person. I don't make friends with bad people. He just needs to have faith in himself again, that's all."

"I believe in him, too," Dovemon said firmly, her eyes sparkling with determination. "There's no way Dai will ever let us down."

"He might act like an idiot sometimes, but he isn't stupid," Ryoko snorted, his blond eyebrows narrowing into a deep frown. "Even if he _has_ completely lost it, I'm never going to give up on him. He can try to leave me behind all he wants, but it isn't going to work. I'll just keep following him no matter how many times he tells me to get lost. I'm more stubborn than he is. Sooner or later he'll give in. Just you watch!"

_Their Spirit Chips...I wonder..._

There was no way of knowing for sure, but all of a sudden Tai couldn't help wondering if maybe it wasn't so hard to figure out which Spirit Chip belonged to who after all.

_Only time will tell I guess..._

"How are we doing, Ryoko?" Alopemon asked curiously, leaping into his partner's arms to get a closer look at the golden-haired Digidesrtined's blue D-Coder.

"We're almost there! Dai should be somewhere just up ahead. His signal hasn't moved at all in the last ten minutes, so I'm assuming he's probably stopped to check out his surroundings and to make sure he isn't being watched or followed. If we hurry, we'll be able to catch up to him in no time. Like Tai said earlier, knowing Dai, he's probably only watching his immediate surroundings instead of his D-Coder, which means most likely he doesn't know we're coming."

"You hear that, Angelicmon? We're almost there!" Matty said cheerfully, turning to smile at his partner. "Uh...Angelicmon? Hey, are you listening?"

"Huh?"

Immediately sensing the sudden tension in the air, Tai quickly glanced over his shoulder to look at Matty's partner, and spotting the angel digmon's odd expression he frowned in confusion. "Angelicmon?"

"What's wrong, Angelicmon?" Dovemon asked curiously, looking concerned.

Instead of responding, Angelicmon stood very still, his emerald green eyes scanning first the peak above their heads and then the cliff down below. Apparently sensing some kind of danger, his golden spear appeared suddenly in his hands, and stepping towards the edge of the cliff he held his weapon out in a defensive position.

"Angelicmon, what's going on?" Matty cried anxiously, hurrying over to his partner's side and tugging anxiously on the celestial digimon's soft feathery wings.

"Are we being followed?" Agumon cried, immediately crouching into an offensive position, wisps of smoke curling up from his large jaws and escaping onto the air as little puffs of smoke.

Ignoring Agumon's words, Angelicmon said quietly, "He's here."

"Who's here?" Alopemon asked, shaking is head in confusion.

"You don't mean...DarkAngelicmon?" Matty gasped, gazing at his partner in disbelief.

"I sense him," Angelicmon murmured, almost to himself. "His presence is now stronger than it has been at any other time we've been on the mountain, expect for when he confronted us. He's close by, and yet..."

_What the..._

Leaping into the air, Angelicmon suddenly dived over the side of the cliff, disappearing from view, and gaining altitude he appeared suddenly in the air before them, his emerald green eyes studying Matty's pale face. "Wait here."

"W-what? Hey, where are you going?"

"Keep looking for Dai. I'll be back before you know it."

"Are you telling me you're going to just up and leave your partner?" Alopemon demanded, glaring accusingly at the celestial champion. "Apparently Dragermon isn't the only digimon who's lost his mind around here!"

Bowing his head, Angelicmon said softly, "This is something I must do. Besides, I know I can count on you, Dovemon, and Agumon to keep Matty safe for me. I'll try not to be gone for long. Please keep looking for Dai and Kara. We need to find them as soon as possible."

"Angelicmon, wait!" Matty cried, racing towards the edge of the cliff and waving his hands in the air. "Be careful!"

"I will be. Don't worry about me."

"Please...come back."

Diving towards his partner, Angelicmon ruffled Matty's blond hair, and pulling his human partner close in a quick hug the celestial digimon said softy, "I'll always come back to you. Stay out of trouble while I'm gone or else you'll hear about it from me later."

"Only if you follow your own advice."

Laughing, Angelicmon quickly fluttered back into the air, and waving one last time to his partner he flew off back down the path, disappearing around the other side of the mountain.

"You don't think he's going after DarkAngelicmon, do you?" Agumon asked hesitantly, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Of course he is!" Alopemon shouted angrily, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tai, why didn't you stop him?"

"Yeah, why didn't you stop him?" Ryoko asked quietly, imitating Alopemon's posture.

Smiling slightly, Tai ignored their accusing stares, and nodding his head towards the edge of the cliff he said simply, "Even if I had wanted to stop him, I doubt I would have been able to, and besides, it wasn't my decision to make."

"No, it wasn't," Dovemon said softly, shaking her head in despair.

Whirling around to glare at Matty, Alopemon snapped, "Why didn't _you_ stop him?"

"Davis was right, you really are getting worse than me!" Ryoko muttered, smiling at his partner in amusement.

Blushing a deep shade of red Matty mumbled, "I...well...I couldn't stop him. Not really. This is something I think he feels like he has to do, and...um..."

Coming to his nephew's defence, Tai said firmly, "I'd be more worried if Angelicmon was going after Vampiramon all by himself, but since DarkAngelicmon hasn't really been threatening us all that much lately and he does seem to want us alive, I'm not too worried about it."

"But, he says he wants you humans alive. He doesn't care about us digimon!" Alopemon protested.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Ryoko countered. "Those two...Personally, I think there's still too much unfinished business between them for DarkAngelicmon to do anything too drastic. I doubt he'll even attempt to delete Angelicmon until they finally manage to get everything out in the open between them."

"In the meantime, we should hurry. Dai's started moving again," Matty mumbled, avoiding Ryoko's eyes.

"Come on!" Agumon called out, racing up the path with Alopemon.

"I'm actually more worried about the fact that DarkAngelicmon left the peak of the mountain than I am about him trying to attack anyone," Ryoko said quietly. "They have Kara's D-Coder, which means they must know we've all gotten separated. I don't think Vampiramon sent him to keep us all in line, which is what Spritemon is trying to do, but if that's the case then why did he leave? Anyways, once we reach the top of the mountain, they're going to be ready and waiting for us."

"Which means we need to be careful," Matty muttered.

_Ryoko's right. They know we're coming and they're going to do everything they can to stop us from getting our hands on Kara and the Spirit Chip._

Shaking his head, Tai quickly followed after the two digimon, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest, and making sure Matty and Ryoko were following behind him, he continued to hurry up the path, Dovemon shivering slightly in his arms.

About ten minutes later they rounded another corner, and spotting Dai up ahead, Tai promptly skidded to a stop, causing both Matty and Ryoko to run into him from behind.

Standing on a huge pile of large rocks, the top of his head just peeking over the ledge one level up from the path they were all currently following, it looked as if Dai was trying to scope out the territory further up ahead, obviously searching for any sign of Kara, the Spirit Chip, or their enemies, and next to the goggle-headed leader Embermon was watching the path down below, doing his best to protect Dai's back.

_We've found him, but...will he actually stick around this time or will he try to run off on us again? Dai...I know it's hard, but you have to listen to me..._

Immediately spotting them, Embermon's whole face lit up, and waving them over he shouted, "Tai! Dovemon!"

"Embermon, get down here right now!" Alopemon snapped, his fluffy blue tail bristling with anger.

Leaping off the rocks, Embermon quickly hurried over to Alopemon's side, and lowering his large emerald eyes to the ground he mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Instead of getting angry, Alopemon's face softened into a smile, and wrapping his tail around the other rookie's left arm in a gesture of affection he said dryly, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

"Um...speaking of Angelicmon, er...where is he?"

"Well, about that..."

"Dai, get down here!" Matty shouted, angrily crossing his arms over his chest.

Surprisingly, Dai hadn't even so much as jumped at the sound of Alopemon's voice, but despite his calm and cool composure, Tai could tell the goggle-headed leader was surprised to see them. Clearly he hadn't been paying close attention to his D-Coder.

_Like Ryoko and I suspected earlier..._

"Having fun?" Ryoko said coolly, his bright blue eyes studying the goggle-headed leader's guilty face.

Looking a little unsure of himself, Dai slowly started to make his way back down to the ground, and shuffling towards Matty he attempted a weak smile.

Instead of smiling back, though, Matty hit Dai hard in the chest with his fist.

"Ouch! Hey, you don't have to be so rough!"

"You jerk, Dai!" Matty shouted, his other fist connecting with the goggle-headed leader's stomach. "Don't you ever do something stupid like that again! How could you just run off like that and leave us all behind?"

"I'm sorry."

"You're not sorry!" Matty snapped, kicking the goggle-headed leader in the shins for good measure. "You're not sorry at all! Running off on your friends, treating us all like dirt, attacking my partner? Every time you mess up, I'm always there to back you up and this is the thanks I get for it? You're a jerk, Dai! A big, stupid jerk, and if you think I'm going to forgive you, forget it!"

"I'm sorry."

"You know, you've done a lot of stupid things in your life, but this time you've reached an all time low!" Matty shot back, his amber eyes sparkling dangerously in the light of the sun. "Don't even bothering apologizing because I don't want to hear it!"

Avoiding the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes, Dai said quietly, "I'm really sorry, Matty."

_Dai..._

Blinking in surprise_, _Matty's whole face suddenly crumpled, and sagging against the goggle-headed leader's shoulder he mumbled, "Don't ever do something like that again."

"I'll...try not to. Matty, listen..."

"W-what is it?"

Dai wrapped his arm around the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulders, and shaking his head he said wearily, "Nothing. We'll talk later."

"You two good now?" Ryoko asked mildly, gazing calmly between his two friends.

Nodding his head, Matty gently pushed Dai away, and giving his cousin a weak smile he said softly, "Yeah, we're good."

"Then let's focus on the problem at hand."

"You mean...you're not going to yell at me?" Dai asked hesitantly, glancing suspiciously at the golden-haired Digidestined.

Ryoko raised his eyebrows, and smiling slightly he said dryly, "I've spent my whole life yelling at you, and so far it hasn't done any good, or am I wrong? Either way, I think this time we'll just skip all of that and get right to the point. Relieved to see us, are you?"

Much to Tai's surprise, Daichi's face suddenly turned a deep shade of red, and avoiding the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes he mumbled, "Maybe a little bit, only..."

"What's wrong, Dai?" Agumon asked curiously.

"Um...where are all the others?"


	186. Rivals

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I've finally gotten back to this story! Hope you all like this new chapter. It's basically the start of a downward spiral for...well...you'll see!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 186: Rivals

_Tai Kamiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Standing a little apart from the three boys, who seemed to have temporarily forgotten he was even there, Tai wanted desperately to answer Daichi's question, but for reasons he did not want to admit to himself, he could not find the courage to speak, despite his aching heart.

It was his fault Dai had run away in the first place, and for the two of them to confront each other now, there was no telling what might happen. If the goggle-headed leader decided to leave again, there was no guarantee they would be able to catch up to him a second time, since he'd likely end up reaching the peak before they could make a move to stop him, and by that time it would already be too late. Attempting to catch up to Dai after he'd already reached Takara and the Spirit Chip would be meaningless, and therefore trying to stop him would no longer serve a purpose.

_Dai...you need to know the truth. You need to know about my past. I can't let you make the same mistake I made..._

"Well?" Dai demanded, a hint of fear in his voice. "Where did everybody go?"

Taking a deep breath, Tai took a small step towards the goggle-headed leader, but before he could answer Ryoko said shortly, "Maybe if you would pay attention to your Digivice once in a while you would know. This mountain is dangerous, and although knowing exactly where your enemies are at all times is important, that doesn't mean you can just ignore everything else going on around you. You don't want to be caught off guard, do you?"

"It's already too late for that," Alopemon snorted, angrily tossing his head. "Relieved to see us? More like surprised to see us, I think."

Turning his back on the goggle-headed leader and ignoring his partner, Ryoko said quietly, "If we want to rescue Kara successfully _and _get our hands on the Spirit Chip, we have to do everything we can to avoid putting ourselves in danger. Have you forgotten so quickly, Daichi?"

Blushing a deep shade of red, Dai mumbled, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do, which means I don't think I need to tell you why I'm so disgusted with you at the moment."

Frowning, Dai quickly opened his mouth, clearly intent on denying the golden-haired Digidestined's accusation, but realizing almost immediately that to do so would not only be pointless, but also a complete waste of time, he lowered his head to the ground and said quietly instead, "Tell me where the others are."

"They're gone," Ryoko said coolly, turning slightly to gaze directly into the goggle-headed leader's dark brown eyes. "They might even be in danger, but we have no way of knowing for sure until we reach the peak."

"W-what?"

Unable to stay quiet any longer, Tai forced himself to say, "After you left, we were attacked by Spritemon. We managed to get away, but only because we decided to split up into three groups to escape. Apparently Spritemon was the spy who had been sent to keep an eye on us."

"So...he wasn't lying then. What he told me was the truth..."

"Dai, what's wrong?" Matty asked hesitantly, instantly picking up on the goggle-headed leader's sudden discomfort. "W-who are you talking about?"

_So much sadness in his eyes. Dai, what happened to you?_

"Dai?" Agumon prodded, tugging on the goggle-headed leader's jeans.

Realizing all of a sudden that everybody was staring at him, Dai quickly shook his head and mumbled, "It's nothing. Um...whatever happened to Spritemon?"

"Well, since it appears we aren't being followed we assume she must have gone after either your dad's group or my aunt's group," Ryoko explained, making a face. "Unfortunately, like I said before, we have no way of knowing who her target is."

_Kari, Matt, Davis, Joe, Noriko...Be careful, guys..._

"But...what about the Spirit Chip?" Dai asked slowly, frowning in confusion. "And Kara..."

Taking another step towards Daichi, Tai said quietly, "I told them to meet us at the top of the mountain as soon as possible. After all, we need Matt and Joe if we want to break the seal protecting your Spirit Chip. Hopefully they'll manage to shake Spritemon off, no matter who she's gone after, which will at least give us some time to rescue Kara and the Spirit Chip before we have to take on all five of the Ruler's flunkies at once..."

"It's not mine."

_Huh?_

Collapsing onto the ground and wrapping his arms around his knees Dai said quietly, "The Spirit Chip. It's not mine. I'm not brave. I'm...I'm not what you think I am."

Silence.

A deep impenetrable silence.

No comment followed from either Matty or Ryoko, and even all of the digimon remained silent. It was a silence that conveyed their emotions more vividly than any words would have been able to do.

_Dai...is that what you really believe?_

Not quite sure what to say, Tai merely stared sadly at the goggle-headed leader, a spark of fear settling uneasily in his chest, and unable to speak he shook his head in despair, his dark thoughts swirling menacingly inside his head.

Spreading her wings, Dovemon suddenly leaped out of his arms, and settling herself comfortably on Dai's knees she gently nuzzled her cheek against the goggle-headed leader's forehead, an unmistakable gesture of affection.

"Dovemon, I...I'm sorry," Dai mumbled, avoiding the little rookie's eyes.

"For what? It's not your fault Kara was captured."

"But..."

"The Spirit Chip of Bravery is yours, Dai," Dovemon said softly, gazing directly into the goggle-headed leader's eyes. "But...if you don't believe me that's okay. You don't have to believe in yourself right now. I'll just have to believe in you twice as much until you're finally able to see the truth on your own."

Instead of responding, Dai pulled Dovemon into a tight hug, and holding the little rookie close to his heart he said quietly, "What are we going to do about Spritemon?"

"Oh, so _now _you're worried," Matty said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "That's funny, weren't you the one who wanted to go running after Kara, leaving the rest of us behind in the process? Why should you care about Spritemon? It's not like you're going to try and stop her or anything!"

"I thought you guys said you were cool," Ryoko snorted, shaking his head in amusement.

Glancing at the golden-haired Digidestined, Matty said quietly, "I lied. We're not fine. We won't be until...We can't..."

"I said we'd talk later. Besides, I don't know what you're so worried about. You're the one who's going to try and get out of it, not me," Dai said testily, frowning in annoyance.

Blushing, Matty turned his back on the goggle-headed leader, and holding out his D-Coder he mumbled, "It's hard to tell what's going on. Both my mom's group and Davis' group appear to be on the move, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're heading towards the peak. One group might be, but the other one could just be moving around either to avoid Spritemon's attacks in a fight or to just plain avoid her completely. When the direction you're supposed to be heading in is vertical instead of horizontal, the D-Coder's directions are almost impossible to read."

"Which could actually be a good thing," Alopemon interrupted, "I don't mean for us, but since Vampiramon and her allies probably know we're coming, thanks to Kara's D-Coder, the distortion of our location on the mountain will stop them from knowing exactly where we are."

"No kidding. The only reason we were able to find you so quickly, Dai, is because we pretty much assumed we had to keep heading up," Agumon explained. "Once we were on the same level as you, it was easy then to judge our positions by how close our dots were to you."

"Hopefully, that means Vampiramon won't know where we are until we're right on top of her," Dovemon added.

"Daichi, you weren't being followed, were you?" Ryoko suddenly asked quietly, watching the goggle-headed leader closely. "I mean, there wasn't someone trying to follow you, was there?"

_I can't believe I almost forgot! There were two spies! Spritemon said she'd had a companion..._

An ally who had been sent to follow Daichi.

Kneeling next to the goggle-headed leader and placing a hand on his shoulder, Tai said hesitantly, "Spritemon told us you were being followed, but we never spotted a spy on your tail..."

"You're not hurt, are you?" Dovemon gasped, gazing fearfully at the goggle-headed leader and anxiously fluttering her wings.

Instead of smiling, Dai's face suddenly turned almost pure white, and slowly lifting his head he mumbled, "I...there was no one."

_He's lying. He was definitely being followed, but what could have happened to the digimon who had been tracking him? There's no way Dragermon could have taken out a digimon like Jestermon all on his own..._

Apparently, Ryoko appeared to have come to a similar conclusion because instead of dropping the subject the golden-haired Digidestined frowned at Dai and said skeptically, "Are you sure?"

"I told you, I never saw anyone. If there was a digimon on my tail, he must have gotten tired of following me. He probably left to join up with Vampiramon again. By the way, you never answered Embermon's question. Where's Angelicmon?"

"He...left," Matty said quietly, avoiding the goggle-headed leader's eyes.

"Huh? What do you mean he left?"

"DarkAngelicmon's no longer waiting for us at the top of Infinity Mountain. While we were trying to catch up to you, Angelicmon sensed DarkAngelicmon's presence nearby, and then...he...he left us. I think he's gone to confront DarkAngelicmon."

"Now that Vampiramon probably knows we've all been separated, you don't think DarkAngelicmon was the spy sent to follow Daichi, do you?" Alopemon asked curiously, gazing intently at the younger twin.

Shrugging his shoulders, Matty said wearily, "I have no idea. I don't think so, but you never know."

"I have to agree with you, Matty," Ryoko interrupted, frowning thoughtfully at his D-Coder. "Like I said earlier, for some reason, the idea of DarkAngelicmon possibly being the spy just doesn't sit right with me. Something about it just doesn't fit."

"I wouldn't sound so confident if I were you," Dai suddenly said coldly, giving the golden-haired Digidestined a dirty look. "You don't know that for sure."

"Maybe not, but _you _do!" Ryoko countered, lifting his chin and gazing directly into the goggle-headed leader's eyes. "So, how about it, Daichi? Why don't you enlighten us all?"

Glaring furiously at the golden-haired Digidestined, Dai snapped, "I don't know anything! You think you're so superior compared to me, but you're not! I don't know what your problem is, and frankly I don't really care, so just shut up and leave me alone!"

"Stop treating my cousin like he's a piece of dirt!" Matty shouted, angrily clenching his hands into tight fists.

"Then tell _him _to stop treating _me _like a piece of dirt!"

"You're the one who keeps insulting everyone! First my brother and now my cousin? Leave my family alone, you jerk!"

"I don't know what you're so upset about. You're probably _glad _I'm always making fun of Ishida!" Dai shot back, glaring viciously at the younger twin.

Blushing a deep shade of red and avoiding not only the goggle-headed leader's eyes, but also his cousin's penetrating blue gaze, Matty mumbled, "That's not true! I...I'm not like that. You don't know how I feel. Stop trying to pretend you do."

"I know you're probably _ecstatic_ over the fact that Ishida and I can't stand each other!"

_Dai..._

Shaking his head in despair, Tai turned slowly to gaze at the golden-haired Digidestined, who had suddenly somehow become an important topic of conversation, and although he desperately wanted to intervene, his instincts were telling him it was probably best if he just stayed silent and let the three boys fight it out amongst themselves.

_Dai, don't you realize why this is happening? It's because everybody cares so much about you..._

"Um...guys?" Embermon said hesitantly, glancing nervously between the three rookie Digidestined and earning himself an elbow in the ribs, courtesy of Alopemon.

Both Dai and Matty were staring at Ryoko, and meeting their challenging stares without so much as flinching the golden-haired Digidestined said very quietly, "Don't you two _dare _make this about me."

For the second time since meeting up with Dai, and unsettling silence fell over the group, and trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood Agumon said cheerfully, "At least we're all safe for the moment."

"We are, maybe, but what about Kara?" Dovemon whimpered, hiding her face against Dai's chest.

Though Tai had heard his partner's words and Dovemon's obvious fear, at the moment his attention was focused on Matty and Ryoko. The two boys were gazing intently at one another, and placing a comforting hand on the younger twin's shoulder, Ryoko said so softly Tai just barely heard him, "Matty, I'm your cousin, not your enemy."

Normally, unlike his brother, Matty wasn't usually so quick to succumb to his emotions, but at the moment, the younger twin looked like he was on the verge of tears. "Mickey, Mom, Angelicmon...Why does everyone keep leaving?"

"No one is leaving you behind," Ryoko said firmly, giving his cousin's shoulder a quick, reassuring squeeze. "I won't let them."

_Matty, is that what this is all about? You're afraid everyone is going to forget about you?_

Feeling a sudden need to comfort his nephew, Tai quickly stood up and slipped his arm around the younger twin's trembling shoulders, and blinking rapidly to clear away the tears in his eyes, Matty said hastily, "We shouldn't stay here too long. We don't know for sure where Spritemon is, which means there's still a chance she could be following us."

"Matty's right. She might even be watching us right now, waiting for the right moment to attack," Alopemon agreed, nodding at the cliff above their heads for emphasis.

Ever since catching up to Daichi, Tai had known instantly that the rookie leader was trying to avoid acknowledging him, but seeing as how he was not the type to back down from a challenge, instead of allowing Dai to continue acting as if he wasn't even there, he stepped directly in front of the goggle-headed leader and said, "Well, Dai? Where do we go from here?"

"If you've come to stop me from reaching the top of the mountain then you might as well just turn around and leave. I'm going to rescue Kara, and if you don't want to help me then I'm not interested in hearing what you have to say."

"Do you want help?"

Blinking in surprise, Dai said uncertainly, "I...well..."

"If you want help then we'll go together. I can't make any promises, but you never know. Agumon and I might come in handy. We'll do our best to back you up."

"Tai..."

"So, is that a yes? If you want our help, just say the word."

Taking a deep breath, Dai finally looked directly into his eyes, and giving him a shaky smile the goggle-headed leader said sheepishly, "If you don't mind. A little bit of help would be nice."

"Idiot," Ryoko muttered, shaking his head in amusement.

"Lead the way, Uncle," Matty said quietly, a small smile slipping across his face.

Motioning for the others to follow him, Tai quickly started up the path towards the peak of the mountain, and frowning he said seriously, "I hope the others make it in time."

"I'll bet my mom's really mad at me," Dai said gloomily, wincing at the thought of having to deal with his mother's wrath, which he would be unable to avoid once she caught up to him.

"Right now, she's mostly just scared, but once she catches up to you she's going to be furious. It serves you right for running off on us," Matty shot back, his resentment towards the goggle-headed leader still an obvious issue that would need to be dealt with later.

Turning slightly to glance at Matty over his shoulder, the goggle-headed leader said shortly, "I'm sorry about Angelicmon."

"Why?"

"He ran off because...If I hadn't left..."

"Stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault," Matty scowled, making a face. "You didn't make DarkAngelicmon leave the peak of the mountain."

"No, but I'm probably the reason why he felt he needed to leave, even if you're right and Vampiramon didn't send him after us. Do you think Angelicmon will be okay?"

"He'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Maybe we should go after him."

"He'll be fine," Matty said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I might not trust DarkAngelicmon as much as the rest of you do, but even I'm not stupid enough to think he'd risk letting my Spirit Chip slip away from him. Right now, we need to help Kara. Angelicmon made us promise we would find her, and you too. I'm not going to break my promise. Vampiramon and the others...they might know we're coming, but that's no excuse to give them the upper hand."

"Matty, listen...I...about before, when Ishida accused me of lying..."

"What is it, Dai?" Matty asked anxiously, sounding just a little bit frightened.

"I...nothing. Forget it."

_If Matt could see us now..._

Walking next to the goggle-headed leader, Tai felt a huge weight settle upon his heart, and shaking his head he let out a soft sigh of frustration. There was something Dai wasn't telling them, something important, and if they didn't find out what the goggle-headed leader was hiding soon, he had a feeling it might make the difference between a loss and a victory.

_Hang on, Kara. We're coming...._


	187. The Pixie Strikes Again

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Back with another chapter! It's short, I know, and it's lame, I admit it, but there will be some good chapters coming up! I promise! Really, I do. Give me another chapter and then it starts to get good! On that note, feel free to tell me this chapter stinks. I won't be offended, honestly. Next week I'll be posting a new chapter for my Kingdom Hearts story and then it will be back to this one again. That story won't be really long, so I'll be back to this one full time again very soon! Thanks for your reviews ahead of time!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 187: The Pixie Strikes Again

_Matt Ishida_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"How are we doing, Angewomon?" Kari called back over her shoulder, waving to get her partner's attention.

Swooping up next to MetalGarurumon, and keeping pace with the mega, Angewomon said confidently, "So far it looks like we've managed to escape, but we still need to be on our guard. There's no way of telling who Spritemon might decide to chase after, once she manages to free herself from the rubble created by that unexpected avalanche, that is."

"I think it would be wise for us to land soon," Gabrielmon said seriously, swooping up suddenly on MetalGarurumon's other side, his sapphire eyes sparkling vividly in the afternoon sunshine. "If we remain in the air for too long, our enemies might spot us, and to allow ourselves to become easy prey would be very foolish indeed. The time has come for us to make ourselves as inconspicuous as possible."

"I agree," Kari said seriously, holding up her D-Terminal. "Besides, it looks like Izzy replied to the message I sent him earlier. I'd like to read what he has to say before we plan our next move."

Nodding in agreement, Matt quickly directed MetalGarurumon towards a large, smooth platform jutting out from the edge of the cliff, and frowning at his Digivice he said quickly, "It looks like we're about three quarters of the way up, and judging from our position we appear to be somewhere off to Tai's right, east of his position. Davis appears to be circling west. Most likely he'll land soon, as well. In fact, I think that's probably what he's doing right now, and it looks like Tai's group has just landed too, though I can't be sure. The Digivice's coordinates can be hard to read when we're not all on level ground."

"So, in other words, we're all about the same distance from the peak, but we've taken up various positions circling the mountain," Angewomon replied, swooping beneath MetalGarurumon and coming up on Gabrielmon's left. "Excellent. That means Vampiramon and her allies will have to sacrifice a lot of time and effort if they want to track down all of us."

"But...what about Dai?" Mickey mumbled, glancing anxiously at his D-Coder.

Turning to give is nephew's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Matt said quietly, "Matty and the others won't let us down. I'm sure they'll catch up to Dai before anything serious happens. Already it looks like they're closing in on his signal."

"Maybe, but...I'm not so sure."

"Matty and the others will be fine, Mickey," Kari said softly, hugging her son tightly from behind. "Your Uncle Tai and Davis will look after them."

_Yeah, but who's going to watch our backs?_

"Uncle, are you okay?" Mickey asked suddenly, as if sensing his unease.

Shrugging, Matt said simply, "Can't complain."

_At least, I would be if I could stop worrying so much about my son..._

Landing swiftly on the large platform overlooking the east side of the mountain, the peak looming menacingly above their heads in the distance, MetalGarurumon came to a quick halt, his long silver body bending to a crouch to allow his passengers to slide off his back, and wrapping his arms around the mega's neck in a quick hug, Matt murmured, "Thanks, MetalGarurumon. You were amazing back there."

"Anytime. Be careful, Matt. I don't think we're out of danger yet."

"Neither do I. Watch our backs, will you?"

"Of course."

"Mom? What does Izzy's email say?" Mickey asked curiously, leaning around the female Digidestined's arm for a better look at her D-Terminal.

Face growing pale, Kari quickly wrapped her arm around Mickey's shoulders for comfort, and taking a deep breath she said quietly "Apparently Hawkmon and the others spotted two digimon leaving the peak of Infinity Mountain earlier. According to Izzy, he thinks, thanks to Kara's D-Coder, that Vampiramon and her allies have realized we've all gotten ourselves separated."

"Dai! You...you don't think they've gone after Dai, do you?"

"It's hard to say. Even Izzy doesn't seem to know exactly what it is they're planning. He just says we should be on our guard, but...that's not it."

Raising his eyebrows, Matt said dryly, "Great, just what I needed to hear."

"You mean, there's more bad news?" MetalGarurumon growled, shaking his head in irritation.

_As if we don't already have enough problems to deal with. I hope Tai's having better luck than we are..._

Frowning slightly, Kari glanced at her D-Terminal again, and after a moment of hesitation she said slowly, "Well, other than what I already told you, Izzy pretty much just said we should keep following our original plan until we can find out a little bit more about exactly what it is Vampiramon is planning to do now that we've all been separated."

"You mean, we're just supposed to forget about the two digimon who left the peak?" Mickey gasped, staring at his mother in disbelief.

"Not exactly. He says if we _do _happen to intercept them, we're supposed to stop them at all costs, or at least distract them long enough to give Dai and the others a chance to reach the peak of the mountain."

"That will not be an easy thing to do," Angewomon said seriously, exchanging a look with Gabrielmon.

"Maybe not, but his plan does make sense. He's afraid the two digimon who've left the peak might be trying to stop Davis' group and our group from interfering, and if that's the case, it wouldn't be a good idea for us to try and warn Daichi or Tai's group. To do so would risk putting them in danger."

Shaking his head in denial and gazing at his mother in fear, Mickey said quietly, "But what if the two digimon who've left the peak are headed straight for Dai and Tai's group? Since none of them has a D-Terminal, we have no way of warning them."

"Which is why Izzy couldn't send them an email," Kari agreed, smiling regretfully at her son. "If the worst should happen, we have to believe that Tai, Matty, and Ryoko will be able to handle things on their own, at least until the rest of us reach the peak."

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Mickey," Gabrielmon said gently, giving his partner a reassuring smile. "Matty and Angelicmon will not fail us."

"No, but we might fail them..."

_Tai, I know you'll keep my son and our nephew safe, but...what about Dai? Whatever you do, just don't do anything too drastic..._

As much as Matt trusted his best friend, he knew Tai was hurting right now, and because of what had happened earlier with Dai, he knew the former leader was vulnerable at the moment.

_All because of his own past. Maybe he's more like Kari than we thought. He's always so busy trying to help everyone else, I can't help but wonder when he has time to look after himself..._

Frowning at the direction his thoughts were taking, Matt quickly turned back to his sister-in-law, and glancing over her shoulder at the email on her D-Terminal he said, "Anything else?"

"No, he just says we're supposed to be careful, and he also mentions that he sent Davis the same email. Other than that, though, we're pretty much on our own."

"We might not like it, but running after Dai will defeat the whole purpose of us splitting up to begin with," Gabrielmon said wearily, shaking his head in despair. "Let's just hope Spritemon hasn't gone after Tai's group. If the two digimon who've left the peak have gone after Dai, and then to have Spritemon to deal with on top of that, Tai will have to face off against three evil digimon instead of just two."

"Gabrielmon, don't say things like that!" Mickey moaned, covering his face with his hands.

"Please don't be upset, Mickey. Personally, I think it's more likely that the two digimon who left the peak would be after everyone who _isn't_ Dai. After all, they don't like the fact that we've all gotten separated."

"But...do you remember what Spritemon said? She has a spy following Dai and it could be Jestermon! If that's true then that means only one member of Vampiramon's group is with Kara at the peak. The rest could all be after Dai!"

"I'd almost forgotten about that," Kari said quietly. "I'll let Izzy know, but in the meantime we should still keep our distance. Izzy would probably say the same thing."

"But-"

"Everything will be okay, Mickey," Kari said softly, giving her son a quick squeeze. "You'll see."

_Dai..._

Slipping a reassuring arm around his nephew's shoulders, Matt quickly pointed towards the path up ahead, and speaking in a low voice he said quietly, "We should get moving. Besides, like Gabrielmon said, it coud be that none of our enemies are after Dai, which means he could be perfectly safe. I wouldn't put much faith in Spritemon's words if I were you."

"And if that's the case, the same would most likely be true for Tai, Ryoko, and Matty," Gabrielmon added, trying unsuccessfully to bring a smile to his partner's face.

"But...if you guys are right then that just means the rest of us are in trouble..."

Glancing at his nephew, Matt raised his eyebrows and said dryly, "Better you than Matty, right?"

_Not that I don't feel the same way about Ryoko. We both feel that way about everyone we care about. We'd rather be in danger ourselves then to see our friends in danger. Especially when there doesn't seem to be anything we can do to help them..._

"Well, it is easier to concentrate during a fight when you know the people you care about are safe," Mickey mumbled, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

"Tell that to Matty. It might be easier for you, but not for him."

Nodding in agreement, Mickey said quietly, "I know."

Walking silently next to his young nephew, Matt hadn't failed to notice the way Mickey seemed especially shy around him compared to Tai and most of the other adults, but considering the fact that he normally wasn't as outgoing as many of his fellow Digidestined, it was understandable that Mickey would feel a little uncertain around him, which was not the case with Matty.

But even so, Mickey never treated him like a stranger and he knew he was just as important to the older twin as Tai was.

_It's no wonder DarkAngelicmon can't disregard him so easily._

"You're really worried about Ryoko, aren't you," Mickey said softly, watching him closely.

"I'm scared out of my mind, but your Uncle Tai will look after him. Matty, too."

"I know. I'm mostly worried about Dai."

Letting out a deep sigh, Matt said quietly, "So am I."

"You know, Ryoko's really excited about having a new sibling, and I can't wait to have a new cousin," Mickey suddenly said shyly, avoiding his eyes. "With all this darkness surrounding us, it's nice to have something happy to look forward to."

"Oh, Mickey," Kari murmured, beaming at her son.

_How can we ever appreciate the light, if we can't bring ourselves to face the darkness? Gabumon...you were the one who taught me that._

"Uncle, do you think we're all going to be okay?" Mickey whispered, his words trembling ever so slightly.

Leaning close to his nephew and placing a gentle hand on the older twin's shoulder, he said quietly, "Mickey, with Digidestined like you around, I think everyone is going to be just fine."

"Mickey, we have a problem!" Gabrielmon suddenly cried urgently, moving quickly to join his partner. "DarkAngelicmon has left the peak of the mountain!"

"It appears he is one of the two digimon who has decided to come after us," Angewomon added, nodding her head for emphasis. "If, of course, that is their intention."

Summoning his sceptre, Gabrielmon said quietly, "We can sense him close by. His presence hasn't felt this strong since he confronted us at the base of the mountain. Angelicmon has gone after him."

"What?" Mickey gasped, his amber eyes widening in shock. "Then...does that mean that Matty..."

Gabrielmon and Angewomon stared silently at each other for a moment, and lowering her head, Angewomon said slowly, "We think he may have gone after DarkAngelicmon alone."

"But...but..."

"We can't say for certain, but we believe Tai, Ryoko, Agumon, and Alopemon are still searching for Dai," Gabrielmon explained, avoiding his partner's eyes. "Matty, too. I cannot explain it, but I sense Angelicmon is going to try to confront DarkAngelicmon by himself, without even Matty by his side. It's just...this feeling I have."

"That's dangerous!" MetalGarurumon growled, shifting restlessly to stare at the path up ahead. "If that's true then that means Tai and the others only have two digimon protecting them. What if they're attacked? They could end up in serious trouble."

"You're right, MetalGarurumon," Angewomon agreed, fluttering her wings in frustration. "Angelicmon isn't normally the careless type. I must admit, I do not know what to make of this..."

"This is something he feels like he must do, and I cannot say I blame him for it," Gabrielmon sighed, shaking his head in despair. "I just wish he wouldn't be so rash all the time."

"What are you going to do?" Mickey whispered, gazing directly into his partner's sapphire eyes.

Reaching out to place his hand on Mickey's golden head, Gabrielmon said gently, "I will stay here with you, Mickey. Though I am anxious for Angelicmon's sake, I do not think this is something I can help him with. I believe my presence would be more of a hindrance than a help. Perhaps I am making the wrong decision, but deep in my heart I know this is something he must do by himself."

"Are you sure?"

"If he were here now, Angelicmon himself would tell me my place is here with you."

"Too true," Angewomon murmured, smiling sightly. "Come, let us be on our way. We've stood here too long already. It's time we were on the move again."

Nodding in agreement, Matt quickly motioned for Gabrielmon to take the lead and for MetalGarurumon to watch the rear, and brushing his golden hair out of his eyes he proceeded to walk in silence, Mickey by his side.

They had only been walking for less than half an hour when a large group of rocks blocking their path up ahead suddenly exploded in a shower of green sparks.

"Spritemon!" Mickey gasped, waving a hand in front of his face to clear away the dust.

"Well, at least we know she's not following Tai's group," Angewomon said dryly, pulling back the string on her bow and pointing her glowing arrow at the rubble up ahead.

"Everyone get ready," MetalGarurumon warned, leaping to the front of the group and dropping into an offensive crouch.

Squinting, Matt spotted a shadowy figure standing in the centre of the debris littering the path only twenty feet from where they were standing, and stepping out of the cloud of dust hovering above the wreckage, Spritemon said regretfully, "Oh darn. I was hoping to ambush the Kamiya girl's father and her precious goggle-headed leader, but I suppose you three will have to do. After all, I can't have you wandering around without supervision. My goal is, after all, to stop all of you from getting separated, so perhaps this will turn out to be a blessing. I'll deal with Daichi after I round you all up and deliver you to him on a silver platter. Once you're all together again, Daichi will have no choice but to do exactly as we command!"

_Huh?_

Raising his eyebrows, Matt said slowly, "Hold on, back up a step. You don't want us all to be separated, but then you thought you'd go after Dai, only to change your mind again? Plus, you said you wouldn't harm us, and then you nearly ended up killing my nephew? No offence, but you really need to get your priorities straight."

"Silence, fool!" Spritemon snarled, lifting her arm and pointing the small gun on her right gauntlet directly at his face. From the look in her eyes he could tell she was furious. "Now where were we? Oh yes. I was just about to destroy your digimon partners. Why don't we start with MetalGarurumon. Once I'm through with him, your celestial digimon will be no more able to stop me than a pair of rookies. Now, MetalGarurumon, shall we?"


	188. A Touch of Confusion

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This is the final 'totally had writer's block and was stalling for time chapter' left, and after this the story will start to move faster again. Coming up next after this chapter will be one of my favorite chapters to date, and I hope you will all like it! It will be called _The Fabled Lucemon._ So, longer chapters will be coming again, and I apologize for this one. But, despite that, I hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 188: A Touch of Confusion

_Sam Ichijouji_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

After finding a decent landing spot on the west side of Infinity Mountain, Sam stood quietly next to Noriko, contemplating the email Izzy had just sent them while they were still in the air. As far as he could tell, it looked like they were approximately three quarters of the way up the mountain, and judging from the positions of all his other friends, though it wasn't always easy to tell, it looked like they, too, including Dai, were closing in on the peak.

_But what will we do once we get there? It isn't going to be easy to save Kara, and with everyone acting every bit as miserable as I am, how are we supposed to stay one step ahead of Vampiramon and all her evil friends? I hope Mickey's doing okay. I wasn't exactly being very nice to him earlier..._

Feeling a little guilty over his earlier behaviour, Sam ducked his head in embarrassment, uncertain of whether or not he should speak, and realizing all of a sudden that if he didn't say anything they might not ever start moving towards the peak he mumbled, "So, um...what are we going to do now?"

Frowning, Davis said slowly, "The only thing we can do, I guess. As much as I don't like it, we're just going to have to do what Izzy tells us to do, even if that means leaving Tai and the others to fend for themselves."

"I hope Spritemon hasn't gone after Tai's group," Noriko sighed, shaking her head in despair.

"She's not the only one I'm worried about," Joe said seriously, his dark eyes glancing up towards the very top of the mountain. "What about those two digimon who left the peak earlier? If they decide to go after Dai..."

"Let's hope they've decided to come after us instead," Dracomon murmured, anxiously fluttering his wings. "As much as I don't want to fight, it would, like Izzy said, give Tai and Daichi a chance to reach the peak without getting ambushed."

"But...for Dai's sake, we still need to reach the peak ourselves," Noriko reminded the champion, her dark eyes narrowing into a deep frown. "We can't do that if we're tied up in fighting a bunch of megas and an evil champion."

"It's too bad they have Kara's D-Coder," Gomamon complained, shaking his head in disgust. "If it weren't for her Digivice they wouldn't have a clue where we are, or any of our friends for that matter."

"What about our spy?" Joe reminded his partner.

"Hopefully she's still too busy digging herself out of the rubble to bother with any of us for the moment."

_And if she's not?_

Sam glanced anxiously at Davis, and biting his lower lip he said nervously, "What about Dai? Spritemon said she had someone spying on him, and if Mickey's right and it was Jestermon then that means there's only one digimon left waiting for us on the peak of Infinity Mountain. Think about it. If two digimon have left the peak and Spritemon and Jestermon were our spies then that leaves only one."

"And it also means that Dai might be in big trouble, especially if all four digimon have decided to go after him," ExVeemon growled, clenching his hands into tight fists.

Slipping an arm around his wife's shoulders, Davis said quietly, "Let's not think about that right now. Besides, we don't know if they're going after Dai. Remember what Spritemon said. They don't want all of us to be separated, which means I think it's more likely they'll try to come after everyone _but_ Dai."

"I hope you're right," Penguinmon mumbled, though he didn't look very convinced.

"Besides, are we really going to take anything Spritemon says very seriously?" Gomamon snorted.

"Uh...Gomamon, if you put it that way it means she's lying about there being a spy after Dai, but she's also lying about wanting to come after all of us instead of our new leader," Joe reminded his digimon, shaking his head in exasperation. "That's not very encouraging, you know."

"Huh? Oh! Uh...sorry."

"Look, Izzy says we're supposed to keep heading towards the peak, and to keep our enemies distracted if we can, and that's what we're going to do," Noriko said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument "It's important we reach the peak, too, but we also have to give Daichi and Tai time to get there as well. That's what we need to focus on right now. Everything else can wait."

"Sounds good," Davis agreed, smiling at his wife. "Let's get going, everyone."

Walking quietly next to his partner, Sam followed along at the back of the group, and shaking his head in despair, he lifted his head to gaze miserably at the brilliant blue sky sprinkled with white puffy clouds hovering above the forests, valleys, and mountains that made up the beautiful landscape surrounding Infinity Mountain, but despite the sun's warm rays he felt strangely cold.

_Dad...What would you do if you were here?_

"Sam, is there something wrong?" Dracomon asked quietly, reaching out to place a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Glancing up at his partner, Sam said softly, "Do you remember my dream I told you about this morning before we left for school? You know...the one I mentioned while Mickey and Matty were still sleeping?"

"The dream about your uncle. Yes, I remember."

"I didn't want to tell you at first because I knew it would make you worry about me, and you were already so stressed from the night before..."

"What made you decide to tell me?"

Blushing, Sam said softly, "You're my partner. I had to tell you. We wouldn't make a very good team if we started keeping secrets from one another."

"Sam...even when your heart is covered in darkness, you do not forget what is truly important. I am very proud of you, as are your friends."

Turning an even deeper shade of red, Sam quickly looked away from his partner, and uncertain of how to put his thoughts into words, he mumbled, "Do you think maybe...you know...I should tell the others?"

"Do you want to tell them?"

"They'll just laugh at me and tell me it was only a dream."

"Sam, why do you speak such words when you do not believe them yourself? Mickey and the others would never laugh at you."

Deep in his heart, Sam knew what Dracomon had said was true, but even so, he was reluctant to tell his friends what was on his mind, which wasn't surprising considering the way so many of them had hurt him lately. Mickey especially would be convinced that his dream was somehow significant, but even so he still felt uneasy about mentioning his uncle.

_Dad...What would you say if I told you about my dream?_

"Sam, you know what you have to do," Dracomon said quietly, glancing back over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed.

"I know. I...I'll tell them tonight, once we get back to the human world, but..."

"What's the matter, Sam?"

"It's just...Dai and Ryoko...Why is it so hard for me to stay mad at them?"

Laughing softly, Dracomon gently pulled him close in a hug, and ruffling his dark hair, the champion said softly, "In your heart you deeply regret the way you treated them yesterday afternoon. Perhaps in time, you will start to feel the same way about your father..."

_But...what if I already do?_

Ducking his head again, Sam frowned thoughtfully at the group walking ahead of him, and clenching his hands into fists he said miserably, "None of you understand."

"Then help us to understand. We cannot help you if you refuse to tell us what is truly in your heart."

For a moment, Sam was uncertain of whether or not he should say anything, but then realizing he had already promised himself that he would not keep secrets from his partner he said hesitantly, "I'm sad and angry about what he did, but...at the same time I'm also so disappointed in him. I'm his son, Dracomon! How can he keep secrets like that from me? Doesn't he trust me enough to believe in him?"

"Sam, look at the way you're acting now. Isn't it obvious why he didn't tell you?"

"That's exactly my point! He didn't trust me enough to believe that I'd be able to forgive him."

For a moment, Dracomon looked unable to utter a sound and Sam felt his cheeks turn pink, but just when he thought his partner wasn't going to respond, Dracomon said quietly, "Sam, is that what you really believe? Don't you think your father would have had a better reason for keeping such a huge secret from you than that?"

"To protect me, I know, but that doesn't change the fact that he believed right from the very beginning that I wouldn't be able to forgive him. Why? Because he hasn't learned how to forgive himself yet, and because of that he doesn't really believe he should be forgiven!"

"Sam, are you saying you're not angry at your father for being the Emperor?"

"Of course I am. I would be lying of I said it didn't bother me, but...in my heart...I know that's not really the reason why I feel so angry. It's just...how can he expect me to forgive him if he can't even forgive himself? I've always admired him, _believed _in him so...so why couldn't he believe in me?"

"Sam..."

Feeling vulnerable, Sam was unable to look at his partner, and tears stinging his eyes, he whispered, "I don't like feeling so much anger towards other people. I...I just want to be me again. The person I used to be..."

_Mickey, you've always had a way of seeing the good in everyone, even if they can't always see it in themselves. I wish I could be more like you..._

"Sam, listen to me," Dracomon said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If you-"

"What was that?" Noriko suddenly gasped, coming to a stop and lifting her head to squint at the sky.

Frowning in confusion, Sam glanced uncertainly at his partner, and lowering his head to look at his feet, he jumped when the shadow of a bat suddenly passed over his head, its dark form moving swiftly across the ground.

"It's her!" ExVeemon shouted, motioning for Dracomon to join him. "Vampiramon."

Diving out of the sky, the bat settled itself on the path directly in front of them, and swiftly changing form, the bat became Vampiramon, who did not look very happy at the moment.

"She must have been one of the two digimon who left the peak," Noriko whispered to Davis, tugging anxiously on the former leader's arm.

Glaring at them, her long skirts and her black cape rustling in the breeze, Vampiramon said coldly, "You fools aren't DarkAngelicmon."

_Huh?_

Sam stared at the vampire digimon in confusion, and scratching the back of his dark head, he said, "Uh...no, last time I checked. Um...why are you looking for him? We thought he was with you."

"That's none of your business! Though I wonder...where could he have gone? Perhaps after Daichi?"

"It seems DarkAngelicmon must have been the second digimon to leave the peak, but...that doesn't make any sense at all," Joe said quietly, glancing at Davis for a second opinion. "I mean...he was the one who was so insistent about confronting us at the peak, and if that's the case why would he leave now, especially when we're so close to the top?"

Shaking his head, Davis muttered, "Beats me. Evil digimon have a weird way of thinking sometimes."

"You there! Davis! Have you seen DarkAngelicmon lately?" Vampiramon demanded, catching the former leader off guard. "Have you crossed paths with him recently?"

"Um...no. We haven't seen him since he took Tai's daughter from us."

"Well then...I suppose that just means I'll have to deal with the four of you first. So...trying to catch us off guard, were you? What other reason could you possibly have had for splitting up? Don't you fools know how to follow orders?"

Raising his eyebrows, Davis said dryly, "I've never been very good at following orders."

"Is that so?" Vampiramon smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "Well then, I guess that means you're going to learn a valuable lesson today. And look at that, you don't even have any megas to help you this time. This battle is going to be far too easy."

"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you," ExVeemon shot back, launching himself into the air, Dracomon quickly following his lead.

Pulling out her knife, which seemed to appear miraculously in her hand, Vampiramon titled her head to the side and said coldly, "Now, you die."


	189. The Fabled Lucemon

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter is here! Again, this is one of my favorites so I hope you all like it, too!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 189: The Fabled Lucemon

_Angelicmon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Landing gracefully on a small slab of rock overlooking the sea of dirt and pebbles beneath his perch, Angelicmon gazed silently at his quarry, uncertain of how to proceed.

Standing dangerously close to the edge of the rubble strewn path down below, DarkAngelicmon had his back turned towards the cliff, his black wings fluttering gently in the slight breeze circling around the top half of the mountain, and although Angelicmon could not be certain, it looked to him as if the fallen angel was lost in thought.

_He hides his feelings well, though who exactly he is trying to fool, I cannot say for certain. He is a mystery to me, and unless I can find a way to understand him, I will not be able to help Matty remove the darkness from his heart. Underneath the mask, there is an air of sadness about him. I wonder if it's because of Lucemon..._

Though his celestial nature should have alerted DarkAngelicmon immediately to his presence, despite his sudden appearance the fallen angel did not turn to look in his direction. Instead, DarkAngelicmon continued to gaze silently at something only he could see, despite the fact that he was clearly being watched.

_Even now, you are too proud to seek assistance. I wonder...what will become of you if you continue down this path of destruction?_

As much as he did not want to admit it, Angelicmon knew full well that the fallen angel was keenly aware of the fact that he was no longer alone, and deciding to take the direct approach, mostly due to the fact that he was obviously being ignored on purpose, Angelicmon leaped off the cliff and tackled the fallen angel to the ground, earning himself a face full of fluffy black feathers for his efforts.

Twisting around, DarkAngelicmon made a surprisingly weak attempt to kick him in the stomach, but before the fallen angel could so much as lift his foot, Angelicmon shoved him roughly back down against the hard ground, forcing him to go limp and to remain cooperative.

_An impossible feat, I'm sure, but it's stll worth a try._

Placing one hand firmly on DarkAngelicmon's chest and pressing the tip of his golden spear against the fallen angel's throat he said dryly, "Pardon me, but I must have miss-judged my landing. I do apologize for the inconvenience, though you'll have to forgive me for not being particularly concerned over the outcome, since it appears to have worked in my favour."

Raising his eyebrows, his green eyes glittering like jewels in the light of the sun, DarkAngelicmon responded pleasantly, "You know, for a celestial digimon your battle tactics are disgraceful. Sneaking up behind a fellow digimon? I'm disappointed in you, Angelicmon."

"Yes, well, I don't like to be ignored any more than_ you_ do. One of my less appealing attributes, to be sure, but it's there all the same."

"You don't say. It seems we have more in common than I originally first believed."

"Perhaps we do."

"I must say, I'm not quite sure whether I should be pleased or slightly annoyed by this sudden turn of events."

"I've been wondering the same thing myself."

Turning his head to the side, the smile fading from his lips, DarkAngelicmon said quietly, "Come to challenge me, have you?"

"No. I just want to talk."

"But you will challenge me eventually. Even you cannot deny the facts, Angelicmon."

Pulling his spear away from the fallen angel's throat, Angelicmon shook his head in denial. "The choice is yours. I do not wish to fight you, but I will if you give me no other choice."

"You're going to depend on the wisdom of _my _choices? Not exactly a very wise decision yourself, is it?"

Ignoring the fallen angel, Angelicmon said calmly, "Speaking of sneaking up on people, isn't that what you were trying to do to us?"

_Something doesn't feel right. Why is he just standing here when he should be trying to stop us all from splitting up?_

Looking genuinely confused, DarkAngelicmon said slowly, "Sneaking up...on...you?"

"Weren't you planning to go after Daichi, or any of my other friends even?"

_What are you up to, my fallen friend?_

Growing suddenly angry, DarkAngelicmon pushed him away, and leaping gracefully to his feet, the fallen angel snapped, "Leave at once. I do not wish to speak to you."

"Perhaps not, but I intend to speak with _you _whether you want my company or not."

"If you're not here to fight me then what do you want?" DarkAngelicmon said shortly, fluttering his wings in annoyance.

"I've come to give you a warning."

"You should know by now that I do not scare easily, Angelicmon. Whatever _warning _you feel inclined to give me, I have no need of it."

"Stay away from Matty."

For a moment, DarkAngelicmon merely stared at him, the expression on his face completely unreadable, and then smiling bitterly the fallen angel shook his head in regret, the sadness sparkling in his green gaze disappearing almost as quickly as it had come. "Maybe _you _should stay away from him, unless you want to end up like _me._"

_What...I don't understand. What could he mean?_

Frowning slightly and dismissing his spear with a flick of his wrist, Angelicmon said stiffly, "I am not like you."

"Don't be a fool," DarkAngelicmon retorted, poking him sharply in the chest. "You're all like me! You, your fellow digimon, and even your human partners. That's the very reason why you've all gotten yourselves into this mess in the first place!"

_Now he speaks..._

Sensing he was coming close to revealing the truth about DarkAngelicmon's past, or at least a part of it, Angelicmon waited in silence, his green eyes once again studying the fallen angel's unreadable expression.

At first, DarkAngelicmon kept silent, his emerald gaze never wavering even for a split second, and placing a hand against his heart, the fallen angel said quietly, "You know he's here."

"And so do you, whether you want to admit it or not. You cannot hide the truth from me. But there's one thing I do not understand. Your master gave you instructions to hunt Lucemon down, am I right? If that's true, why then, DarkAngelicmon, have you not gone after your old friend? He's so close by. It would take very little effort to catch him now."

_It would be so easy, and yet here you stand, letting your opportunity slip away..._

Letting out a soft sound that bordered on the edge of despair, DarkAngelicmon turned his face away, his right fist coming up to rest wearily against his forehead. "Do not ask me such questions. To do so will only put you even more at risk. The Ruler of Darkness does not tolerate traitors or those who associate with them."

_Wait a minute...Is he saying...Could it be?_

Reaching out to gently place his hands on the fallen angel's shoulders, Angelicmon whispered, "What is it? What are you hiding?"

_Why do you live in darkness when it only causes you pain?_

Beneath his hands, he could feel DarkAngelicmon's shoulders trembling, and unable to look at him, the fallen angel said very quietly, "I do not know. I can't remember."

"What?"

Lifting his head, DarkAngelicmon whispered, "I can't remember. Why can't I remember?"

_What does he mean he can't remember? Is he talking about his past?_

Staring at the fallen angel in disbelief, Angelicmon found himself at a loss for words, his thoughts unable to process what he had just heard, though there was no mistaking the pain and sorrow that had very nearly escaped his hearing. For the first time since meeting the fallen angel, Angelicmon did not know what to do or how to respond. No longer giving off an air of great confidence and an unflappable sense of humour, DarkAngelicmon did not resemble the fallen angel he had come to know so well, and that beyond anything else deeply disturbed him.

Instead of acting like his usual arrogant self, DarkAngelicmon appeared to be struggling with his emotions in a way that suggested there was a war waging somewhere within is heart, a war he was clearly on the brink of losing. Contrary to his large ego and his abundance of self confidence, he looked strangely lost and confused, as if he had suddenly discovered some unpleasant truth about his past, and as a result he was beginning to question everything and everyone around him, himself included.

_Your mask is slipping, DarkAngelicmon. Perhaps Mickey was right. I should have known he'd be able to see right though you._

Encouraged by the fallen angel's sudden willingness to talk, Angelicmon shook him gently by the shoulders and said, "Tell me. Help me to understand."

_Help me find a way to help you..._

Gazing silently at each other, their bright green eyes studying one another closely, Angelicmon remained silent, waiting for the fallen angel to speak. Identical in every way, and yet so different, their eyes were their one feature that remained the same.

Untouched by the darkness. Free from the taint of evil.

It was amazing how a face he knew so well, a face he shared not only with DarkAngelicmon, but also with Gabrielmon, though Gabrielmon's eyes were a different colour, could look so alien to him, and yet at the same time it was so familiar, it caused a painful ache in his chest.

Light and darkness. Identical and yet completely opposite in every aspect of their being.

_**"You're all like me! You, your fellow digimon, and even your human partners. That's the very reason why you've all gotten yourselves into this mess in the first place!"**_

_Wherever there's light, you will always find darkness. One cannot exist without the other. Perhaps, like Mickey, DarkAngelicmon is also right. Maybe, deep down inside, we are more like him than we know..._

"Does my very existence cause you pain?" DarkAngelicmon said coldly, after a long moment of silence.

"No...your failure to recognize the strength of your own heart is what truly causes me pain."

Letting out a snarl of rage, his dark spear appearing suddenly in his hand, DarkAngelicmon attempted to stab his fellow angel straight through the heart, but luckily, Angelicmon was ready for the dark celestial champion, and summoning his own spear again he easily blocked DarkAngelicmon's attack, their weapons colliding with a resounding clang.

Frustrated, DarkAngelicmon tried yet again to use his weapon, and ducking under the fallen angel's arm, Angelicmon slammed the blunt end of his spear into DarkAngelicmon's back, just below the spot where the fallen angel's wings sprouted from between his shoulder blades.

Staggering, DarkAngelicmon landed flat on his face, sending up a light cloud of dust, and crossing his arms over his chest, Angelicmon said softly, "Your reflexes are terrible today. Do you really think you can accomplish your goal of stealing the Spirit Chip of Bravery when you have other matters on your mind?"

Turning onto his side and facing in the opposite direction, his wings drooping slightly and his right hand clenching a fist full of dirt, DarkAngelicmon said bitterly, "I hate you."

"Why?"

The words stung, but despite the sudden stab of pain in his heart, Angelicmon kept his voice calm and his expression neutral.

"I hate you for everything you are. For everything that I am not..."

"You mean, for everything you _could _be."

"No," DarkAngelicmon whispered, letting the dirt in his hand slide slowly through his fingers. "For everything I _used _to be..."

There was silence.

_DarkAngelicmon..._

Kneeling next to the fallen angel and placing a trembling hand on his dark wings, Angelicmon said uncertainly, "What do you mean?"

"I...do not know."

"What do you mean, you do not know?"

Leaning over DarkAngelicmon's limp body, hoping desperately to catch a glimpse of the fallen angel's pale face, Angelicmon gasped when he spotted the strange look in DarkAngelicmon's bright green eyes, his heart twisting painfully in his chest.

Always so confident, it was a bit unnerving to see DarkAngelicmon looking so lost and confused, and feeling a sudden pang of sympathy for the celestial digimon who was supposed to be his enemy, Angelicmon gave the fallen angel's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Tell me."

"Tell you what?" DarkAngelicmon said wearily, without turning to face him. "How can I tell you anything when I do not even know the answers myself?"

"Is this about your past? I do not understand. How can you not remember your own past?"

To his surprise, instead of responding, the fallen angel suddenly flinched at his touch, and leaping gracefully to his feet, DarkAngelicmon glared at him, his green eyes blazing with fury.

_He's hiding something, but what could it be?_

Before Angelicmon could even attempt to ask any more questions, DarkAngelicmon suddenly pushed him roughly against the cliff wall, effectively causing a small cry to escape his lips, and summoning his spear again the fallen angel said harshly, "Do not ask me questions you don't want to know the answers to!"

"What do you mean?"

Holding him in place with his spear pressed horizontally against his chest, DarkAngelicmon said quietly, "There are some things you're better off not knowing. If you want to succeed in claiming all six Spirit Chips, you would do well to listen to my words of wisdom."

Frowning, Angelicmon murmured, "Tell me what you're planning to do with Mickey and Matty."

"I don't plan on doing anything. They will be the ones doing it to themselves, and each other."

"I told you not to threaten my partner."

"Listen to me, Angelicmon, and listen well," DarkAngelicmon hissed, grabbing him by the shiny yellow strips of armour crisscrossing over his pale chest and pulling him close enough that they could see the fury in each other's eyes. "Mickey is _mine. _Do you understand me?"

"What are you-"

"You and your foolish companions think you know exactly what's going on, but truly you know nothing. You can fight me all you want, but the Child of Innocence is mine, and your little partner is going to help me claim him as my prize. Do not think for one second that I do not have a use for Matty, as he may in fact turn out to be the most important player in this little game of good verses evil. Oh yes, I have a use for him, as well, and once he gives me what I seek, I will be sure to reward him greatly for his help. He is every bit as important as Mickey, Angelicmon. Do not fool yourself into thinking otherwise."

"You do realize I'm going to do everything in my power to stop you. I will allow myself to be deleted first before I let you hurt Mickey or Matty."

"Are you really so blind that you cannot see the truth?" DarkAngelicmon snapped, his green eyes flashing. "They're the ones hurting _me, _not the other way around!"

"The only one hurting you is the Ruler of Darkness!"

Pulling his spear away, its surface beginning to glow with a strange purple light, DarkAngelicmon snarled, "I should just delete you right here and be done with it!"

"Perhaps, but the question is, can you bring yourself to do it?"

Letting out a strangled cry, DarkAngelicmon swung his spear with lightning speed, but before the weapon could connect with its target, a sudden voice shouted, "Grand Cross!"

Without warning, a flash of brilliant light exploded into DarkAngelicmon's back, causing him to stumble and drop his weapon, and catching the fallen angel by the arms while at the same time ignoring the soft gasp of pain in his ear, Angelicmon glanced over his fellow digimon's shoulder, searching for the source of the attack that had hit DarkAngelicmon.

What he saw made his mouth drop open in shock.

Hovering in the air, the gold bracelets circling his wrists and ankles sparkling in the sunshine, was a celestial digimon Angelicmon had never seen before, but judging by his resemblance to Luciamon and his powerful presence, Angelicmon knew the digimon hovering in the sky before him couldn't possibly be anyone other than the fabled Lucemon, whom Luciamon had spoken so highly of and whom DarkAngelicmon appeared to fear above all other digimon.

"Lucemon," DarkAngelicmon whispered, his eyes closing in pain.

Much to Angelicmon's embarrassment, apparently the two of them had been so preoccupied with fighting each other that they had failed to notice Lucemon's presence approaching, but what surprised him even more was the little digimon floating next to Lucemon's side, his small face twisted in sadness and despair.

_So, Lucemon isn't traveling alone. Well, that certainly is a relief. At least now we know he has a voice of reason to rely on, though at the moment that doesn't appear to be the case..._

Releasing his grip on DarkAngelicmon, Angelicmon took a small step towards the celestial rookie, and gazing mournfully at him Lucemon said in a soft, pleading voice, "Please, help him. Please..."

There was silence. After all, what could he say?

Pushing away from the cliff wall, his handsome features twisting in pain, DarkAngelicmon stumbled towards the rookie angel, falling to his knees when he reached the spot where Lucemon hovered just above the edge of the rocky path.

"We've come so far only to end up back where we started. How could we have fallen so far? All that we worked for, all that we accomplished. Was it all in vain?" Lucemon whispered, gazing down at the fallen angel and shaking his head in despair.

Unable to look at Lucemon, DarkAngelicmon turned his face away, his arms wrapping protectively around his trembling body, and putting his hands over his face, he shook his head in denial, unwilling to accept Lucemon's words of failure. On the surface, he appeared to be in great pain, but whether that pain was physical or emotional, Angelicmon could not be sure. Considering the look on the fallen angel's face, though, deep beneath the surface of his lifeless green gaze, he appeared to be struggling with the agony of Lucemon's unexpected outburst.

"Will you not even speak to me anymore, even after everything we've been through?" Lucemon said sadly, humbly bowing his head.

In response to Lucemon's plea, DarkAngelicmon held out his hand, his fingers trembling slightly, but before he could leap to his feet, Lucemon glided towards him, the rookie angel's hand coming to rest gently against the top of the fallen angel's raven head.

Flinching at the sudden contact, as if it pained him to have Lucemon so close, DarkAngelicmon restlessly fluttered his wings, his green eyes once again squeezing shut to hide the emotion hiding just beneath the surface of his pale eyelids.

_So much sadness..._

"Angelicmon..."_  
_

Realizing all of a sudden that Lucemon was staring at him, Angelicmon quickly lowered his eyes to the ground, humbled by the deep wisdom and knowledge that seemed to pulse within the depths of the rookie's pale blue eyes, and speaking around the lump in his throat, he whispered, "Lucemon."

_Next to him, I feel so insignificant..._

"Please," Lucemon repeated, his voice quiet. "Save him. Bring him back to me."

Unable to look away any longer, Angelicmon met the rookie angel's intense gaze, and placing a hand against his heart he said solemnly, "I promise you. If it's the last thing we do, we will save your friend. Mickey and Matty will not fail you."

Blue eyes sparkling brilliantly in the sunshine, Lucemon bowed his head in acknowledgement of the promise, a faint smile turning up the corners of his mouth, and gazing one last time into DarkAngelicmon's brilliant green eyes, which seemed unable to stay hidden behind pale fingers, he dropped his hand and quickly dived over the edge of the cliff, disappearing from view.

"Oh, I'm very sorry about this," the little digimon who had been hovering next to Lucemon's shoulder said apologetically, looking a little bit flustered. "I'm afraid Lucemon can be a little bit reckless sometimes, but he means well, even if he doesn't always think things through first before he acts. Please don't be angry, Angelicmon."

Raising his eyebrows, Angelicmon said softly in amusement, "I must say, he certainly has excellent timing."

"Oh! Well..."

"I will keep his friendship close to my heart. Do not worry about that, my little friend."

Beaming at him, the little digimon cast one last anxious glance at DarkAngelicmon before following Lucemon, and realizing all of a sudden that the rookie angel had left, DarkAngelicmon quickly leaped to his feet, racing to the edge of the cliff to catch one last look at his old friend.

Feeling like an intruder, Angelicmon said hesitantly, "DarkAngelicmon..."

"Lucemon," the fallen angel murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. "You would dare to risk yourself for me? How very foolish you've become."

Knowing instinctively he was most likely stepping on a landmine, Angelicmon said quietly, "Are his actions really so foolish? Would you not have done the same for him?"

As he had suspected, DarkAngelicmon's whole body suddenly stiffened, and he gasped as the fallen angel suddenly whirled around and grabbed him by the throat, causing him to tumble back against the cliff wall. A moment later, he felt the sharp tip of the fallen angel's spear press painfully against the soft skin of his stomach, and gazing into each other's eyes he felt DarkAngelicmon's fingers close tight around his neck, loose enough not to obstruct his breathing, but hard enough to send an important message.

"If Lucemon dies, you die. Understand me?" DarkAngelicmon hissed, his green eyes blazing with fury.

Gazing wide-eyed at the fallen angel, Angelicmon slowly nodded, and a moment later he felt DarkAngelicmon's hand slip away from his throat. "What are you-"

"We should hurry," DarkAngelicmon interrupted, turning away from him. "Unless, of course, you want Daichi to fail."

"You know I don't."

"Then you should be on your way and so should I. There is still work that needs to be done. If Daichi is to obtain the Spirit Chip of Bravery then all of you must reach the peak before it's too late. I would hurry if I were you. Kara is waiting."

Angelicmon opened his mouth to say something, but before he could respond, DarkAngelicmon suddenly leaped into the air, his dark wings stirring up a cloud of dust.

Covering his mouth and nose to prevent himself from coughing and sneezing, he shouted, "Do not forget my words. Leave Mickey and Matty alone!"

"I'll keep my word if you keep yours," the fallen angel said coldly, glancing back to look over his shoulder. "Oh, and a word of advice. Tell Makiya Takaishi it isn't very wise to be stealing my feathers. We don't want to anger the Ruler of Darkness, now do we?"

"I didn't know you were so fond of stray feathers. Would you like it back?"

DarkAngelicmon didn't answer. Instead, he flew around the corner out of sight, and Angelicmon was left to contemplate his counterpart's cryptic words.

_Lucemon, Mickey, Matty...what does it all mean?_

He didn't know, but there was one thing he was sure of. DarkAngelicmon wanted something from them, but what exactly it was the fallen angel wanted he had no way of knowing without needing more information.

_Maybe there's more than one reason he needs us because although I don't know exactly what's going on, there is one thing I do know he wants from us..._

It was so painfully obvious he didn't know why he had never noticed it before. DarkAngelicmon was good at keeping secrets, but when it came to his emotions, he would often inadvertently let something slip, like he had with Lucemon only a moment ago.

What did the fallen angel want from them above all else, maybe even more than hurting Mickey and Matty?

It was simple.

_He wants us to save Lucemon..._


	190. The Game is Up

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, so now that Christmas is over, hopefully I'll be able to get in some more writing! Here's another chapter for you all and oh! Time to update Embermon's profile, I think! It's getting to that point soon!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 190: The Game is Up

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"We're almost to the top," Ryoko said quietly, waving his D-Coder in the general direction of the peak. "From here on in, we're going to have to be really careful, especially if they're paying attention to Kara's D-Coder."

"And with the way our luck has been going today, I have no doubt they know we're coming," Alopemon scowled, shaking his head in disgust. "We should be there any minute, and if, like you said, Ryoko, we're right about Kara's D-Coder, then they'll most likely be waiting for us."

_Kara, if they've done anything to hurt you..._

Clenching his hands into tight fists, Dai walked silently next to Matty, his heart racing and his mind working overtime to process everything that had happened to him since the moment he had stormed off on his friends, which to him felt like a lifetime ago, though really he hadn't been gone for all that long. There were so many things he wanted to say, things he _needed _to tell Tai and the others, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to blurt out what was on his mind.

_Like I need to give Ryoko and Matty another excuse to hate me..._

Though he tried his best to ignore it, he could almost feel Matty's animosity towards him seeping into every pore on his body, burning him from the inside out, and on his other side, Ryoko's frosty expression seemed to freeze the very marrow of his bones, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

He knew, deep down inside, that there were some issues the three of them needed to resolve, but at the moment he didn't feel quite brave enough to start another argument.

_And what about Tai? I know he's trying to be nice, but that doesn't change the fact that he must still be really disappointed in me..._

Glancing uncertainly at the former leader and blushing when he suddenly realized Tai was staring back at him, Dai quickly turned his head away, hoping in vain to hide the expression on his face.

_Why? Why didn't I tell them about DemiDevimon? I had to get rid of him. He was going to try and stop me from saving Kara, but...even so...I...I..._

"What's with the avalanche?" Embermon asked curiously, pointing at the huge pile of rocks blocking the path up ahead.

Making a face, Matty mumbled, "We can't climb over those."

"What should we do, Tai?" Agumon questioned, glancing uncertainly at his partner.

"I don't care what we do as long as we reach Kara," Dovemon said firmly, anxiously fluttering her small wings.

Frowning at the obstacle blocking their path, Tai said slowly, "It looks like we're going to have to fly our way over. Either that or Tirimon can make a couple of trips with us on his back. He's agile enough that he shouldn't have a problem getting over those rocks."

"What do you think, Alopemon?" Ryoko asked, glancing down at his partner.

"It's probably best if you guys ride on me. We need every advantage we can get."

"That settles it then. I'll go first with Dai and Embermon. Matty, you'll be next with Tai, Dovemon, and Agumon."

"Be careful," the younger twin mumbled, avoiding his cousin's eyes.

Nodding at his partner, Alopemon digivolved quickly, the mountain of rocks blocking their path obscuring the light surrounding the fox digimon from view, and turning to his partner he nodded his head, indicating that he was ready.

Without a word, Dai climbed onto Tirimon's back, settling himself behind Ryoko, and leaping gracefully over the mound of rubble blocking their path, the fox champion landed easily on the other side, his paws stirring up a cloud of dirt.

In front of him, Dai could literally see the tension in Ryoko's shoulders, and nudging the golden-haired Digidestined in the back with his elbow he mumbled, "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't...I mean..."

Leaning back slightly, Ryoko said softly in his ear, "Don't apologize to me. Matty's the one you need to apologize to."

"What's the point? He probably won't even care. You heard him earlier."

"Dai, are you really that blind?" Ryoko snapped, shaking his head in disbelief. "The only reason Matty even mentioned me is because I..."

"What?"

"I...it's nothing. I don't get it. How could Matty possibly think something like that? I mean..._look _at us. This is so stupid!"

_Huh?_

Dai stared at the golden-haired Digidestined with his mouth hanging open, and scratching the back on his head in confusion he said, "Uh...Ishida, no offence, but you're not making any sense."

"I told you, it's nothing. Just forget it."

"But..."

Instead of answering, Ryoko slid off of Tirimon's back with ease, his feet lightly touching the ground, and although he didn't want to admit it, Dai couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed since he himself had nearly slipped in his efforts to perform the same maneuver, forcing him to grab onto the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder for support, but despite how disgruntled he felt, he still managed to give his friend a grateful smile as Ryoko quickly reached out a hand to steady him.

"Thanks."

Inclining his head slightly in response, Ryoko quickly motioned for the three of them to move off the path, and together, along with Embermon, the two of them sat next to each other against the base of the cliff looming above their heads, not close enough to touch, but not far enough away to make the tension between them even more awkward than it already was.

"I'll be back with the others in a moment," Tirimon said quietly, turning quickly and leaping his way back over the rocks.

"I bet Kara's going to be really happy to see us," Embermon said cheerfully, attempting to smile.

Scratching his partner gently between the ears, Dai glanced hesitantly at the golden-haired Digidestined sitting beside him, and realizing all of a sudden that Ryoko was intently studying his face, he blushed and grumbled, "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" Ryoko snorted, rolling his eyes.

"You know...that _look _you always give me. You really know how to make someone feel like a complete failure. I hate it when you do that."

"Is that what you think?"

For a moment, Ryoko looked as if he didn't know whether or not he should be angry or amused, but then his face suddenly softened, and lowering his voice he murmured, "You're so way off it's no wonder you keep driving me nuts all the time."

"Hey! You're not exactly the easiest person to get along with either! See? This is exactly why-"

"Did it ever occur to you that the reason I might look at you like that is because I can't help wondering what might be going on inside your head when you say and do things I don't understand?" Ryoko said quietly, looking away from him. "Did you ever think it might be because I _want _to understand and it frustrates me when I can't figure you out no matter how hard I try to read between the lines of everything you say?"

Unable to respond, Dai stared at the golden-haired Digidestined, conscious of the fact that he must look like a fool sitting there with his mouth hanging open, and somehow managing to find his voice he said uncertainly, "I'm not that hard to figure out."

"Not on the surface maybe, but...I often wonder what's underneath..."

_I wonder the same thing about you..._

"Ryoko..."

Face growing suddenly serious, Ryoko said quietly in a voice barely above a whisper, "Don't call me that unless you really mean it."

_Huh? What's that supposed to mean?_

Reaching out to place his hand on Ryoko's shoulder, determined to ask the golden-haired Digidestined what in the Digiworld he was talking about, but before he could open his mouth, Tirimon suddenly appeared over the rocks, his long, graceful body bounding easily over the debris.

"Are we ready to continue?" Agumon asked curiously, leaping off of Tirimon's head once the fox champion had landed safely on the path.

"We should hurry. How many times do I have to say it? We're wasting time here," Matty said stiffly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Realizing how the situation must look to Matty, Dai quickly jerked away from Ryoko, his smile faltering at the look on the younger twin's face.

_He can't seriously think I'd sink so low..._

Rolling his eyes, Ryoko said curtly, "We weren't talking about _you."_

"I didn't think you were!" Matty shot back, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

"That was convincing," Tai snorted, shaking his head in amusement. "Come on, boys, let's get moving."

Leaping to his feet, Dai quickly hurried to catch up to the former leader, and squinting at the path up ahead, he said uncertainly, "Is that light up ahead?"

"Yes. I saw it shining faintly above the cliff just before we climbed over the rocks," Dovemon confirmed, soaring gracefully through the air next to Tai's shoulder. "It's been growing stronger ever since. It doesn't seem to be concentrated in one area either. To me, it looks like it must me shining over the entire peak of Infinity Mountain, which is why we can see it from several angles."

"The Spirit Chip," Tai murmured, almost to himself. "The light of the barrier surrounding it must be so powerful that it radiates out so far it can be seen even when you haven't actually reached the peak yet. Almost like a lighthouse beacon."

"It feels warm," Dovemon said softly, her eyes sparkling like green jewels in the light of the sun and the faint light shining from two different sides of the path.

_Kara!_

Grabbing Tai's wrist, Dai quickly dragged the former leader around the last bend in the road, and catching sight of the makeshift stone pedestal standing erect on the opposite side of the peak from where he was standing, Dai felt his heart leap into his throat.

It wasn't so much the pedestal that had forced such an intense reaction out of him, despite the fact that it clearly held the Spirit Chip of Bravery, it was the female Digidestined sitting at its base with her forehead pressed against her knees that had caused his heart to begin beating almost painfully fast within his chest.

"Kara!"

Jerking her head up at the sound of his voice, Takara leaped to her feet and shrieked, "Dai! I knew you would come?! I _knew _it!"

"Kara, are you okay?" Tai asked anxiously, his voice trembling slightly.

Beaming at her father, Kara said softly, "I'm fine, Dad."

"Worried about Dai, were you?" Ryoko said nonchalantly, a small smirk turning up the corners of his mouth.

Takara blushed, and smiling sheepishly she said, "Of course."

"Kara..."

"Don't give up now, Dai," Takara said urgently, anxiously studying his face. "Don't let them get to you."

_It's almost as if she knows...In fact, she probably does know. She's always been good at reading people._

"Kara, I..."

Unable to put his feelings into words, Dai took a small step towards the female Digidestined, his arms reaching out almost as if to embrace her, despite the fact that they were still so far apart, and realizing his intentions, Takara suddenly took a step back and shrieked, "No, Dai, don't! They're here! They've been watching you. You can't let down your-"

"Shadow Spheres!"

To Dai's complete astonishment, three black balls of energy suddenly erupted into the air from the centre of a tight circle of rocks made up of five large boulders, which stood directly in the middle of the peak, and streaking through the air, one of them slammed directly into Takara's chest, sending her flying back against the pedestal. The back of her head hit the rim of the stone structure and slumping forwards, she felt flat on her face, her entire body going limp and her D-Coder rolling out of her hand, its glowing green surface coming to rest a few feet away from her unconscious body.

"Kara!" Tai gasped in horror, his whole face turning a deathly shade of white.

"No!" Dovemon shrieked.

Standing next to Tai, Daichi stared at his female friend's slumped body, too stunned to even cry out in horror.

_No..._

Behind him, he could here Matty and Ryoko screaming Kara's name, but for some reason their voices sounded strangely far away.

_This isn't happening_. _This _can't _be happening._

Coming to his senses, Tai made a move to race to his daughter's side, but before he could get very far, two digimon leaped out from the centre of the rocks and moved to intercept him, stopping the former leader in his tracks.

"You," Tai said coldly, his dark eyes sparkling dangerously in the light of the sun.

"What have you done to Kara?" Dovemon wailed, hovering protectively next to Tai's shoulder.

Smiling evilly, Jestermon said cheerfully, "She's not dead, if that's what you're worried about. She's merely in a deep sleep, much like Makiya Takaishi was. Tell me, oh great Digidestined leader, how _is _your nephew fairing these days? I haven't seen him since...ah, yes, angel boy's little disappearing act and Gennai's long boring speech. When was that again? Oh wait, that was yesterday, wasn't it? How the fool forgets."

"You jerk," Tai spat, glaring daggers at the jester digimon.

"Now, now, play nice," BlackWidowmon smirked, smiling in amusement. "I must say, your daughter's D-Coder really came in handy."

"You saw us coming and decided to ambush us, didn't you! That was supposed to be our job!" Embermon complained, scowling at the female mega.

"Now that you're here, I am curious as to where Vampiramon and angel boy went," Jestermon interrupted, a thoughtful look on his face. "They said they were going to go after you, but...it looks like you managed to slip past them."

"Our friends!" Matty gasped, coming up behind Tai and tugging anxiously on the former leader's arm. "Uncle, you don't think they've gone after our friends, do you?"

"If they couldn't find Dai then that would be the most logical assumption," Tai said quietly, his dark eyes never leaving his daughter's limp body. "Instead of catching up to Dai, they must have inadvertently run into the rest of our friends."

"Great," Tirimon grumbled, making a face.

Smirking slightly, Jestermon said nonchalantly, "Tough luck, Matty. Looks like your precious brother is in trouble again, and this time you're not around to help him!"

"You're going to pay for what you did to Mickey, and Kara, too!" Matty shouted furiously, his hands clenching into tight fists.

"Why don't you make me? Then again, I don't see how you could possibly stand up to me, especially without a partner. Tell me, Masato Takaishi, the fool is quite curious. Where is your dear digimon partner?"

"None of your business!"

"Touchy, aren't we," BlackWidowmon said dryly, tilting her head to the side and studying the younger twin's angry expression. "Fine then, don't tell us. It doesn't really matter either way. We'll beat it out of you eventually."

"Until the rest of the players in this little charade arrive, it seems we are at a standstill," Jestermon cackled, an unpleasant smile lighting up his wrinkled green face. "You cannot get your hands on the Spirit Chip without your friends, and we cannot steal it from you until those same friends of yours decide to make an appearance. What to do...I know! Why don't we play a little game to pass the time? The fool does enjoy a good game once in a while, especially when there are so many humans and digimon who are so eager to play along."

Gazing silently at Takara's motionless body, Dai felt something inside him snap, and feeling a sudden spark of pure rage in his heart, which was so powerful it almost overwhelmed him, he held out his Digivice and said coldly, "I don't have time for games. What you did to Kara, and to Mickey, it's unforgivable. I'm going to make you suffer just like they have."

"Dai, wait!" Tai shouted, grabbing onto his arm and giving him a gentle shake. "Listen to me! I know you're angry, but there's no use wasting our energy on a pointless fight when the real battle is still to come. We're better off saving our energy until the others arrive, even if it might be one of the hardest things we've ever had to do."

"Tai's right," Ryoko said firmly, his expression serious. "We can't help Kara if our digimon run out of energy before we can get our hands on the Spirit Chip!"

Ignoring Ryoko and pulling his arm roughly out of Tai's grip, Dai snapped, "Let go of me!"

"Dai, I know you're upset, I am too, but you have to-"

"No, I don't!"

In response to his outburst, Tai quickly snapped his mouth shut, and glaring at Jestermon Dai said quietly, his tone dripping with venom, "Embermon, digivolve now."


	191. Losing Faith

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: So, I posted a new chapter list on the forum if anyone wants to check it out! Other than that, there's really not much to say at this moment, so enjoy the new chapter! I'll check again to catch any mistakes I might have missed.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 191: Losing Faith

_Tai Kamiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Shocked by Daichi's harsh words, Tai watched in silence as Embermon digivolved into his champion form, and feeling a sharp tug on the right leg of his blue jeans, Tai looked down to see Agumon gazing up at him, the little rookie's bright blue eyes glittering anxiously in the light of the sun. "Tai, what should we do? I don't think Dai's going to listen to us no matter what we say."

_Kara, please be okay. I couldn't stand it if anything were to happen to you..._

Unable to look at his daughter's lifeless body, Tai quickly turned his face away and said quietly, "I don't care what anyone says. It's not too late to help Dai. It's _never _too late."

"Tai..."

"Dragermon's gong to need some help. You better digivolve back into WarGreymon. I'll take care of Dai."

"If you're sure..."

"He's sure," Ryoko said seriously, appearing suddenly behind Agumon, Matty by his side.

"What would you have me do, Ryoko?" Tirimon interrupted, nudging the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder with his nose to get his partner's attention.

"You'd better help out, too. Don't try to win this fight, since I don't think the three of you will be able to do so on your own. Just see if you can stall them long enough for the others to get here. That's when the real fight will most likely begin, and if I'm right then that means you guys will need to conserve your energy."

"I wish Angelicmon was here," Matty mumbled, gazing miserably at his feet.

Slipping his arm around the younger twin's shoulders, Ryoko said softly, "I'm certain he's fine, Matty."

"But...you don't know that for sure."

"No, but I do know he would never let you down, especially when you need him most."

Turning to face into his cousin's shoulder, Matty mumbled, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. That's what family is for, right?"

Looking up in surprise, Matty stared at his cousin, clearly startled by the golden-haired Digidestined's surprisingly affectionate tone, and smiling shyly in a manner very reminiscent of Mickey, he quickly ducked his head in embarrassment, obviously unsure of how to respond.

"I'm ready, Tai," Agumon said seriously, his eyes on Dragermon, who was hovering in the air above Jestermon and BlackWidowmon.

"Go for it, Agumon."

_We need all the help we can get..._

"Agumon warp digivolve to, WarGreymon!"

"I'm right behind you!" Tirimon growled, bounding towards the two megas and circling them like a predator ready to pounce on its prey.

In response to the challenge, BlackWidowmon turned to the fool beside her and said, "Jestermon, keep an eye on the humans. Don't let them come anywhere near the Kamiya girl. We still need her."

"The fool doesn't need to be told twice. I'll watch her, but that doesn't mean I'm going to deny myself a little bit of fun, too."

"Whatever, just make sure she stays unconscious and that the others don't get close to her," BlackWidowmon snorted, rolling her eyes. "As for me, well, we may need Daichi and his friends, but their digimon partners are useless to us. If I delete a couple of them, I'm sure our master won't be too disappointed."

"Now you're talking!" Jestermon cackled, dancing his way over to the pedestal and seating himself next to Kara's limp body. "You'd better put on a good show for me. I'd hate to be disappointed. Though Puppetmon was an even bigger fool than I am, he was right about one thing. A boring game is no fun at all!"

Flinching at the mention of a name he did not particularly want to remember at the moment, Tai glared at the court jester, but before he could shout back an angry retort, Dai snapped, "If you think bringing up the Dark Masters is going to scare me, you're in for a big surprise. In case you haven't noticed, I don't scare easily and flaunting your mega status isn't going to make me start whimpering like a frightened little kid either! I don't care if you're rookies or megas. Either way you're going to pay for what you did to Kara!"

"Is that a fact?" BlackWidowmon hissed, her glowing red eyes narrowing into angry slits. "Venom Darts!"

Without warning, a barrage of poisonous needles shot out of the glowing red hourglass pulsing like a beating heart on the bodice of BlackWidowmon's black leather outfit, and shooting up into the air, they embedded themselves into the underside of Dragermon's belly, eliciting a cry of pain from the dragon digimon's large jaws.

A second volley of needles from the female mega's thin wrists pierced Tirimon's right side, and letting out a soft growl, the fox digimon stumbled and fell back against the circle of rocks.

"Let the games begin!" Jestermon cried dramatically, throwing up his hands and launching his black spheres directly at WarGreymon.

Swerving to avoid the deadly black balls of energy, WarGreymon quickly came to Dragermon's defence, and throwing up his arms, he shouted, "Terra Force!"

Leaping to the side and using her eight spider legs to scuttle over the rocks, BlackWidowmon managed to avoid the attack, which exploded into the ground and sent up a massive tornado of jagged stone chips, and standing on one of the large boulders, BlackWidowmon snarled, "Venom Darts!"

In response to the spider digimon's retaliatory attack, WarGreymon held up his Brave Shield, bracing himself for the attack, and right on cue BlackWidowmon's poisonous needles bounced of its shiny surface, clattering harmlessly to the ground.

"Nice one!" Dovemon cheered, doing her best to avoid looking at her partner.

Nice, indeed.

Taking advantage of the female mega's obvious surprise at his speed, WarGreymon launched another fiery ball of energy at the female mega, his aim right on target, and realizing all at once there was no way she was going to be able to avoid the blast in time, BlackWidowmon quickly jumped down into the centre of the circular monument decorating the peak, her head disappearing behind the rocks. A moment later, WarGreymon's blast exploded on impact, and due to the force of his attack, two of the large boulders shattered into pieces, the debris just narrowly missing Tirimon's unconscious body.

"Careful!" Matty cried, though his attention was focused more on Jestermon than it was on the battle taking place.

"Close, but you were just a little bit off!" Jestermon cackled, summoning his black spheres and juggling them wildly over his head.

Letting out a growl, Dragermon slowly raised his head, and leaping into the air from the spot where he had fallen near the pedestal after BlackWidowmon's attempt to delete him, he turned to look at his partner, uncertain of what to do.

"Get him!" Dai shouted, his face a mask of fury.

Grabbing onto Dai's arm, Matty cried, "No don't! He's too close to Kara! If Dragermon attacks him, Kara might-"

"Let go of me, Matty!"

"Are you crazy, Dai? I'm not going to let you do something stupid you'll end up-"

"Shut up and get off of me!" Dai snapped, pushing the younger twin roughly away.

Catching Matty by the shoulders, Tai turned to look at Dragermon, and gazing intently at the dragon champion, he said calmly, "Don't disobey Dai, but don't do anything that would require you to hurt someone who's important to you either."

"I'm not going to let you do this, Dai!" Matty shouted, glaring at the goggle-headed leader.

Before Tai could even attempt to stop his nephew, Matty suddenly jerked out of his grip, and without warning the younger twin punched Dai directly in the face.

_Uh oh._

Letting out a yelp of surprise, Dai fell backwards onto the ground and holding a hand to his cheek, he stared at Matty in disbelief. "What was that for?"

"What do you think it was for, you idiot?" Matty shouted, an angry red flush appearing suddenly on his cheeks.

Instead of responding, Dai tackled Matty to the ground, his fist connecting with the younger twin's nose, and both boys struggling to be the one in control, the two of them rolled past Ryoko's feet in a struggle of kicks and punches.

Much to Tai's surprise, instead of making a fuss, Ryoko merely stared impassively at the fighting duo, his face void of expression. Though nothing about his demeanor revealed what he was thinking, clearly Ryoko was not at all impressed, and making no attempt whatsoever to help either one of his friends, the golden-haired Digidestined nodded towards Dragermon and said, "Do you think he got the message?"

Turning his back on Matty and Dai, Tai let out a weary sigh and said, "I hope so."

_This isn't the way it was supposed to be..._

High above the pedestal, Dragermon's emerald eyes were narrowed in concentration, and smoke was streaming from his large jaws, making him appear more dangerous than he actually was at heart. "You would cower behind a young human girl just to save your own skin? Just when I think evil digimon can sink no lower..."

"Careful," Jestermon warned, an evil smirk turning up the corners of his mouth, "You wouldn't want to accidentally roast dear little Takara, now would you? If so, then the fool suggests you back off a little, unless you want to suffer the consequences."

Swooping out of the sky, Dragermon scooped Jestermon up with his large claws, and flinging the mega digimon halfway across the top of the mountain, he shouted, "Dragon Fire Spin!"

Immediately, a swirling stream of fire shot out of his mouth, and streaking through the air towards Jestermon it engulfed the mega in flames, but instead of forcing the court jester into submission, the blaze suddenly dimmed and three black spheres of energy shot out of the fiery tornado, heading straight towards Dragermon. One hit the dragon digimon's left wing and the other two exploded into his side, sending him tumbling over the edge of the peak.

"Great," Ryoko groaned, slapping a hand against his forehead. "It looks like Dragermon did get the message, but that doesn't change the fact that BlackWidowmon and Jestermon still have the upper hand."

_Kara..._

Relieved that his daughter was safe, though he was annoyed that Jestermon had somehow managed to scramble his way back over to the female Digidestined's side, Tai nodded in agreement, and putting his hand on Ryoko's shoulder he said quietly, "We haven't lost yet. As long as our digimon can hold their own until the others get here, we should be okay."

"What about those two?" Ryoko snorted, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the two fighting boys behind them.

Tai could hear Matty and Dai screaming insults at each other from somewhere behind and off to his left, and without even bothering to turn around, he said, "Let them fight. If it keeps Dai occupied for a little while, we might actually make it out of this in one piece."

"I figured you'd say that, but...Uncle..."

Turning to look at the golden-haired Digidestined, Tai said softly, "They'll find a way to forgive each other, no matter what they say."

"I agree," Dovemon piped up, settling herself next to Ryoko's feet and gazing anxiously at her partner. "Dai and Matty would never let something like this ruin their friendship."

_Hopefully..._

Up until now, Dovemon had been strangely quiet, and she had not even made an attempt to join the fight, which normally she would have done on any other occasion, despite being in her rookie form.

Studying the female rookie now, Tai could understand why. Clearly she was trying her best to do what Kara wold have wanted her to do, and it was obvious she wanted to be fresh and ready for battle the minute Kara woke up.

Tai thought it was a good strategy and he admired the rookie for her ability to remain relatively calm and clear-headed despite the fact that her partner was in great danger.

Deep down inside, Tai himself felt numb, and the only thing keeping him from losing his head completely was the fact that he needed to stay calm for Dai's sake and for the sake of all those who were counting on him. It was the only way to save Kara and he would sooner give up his own life then allow his daughter to become a victim of the evil that was trying so hard to consume the Digital World and all of its innocent occupants.

"Do you think Dragermon's okay?" Ryoko asked anxiously, nodding his head towards the edge of the cliff.

Smiling slightly, Tai said, "If he's anything like WarGreymon, and I'm sure he will be eventually, then I have no doubt he's probably just fine."

"You're a lousy friend, Dai!" Matty suddenly screamed, his shrill voice reaching Tai's ears and making him wince.

"Yeah? Well, same to you!" was the harsh reply from Dai.

_Why does this always have to happen?_

Frowning slightly, Tai continued to watch the battle in front of him, but a quick glance over his shoulder revealed that the goggle-headed leader had Matty almost in tears, but despite the seriousness of the situation, Tai did not raise his voice, nor did he try to intervene to get the two boys to stop fighting.

If they were ever going to commit to fixing their friendship, it was something they were going to have to do for themselves.

"Ring of Fire!"

Glancing over at the circle of rocks in surprise, Tai watched in satisfaction as a huge fiery blaze erupted around BlackWidowmon out of nowhere, causing her to disappear in a huge explosion.

_Looks like I was right about Dragermon!_

Smiling at the large champion digimon, who had erupted into the air from the mountain somewhere down below and was now hovering over the circle of rocks above BlackWidowmon, Tai said in relief, "Great job, Dragermon."

"Thanks for the help," Tirimon added, nodding in approval.

Before Dragermon's sudden appearance, the fox digimon had been leaping all over the circle of rocks trying to avoid BlackWidowmon's poisonous darts.

"My turn, Terra Force!" WarGreymon shouted, sending his fiery blast at the incapacitated BlackWidowmon.

Once the smoke cleared, Tirimon pounced on the female mega, and shooting an icy wave of energy from his mouth directly into her face, he shouted, "Arctic Blast!"

"Good one!" Dovemon cheered.

Letting out a shriek of rage, BlackWidowmon rolled out from under the fox digimon, and flinging him to the side with the use of her spider legs, she screamed, "Venom Darts!"

This time Tirimon was ready for the female digimon's attack, and leaping over the barrage of poisonous needles, he shouted, "Winter Inferno!"

"No!" BlackWidowmon shrieked.

Slashing the female mega across the stomach with his glowing tail, huge, jagged icicles erupted all around her body, encasing her in a block of ice which exploded into a chilly blast of snow and ice chips.

Though she looked a little out of sorts from all the explosions coming at her all at once, despite the chain of attacks, it was clear the spider digimon still had plenty of energy to spare, and she did not seem at all fazed by the fact that she was obviously outnumbered.

"Our digimon can't keep this up forever," Ryoko said quietly, anxiously crossing his arms over his chest. "They're bound to run out of energy long before BlackWidowmon does and if that happens..."

"I know."

Letting out a weary sigh, Tai glanced back towards the path leading back down the mountain, Dovemon hovering anxiously in the air beside him. A quick glance at Ryoko's D-Coder showed Matt and the others still had a little ways to go before reaching the peak, and shaking his head, Tai turned to gaze fearfully at his daughter.

_Matt, Kari...Hurry, guys. We need you..._


	192. Finding the Way

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, so there will be one more chapter after this one focusing on the second group trying to reach the peak of Infinity Mountain, and then I promise we get to the beginning of the grand finale, at least for this Spirit Chip. Enjoy the chapter! Also, attacks have been added to my profile for Embermon's ultimate form if you want to check them out!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 192: Finding the Way

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Hovering anxiously between his uncle and mother, Mickey watched in terrified silence as MetalGarurumon slowly circled the female mega, his sharp eyes watching her every move, and fluttering into the air, Spritemon began to shoot her green blasts at his feet, trying to catch him off guard.

At first, MetalGarurumon was able to dodge the green sparks of energy with ease, but as the barrage continued without any break in the blasts, giving the wolf digimon no chance to rest, MetalGarurumon's reflexes began to slip, making him a vulnerable target.

"We have to find a way to get past her," Matt muttered to himself, frowning at the female mega.

Mickey agreed, but unfortunately he did not have a clue how they were going to execute such an impossible task, and though he was reluctant to do so, he expressed this concern to his uncle. "But how? If we try to get past her, she'll probably attack us!"

"Somehow we're going to have to keep her distracted long enough to make a run for it."

_And we were so close! This just isn't fair. How are we supposed to distract her long enough to get ourselves out of here? It'll be practically impossible now that she's paying attention to everything that's going on around her..._

A scary thought. So scary, in fact, that Mickey found himself turning to his mother for comfort. "What do you think, Mom? Uncle's right about us needing to make a run for it, but I don't see how we're going to make it past Spritemon without her noticing."

"Well, hopefully with MetalGarurumon and our angel digimon keeping her occupied, at least for a little while, we'll be able to slip past and make a run for it. Our digimon can always follow us once we've managed to make it to the other side of this battle Spritemon's started."

"But..."

Slipping her arm around his shoulders and giving him a quick squeeze, his mother said softly, "We'll find a way, Mickey. It might not be easy, but we'll get ourselves out of this mess. Don't give up yet, okay? We don't want to disappoint Rina and your dad, do we?"

"No, but...I'm scared."

"So am I, but that's no reason to give up, is it?"

His mother was right, of course, and gazing into the eyes of the one they called the Child of Light, somehow Mickey managed to smile, despite the fact that the situation didn't really call for smiling at the moment. "You're right. Thanks, Mom."

_Matty, whatever you're up to right now, I hope you're having better luck than I am..._

"Even you won't be able to keep this pace up forever," MetalGarurumon growled, circling the female mega and launching himself at her back. "Metal Wolf Claw!"

"Now, Gabrielmon! Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon shouted, directing her pink wave of energy at Spritemon.

"Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon cried.

Thanks to the combined efforts of MetalGarurumon and his celestial companions, Spritemon was knocked right off her feet, and wincing slightly in pain, she glared at the three digimon who were attacking her, her deep brown eyes flashing with anger. "You're going to have to do better than that! I'm a mega, not a rookie!"

"And you've overstayed your welcome," Gabrielmon said pleasantly, soaring quickly through the brisk breeze to hover directly above the female mega. "Heavenly Vortex!"

Tracing his sceptre in the air, a large portal opened above Spritemon's head, and letting out a yelp of surprise, the female mega quickly darted out from beneath the portal, her small wings fluttering frantically to stop herself from getting sucked into oblivion, which would have effectively caused her to end up reverting back into data, depending on how much strength she had left.

_Too much, unfortunately._

And not only did she still have a lot of energy left, she was also furious. Judging by the look on her face, that is. Almost before she had escaped, she was already turning to face Gabrielmon, and launching several green blasts at him from her gauntlets, she managed to catch the celestial digimon off guard.

Or so it appeared.

To Mickey, it looked almost as if his partner might manage to get away, but at the last second several of Spritemon's glowing green blasts connected with Gabrielmon's left thigh, knocking the celestial digimon back against the cliff wall.

"Your dirty tricks end here! Giga Missile!" MetalGarurumon shouted, his deadly artillery exploding into Spritemon's small body, sending a small cloud of smoke floating into the air.

Despite the fact that she had taken a direct hit, in what was fast becoming an unfortunate habit, Spritemon did not appear to have been hurt in the slightest by MetalGarurumon's attack. If anything, it only seemed to make her even more eager to continue the fight, and calmly dusting herself off, she shot into the sky and smirked at the wolf digimon before turning her attention to the rest of the group. "Oh really? The nerve of you Digidestined. You do realize this could have all been avoided if you had just come with me right from the very beginning? All this destruction. It's such a shame, and yet...ironically you have no one to blame but yourselves. Pixie Dust!"

At first, it looked as if the female mega's deadly cloud of green sparkles was going to descend upon MetalGarurumon's head, but then all of a sudden it began to churn rapidly in the air, twisting itself into a huge whirling tornado, and careening through the air at a speed Mickey couldn't even begin to comprehend, it engulfed Angewomon and Gabrielmon, causing the two angel digimon to cry out in pain.

"MetalGarurumon, get them out of there before they turn back into rookies!" Matt shouted, waving his arms to get his partner's attention.

MetalGarurumon let out a frustrated growl, and launching himself into the air he did the only thing he could do under such dire circumstances. Pouncing on the two angel digimon, he knocked them both out of the air, earning himself a face full of green dust, but despite the momentary flash of pain, he managed to exit the deadly green cloud without losing too much energy.

Thanks to MetalGarurumon's efforts, the two angel digimon ended up landing on a pile of rocks left over from an old landslide, and wincing at the impact, Gabrielmon raised his hand in acknowledgement of the help. "Thanks a lot. That was a little too close for comfort."

"Sorry about the rough landing," MetalGarurumon apologized, his gaze still following Spritemon's every move.

"A painful fall is still better than turning back into a rookie, or in my case a champion," Angewomon said dismissively, sitting up and waving off the wolf digimon's apology. "It takes less energy to fall than it does to endure that horrendous attack."

"Shall we continue?" Gabrielmon asked, holding out his hand and pulling Angewomon to her feet.

"Let's. I am anxious to meet up with the others."

"You think you're going to get rid of me that easily?" Spritemon snorted, placing her hands behind her back and tilting her head slightly to the side in amusement. "And here I used to think that you and your human partners could occasionally show some flashes of intelligence, despite how stupid humans can be. Was DarkAngelicmon ever wrong on this one."

"You're not exactly all that smart yourself," MetalGarurumon snapped, launching himself at the female mega. "Less talking and more fighting. I want this to end quickly. Giga Missile!"

Mickey threw an arm over his eyes to block out the glare of the sun, and he watched anxiously as Spritemon easily avoided MetalGarurumon's attack, acting for all the Digiworld as if the wolf digimon were nothing more dangerous than an annoying fly that needed to be swatted. It was unnerving, to say the least, and glancing at his D-Coder, Mickey let out a gasp of shock.

_Dai!_

"Mickey, is something wrong?" his mother asked gently, her dark eyes still watching the battle taking place further up the path.

Holding out his D-Coder Digivice, Mickey said urgently, "We have to get out of here as soon as possible. I can't be a hundred percent sure, but judging from the signal on my D-Coder it looks as if Dai has managed to make it to the peak of Infinity Mountain! Uncle Tai, Matty, and Ryoko are with him, but without the rest of us there, Dai won't be able to get his Spirit Chip!"

"You're right, Mickey. If something goes wrong and we're not there to help them..."

"Without the Spirit Chip they're sitting ducks," Matt said shortly, the calm expression on his face betraying the intense emotion glimmering just beneath the surface of his sapphire gaze. "I can't see Vampiramon, or whoever is waiting for us at the top of the mountain, letting Kara go while the Spirit Chip is still off limits, which means even though Tai and the others have reached the peak, Kara must still be in danger."

_And if Dai allows himself to become a victim of the Powers of Darkness, the situation could get even worse..._

Unable to control a sudden overwhelming surge of panic in his heart, Mickey grabbed onto his mother's arm and gasped, "Mom!"

"I know, Mickey," his mother said softly, gently ruffling his hair. "We're going to get out of this mess. Just have a little patience. Don't give up on Dai before we've had a chance to help him."

"I know, but-"

"That boy had better keep his head on straight or I'm never going to let Davis forget this," Matt muttered, frowning in annoyance. "MetalGarurumon, hurry this up! We've got to get out of here. Dai needs us!"

"What was that about Dai?" Spritemon interrupted, jerking her head up to glance curiously at Matt.

"None of your business. Holy Sceptre!" Gabrielmon snapped, a glowing ball of bright orange energy shooting out of the tip of his staff.

Spritemon, who had somehow managed to latch herself onto MetalGarurumon's back, began to shoot green sparks of energy at the wolf digimon's head, knocking him unconscious, and sensing the orange blast hurtling towards her, she quickly fluttered back into the air to avoid Gabrielmon's attack. It missed her by almost five feet, and pointing an accusing finger at Matt, she said suspiciously, "What's this about the Motomiya boy? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing you need to know," Matt shot back, glaring at the female mega.

"Oh really?" Spritemon raised her eyebrows and twirling around in a circle, she cried gleefully, "Well then, if you're not going to tell me, your digimon will to have no choice but to suffer! Pixie Dust!"

_No!_

Mickey let out a gasp as a cloud of green sparkles rained down upon MetalGarurumon's head, who was already unconscious, and crying out in surprise, Gabrielmon and Angewomon quickly hurried over to where the wolf digimon was lying on his side, intending to help him out.

Unfortunately, Spritemon was too quick for them, much to Mickey's dismay, and as a result, before the two angel digimon could reach MetalGarurumon's side, they themselves were covered by the female mega's cloud of green dust.

"Angewomon!" Mickey heard his mother cry, her terrified shout ringing in his ears.

"Without MetalGarurumon there's no way they're going to make it out of this in one piece without turning into rookies," Matt said seriously, shaking his head in despair. "We have to think of something fast."

"But what?" Mickey cried, unable to stay silent anymore. "There's no one else around to help us."

_Gabrielmon..._

Mickey felt his mother's arms slip around his shoulders, and holding him close, she said quietly, "You're right, Mickey, but...there must still be something we can do."

"Kari, we can't hold on anymore," Angewomon groaned, dropping out of the sky and landing against the ground with painful force.

"I'm sorry, Mickey," Gabrielmon mumbled, landing next to the female angel, his sapphire eyes slowly falling shut.

_No! We can't lose. We can't!_

Unable to suppress his fear any longer, Mickey made a move to race towards his digimon partner, but before he could take more than a couple of steps, his uncle grabbed him around the shoulders, stopping him in his tracks.

"Uncle, we can't just stand here and do-"

"Oh no. What exactly do you think you're going to accomplish by going over there?" Matt said sternly, frowning in annoyance. "If anything, by trying to reach our digimon, we'll just end up making the problem even worse."

"But-"

"Look!" his mother suddenly gasped before Mickey could even attempt to form a suitable reply to his uncle's outburst.

_Huh?_

Whirling around, Mickey turned just in time to see something dark streak through the air above the two unconscious angel digimon, and a moment later a commanding voice shouted, "Twilight Spear!"

A very familiar commanding voice.

As Mickey watched in silent disbelief, Spritemon suddenly dropped out of the sky, the green dust spurting from her body immediately vaporising into thin air, and slamming none too gently into the hard ground down below, her brown eyes fluttered closed, signaling she had fallen unconscious.

Mickey was stunned. He had seen it happen with his own eyes, and yet he still could not believe what he had just witnessed. It all seemed like some sort of crazy dream, at least until he spotted the fallen angel hovering in the air above the still forms of Spritemon and MetalGarurumon, and then it was like he was wide awake, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"DarkAngelicmon!"

_He's here! He's really here!_

For reasons Mickey could not even begin to comprehend, DarkAngelicmon had swooped in undetected, due mostly to the fact that Gabrielmon had been busy concentrating on the battle at hand, and taking control of the situation, the fallen angel had uncharacteristically hit Spritemon in the back with his glowing spear, knocking the female digimon unconscious.

_What...what's going on here? I don't understand..._

"You," Gabrielmon murmured, slowly lifting his head and wincing in pain. "What are you doing?"

Instead of answering, DarkAngelicmon landed gracefully on the ground next to Spritemon, and nudging the female mega in the back with his foot, he shook his head and said regretfully, "Shame. I was hoping to avoid a situation such as this, but perhaps I was being just a little too optimistic. A little sentimental, if you will. It's one of my very few weaknesses, you see, though I suppose I am not telling you anything you don't already know, Makiya Takaishi."

Mickey blushed when he realized the fallen angel was gazing directly at him, and turning his face away he said hesitantly, "What are you doing here, and where's Angelicmon?"

"So, you know," DarkAngelicmon murmured, glancing quickly at Gabrielmon before turning his attention back to Spritemon. "Angelicmon has gone to join Daichi and the others at the peak. You would do well to follow the same path if you want to claim the Spirit Chip of Bravery before it's too late."

"You didn't answer Mickey's question!" Matt snapped, frowning suspiciously at the fallen angel. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you would have figured that out by now," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, turning his back on the golden-haired Digidestined and reaching out a hand to pull Gabrielmon to his feet. "If you think I'm here to help you then I'm going to have to disappoint you. The only reason I'm here is to make sure you three reach the peak. Once that happens and the Spirit Chip of Bravery is in my possession, I'll have no further use for you. At least for today. All I need is the Spirit Chip. Once it's mine, the three of you and your digimon will no longer be my concern."

"Right...If you say so."

"What about Spritemon?" Angewomon demanded, accepting the fallen angel's hand and leaping lightly to her feet.

Turning to look at the unconscious pixie, DarkAngelicmon said dryly, "She was being a nuisance. I can't very well have her ruining my master's plans, now can I? Which is exactly what would have happened if I had allowed her to stop all of you from reaching the peak. I mean really, the stupidity I have to put up with. I'm sure she'll understand. Once she's awake again, of course."

To Mickey, the fallen angel's words were like a slap in the face, and bowing his head, he said quietly, "So...you're only here because of the Spirit Chip. And in order to get it, you need our help, which is why you didn't want Spritemon interfering."

_This all feels so wrong. It's not supposed to be like this. He's supposed to be here because he cares, not because we're just a bunch of tools he needs to get the Spirit Chip..._

Mickey could feel hot tears beginning to form in his amber eyes, but before they could escape, he suddenly felt a hand cup his chin. He knew the hand belonged to DarkAngelicmon, but even so he couldn't help looking up in surprise, despite how upset he was, and almost against his own will he found himself gazing into the fallen angel's bright green eyes.

"Listen to me, Mickey, and listen well," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, his intense gaze never faltering. "Right now, Daichi's in trouble and he needs your help, not only for his Spirit Chip, but for something even more important. His heart. I will do what I can to help all of you safely reach the peak, but after that..."

"We'll be enemies again."

For a long moment the two of them just stared at each other, neither saying a word, and then leaning close, DarkAngelicmon whispered, "Sometimes, in order to reach the light, you must first find your way through the darkness. Do not forget that, Makiya Takaishi."

"How...how did you know where to find us?"

Glancing at Gabrielmon, DarkAngelicmon said in amusement, "How do you think?"

Mickey almost wanted to smile, but instead he mumbled, "Why...why wouldn't you look at me before?"

He fully expected DarkAngelicmon to give him some sort of an elaborate excuse, but to his surprise that did not happen. Instead, DarkAngelicmon merely said, "Go now, before Spritemon wakes up. If you leave now, Daichi may still have a chance. Do not fail him, Mickey. Both you and I want the same thing. If you and your friends cannot save Daichi, we both lose."

"But I...DarkAngelicmon, wait!"

Mickey tried desperately to grab the fallen angel's arm, but before he could get a good grip on the celestal digimon's wrist, DarkAngelicmon had already fluttered into the air and disappeared from view.

"Mickey, are you going to be okay?"

He wasn't sure, but he knew he needed to give his mother an answer. "I...I think so."

"As much as I hate to admit it, we should take DarkAngelicmon's advice and get out of here while we still have a chance," Matt interrupted, striding quickly towards his partner and kneeling next to the wolf digimon. "Are you okay to keep going?"

Lifting his head, MetalGarurumon said firmly, "I'm fine, Matt. Let's go before we encounter any more of Vampiramon's flunkies."

_Matty, what would you have said if you were here in my place?_

Not needing to be told twice, Mickey quickly hurried along the path between his mother and uncle, MetalGarurumon at the front and the angel digimon watching the rear, and silently shaking his head, he tried unsuccessfully to stop himself from thinking about the fallen angel.

_Why? Why can't he see how much we want to help him?_

"Mickey, I wouldn't worry too much about DarkAngelicmon if I were you," Gabrielmon murmured, coming up suddenly behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"How can you say that, Gabrielmon? You heard him! He considers us his enemies!"

"That's nothing new, Mickey. He has been saying the same thing right from the very beginning. I do not understand why it bothers you now."

"It's just..."

"Something has changed," Gabrielmon said softly, a thoughtful look appearing suddenly on his handsome face. "I cannot explain it, but something about him seems...different."

Gazing miserably at his hands, Mickey mumbled, "Great, that's just what I needed to hear."

"I never said it was a bad thing, Mickey."

"Huh? What?"

Unable to help himself, Mickey turned to gape at his partner, and smiling mysteriously, Gabrielmon said in amusement, "Change doesn't have to be a bad thing, Mickey. Sometimes it can be a good thing."

_A...good thing?_

Mickey wanted to answer, but before he could come up with a suitable reply, Gabrielmon quickly fluttered off to join Angewomon at the back of the group again. That left Mickey with nothing else to do but stare unseeingly at the path up ahead, unsure of what to think of his partner's behaviour.

_Before you can reach the light, sometimes you first have to find your way through the darkness...That's what he said, but...was he talking about me or was he talking about Matty? Or maybe...was he actually talking about himself?_


	193. Old Tricks

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry about the delay, but I do have another chapter done! After this one we'll finally get to the big stuff. Enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 193: Old Tricks

_Sam Ichijouji_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Sorry, but dying isn't on my to do list today. Vee Laser!" ExVeemon shouted, darting behind the vampire digimon and shooting his attack at her from the air, aiming for her back.

Taking the hint, Dracomon launched a barrage of purple needles at the vampire digimon's head, but before either of their attacks could hit her, she turned herself into a bat and quickly darted out of the way, escaping easily without acquiring a single scratch on her body.

"We can't win this fight," Noriko said quietly, shaking her head in despair. "The best we can hope for is to wait for an opportunity to escape, only...I don't know if our digimon will be able to distract Vampiramon long enough to give us such an opening."

"I'll help fight," Penguinmon insisted, giving his partner a pleading look. "Please, Noriko?"

"But...you're still hurt from the last battle. Will you even be able to digivolve again?"

"I have to try!"

"Penguinmon..."

"My energy is slowly being restored little by little. It _would_ go a lot quicker if I had something tasty to eat, but without food I guess we're just going to have to make due. It's not like we really have much of a choice."

Letting out a deep sigh, Noriko held out her D-3, and giving the little bird digimon a stern look, she said, "Just...be a little more careful this time, okay?"

"I will be. Penguinmon digivolve to, Sabirdramon!"

"You'd better get in there too, Gomamon," Joe advised, holding out his Digivice. "You might not be a mega, but an ultimate is still better than nothing."

"I'm on it! Gomamon digivolve to, Ikkakumon!"

As soon as the light died away, Joe's crest began to glow and wrapping his fingers around it, he said to his partner, "You ready?"

"Bring it on! Ikkakumon digivolve to, Zudomon!"

Waiting only long enough for Vampiramon to turn back into her human form to take aim, Sabirdramon shouted, "Nitro Arrow!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!" Zudomon growled, the destructive wave of energy from his weapon speeding after Sabirdramon's arrows.

Unfortunately for the two digimon, Vampiramon somehow managed to sense their attacks coming straight towards her, and immediately taking action, she quickly dived behind the boulders blocking the path up ahead to avoid the blast and as a result her efforts to avoid being hit caused a large explosion, which sent small jagged chips of rock flying in all directions. It was quite a scare, and to avoid injury, Sam quickly covered his face with his hands, the backs of his palms taking the worst of the damage caused by flying debris. Not to be deterred, though, he lifted his head to peek through his fingers, and as he result he managed to look up just in time to see bolts of red lightning shoot up miraculously from the barren ground, a jagged line of electricity that erupted right beneath Zudomon, causing him to cry out in pain.

"You fools aren't even worth my time," Vampiramon scowled, "Scarlet Lighting!"

Immediately, several more bolts of red lightning shot up into the air, just barely missing Sabirdramon and ExVeemon.

"Be careful!" Dracomon cried in warning. "She can shoot them from the air as-"

"Look out!" ExVeemon shouted.

Dracomon wheeled around, a gasp escaping his throat, but he wasn't quick enough to dodge the lightning shooting down from the sky all around him.

Crying out, he crashed down into the debris where the line of rocks, which Zudomon and Sabirdramon's attacks had destroyed earlier, used to be blocking their path, and as Sam watched in horror, more lightning continued to crackle out of the sky, streaking across the ground and forcing the rest of their digimon to take cover.

"If we're going to get out of here we're going to have to do it fast," Davis said firmly, his dark eyes flashing angrily as he glared in Vampiramon's direction. "As much as I hate to admit it, without our digimon being at a higher level, I don't know how much longer they'll be able to stand up to her attacks."

"Davis, are you feeling okay?" Joe asked pleasantly, raising his eyebrows. "You worrying about levels? That doesn't sound like the Davis I know!"

Smiling sheepishly, Davis said, "Maybe I'm just getting old. Now that you mention it, being cautious was never one of my strong points, was it."

"Either that or you've finally learned how to use your head!" Noriko grumbled.

"Maybe, but...I've gotten us through worse before by throwing caution to the winds, haven't I?"

"That's true," Joe agreed. "Just like Tai."

"More luck than anything else," Noriko muttered, but despite her words she too was smiling.

"It's not that I don't still believe in our digimon," Davis quickly explained, sounding uncharacteristically concerned and looking more serious than Sam had ever seen him before. "It's just...my son is more important than a useless battle with Vampiramon and so is Kara. They're what we need to focus on right now, not some stupid battle that isn't going to get us what we came for in the first place."

"Davis..." Noriko whispered, burying her face against his shoulder and hugging him tightly around the waist.

"You've changed, Davis," Joe said simply, smiling at the former leader. "I think even Yolei would have to agree that you've finally grown up."

Slipping an arm around his wife and smiling at the cobalt-haired Digidestined, Davis said confidently, "Not as much as you might think. Some things never change."

"Like your stubbornness!" Noriko scolded, lifting her head to roll her eyes at the former leader.

Despite the playful banter between the adults, who were trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood, Sam was unable to keep his eyes off of Vampiramon, and nodding his head towards the female mega he said quietly, "That attack she uses...It wasn't like that before. She's always been able to conjure lightning, that hasn't changed, but now instead of just striking our digimon from the sky, it's coming from all directions. The sky, the ground, and even her hands. There's no telling where it will suddenly strike from next. How are our digimon ever going to be able to stand up to such a powerful attack when they can't even predict where it will strike next? It's like fighting an invisible enemy."

"That's true," Noriko agreed, shaking her head in fear. "What are we gong to do, Davis?"

Scratching the back of his head, the former leader said sheepishly, "Er...well...I'm not really sure. Any ideas, Joe?"

Joe jumped in surprise, clearly caught off guard, and smiling slightly, he said, "It's at times like this that I wish Izzy were here. If what we've heard about Vampiramon is true, then it means she wasn't lying when she said she wasn't using her full strength earlier. What we're seeing now is the result and as much as I hate to say it, the situation isn't looking too good for our digimon at the moment."

"Then there's only one thing we can do," Noriko said firmly, placing her hands on her hips and giving each of them a stern look. "The only way we're going to escape from here is if we fly ourselves out, but in order to do that we're going to have to find a way to distract Vampiramon long enough to ensure ourselves a safe retreat."

"And let me guess, you have some sort of a plan, do you?" Davis asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You could call it that. Remember what happened to Spritemon? The avalanche caused by all the fighting buried her long enough to give us all a chance to fly off in different directions, so why not use the same kind of tactic? Only this time, it won't be an accident. If we can get our digimon to cause an avalanche like the one that buried Spritemon, it should buy us enough time to get ourselves out of here."

"It'll be dangerous," Joe said slowly, looking a little bit uncertain, "and our digimon will have to be really careful or they might end up burying all of us alive."

"True, but it's the only plan we've got, and if we don't act soon our digimon are done for," Davis argued, nodding towards the path up ahead.

Turning to see what Davis was looking at, Sam let out a gasp of fear, and clutching his D-Coder Digivice tightly in his hands, he whispered, "Dracomon."

Vampiramon's blood-red lightning had managed to incapacitate all of their digmon except for Zudomon, but even though Joe's partner was still on his feet, he did not look as if he would last much longer.

"It's now or never," Davis shouted, waving his arms to get his partner's attention. "ExVeemon, wake up!"

"Sabirdramon!" Noriko cried.

_They have to wake up! If they don't, we'll never be able to escape..._

Taking advantage of the adrenaline running through his veins, Sam clenched his hands into fists and shouted," Dracomon!"

_Dracomon, please!_

To his astonishment, the insect digimon slowly lifted his head, and weakly fluttering his wings, he managed to gasp, "Sam?"

"Dracomon, hurry! To me!"

Dracomon must have sensed the sudden change of mood in the air because somehow he managed to get to his feet, and fluttering away from the battle field where Vampiramon was trying to stick her knife in Zudomon's throat, he said quietly, "What is it, Sam?"

Sam glanced at Davis, uncertain of how to explain, and stepping close to the insect digimon the former leader said in a low voice, "We've only got one chance to get out of here, but it's going to be risky. Do you think you guys can handle it?"

"Tell us what we need to do," Dracomon said simply, gazing into the former leader's dark eyes.

"Do you remember what happened to Spritemon earlier?"

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking I'll let the others know right away."

"Just focus your attacks on the cliff wall and be careful," Davis warned, nodding his head for emphasis. "We don't want to inadvertently end up burying ourselves."

"Somehow I don't think we'd be able to escape very easily if we did that," Joe said mildly, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

_Davis is right. Distracting Vampiramon is really our only option but...what if something goes wrong? What if our digimon do cause an avalanche, but somehow our plan ends up backfiring on us?_

Glancing at his digimon partner, Sam tried to smile, but Dracomon must have sensed what he was thinking because the insect digimon suddenly placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and said reassuringly, "We'll be careful, Sam. I assure you, when it comes to target practice I have excellent aim."

"Just...don't take any unnecessary risks, okay?"

"I won't and I'll make sure the others understand clearly what we need to do."

_Dai...where are you when we need you?_

Launching himself into the sky and quickly fluttering over to ExVeemon and Sabirdramon, who had managed to lift themselves into the air again, Dracomon quickly explained what it was they needed to do, and together the three digimon began to shoot their attacks at Vampiramon, their efforts giving the vampire digimon no choice but to fall back. As a result, Vampiramon was forced to cease her relentless attack on Zudomon and taking advantage of the female mega's confusion, Dracomon quickly swooped in and relayed the plan to Zudomon.

"If you're trying to organize a cooperative attack on me it isn't going to work," Vampiramon smirked, running her fingers over the small, yet deadly, knife in her hands. "No amount of scheming will allow you to defeat me. I will certainly be able to withstand all of your attacks, whether you try to destroy me on your own or as a group, without fail. Why do you continue to fight a battle you know you cannot win? Is complete stupidity part of the criteria for digimon who are fated to become partners with humans? If that is the case, I think the guidelines need to be rewritten. Then again, I suppose it does make sense. Humans are also stupid in their own way, as Daichi Motomiya has proven rather spectacularly today, so I suppose it makes sense that they would gravitate towards stupid digimon."

"You're not exactly all that smart yourself!" ExVeemon shot back, swooping over Zudomon's head and placing himself into position to fight. "Vee Laser!"

Caught off guard, Vampiramon was sent flying into the cliff wall, and dusting herself off, she sneered, "Really, that's it? And here I actually thought you were going to try and hurt me."

"Now, everyone!" ExVeemon shouted. "All together! Vee Laser!"

"Lightning Spark!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!"

"Nirto Arrow!"

As Sam watched anxiously, all four attacks exploded into the cliff wall above the female mega's head and glancing up in confusion, Vampiramon said irritably, "What was that? You fools weren't even close. Depleted of your energy already, are you? Such weak digimon. How disappointing. You pathetic excuses for our species can't even aim properly, let alone defeat me."

"Again!" ExVeemon shouted, ignoring the vampire digimon. "Vee Laser!"

"Get ready, Sam!" Dracomon called out, his violet eyes narrowing in concentration. "Dragon Stingers!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!" Zudomon growled.

"Nitro Arrow!" Sabirdramon cried.

Realizing at the last second what they were trying to do, Vampiramon let out a scream of rage, but unfortunately, even with her incredible speed, it was already too late for the vampire digimon to even consider making an attempt to escape. Within seconds the female mega disappeared beneath an avalanche of rocks and squinting in the air Sam spotted the edge of Vampiramon's black cape just barely peeking out from beneath the intended landslide, the dark spot plainly visible against a backdrop of barren landscape.

"Hurry!" Sabirdramon shouted, diving out of the sky and landing next to Noriko. "We don't have much time! She won't stay down for long, which means we need to get out of here fast."

Racing over to his partner, Sam allowed Dracomon to scoop him up as easily as if he were a small child, and wrapping his arms tightly around his partner's neck he glanced over the insect digmon's shoulder just in time to see Joe and the newly devolved Gomamon catching a ride with Noriko on Sabirdramon. Davis was quickly scooped up by ExVeemon and pointing at the sky the former leader shouted, "Take us to the peak of the mountain, ExVeemon!"

"I'm on it!"

Sabirdramon and Dracomon quickly flew after ExVeemon and glancing down at the pile of rubble obscuring Vampiramon from view, Sam let out a small whimper of fear. Once she was free, she would follow them, and with all the players assembled in DarkAngelicmon's little game of capture the Spirit Chip, there was no telling what might happen once they reached the peak of Infinity Mountain.

_Dai, please be okay. You have to be. I still need to tell you about my dream..._


	194. Setting the Stage

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. (By the time this story is done, the amount of times I've said this...)

A/N: And another chapter! Whether or not it's decent I'll let you guys be the judges! Once again, a big thank you to everyone who has been reading and sending me reviews. I may not always respond because I'm so busy, but you can be sure I read each and every one of them. You guys are the reason why, after five years, this story is still going strong!

Chapter 194: Setting the Stage

_Tai Kamiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Shaking his head in despair, Tai quickly threw an arm over his eyes to stop the harsh rays of the sun from impairing his vision, and spotting WarGreymon weaving through the air in circles, Jestermon's deadly black spheres speeding towards the large mega from the ground down below, he let out a weary sigh, uncertain of what to do.

_Without some more help, I don't think WarGreymon and the others will be able to stand up to BlackWidowmon and Jestermon much longer. It's just like with the Dark Masters. Our enemy is too powerful for us, but...that doesn't mean they're unbeatable. There's only one problem. If we're ever going to defeat them, we're all gong to have to work together as a team, but with the way Dai and Matty are acting now..._

"Uncle, our digimon aren't going to last much longer. We need to think of something and fast," Ryoko warned, ducking as Dragermon came hurtling through the air towards them.

Tai let out a gasp of surprise, and quickly ducking as well, he turned his head just in time to watch Dragermon tumble over the side of the cliff, the sound of his body hitting the rocks down below echoing through the air.

"I know, it's just..."

"Without the rest of our friends, there's nothing we can do!" Dovemon wailed, burying her face against Ryoko's legs.

"And Dai and Matty aren't helping," Ryoko grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Despite the battle raging on, Dai and Matty were still screaming at each other, their insults becoming much more harsh with every shout, and with tears sparkling in his amber eyes, Matty looked ready to shove Dai over the edge of the cliff given half a chance.

_Ryoko's right. If Dai doesn't come to his senses soon, this entire trip to the Digital World will have all been for nothing._

And with Kara's safety on the line, that was not something they could allow to happen._  
_

As Tai watched in despair, Dai knocked Matty to the ground again, his fist connecting with the younger twin's ribs, and pulling his arm back for a second punch, the goggle-headed leader snarled, "Yeah? Well, maybe I don't want to be friends with you anymore either!"

"Like that would be a huge loss!" Matty shot back, shoving the goggle-headed leader away. "I don't need friends who are jerks like you!"

"Idiots," Ryoko muttered, glaring at the arguing duo.

_Just like Matt and I used to be..._

It was too much, but before Tai could do anything about the two rookie Digidestined, a stray black sphere suddenly headed in their direction, and leaping into action he quickly pulled Ryoko out of the way only to find that WarGreymon was also careening through the air towards them. He just had time to let out a yelp of surprise before flattening himself against the ground, his body acting as a shield to protect Ryoko's smaller form from injury. Luckily, WarGreymon landed just behind them on his stomach, and slowly turning his head to the side, the mega digimon said weakly, "Tai..."

"I think it's about time our little game ended," BlackWidowmon suddenly shouted gleefully, leaping out from behind the rocks and lifting her eight spider legs to the sky in triumph. "What do you think, Jestermon?"

"Does it have to?" the fool whined, shaking his head in disappointment. "Well, if you insist, but I was having so much fun."

"You might want to take back your words because this game is far from being over!" Tirimon growled, leaping at the spider digimon. "Winter Inferno!"

Dodging out of the way, BlackWidowmon scuttled across the ground on her eight spider legs, and leaping up behind Tirimon, she screamed, "Web Shackles!"

_Uh oh. Not good!_

Just as Tirimon turned to face the female mega, a mass of sticky thread enveloped him, and tumbling over onto his side he became encased in a large spider web, unable to escape no matter how much he struggled.

_Now what?_

At that moment, Dragermon appeared in the sky again and sensing Tirimon's need for help, he shot a huge blast of fire at BlackWidowmon, which she dodged easily, thanks to her speed and agility.

"Two unconscious digimon coming up!" Jestermon cackled, bouncing to his feet and flinging his black spheres high into the air. One hit the struggling Tirimon, immediately knocking him out, and the other two slammed into the back of Dragermon's head, sending him crashing to the ground.

_Great. Just great..._

Tai had to admit, he was getting worried, and despite the fact that Dragermon was clearly unconscious_, _apparently BlackWidowmon wasn't taking any chances because instead of leaving the dragon digimon to his fate, she quickly trapped him in her sticky webs, ensuring that he would not be able to escape once he regained consciousness._  
_

"Uh oh, I think we might have a bit of a problem," Ryoko said weakly, taking a step back and glancing quickly to his right. "Daichi, stop acting like a stupid fool and get over here right now! You too, Matty!"

"What do you want?" Dai snapped, glaring at the golden-haired Digidestined.

"Look, you idiot!" Ryoko shouted in exasperation, gesturing towards their digimon.

Taking a look at his partner, Dai froze in mid punch, his dark eyes growing wide at the carnage. "Dragermon!"

"See? Now look what you've done!" Matty wailed, smacking the goggle-headed leader on the back of his head. "This is all your fault!"

_No. It's all of us. Dai, why can't you see? Why couldn't I see?  
_

There were so many memories of the past flashing through his head, it was hard for him to think straight, but somehow he managed to kneel next to WarGreymon, his hand coming to rest against the mega digimon's massive shoulder. "Are you still okay to fight?"

"For now, but even _my_ energy won't last forever."

"That bad, huh?"

Lifting his head, WarGreymon said seriously, "I'll do what I can, but without the others..."

"We're not going to win this fight, are we."

Instead of responding, WarGreymon merely shook his head, and quickly launching himself into the air again, he called back over his shoulder, "Even the strongest cannot always win the fight without a little bit of help."

"Two down, one to go!" Jestermon cried gleefully, doing a little victory dance. "Care to join your friends, WarGreymon? It's nap time for you. Shadow Spheres!"

Swooping beneath the three deadly black balls spinning through the air towards him, WarGreymon just managed to avoid Jestermon's attack, but unfortunately BlackWidowmon was already in position waiting for such an occurrence. As soon as the court jester's black spheres disappeared over the side of the mountain, BlackWidowmon screamed, "Web Shackles!"

"Look out!" Dovemon cried, anxiously flapping her wings.

WarGreymon managed to avoid the first barrage of sticky thread, but before he could recover a web that was already almost fully formed, came flying towards him from behind. Turning, the large mega let out a gasp of surprise, but just as it was about to entangle him, a voice shouted, "Celestial Star!"

_Angelicmon!_

Out of nowhere, a blast of golden sparks surrounded by brilliant white light that resembled a shooting star shot straight through the centre of BlackWidowmon's web, sending little bits of silky thread floating to the ground, and soaring over BlackWidomon's head, his glowing spear held securely in his hands, Angelicmon threw the weapon at the female mega and shouted, "Litany Spear!"

BlackWidowmon let out a cry as the spear nearly lodged itself into the top of her right foot, having been caught off guard, and stumbling backwards she tumbled unceremoniously over the circle of rocks behind her, landing in the centre on her back.

"Nice timing," WarGreymon called out, relief in his voice. "We're having a bit of trouble here."

"I noticed," Angelicmon replied, his green eyes taking in the unconscious forms of Dragermon and Tirimon. "The others should be arriving shortly, at least as far as Mickey's group is concerned. Gabrielmon's presence is moving closer even as we speak, as well as Angewomon's."

"Finally, some good news for a change."

"Oh, I hope they get here soon," Dovemon moaned, hiding her face beneath her right wing.

"Angelicmon!" Matty shouted, waving to get his partner's attention.

Diving out of the sky and landing gracefully in front of the golden-haired Digidestined, Angelicmon smiled and said softly, "I told you I would be back."

"Angelicmon, what happened? DarkAngelicmon, he..."

"Later. First we have a friend to rescue and a Spirit Chip to acquire."

"I know, but..."

Reaching out, Angelicmon gently ran his thumb over Matty's tear-stained cheek, and tilting his head to the side, he said quietly, "It seems I am not the only one who has a bit of explaining to do."

Matty quickly looked away in embarrassment, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red, and avoiding the celestial digimon's eyes, he mumbled, "Only if you promise to tell me what happened between you and DarkAngelicmon."

"It's a deal then. Forgive me, I hate to leave your side when clearly you are quite distressed, but I must go help our friends. Unfortunately, the battle does not look to be going in our favour."

"Go," Matty said softly, giving the celestial digimon a gentle push. "I'll be okay."

"How dare you interfere!" BlackWidowmon suddenly snarled, leaping out of the circle of rocks and crossing her arms over her chest. "The nerve of you!"

"Yeah! We were just about to destroy these three," Jestermon complained, motioning towards WarGreymon and the two fallen champions.

"Oh, really?" Angelicmon's bright green eyes narrowed into angry slits, and swooping towards BlackWidowmon he launched another shining star at the female mega, fueling her anger. She retaliated instantly by sending streams of silky thread spinning through the air towards the celestial digimon, her face a mask of rage.

"Check it out, Angelicmon wasn't lying," Ryoko suddenly spoke up, holding out his D-Coder Digivice. "Mickey's group should be arriving any minute now."

"And Sam's group isn't too far behind!" Matty added, holding out his own D-Coder for evidence.

"Three, two, one...and here they are," Ryoko said, sighing in relief.

Tai glanced towards the entrance to the peak and he smiled as Angewomon, Gabrielmon, and MetalGarurumon came bursting over the rocks, instantly launching their attacks at BlackWidowmon, and a moment later Kari, Matt, and Mickey came racing up the path behind their digimon, concern evident on their faces.

"I hope we're not too late!" Kari called out, waving her hand in greeting.

"You're just in time!" Matty called back, racing towards the new arrivals and flinging his arms around his mother's waist. "I'm so glad to see you, Mom. I was afraid..."

"Same here, sweetie," Kari murmured, hugging the younger twin closely. "Thank goodness you're safe."

Unlike his mother, Mickey was not fooled in the slightest, and staring at the younger twin he said quietly, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing!" Matty snapped, a sharp edge to his voice.

Mickey stared at the younger twin, and pulling away from Kari, Matty slowly sank to the ground, his forehead coming to rest wearily against his knees.

_Matty..._

It was almost as if Mickey could sense what was going on in the younger twin's head because he suddenly knelt next to his brother, his arm going around Matty's trembling shoulders in a comforting one-armed hug. Like Matty, his amber eyes were dark and stormy, and lifting those eyes to his leader, he sent Dai an extremely disappointed look.

A look Dai apparently didn't like one little bit.

Immediately sensing Mickey's eyes on him, the goggle-headed leader whirled around and snapped, "Don't look at me like that!"

"Would you rather I looked at you with hatred in my eyes the way you've done to Matty?" Mickey asked quietly, his amber eyes never wavering from the goggle-headed leader's face.

Wincing, Dai quickly turned his face away, and muttering under his breath, he said shortly, "Don't act like I'm the only guilty one around here."

"I never said you were. How would _both _of you like it if I were to look at you with the same eyes you've been directing at each other ever since the moment you two met up again."

_Wait...how could he know? He wasn't even here..._

This, of course, elicited a small gasp from Matty, and mouth dropping open in surprise, Dai stared at Mickey in astonishment. "How did you..."

"I know my brother and I know my friends," Mickey said quietly, turning his face away. "I might not always speak up, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid."

Not quite sure what to say to that, Dai and Matty merely stared at the older twin in silence, and kneeling next to Matty, Matt whispered something into the younger twin's ear before moving off quickly to join his son. Whatever he'd said must have had a huge impact on Matty because instead of continuing to stare at his knees, the younger twin suddenly jerked his head up in surprise, his lips twitching into a small smile.

_Leave it to Matt to find the right thing to say. _

At Mickey's questioning look, Matty merely shook his head, and beaming in his uncle's direction, he said softly, "Later."

"Dad!" Ryoko shouted, running to meet the former musician half way.

"Staying out of trouble, are you?" Matt asked, gently ruffling his son's golden hair.

"I am, but I can't speak for the rest of my idiotic friends!"

Laughing, Matt said disapprovingly, "That's not a very nice way to speak about your friends."

"Maybe not, but that doesn't make it any less true!"

_Ouch! It's like Matt all over again!_

Smiling in amusement, Tai quickly motioned for the Ishida clan to join him, and strolling over with Ryoko trailing along behind, Matt said smoothly, "Dai causing trouble?"

"Something like that. Listen, Matt..."

"He'll pull through. Don't start giving up now. That's not the Tai I know."

"Sorry, it's just...it's harder when it's your kids, you know?"

"Right...only, last I checked, Dai wasn't _yours_."

"No, but he might as well be."

Matt stared at him for a moment, and glancing at the rookie leader, the former musician said quietly, "Guess we all can't help feeling that way. It must come with the territory. You know, being a parent."

"Plus, it helps to have such a great group of kids."

Smiling softly, Matt nodded in agreement. "It doesn't hurt, that's for sure. Funny...now that I'm a dad myself, I finally understand my own dad a little bit better. I used to always think about myself and T.K., but...my parents didn't have it easy either. It must have been hard for them, especially after they found out about the Digital World."

"Tell me about it."

"Look, here come the others!" Dovemon suddenly cried, flapping her wings in greeting.

Tai glanced up just in time to see ExVeemon and Dracomon soaring through the sky over his head and turning to face the group standing near the entrance to the peak he spotted Joe, Davis, Noriko, and Sam talking excitedly to Kari, Sabirdramon hovering above their heads with Gomamon riding on his back. Mickey, who had clearly been worried about Sam, had his arm around the raven-haired Digidestined's shoulders, and judging by the way their heads were bent close together, it looked like the two of them were having a serious conversation. Occasionally both boys would turn to look at Matty, the expressions on their faces indicating they were quite worried about the younger twin.

_I can't blame them. I'm worried too..._

Turning, Noriko immediately spotted her son standing a little apart from the Ishida duo, and letting out a cry of relief she quickly hurried over and flung her arms around the goggle-headed leader's neck in a tight hug.

"Hey, careful! Not so tight," Dai complained, struggling to loosen her grip on his neck.

"What were you thinking?" Noriko shrieked, burying her face against the goggle-headed leader's dark, spiky hair. "You are so grounded after this!"

Dai was about to answer, but spotting his father coming towards him, he quickly snapped his mouth shut and glanced warily at the former leader, guilt written all over his face.

_Davis, what will you do?_

Tai couldn't help feeling a little bit curious, as were the rest of the Digidestined, he was sure, and coming to a stop next to his wife, Davis gently pulled Noriko away from the rookie leader, the expression on his face giving no indication as to how he was feeling inside. He merely stood there looking down at his son, and shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans he regretfully shook his head, at a loss of what to say.

Davis, of all people. At a loss for words.

"Dad, listen," Daichi blurted out, a pleading look on his face, "I..."

"Guys, sorry to interrupt, but I think maybe we should hurry up and break that seal surrounding the Spirit Chip," Joe called out, coming up suddenly behind Matt and gesturing towards the Spirit Chip of Bravery. "The sooner we get Kara away from Jestermon, the better."

"Is she okay?" Noriko asked anxiously, frowning suspiciously at the court jester, who was launching black spheres at the new arrivals.

Tai had to swallow a lump in his throat, and unable to look at Noriko, he mumbled, "I think so, but it's hard to know for sure. Jestermon got her with one of those black balls of his. According to him, she's been knocked unconscious, but other than that she's fine."

"Yeah right!" Dai shouted furiously, his face turning red with anger and his hands clenching into tight fists. "Her head hit the back of that pedestal pretty hard! How do we know she doesn't have a concussion or something?"

"Good point," Matt said seriously. "There's only one problem. In order for us to break the seal we're somehow going to have to get past Jestermon, and how are we supposed to do that without him threatening Kara?"

Tai was about to answer when Dracomon suddenly crashed into their midst, nearly knocking Davis, Noriko, and Daichi backwards onto the ground, and looking up in surprise, he let out a soft groan, his heart sinking at the sight that greeted him. Not only were Tirimon and Dragermon still down, but Angelicmon, Gabrielmon, ExVeemon, and Angewomon were also out of commission, covered in the same sticky webs that had Tirimon and Dragermon trapped, and on top of that Sabirdramon was struggling to stay airborne, his right wing hampered by a stream of silky thread. Gomamon, who had digivolved into Zudomon while they had been talking, was trying unsuccessfully to slow BlackWidowmon down with his Vulcan's Hammer attack and WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon were circling the female digimon, trying their best to land a direct hit while still avoiding BlackWidowmon's deadly webs.

"Oh no!" Dovemon gasped, letting out a soft moan. "All of my friends are in big trouble. If only there was something I could do to help them..."

"Sending reinforcements isn't going to help you!" BlackWidowmon snorted, scuttling out from beneath the two mega digimon and shooting a large sticky stream of thread at Dracomon's unconscious body.

"Look out!" Davis cried, pulling Noriko and Daichi out of the way just as BlackWidowmon's web engulfed Dracomon's still form.

"What are you waiting for? Get them!" BlackWidowmon snapped, glaring at Jestermon and launching more silky threads at the already incapacitated Sabirdramon, knocking him clean out of the sky.

At first, Tai thought BlackWidowmon was talking about Zudomon and the two megas, but instead of launching black spheres at the three remaining digimon, Jestermon sent them careening through the air towards the group of Digidestined who were still standing near the entrance to the peak. Sam and Mickey tumbled to the ground in a heap directly on top of Matty, who'd also been knocked unconscious by a black sphere, and Kari collapsed next to the three boys on her side, her dark hair spilling out across the ground like a pool of discoloured blood.

Staring at his sister's unconscious body in disbelief, Tai managed to gasp, "Kari!"

"Mickey, Matty, Sam!" Ryoko cried.

"You're going to pay for that!" Dai shouted, whirling around to glare at the spider digimon.

"Am I now? Well then, why don't you make me?" BlackWidowmon hissed, smiling in triumph. "Now, how about you hand over your Spirit Chip to me?"


	195. A Bleeding Heart

Disclaimer: I still do not own Digimon. *sigh*

**A/N: Back again with another chapter! Okay, so before we get to it, there's been one question that I've gotten several times now, so instead of sending answers to everyone who asked, I'm just going to explain it here. With regards to Daichi, I've been asked many times now why the rest of the Digidestined are so worried about him and the darkness when both Tai and Davis never really had big issues with darkness the way someone like a Ken or a Kari did, so why the concern? To answer the question, it's because Daichi is NOT Tai and he is NOT Davis, and therefore the Digidestined have many reasons to be concerned. As my characters have stated several times now already, no one is immune to darkness, not even a Davis or a Tai. Tai especially of the two proved that several times in season one despite his courage. So, that's my answer! And now, onto the next chapter!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 195: A Bleeding Heart

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

For a moment, all Dai could do was stare at BlackWidowmon, his face a mask of fury, and somehow managing to find his voice, he said quietly, "You want my Spirit Chip? Give me Kara, and it's yours. All I want is my friend back. I don't care about the stupid Spirit Chip!"

"Dai," Joe warned, his black eyes growing dark and serious, "be careful when making demands. In this case, I don't think bargaining with the enemy is a very good idea."

"You would choose the girl over your own Spirit Chip?" BlackWidowmon interrupted, shaking her head in disbelief. "I will _never_ understand humans."

"And we'll never understand evil digimon!" Ryoko shot back, glaring at the female mega.

BlackWidowmon crossed her arms over her chest, appearing almost as if willing to consider the proposition for a moment, and glancing at the Spirit Chip, she said slowly, "Tell me, Daichi, if I take you up on your offer and hand over the girl, how do I know you'll keep up your end of the bargain?"

"How do I know _you_ will?"

"Good point. Well then, it seems we've reached a bit of a standstill, haven't we."

_I can't believe this..._

Dai glanced past BlackWidowmon, his gaze coming to rest on WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon who were hovering in the air, apparently waiting to see how this new scenario would play out before making their next move, and crossing his arms over his chest, he said icily, "It seems we have."

On the surface, Dai knew he appeared calm and composed, but deep inside his heart the amount of fear he felt for his female friend was so overwhelming, it was amazing he hadn't completely self-destructed yet. Not only that, but the amount of guilt he felt over the death of DemiDevimon, and the way he had been treating Matty only moments ago, left him feeling as if he were on the verge of losing his sanity. He was walking a fine line between anger and despair, and no matter which way the pendulum ended up swaying, he knew the result would be the same.

He would lose everything.

Takara, his friends, the Spirit Chip. If he didn't find a way to overcome his fears, he would lose everything he cared about.

Gone as if they had never existed to begin with.

_Matty deserves a better friend than me, and Kara...I'm so useless. She, too, deserves someone better than me. Someone smarter, someone braver, someone who isn't as likely to screw everything up all the time the way I do. The Spirit Chip of Bravery, huh? What a joke. I might act tough, but let's face it. When it comes to my friends, they're all a lot braver than I am. Mickey, Matty, Ryoko, Kara, and Sam...I'm the biggest coward out of all of us. A fake pretending to be someone I'm not..._

"How about this?" BlackWidowmon suddenly suggested, interrupting his thoughts. "I don't trust you to hand the Spirit Chip directly over to me, but if your father and his friends agree to break the first seal surrounding the Spirit Chip, I may consider handing over the girl as a reward."

Turning his face away, Dai said quietly, "That Spirit Chip might not even be mine."

"It's red, isn't it? It has to be yours!"

"That doesn't mean anything! That doesn't mean I deserve it! That doesn't mean it'll want me..."

_It can't be mine. I'm not worthy enough..._

BlackWidowmon studied him closely for a moment, making him feel slightly uncomfortable, and crossing her arms over her chest, she said simply, "I'm willing to take that chance. So, what do you say, Daichi? You're getting the best end of the deal. You not only get the girl, but you also still get a chance to claim the Spirit Chip for yourself. The second seal will still be in place. All I receive is merely a slight chance at claiming the prize. Though truthfully, that's all I really need."

"Don't do it, Daichi," Ryoko said sharply, glaring suspiciously at the female mega. "It has to be a trick."

"Dai, please think this through reasonably," his mother pleaded, a slight tremor in her voice. "Just this once don't you dare act like your father."

"Hey!" the former leader shouted, glaring indignantly at his wife.

"Well? What do you expect? Honestly, Davis, you _do_ tend to act a little reckless sometimes, even you have to admit it."

"That doesn't mean you have to announce it to the whole Digital World!"

_Mom, Dad..._

Uncertain of how to proceed, Dai glanced uneasily at Tai and Dovemon, and nervously flapping her wings, Dovemon said anxiously, "Don't do anything you'll regret later, Dai."

"Do what you think is right," Tai said simply, his words gentle but firm. "Only you can make that decision, but whatever you decide, you have to _believe_ it's the right thing to do."

_But...what if I don't know what to believe anymore?_

Dai had to admit, he was still undecided, and turning to gaze at his father, he said quietly, "Dad, what do you think I should do?"

"Do what you have to do. Like Tai said, do what you believe in your heart is the right thing to do."

"But..."

"Whatever you do, I'll always be proud of you," his father insisted, the force of his words leaving no room for argument. "Never forget that."

_Dad...How can you still believe in me after everything I've done?_

"Jestermon, bring the Kamiya girl here to me," BlackWidowmon ordered, gesturing for the fool to make it quick.

Hefting the unconscious Kara over his shoulder and bouncing his way over to BlackWidowmon's side, Jestermon nodded his head towards WarGreymon and the other two remaining digimon and said gleefully, "What about them?"

"Stand back, WarGreymon," BlackWidowmon commanded, glaring at the mega digimon. "You and your two worthless friends. Stand where I can see you all."

MetalGarurumon growled in response, but despite his obvious impatience he quickly landed on the ground next to Zudomon, keeping well back from the Spirit Chip. A moment later, WarGreymon joined them, and shaking his head, he called out, "Be careful, Tai."

Instead of responding, Tai turned to BlackWidowmon and said shortly, "What exactly are you trying to pull? Dai hasn't agreed to anything yet."

"Exactly!" Ryoko snapped, tossing his head. "He needs some time to think. At least give him that much."

"What's there to think about?" BlackWidowmon said airily, waving her black-gloved hand at the pedestal holding the Spirit Chip. "We need the Spirit Chip and so do you. The only way either one of us is going to get it is if someone breaks those seals preventing_ everyone,_ including your precious friend Daichi, from getting their hands on it, and the only people who can do that are Daichi, his father, his uncle, and your father."

"Your point?" Dai snapped, speaking up before Ryoko could have a chance to defend him.

He didn't deserve it. Not from Ryoko.

"Look, the way is clear. Sooner or later you and your digibuddies are going to have to break those seals, unless you want your Spirit Chip to remain on Infinity Mountain forever. Might as well get it over with while you have the chance. Just the one seal and the Kamiya girl is yours. The second seal can be broken at any time of your choosing. Then, and only then, will we fight it out for the Spirit Chip. We're not going to attack you or any of your friends while the seal is in the process of being broken. You have my word on that."

Glaring at her, Dai snapped, "Your word means nothing to me."

"It's your choice, Daichi. Have your father and his friends break the seal and the Kamiya girl is yours. Refuse, and I take her directly to the Ruler of Darkness. Once she is in my master's possession, I cannot be responsible for what happens to her after that."

"Changing the rules now, are you?" Davis shouted, clearly outraged. "Taking Kara away from Infinity Mountain wasn't one of the conditions when you outlined the deal!"

"Maybe not, but I need to get something out of this deal, too, don't I? And, if threatening to hand over the Kamiya girl to the Ruler of Darkness is enough incentive to keep Daichi from backing out of our agreement then he can't very well go back on my offer, now can he."

"What a dirty trick!" Dovemon cried, fluttering her wings in frustration.

"Well, Dai? What do you want to do?" Tai asked quietly, watching him closely.

Dai wanted to respond, but he still had no idea what would be the best course of action, so instead he merely stood there staring at the Spirit Chip, the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears, and feeling his father's arm go around his shoulders, he said quietly, "Do it. Break the seal. I don't like the conditions of this deal any more than the rest of you, but BlackWidowmon is right about one thing. Eventually we're going to have to break those seals whether we want to or not. Might as well get it over with now while we still have a chance."

For a moment, Tai looked like he was about to say something, but then instead of responding, he merely turned to Matt and Joe and motioned for them to join him by the Spirit Chip. "You guys ready?"

"Let's hope this works," Joe murmured, falling back into his usual pessimistic thinking, which earned him an exasperated look from Matt.

Together, the three older Digidestined surrounded the Spirit Chip in a circle and held out their crests, waiting for something to happen. Almost immediately, all three crests began to glow brightly beneath the warms rays of the sun, causing a flutter of excitement from those watching.

As Dai stared in fascination, a beam of orange light burst out of Tai's crest and streaked into Matt's crest, causing it to spark with orange and blue light, and a moment later a beam of blue light from Matt's crest streaked into Joe's crest, causing a spark of orange, blue, and grey light. The process finished with a grey beam of light from Joe's crest connecting with Tai's crest, and to Dai's complete astonishment, all three of the older Digidestined began to glow with bright light, corresponding with the colour of their respective crests.

The scene stayed like that for a moment, a triangle of multicoloured light connecting the three Digidestined together, and then all of a sudden three separate beams of light, one orange, one blue, and one grey, burst out of each of the three crests and slammed into the orb of blue, grey, and orange mist surrounding the Spirit Chip, creating a blinding flash of light. Just as Gennai had predicted, the mist surrounding the Spirit Chip evaporated into thin air, leaving only a barrier of brilliant red light surrounding the small chip sitting on the stone pedestal.

"Excellent!" BlackWidowmon cried gleefully, clapping her hands together in excitement. "One down, one to go!"

"We've kept our end of the deal, now you have to keep yours," Matt interrupted, scowling at the female mega. "Hand over Kara."

In response, BlackWidowmon hissed at the former musician, and waving her hand at the fool standing behind her, she said, "Jestermon, the girl. Bring her here."

"We're really giving her up?" Jestermon complained, clearly disappointed.

"A deal is a deal."

_Kara!_

Heart pounding, Dai quickly moved to meet Jestermon half way, but just before the court jester could drop the female Digidestined into his arms, a voice shouted, "I don't think so!"

_Huh?_

Dai whirled around in surprise and he let out a gasp as Spritemon suddenly dived over his head, just missing the goggles perched on his spiky hair by mere inches, and pulling Takara's limp body away from the court jester, she snapped, "What do you think you idiots are doing? How dare you give up our bait without first getting your hands on the Spirit Chip! You're lucky Vampiramon isn't here otherwise you two would be nothing more than itty bitty pieces of data right about now!"

"Just because I was willing to give up the girl doesn't mean I don't have a plan to still steal the Spirit Chip," BlackWidowmon snarled, whacking the little sprite digimon on the back of the head with a well aimed slap. "Now, thanks to you, my plan isn't going to work anymore."

Dai was frozen in place. Just standing there staring at nothing. It was as if all the life had been drained out of him. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to hit something, but he knew no matter what he did, it wouldn't make him feel any better. The only thing that was going to save him was saving Kara.

_Kara..._

Somewhere deep inside his heart he felt a sudden spark of rage bubble up to a boiling point, and staring at the three mega digimon, his vision blinded by rage, he managed to say, "You were going to trick us."

"Well, yes, in a manner of speaking," BlackWidowmon agreed, shrugging her shoulders. "But true to my word, along with tricking you, I was still going to give you the girl."

"Not with me here, you won't!" Spritemon interrupted, rubbing the back of her head and glaring at the female spider digimon. "I don't care what kind of a plan you had in mind. We're not giving up the girl. Period!"

"Revenge will have to wait, Spritemon," Jestermon warned, cackling like a maniac. "Takara is off limits until the Ruler of Darkness deems her no longer useful."

"I know that, you sorry excuse for a fool!"

"Pardon me, but is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?" Jestermon smirked. "It could go either way, you know."

Spritemon glared at the court jester, her brown eyes narrowing into angry slits, and throwing Takara over her shoulder, she snapped, "I hope the Ruler of Darkness turns you into data."

"Now, now, that was rather harsh, Spritemon," Jestermon cried dramatically, placing a hand against his heart. "You've wounded me terribly. I'm so distressed!"

"Just shut up already, would you?"

_Takara...They're going to keep her. They're not going to give her back..._

Stunned by the blow of losing Kara yet again, Dai tried to speak, but before he could manage to get out a coherent sentence, Tai took a step forward and said in a low voice, "Give me back my daughter."

"You didn't say please," Jestermon cackled, hopping up and down and twirling around on his heels in a strange little dance. "What do you know, Spritemon? Dare I say you've actually come up with a good idea for once?"

Scowling, Spritemon snarled, "Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?"

"Great, so we keep the girl, as annoying as she is," BlackWidowmon snorted, shaking her head in annoyance. "Pardon me for asking, but how exactly is hanging onto the girl going to help us get the Spirit Chip? I'm assuming you have some sort of a plan, at least?"

"What are you planning to do wtih Kara?" Ryoko demanded, glaring suspiciously at the three evil megas.

"Well..." Spritemon thought for a moment, and smirking slightly, she said evilly, "You know, BlackWidowmon, I think I like your idea of taking the Kamiya girl to our master. Heard you talking just before I decided to intervene. What an interesting proposition. If I bring the Kamiya girl directly to our master, perhaps then he will relent and allow me to have my revenge."

Horrified, Dai managed to gasp, "No!"

"He won't let you!" Dovemon cried, shaking her head in denial. "Not until you get her Spirit Chip at least!"

"Maybe, but I'll worry about that part later," Spritemon shot back. "Right now all I need to worry about is Daichi's Spirit Chip and if bringing the Kamiya girl to my master is the only way to obtain it, then so be it. Jestermon, BlackWidowmon, take out WarGreymon and the other two remaining digimon. I'll deal with Daichi and the Spirit Chip!"

"No!" Noriko shrieked, her sudden shout shattering the tension in the air and sending everyone into motion.

Spritemon quickly leaped into the air, Kara still hanging from her shoulder, and without another word she flew to the edge of the cliff on the opposite side of the peak from the Spirit Chip, keeping herself out of the battle.

Upon hearing Spritemon's command directed at the other two mega digimon, WarGreymon, Zudomon, and MetalGarurumon immediately leaped into action, but unfortunately they weren't able to react fast enough. Before WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon could even get off the ground, they were bombarded by black spheres and thick, silky strands of thread. Zudomon got caught in the crossfire and he was quickly engulfed in a huge sticky web, unable to move. As a result, he had no chance of avoiding Jestermon's deadly black balls. After being knocked unconscious, that left only WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, who had no choice but to get themselves out of there as quickly as possible.

_No...we're going to lose...They're going to take Kara away from us forever..._

The force of Dai's desperate thoughts was so powerful, for a moment he was unable to move or to even make sense of what had just happened, but then all of a sudden he knew what he had to do.

_The Spirit Chip! If I can get the Spirit Chip, Dragermon will be able to digivolve and I'll be able to rescue Kara!_

"Dai, wait!" Tai shouted, pushing past Matt and reaching out to grab his arm as he flew past.

Ignoring the former leader and his father's shouts from further back, Dai quickly stumbled to a halt in front of the pedestal holding the Spirit Chip, his breath coming in short gasps. He pulled out his D-Coder and quickly held it out in his hands, his gaze focusing on the inscription carved into the pedestal, a description he could not for the life of him understand, since it was written in a strange language he had never seen before except on the walls of the fortress where he'd found Embermon, and concentrating hard on the Spirit Chip he waited for something to happen.

Only nothing did happen. Instead of the barrier reacting to his D-Coder, it remained unchanged, glowing with a bright red light.


	196. Inner Demons

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: We're getting to the end of this Spirit Chip, I promise! How it turns out, though, you'll just have to wait and see!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 196: Inner Demons

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Daichi stared blankly at the Spirit Chip, his D-Coder trembling precariously in his outstretched hand, and realizing instantly what had happened, he did not even attempt to stop the Digivice from slipping out of his grasp, his body remaining frozen in place even as his D-Coder clattered loudly against the rocky ground near the base of the pedestal, a sharp sound that echoed faintly in the air like unseen ghosts mocking him from the sky.

Contrary to popular belief, the Spirit Chip of Bravery, which appeared at least on the surface to belong to him, had not reacted to his Digivice or his presence at all.

To put it plainly, the Spirit Chip of Bravery had blatantly rejected him, its failure to respond not only a deep blow to his ego, but also to his confidence, which was already suffering thanks to his inability to protect not only Takara, but also the rest of his friends.

_I knew it. I knew this was going to happen. Why wouldn't they believe me? Why wouldn't they understand? I kept trying to tell them, but they wouldn't listen..._

"Dai!"

Turning his head slightly, Dai spotted both his father and Tai racing towards him, and sinking to his knees in front of the pedestal, he stared unseeingly at the D-Coder Digivice lying on the ground just within his grasp, his heart racing and his mind growing numb with shock. Even though he had kept insisting the Spirit Chip wasn't his, a small part of him had still been hoping that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong. But now, thanks to the Spirit Chip's failure to respond to his D-Coder, his hopes had been dashed completely, leaving him with nothing but a deep sense of loss and a terrible ache in his heart.

_Kara...I'll never be as brave as you are. And I'm sorry...I'm sorry I can't be more like you..._

"Dai, hey, come on. It's not what you think," Tai said quietly, kneeling next to him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Dai felt a sudden surge of anger deep within his heart, and jerking away from the former leader, he snapped, "What do you mean it's not what I think? How else can you explain this? I told you it didn't belong to me! I told you, but you're just so...so _stupid! _You wouldn't listen to me!"

"Dai!" his father said sharply, interrupting before Tai could respond.

Dai ignored the angry flash in his father's dark eyes, his hands clenching into tight fists, and glaring at the two former leaders kneeling on either side of him, he said coldly, "I kept insisting, but you just wouldn't listen. You never listen!"

"That's not true and you know it," his father said quietly, the intense look in the former leader's eyes never wavering even for a split second. Laid back and easygoing, Dai had never seen his father looking so serious before, and though the former leader's gaze was strong and steady, there was something about his expression that made Dai feel like he was missing something very important. "In fact, you couldn't be further from the truth."

"Really? Tell that to Ryoko and Matty! Tell that to Mom, why don't you? They never listen to me! Nobody ever takes me seriously! I'm nothing but a joke to all of you! A source of entertainment! And you know what? I'm sick of it! I'm sick of everything!"

"Dai, I know sometimes I can be strict, but that doesn't mean you're not important to me," his mother choked out, coming up suddenly behind him with Matt and Joe, her face tight with worry and her dark eyes sparkling with tears. "It doesn't mean I don't hear you and that I don't listen to what you have to say. I might get a little carried away sometimes, but no matter how much you believe I'm not treating you fairly, that doesn't change the way I feel about you. It doesn't change how much I love you."

"No matter how much I wish we could be, not everyone is like _you, _Dai," Matt interrupted, an unreadable expression on his face. "For some of us, it's not always easy to express our feelings in words, but that doesn't mean we aren't capable of feeling every bit the same way you do."

Conscious of the fierce battle raging behind them with their digimon and the enemy, Dai whirled around to face the former musician and he shouted accusingly, "Your stupid jerk of a son is the worst one of all! Don't act like you understand how I'm feeling because you don't!"

"Do _you _even understand how you're feeling at the moment?" Matt countered.

_Huh?_

Confused, Dai merely stared at the former musician, uncertain of how to respond, and gazing back at him, Matt raised his eyebrows, clearly expecting an answer. When he didn't reply, the former musician shook his head and said quietly, "That's what I thought."

"Dai," his father interrupted, shaking him gently by the shoulders to get his attention, "I know what it feels like not to be taken seriously, and I hated it just as much as you do, but...just because it might not _look _like anybody is taking you seriously, that doesn't mean they aren't."

"How would you know, Dad? You didn't have to deal with someone like Ryoko!"

"No, but I did," Tai muttered, turning to smile at Matt, who rolled his eyes in response.

"Dai, we're not trying to upset you," his father insisted, studying him closely. "We're just worr-"

"Maybe not, but you're sure doing a good job of it! I don't care what you have to say! All I want is to get Kara away from those creeps, so just...just shut up!"

"Dai!" his mother gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror.

Realizing all of a sudden what he had said and following his mother's example, Dai quickly clapped his hands over his mouth in surprise, shocked by his own outburst, and glancing anxiously at his father he felt his face heat up, a sudden wave of guilt hitting him with the force of a tsunami. Never in his life had he ever spoken so harshly to his father before, the one parent he always got along with, and staring at the former leader now, he couldn't help wondering what in the Digiworld had possessed him to say such a thing. Normally his father was the one he always turned to for guidance and support, his source of comfort when everybody else treated him like he was nothing but a troublemaker and a cause for concern. Since they were so much alike, his father had a way of understanding him unlike anyone else, except perhaps for Matty, and now, without intentionally meaning to, he was alienating the one person who might have stood up for him regardless of whether or not the others took him seriously, especially now at a time when he needed the support more than ever.

_What's happening to me? I barely even recognize myself anymore..._

Dai glanced uncertainly at his father, unable to speak for fear of saying something even more hurtful, and gazing back at him, his father remained silent, an unreadable expression on the former leader's face. It was unnerving, and it scared Dai more than even the enigmatic Ruler of Darkness himself.

His father, the legendary Davis Motomiya, was _never _quiet.

"Maybe we should focus on freeing Zudomon and the other digimon from BlackWidowmon's webs," Joe interrupted, clearly anxious to change the subject. "It's the least we can do to help WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon."

"But even if we manage to get them free, they're still unconscious," Matt reminded the doctor.

Frowning, Dovemon nodded in agreement, but then her face suddenly brightened and she said hopefully, "Well, maybe you guys can use the Digivices to wake them up. It worked when Kara used her D-Coder to wake the boys up from Sirenmon's music..."

"Good point," Joe agreed, smiling at the little rookie. "It's worth a shot."

"I don't think so!" Spritemon shouted, a dangerous edge to her words. "Jestermon, deal with them, would you?"

Dai shot to his feet, but before he could shout out a warning, Jestermon turned from his battle with MetalGarurumon and launched three deadly black spheres towards Matt, Joe, and his mother. Caught off guard, the three older Digidestined tumbled to the ground unconscious, and stumbling over to his mother's side he shook her shoulder and gasped, "Mom! Mom, wake up!"

"Don't waste your breath. She won't be waking up any time soon!" Spritemon smirked, shifting Kara over her shoulder into a more comfortable position. "Looks like you're out of luck, you pathetic excuse for a leader."

Stung by the insult and blinded by rage over what the female mega had done to his mother, Dai said quietly, "You won't get away with this! I'll stop you! I swear I'll stop you if it's the last thing I do!"

"And how do you plan to do that without your Spirit Chip?" Spritemon shot back, her words cutting deeply into his heart. "It won't even respond to you! You realize what this means, don't you? You're useless to my master! Worthless. All we wanted was for you to release the last seal surrounding the Spirit Chip so we could steal it, but apparently you can't even do something as simple as that without screwing it up! How dare you mess with our plans!"

Dai lowered his gaze to the ground and he shook his head in denial, a bitter smile grazing his lips. He gave his mother's limp hand a gentle squeeze, but she didn't respond. "You can't blame me for this. I tried to warn everybody, including your flunkies. It's your own fault for being stupid enough to believe DarkAngelicmon. And where is he now, huh? He couldn't even bother to show up for the finale. Can't face the truth, can he? The fact that he was wrong about me? Just like everyone else."

Ignoring him, Spritemon turned to the court jester and snapped, "Jestermon! Let BlackWidowmon deal with WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. You take care of Daichi for me."

"Say what now?" Jestermon replied, scratching his wrinkled green forehead in confusion. "Er...I thought we needed him for the Spirit Chip!"

"True, but with the way he is now, he's obviously useless to us at the moment. Just shut him up and will figure out what to do about him later."

"Are you sure that would be...um...wise...Spritemon?"

"It's not like we have a choice. He's being a nuisance," Spritemon grumbled, making a face. "Just do it, would you? We'll figure out how to get his Spirit Chip once we've subdued WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. With them out of the way, it'll be easier for us to concentrate on the Spirit Chip."

"As you wish, Spritemon," Jestermon cackled, hopping up and down in excitement. "My, my, this game is taking an interesting turn, I must say."

Ignoring the fool, Spritemon grumbled, "Honestly, the one time we could actually use DarkAngelicmon's help and he goes and disappears on us! And where in the Digiworld is Vampiramon?"

"She went chasing after angel boy," Jestermon replied. "Knowing her, she should be back pretty soon, but whether or not she'll have angel boy in tow is another story all together."

"Figures. Well, what are you waiting for? It's time to send our little goggle-headed leader into dreamland where he belongs!"

"Dai!" WarGreymon shouted, dodging around BlackWidowmon's long strands of silky threads and attempting to move towards him.

Realizing the sudden seriousness of the situation and outraged over what had happened to his partner, MetalGarurumon also attempted to get past BlackWidowmon's deadly webs, but unfortunately her relentless barrage of spider thread refused to cease and they were unable to get past her.

Which, as Dai was quick to pick up on, left him completely unprotected.

_Uh oh..._

Dai quickly leaped back from his mother's limp body and he stared at the court jester, refusing to back down.

"Shadow Spheres!" Jestermon shouted, smiling evilly.

_I'm such a failure..._

Knowing it was useless, nonetheless Dai attempted to duck, and at the last moment somebody jumped in front of him, grabbing him by the shoulders and blocking his smaller form from taking the brunt of the attack. As Dai watched in horror, two of Jestermon's black spheres hit his rescuer right between the shoulder blades and the third sphere flew harmlessly off to the side, just barely missing Dovemon.

_No!_

Dai let out a gasp of horror, and without a second thought he grabbed his father around the waist just as the former leader sagged against him, causing both of them to stumble. Since he was the smaller of the two, he was unable to withstand the taller man's weight, and letting out a grunt of pain, he fell backwards onto the ground, his father's unconscious body nearly crushing him in the process.

Forcing their way past Blackwidmwon's webs, MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon sent their attacks careening through the air towards Jestermon and letting out a yelp of surprise, the fool disappeared in a ball of fire, which Dai pleaded silently would keep the court jester out of commission, at least for a little while.

_Dad!_

Rolling to the side, Dai stared down at his father's unconscious body, and dark eyes stinging with sudden tears, he whispered, "No..."

_This is all my fault. He tried to protect me, even after the way I yelled at him. Even after everything I've done..._

"Dai? Are you okay?" Dovemon cried, fluttering anxiously over to his side and rubbing her cheek against his ribs.

Coming up behind Dovemon, Tai stood there looking at him, clearly at a loss of what to say.

"Not exactly what I was expecting, but I suppose it will do," Spritemon said airily, nodding her head in approval. "Well, well, well, Daichi. It seems your family and friends are falling like flies. Soon there will be no one left to take a hit for you or to stand in my way. Poor little leader. It's only a matter of time before you're all alone. What will you do then, I wonder."

Dai wrapped his arms around his father's neck, and resting his head against the former leader's dark hair, he didn't respond.

After all, what could he say? Spritemon was right. He had proven himself weak and worthless. How could anyone bounce back from such a terrible discovery like the one he had been forced to accept about himself?

_Dad...what do I do? What would you have done? I can't do this. Please, help me..._


	197. The Meaning of Courage

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon! But I certainly would love to!

**A/N: Hello, everyone! Once again I am sorry about the wait, but finally I am back with another chapter! I've been pretty busy lately so thanks everyone for being so understanding and for waiting patiently. Hope you all like it! It's been a great five years writing this story so far and I'm enjoying posting every chapter just as much as I did when I posted the first chapter quite a long time ago. Thank you to everyone for your great reviews and your feedback, and most importantly for giving me the motivation to continue writing. Enjoy the new chapter! Oh, and I have posted Dragermon's name for his mega form on my profile if anyone wants to know what it is ahead of time. I will make sure I check the chapter again for any missed mistakes. Now really, go enjoy!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 197: The Meaning of Courage

_Tai Kamiya_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Tai dropped down next to the fallen Daichi and placing a hand on the goggle-headed leader's shoulder, he said quietly, "Dai?"

Dai refused to answer, and turning to gaze at the unconscious bodies of both human and digimon alike strewn all over the peak of Infinity Mountain, Tai could not help wondering how such a straightforward, though dangerous, plan to acquire the Spirit Chip of Bravery could have gone so very wrong.

_Dai, look at you. You're falling into the same trap that nearly caught me when I first found my crest. First SkullGreymon and then I couldn't even rescue Sora from the pyramid. I thought I could do everything by myself, especially since at first I was the only one who had a crest, but in the end I found out the hard way just how wrong I was. It's our friends who give us real courage, the strength we feel from them to help us overcome our fears. As much as we might want to think otherwise, we can't do everything by ourselves. If we really want to succeed we have to rely on our friends. We all have our own unique talents, and when we work together, all of our greatest qualities combined make us unbeatable. You're no different from me, Dai. It's only after we've learned to overcome our fears that we can finally harness the power inside._

It was a nice thought, but how was he supposed to bring Daichi around to his way of thinking when the goggle-headed leader refused to listen to him?

_If only I could think of the right thing to say..._

In front of the unconscious bodies lying sprawled around Dai's slumped form, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon were still trying desperately to subdue Jestermon and BlackWidowmon, and hovering in the air a safe distance away, with Kara's limp body still hanging over her shoulder, Spritemon was smiling triumphantly at the way the battle was clearly turning in her favour. Judging by the expression on her face, she seemed quite willing to spend a few minutes savoring the moment, and it was clear she enjoyed taking her time in combat to get the most out of every fight.

_It's now or never. If I don't do something, we'll lose this battle for sure._

With that thought in mind, Tai quickly pulled the younger leader away from Davis, and turning the boy to face him, he said urgently, "Dai, listen to me. You can't give up like this. Do you really want to lose this battle without giving it everything you've got?"

Instead of responding, Dai slowly lifted his head, and gazing directly into the goggle-headed leader's eyes, Tai was unable to prevent a small gasp from escaping his mouth. When it came to the six young members of the new Digidestined team, out of all of them their leader, Daichi Motomiya, was the least likely to succumb to his emotions, and yet, though history had shown this to be true, at the moment, Dai's face was red and puffy and there were tears streaming down his cheeks.

_Dai..._

Tai didn't say a word. What could he say? Words were useless. And because words were useless, he did the only thing he _could_ do. He pulled the goggle-headed leader into a hug, and holding the boy tightly against his chest he closed his eyes to shield himself from the pain he could feel radiating off of Dai's trembling body.

"I'm not like you," Dai whispered into his chest, his words sounding lost and confused. "I don't know what real courage is."

"And you think I do?"

Startled, Dai lifted his tear-stained face to stare at him in surprise, and shaking the goggle-headed leader gently by the shoulders, Tai said seriously, "Okay, scratch that. Maybe I do now, but that wasn't _always_ the case."

"W-what do you mean?"

"When I first found my crest, I thought since at the time I was the only one who had one, it meant that I had to do everything all by myself. I believed I was the only one who could protect all of us when we were in danger. Because of my attitude, I ended up finding out the hard way just how wrong I was."

"I don't understand," Dai mumbled, clearly confused. "Did something happen?"

_Only the worst thing that could have happened to me..._

Tai turned slowly to gaze silently at the impressive digimon known as WarGreymon, his partner and life-long friend, who was still fighting even now against Spritemon and Jestermon for his sake, and smiling slightly, he said quietly, "While travelling in the Digital World, we ended up coming across this place on Server that looked kind of like the ancient Roman Coliseum. That's where we found Joe's crest. Everything was going great until Etemon showed up and attacked us."

"What happened?" Dai gasped, his dark eyes growing wide at this sudden flashback he clearly had not been expecting to hear. Dai knew about that day, but he did not know everything.

That is, until now.

"Etemon used another Greymon to attack us, and obviously our only option was to defend ourselves. Like with you and your Spirit Chip, at first I could not get my crest to work due to the fact that I had yet to discover the secret of unlocking its power. Earlier, I'd been working Agumon to death trying to get him to digivolve, and since Joe had yet to find his crest at the coliseum, I still felt like I was the only one who could get us out of our current sticky situation."

Dai sniffed and rubbing his arm across his eyes to wipe away the tear stains on his cheeks, he mumbled, "You did something, didn't you."

"I forced Agumon to digivolve even though we both weren't ready; even though I had yet to understand the true meaning of courage. Somewhere along the line I'd lost sight of who I was and my heart became covered in darkness. Not obvious, but it was still there. Though I was able to get Agumon to digivolve, he didn't digivolve the way he should have. What I mean by that is he didn't digivolve in the way that he was original intended to digivolve. Instead of becoming MetalGreymon, he turned into an ultimate digimon known as SkullGreymon."

"SkullGreymon!" Dai sputtered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Agumon mentioned something about a SkullGreymon attacking you guys. Wait, you don't mean..."

There was no turning back, and glancing quickly at the battle taking place, relieved to find that Spritemon and the other evil megas were still momentarily occupied by the fight, thanks of course to WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, Tai hastily told the young goggle-headed leader the entire story, doing his best not to leave anything out. When he was finished, Dai stared at him in shock, unable to respond.

_Now do you see? We're not so different from each other. Don't turn your back on those who want to help you..._

"SkullGreymon," Dai whispered, his tear-stained face turning a ghostly shade of white. "He attacked your friends and his fellow digimon."

"You're telling me. I won't deny he caused a lot of damage before he finally ran out of energy. Poor Koromon. I felt so bad for him, but I knew I had no one to blame but myself. Though physically he was the one who had attacked everyone, it was my fault the damage had been done."

"Tai, I...I'm sorry," Dai mumbled, looking away from him. "I never realized..."

"Of course you didn't. I never told any of you, even Kara, but now I realize I probably should have a long time ago. After the incident with SkullGreymon, I was scared to have Agumon digivolve again. Can you imagine what that feels like, Dai? Knowing how much you love your partner but at the same time being partly afraid of not only him, but also yourself?"

"Tai..."

"What was even worse, though, was the fact that I knew Agumon was also afraid to digivolve again for fear of hurting us. Thankfully, Piximon showed up to set us straight. Especially me. I still remember that cave and my training. I was supposed to find my way back."

"I don't see how finding your way out of some cave was supposed to help you and Agumon get over your fear."

Smiling at the goggle-headed leader, Tai said softly, "I wasn't really finding my way out of the cave. I was finding my way back to myself, and Agumon and I were finding our way back to each other. And it worked. That light in the distance... The more we fought, the further away from the light we got. I could see myself as a small child. I remember telling my younger self not to give up."

"It's all about overcoming your fears," Dai said softly, a small smile beginning to form on the goggle-headed leader's face.

"You got it. Funny...I think I said the same thing at the time. Both Agumon and I were afraid he would digivolve back into SkullGreymon, and it wasn't until we were able to confront that fear that we were able to overcome it."

"So...the key was trusting each other. Trusting your friends."

"Believing in them and believing in yourself. After that, Agumon was able to digivolve again, but despite our success the test was only just beginning."

"Sora and the pyramid," Dai said solemnly.

_Good. WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon still have Spritemon's attention. This might be my only chance. Better make the most of it._

"Once again, my ego was my own worst enemy because I thought, due to Izzy's newest theory, I could feel no pain. I took huge risks that I shudder to think about now. Once I understood what we were really up against, again my courage failed me and darkness covered my heart. I couldn't save Sora because I let my fear of the firewall overcome me. When I did finally began to understand just how much Sora needed me, when I finally began to trust in my friends and their advice, it was then that I was finally able to understand the true meaning of courage."

"But...what is the true meaning of courage?" Dal pleaded, desperate for some answers. "I just don't know..."

Remembering his own words from the past, Tai gazed directly into the goggle-headed leader's dark eyes and said firmly, "A man must face himself before he can face his enemies."

"Huh?"

"Dai, courage isn't a lack of fear. Its knowing you're afraid and finding the strength within yourself to overcome your fears."

"That...sounds like something Kara would say."

"Not just Kara. Ask your father. He'll tell you the same thing. He had to learn a similar lesson in order to get his hands on the Digi-egg of Friendship. It all comes down to the same thing. Trust your friends, trust your partner, trust yourself. Only then will you be able to make your Spirit Chip work for you."

Dai nodded slowly, and frowning thoughtfully at his knees, he glanced over at his father's lifeless body and said hesitantly, "I think I understand."

"Now that you know the truth...how does it make you feel about me?"

For a moment, Dai didn't answer, and just when Tai thought he wouldn't respond, the goggle-headed leader said softly, "I wish I could be more like you and Dad."

_Dai..._

"Don't let your mom here you say that! But seriously...you can be, but you can't give up on yourself."

"But...it's so hard..."

"Of course it's hard! If it were easy, it wouldn't mean anything."

"I guess..."

"I take it this means you're not going to pull a Sam on me?"

To his surprise, Dai actually managed a weak laugh, and shaking his head, the goggle-headed leader said bluntly, "No offence to Sam, but I haven't reached that level of stupidity yet! Ryoko had the right idea. He forgave Matt, didn't he? And since Kara's not awake to forgive you, I guess I'll have to act in her place. You'll tell her, won't you?"

"I'll tell everyone, I promise."

"She'll forgive you. I know she will."

_Kara...you're so much like your mom...She forgave me too, even though she didn't have to..._

Smiling at the goggle-headed leader, Tai reached out a hand to help him to his feet, but instead of accepting the friendly gesture, Dai pulled away from him and turned to stare miserably at his feet.

"What is it, Dai?"

To his surprise, silent tears once again began to run down Dai's cheeks. "I lied to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I was followed. Spritemon's flunky was a little DemiDevimon. Embermon, he..."

_So...that's what happened. Just like what happened in the past, only..._

Tai once again glanced nervously at the battle raging behind them, and discovering they were still in the clear so far, he gave Dai his full attention. "He deleted him?"

Unable to look at him, Dai nodded his head, his dark eyes sparkling with regret and sorrow. "It's my fault. If I hadn't run away from all of you guys..."

"DemiDevimon probably _still_ would have caused us trouble, but instead of being on his own, he would have had Spritemon to back him up."

"I know, but still...he was so little and defenceless. I didn't trust him because I couldn't forget the DemiDevimon who had tried so hard to trick you and _your _friends back when you were trying to save the Digital World. I took him for a liar, without even giving him the benefit of the doubt, and he payed the price for it. He suffered because of me, and the funny thing is, I think...mostly he was telling the truth. Can you imagine what Mickey and the others will think of me after this? I'm such a failure..."

_Dai...You can't really believe that..._

Tai quickly grabbed the goggle-headed leader firmly by the shoulders and gazing directly into the younger Digidestined's eyes, he said sharply, "You are _not _a failure. I doubt very much that your friends will think any less of you just because you made some mistakes. I know I don't. They're not perfect themselves, Dai. They make mistakes, too. Look at Sam! Look at Matty! We _all _do. I definitely can't deny that I've made my own fair share. To hold your mistakes against you would be the same as having never learned to accept their own mistakes."

"But...Kara could get really hurt because of me," Dai whispered, clearly unwilling to forgive himself for having caused so much trouble. "What if she doesn't make it?"

Tai couldn't help it. He winced, and turning to gaze at the unconscious bodies of his friends, giving him an excuse to avoid Dai's eyes, he said quietly, "Dai, I'm not as blind as you seem to think I am. In fact, I think I might understand your feelings even more than you do."

"What?" Dai gasped, his tear-stained face turning a deep shade of red.

"If you care about Kara as much as I think you do then you have to stop doubting yourself. You can't hesitate. Kara's life might depend on it."

"But...if I fail you'll hate me forever," Dai whispered, the words getting caught in his throat.

"Is that what you think? Dai, you might not be my son, but that doesn't mean I can't care about you as if you _are_. No matter what happens, how I feel about _you _won't ever change."

_Can't you see that?_

Staring at him with wide eyes, Dai said meekly, "Really?"

"I wouldn't lie about something like this."

"Then...it doesn't bother you?"

"You mean...this whole thing with you and Kara?"

Blushing, Dai quickly nodded, unable to answer directly, and Tai couldn't help but smile in amusement.

"Dai, let me ask you something. Do _you_ even understand how you feel?"

"I..." Dai hesitated and taking a deep breath, he said shakily, "Not really, but...if I think about what's been going on lately, I think...maybe Kara might mean more to me than I've been able to admit so far..."

"Well, that's a start, I guess."

"Kara's always been a great friend to me, but I don't know...what should I do?" Dai asked anxiously, clearly embarrassed not only to be asking but also to be having this conversation with the father of the girl he was obviously attracted to.

_How could he think I wouldn't notice? He stares at Kara the way I used to stare at Sora. The way I _still _stare at Sora!_

Reaching out to ruffle the goggle-headed leader's hair, Tai said gently, "The only advice I can give you is to take your time. You're still really young and this isn't the kind of thing you can rush. Above all else, it's important you learn to understand your feelings first before you make a decision on what it is your heart is trying to tell you. You have plenty of time and I encourage you to take advantage of it."

_Plus, we really don't have time to be having this conversation at the moment. Come on, WarGreymon..._

"But-"

"We'll save her, Dai. We'll save her and we'll save everyone else, too."

_You might not be my son now, but that doesn't mean I don't hope you will be eventually..._

"You really don't mind?" Dai asked hesitantly, anxiously scratching the back of his head. "You know...about me and Kara?"

In response to Dai's question, Tai once again hugged the goggle-headed leader tightly against his chest, and frowning over Daichi's spiky hair at the battle still raging between his partner, MetalGarurumon, and the two evil mega digimon closer to the entrance to the peak, he let out a frustrated sigh. So far, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon were managing to hold their own against BlackWidowmon and Jestermon, but even at a distance Tai could tell his partner was starting to lose energy and the same seemed to be true for MetalGarurumon. Clearly they were geting tired and Tai knew if he didn't think of something soon, they really were going to be in serious trouble.

"Spritemon, what are you doing?" A new voice suddenly shouted from the air, catching Tai completely off guard.

Looking up in surprise, he spotted a large bat fluttering around Spritemon's head and tightening his hold on Dai, he felt his heart sink like a heavy rock inside his chest.

"Vampiramon!" Dai gasped, his face turning white.

Ignoring the goggle-headed leader, Vampiramon settled herself elegantly on the rocky ground, and turning back into her human form she looked up at Spirtemon and snapped, "Get down here right now and tell me what's going on!"

Spritemon scowled in response, but despite the dirty look on her face she quickly settled herself next to Vampiramon with a flashy snap of her wings. Glaring at each other, the two female megas engaged in a hurried conversation, exchanging quick words, none of which Tai understood since they were speaking in low voices.

Apparently, though, Vampiramon got the gist of what was going on because she quickly straightened and said briskly, "You really can't give up on the Kamiya girl, can you. Very well then, we'll take her back to the castle."

_No! Kara!_

"We will?" Spritemon stuttered, staring at the vampire digimon in astonishment.

"If it will teach Daichi a lesson, I don't see why not. Maybe it will finally give him enough incentive to harness the power of his Spirit Chip. I want that last seal broken as soon as possible so we can get the Spirit Chip and get off this treacherous mountain."

Letting out a squeal of delight, Spritemon clapped her hands together and said happily, "I couldn't agree more!"

"Well then, what are you waiting for? I'll take the Kamiya girl back to the castle. You help Jestermon and BlackWidowmon get rid of these pathetic digimon who've allied themselves with the humans. Once you've done that and the Kamiya girl is no longer around, Daichi will be sure to crack."

"Why do _you_ want to take the Kamiya girl back to the castle?" Spritemon complained.

"Because I don't trust you to do the job without screwing it up!"

"You just want to keep the glory of capturing one of the Digidestined all to yourself!"

"Nonsense. I'm only going as far as to hand her over to Airdramon. He can take her back. _My_ place is here on Infinity Mountain. After all, I don't trust you to obtain the Spirit Chip without making a mess of things _here_ either!"

"Like you've never screwed up before!" Spritemon shot back, hoisting Kara into the air and dropping the female Digidestined none too gently over Vampiramon's shoulder. "Speaking of digimon who like to screw up, where's DarkAngelicmon?"

For a moment, Vampiramon didn't answer, clearly annoyed at Spritemon for having asked her such a bothersome question, and shaking her head, she said shortly, "I do not know. I was unable to locate him despite my efforts to pinpoint his whereabouts. I had assumed he'd eventually make his way back here, but obviously that's not the case."

"That's odd. I wonder where he went," Spritemon murmured, tugging thoughtfully on her dark ponytail.

"We'll worry about that later. First let's deliver the Kamiya girl to our master."

Turning, Vampiramon proceeded to make her way towards the edge of the cliff, Kara hanging limply over her shoulder, and jumping in surprise, Tai let out a loud groan as Dai suddenly shot out of his arms, a look of determination on the goggle-headed leader's face.

"Dai-"

Ignoring him, the goggle-headed leader scrambled over to where his D-Coder lay on the ground in front of the pedestal, and holding his Digivice out towards the pedestal, he said softly, "I get it now. I understand."

"What?" Vampiramon snapped, pausing to look back at the goggle-headed leader.

Climbing slowly to his feet, Tai stared at Daichi in astonishment, his breath catching in his throat. "Dai?"

Though there were still tears in the goggle-headed leader's eyes, he was also smiling and his hand was steady. "It's not just about being brave. Even when we screw up, even when we make mistakes, we can't give up on ourselves. We have to believe we can make a difference even if the odds are against us. No matter how scared I am, I can't give up. I have to believe that even if I fail, my friends will be there to back me up. It's not just about me. The real courage I have comes from my friends because no matter how scared I am, I know they'll always be here with me. That's real courage. It's not about being brave. It's abut finding ways to overcome your fears. That's where real friends come in. Friends like Mickey, Matty, Kara, Ryoko, and Sam. They won't ever let me give in to my fears. They believe in me and now...I guess it's time I started believing in myself."

_He really does get it. He's finally starting to understand..._

Glancing down at the crest in his hand, which he had somehow pulled out of the pocket of his jeans without even noticing his own actions, Tai knew what he had to do.

Gennai had told them that one of the three crests creating the first seal surrounding the Spirit Chip would merge with the Spirit Chip itself to create a powerful tool which would be used for the process of digivolving to ultimate, and his crest, the Crest of Courage, was the perfect choice for the Spirit Chip of Bravery. It represented everything a leader stood for. It was a piece of who he was, a piece of who Davis was, and now it seemed it was also a little piece of Daichi.

_Thanks, Sora. Thanks, Matt. Thanks, Agumon. For everything._

"I _said_ what are you doing?" Vampiramon asked suspiciously, frowning at the goggle-headed leader.

Whirling around, Dai pointed his D-Coder at Kara's motionless body and without warning a sudden stream of red light shot out of its screen and enveloped Kara in a warm cocoon of glowing red mist.

As Tai watched in surprise, Kara's eyes suddenly fluttered open, and gazing directly at Daichi, she whispered, "Trust your friends, Dai. Trust yourself. I believe in you."

_Kara!_

Tai felt a wave of relief wash over him, and holding out his crest to Dai, he said firmly, "Let's do this."

Dai once again pointed his D-Coder at the Spirit Chip and he closed his eyes in concentration, clearly motivated by Kara's words and the fact that she seemed fine despite the bump on her head. As Tai watched proudly from a short distance away, the inscription on the pedestal began to glow and the final seal surrounding the Spirit Chip shattered like glass and dissolved into thin air, despite the fact that the red light surrounding the Spirit Chip had looked more like a wall of mist than a solid clear surface.

_Just like I thought. It couldn't have been anyone but him._

Glowing in response to Dai's D-Coder, the Spirit Chip floated slowly into the air, and Tai gasped as his glowing crest suddenly floated out of his hand, moving towards the Spirit Chip of Bravery. With a flash of bright red and orange light, his crest and the Spirit Chip merged together without hesitation, the crest inserting itself into the empty slot at the top and towards the back of Dai's D-Coder Digivice. Though the Spirit Chip was still red and it still had the symbol of a shield on it, even from a short distance Tai could tell there were now thin intricate orange lines running over its shiny surface.

_One down, five more to go!_

As Dai stood there holding his D-Coder, there was a moment of dead silence in which nobody spoke. Even WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon, BlackWidowmon, and Jestermon had stopped fighting long enough to stare in disbelief.

Vampiramon was the first to recover, and letting out an angry hiss, she said dangerously, "Give me that Digivice!"

_Right...Like that's going to happen!_

Dai looked at the female mega, and shaking his head he held his D-Coder high above his spiky hair, his grip steady and his body loose and relaxed. There was no contempt or anger on his face anymore, nor did he seem upset. No longer was there a hint of fear in his eyes, only determination and a deep respect for the amount of power he held within his hand, all contained within a tiny little chip.

Power that came from within himself.

"BlackWidowmon promised to hand over Kara, but she broke her promise. You get what that means, right? I don't have any obligation to hand over my Spirit Chip _or_ my D-Coder. Looks like you guys lose again!"

"Why you little-"

"Dragermon!" Dai shouted, closing his eyes in concentration.

Without warning, Dai's D-Coder exploded with light and Tai had to shield his eyes to prevent himself from temporarily losing his vision. The blinding red light appeared to cover the entire peak and all around him Tai watched in fascination from under his arm as his friends and their partner digimon started to come awake. Even from a distance, Tai could see the look of intensity on Matty's face as he stared at Dai, and it brought a smile to his face. How could he not smile when Matty looked like he wanted to do the exact same thing?

_I wonder what happens now with them..._

Dragermon was the last to awake and turning his head slightly to face his partner, his body glowing with the light coming from Dai's D-Coder, he said simply, "I knew you could do it."

"Ready, Dragermon?" Dai said confidently, smiling at his partner.

"Oh darn," Jestermon sighed, hopping up and down irritably on his feet and slapping a hand to his forehead in disgust.

Instead of responding, Dragermon broke free from BlackWidowmon's webs, his strength having been restored by the light of Dai's Spirit Chip, and launching himself into the air, he shouted, "Dragermon digivolve to, FireDragermon!"


	198. The Embers of the Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Clearly...

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm really sorry about the delay, but I've been busy with my relatives coming from the States this past week. I'm back now, though, with a new chapter! I'll probably be updating my Kingdom Hearts fanfic next, just to let you all know. Also, the OC voting polls are now up on my forum, and there's still time to vote, so please make sure you do. Thanks and enjoy the new chapter! (I'll check tomorrow for any missed mistakes.)  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 198: The Embers of the Heart

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya  
_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Though he had already known what was going to happen, Dai still could not help staring at his digimon partner in amazement_, _humbled by the astonishing amount of power that he, the leader of the Digidestined, had been able to release from deep inside his heart. It was truly awe inspiring, and yet at the same time he was aware of the fact that having such power required a lot of responsibility to control, and even more importantly, to wield effectively in battle. It was a lesson he had ended up learning the hard way, and realizing just how much he could have lost he felt a huge wave of relief wash over him, one that was so powerful it nearly sent him falling to his knees again.

He had done it, but he hadn't done it alone. Thanks to Tai and his father, his heroes who were both amazing role models whom he looked up to and admired, and the best group of friends a leader of the Digidestined could ask for, he had finally been able to overcome the fear in his heart in time to prevent himself from having to witness a huge tragedy that would have undoubtedly been entirely his fault. Thanks to his friends, his eyes had been opened and his head was clear, and now, for the first time since reaching the peak, he knew exactly what he had to do.

_The safety of my friends comes first. I'm going to save you, Kara. I'm going to protect all of you and once you're all out of danger, we're going home. Forget Vampiramon. She can battle herself for all I care. We're getting off this mountain and no one is going to get left behind. Not as long as I'm the leader of the Digidestined!_

Turning, Dai glanced at the glowing message carved into the pedestal where the Spirit Chip of Bravery had rested only moments ago, and staring in surprise he realized the message was no longer written in the ancient language of the Digital World. His D-Coder Digivice had translated the message into a language he understood, and now for the first time since reaching the peak he could clearly read what the message said:

**_"Courage is the fire that ignites the embers of the heart. Bravey is the symbol of the one who wears the mark."_**

_The mark of a leader. D-Coder Digivices. I get it now!_

And apparently so did the Child of Courage.

Behind him, Dai suddenly felt Tai's hand come to rest gently on his shoulder, and running his fingers over the inscription written on the pedestal, the former leader smiled and said in satisfaction, "Nice. Let's see Vampiramon take this message back to her great and powerful Ruler of Darkness!"

As far as Dai could tell, the written inscription had been the key to breaking the final seal surrounding the Spirit Chip of Bravery. It was only after he had truly begun to believe in what was written in the inscription that the Spirit Chip had finally responded to him and his D-Coder was able to decipher the message.

"Don't just stand there, you three!" Vampiramon suddenly shrieked, overcoming her surprise at this unexpected turn of events. "Destroy the digimon, or for the love of Hades at least render them all unconscious again to get them out of the way. I want that Spirit Chip!"

"We know, we get it," Spritemon grumbled, leaping into the air and twirling around in a circle. "Pixie Dust!"

Earlier, her attack more than likely would have finished off every single one of the unconscious digimon sprawled all over the peak of the mountain, perhaps even taking out WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, but now that their partners were fully awake, alert, and full of newly restored energy, thanks to the Spirit Chip of Bravery, her crippling dust didn't stand a chance.

Leaping into action, as one FireDragermon and the rest of the digimon began to shoot their attacks at the three evil megas, and caught off guard by the sudden barrage of deadly blasts coming from eleven different digimon, Spritemon and her dark companions were forced to go on the defensive.

_I can't believe it. All of our partners, other than Dovemon, have not only had their energy restored, but they're all at their highest state of digivolution to date so far. Talk about an amazing amount of power..._

Dai stared at the Digivice in his hand, Dovemon's cheek nuzzling his arm, and turning to look at the little rookie, he smiled, his arms reaching out the pull the little digimon into a hug.

"I knew you could do it," Dovemon said softly in his ear, beaming at him with obvious pride and affection.

_Thanks, Dovemon, for never giving up on me._

Turning to look at his partner, Dai shouted, "Dragermon, you did it! You digivolved!"

"It's FireDragermon now," his partner responded, swooping up Spritemon's small body and sending her flying with his large fist.

Though FireDragermon was still quite a large digimon, he wasn't nearly as big as Dragermon, nor did he take up as much space. His build and the contours of his body were very similar to that of Flamedramon, and like Flamedramon he stood upright on two feet. He was also approximately twice as big as the armoured digimon, giving him a slightly more human look than that of his champion form.

Dai had never seen Flamedramon before, but from the description he had gotten from his father he knew FireDragermon slightly resembled the armoured digimon. Unlike Flamedramon, though, FireDragermon's leathery skin was bright scarlet, and the armour covering his arms, chest, back, knees, thighs, lower legs, and head was a brilliant gold. Several golden rings circled the length of his scarlet forked tail, and the claws on his hands and feet looked sharp enough to rip the little fairy digimon he was currently fighting to shreds. Another difference setting him apart from Flamedramon were the two, large scarlet wings sprouting from his back, giving him the ability to fly. Almost his entire head was covered in golden armour, but Dai could still see his partner's intense green eyes, which were currently narrowed in concentration.

"FireDragermon," Davis said quietly, sitting up and gingerly rubbing the back of his head. "Ultimate level vaccine type digimon. His attacks are Dragon Pistols, Serpentine Blast, and Fire Meteor."

Glancing at his father in surprise, Dai said slowly, "How did you..."

"Don't thank me, thank Matty," his father replied, holding up the D-Terminal in his hand and nodding his head towards the younger twin. "Matty scanned your partner's data and sent it to Izzy for conformation. Izzy just sent me back an email at Matty's request to inform you, since you clearly haven't check your own D-Coder as he states it, to let you know."

Dai jerked around in astonishment, his face turning pink, and staring at the younger twin, who was gazing back at him from across the battle field, he lowered his eyse to the ground, uncertain of what to do. So, instead of responding to Matty, he quickly flung his arms around his father in a tight hug, relieved that his earlier behaviour had not caused any permanent damage. "Dad, I...I'm really sorry."

"Don't be. It doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're safe."

"But..."

"I told you, it doesn't matter. I know you didn't mean it," his dad said quietly in his ear, hugging him back just as tightly and gently ruffling his hair. "I'll always love you just the same, no matter how many mistakes you make."

"Oh, Dai, I'm so proud of you," his mother whispered, flinging her arms around both of them in a tight squeeze. "I love you so much."

This, coming from his mother, who was normally scolding him, was very high praise indeed.

"We're _all_ proud of you, Dai," his uncle added, reaching over to give is shoulders a quick squeeze.

Nestled between his parents, Dai could still feel Matty's eyes on his back, and closing his own eyes he let out a deep sigh, one that contained both relief and uncertainty.

_Dragermon might have digivolved, but there are still a lot of things I have to make up for..._

"Hurry up, you fools!" Vampiramon shrieked, glaring at her fellow megas. "What are you waiting for? Destroy them and knock them unconscious. Do _something_!"

"We're trying here!" BlackWidowmon snapped, ducking under Dracomon's arm and roiling to the side to avoid Angelicmon's Celestial Star attack. "Now that they're all back at full strength, it's going to take a few minutes to subdue them again, you know!"

"I don't need your excuses, just do it!" Vampiramon snarled, shaking her head in disgust. "I'm taking the Kamiya girl back to Airdramon. When I get back, you'd better have this situation under control, or else. I want that Spirit Chip, and we're not leaving until we get it, understand?"

"And now the real game begins!" Jestermon cackled, launching his deadly black spheres at Zudomon, ExVeemon, and Tirimon, who scattered to avoid being hit.

Realizing Vampiramon intended to leave, Dai wriggled out of his parents' arms, and leaping to his feet, he gasped, "Kara!"

"Dai!" she shrieked, struggling in Vampiramon's grip.

FireDragermon must have sensed there was something amiss because he suddenly abandoned his fight with Spritemon, and swooping towards Vampiramon he sent a warning blast from the deadly gun on his right gauntlet, which had the look of a pistol, at the vampire digimon's feet, obviously taking great care to keep his aim well away from Kara.

Hissing, Vampiramon quickly transformed herself into a bat, and clutching Takara securely in her sharp claws, she proceeded to dive over the edge of the cliff in hopes of reaching Airdramon before FireDragermon could catch up to her.

"Kara, no!" Dovemon wailed, hopping anxiously up and down at Tai's feet.

_Kara!_

In response to the energy in Dovemon's voice, FireDragermon streaked through the air at a remarkable pace, considering his size, and grabbing onto the bat digimon's left wing just as she prepared to dive, he pulled her against him, his other hand reaching out to snatch Takara from the vampire digimon's grip.

"Good one!" Matt shouted, smiling at the new ultimate.

"Way to go, FireDragermon!" Ryoko cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

With Takara now resting comfortably on his shoulder, FireDragermon opened fire on the vampire digimon, his small flaming bullets punching into her leathery skin.

_Awesome! My partner is so cool!_

Unable to stand up to the barrage of bullets, which had caught her by surprise, Vampiramon tumbled out of the sky, her body slamming into the ground hard enough to create a small crater, and turning back into her human form, she hissed, "Ill get you for this!"

"More like the other way around," FireDragermon snorted, aiming the guns on both of his gauntlets at the vampire digimon. "Ready for round two? Dragon Pistols!"

Vampiramon quickly scrambled to her feet and raced across the peak of the mountain, a trail of flaming bullets following behind her, and leaping into action, WarGreymon shouted, "Terra Force!"

"Yes! That'll teach her!" Sam shouted, and then blushed when he realized he was showing too much enthusiasm for someone who was supposed to be currently hating his father.

_Sam...You can't fool me._

Engulfed in a flaming ball of fire, Vampiramon had no choice but to stop, and nodding his head at FireDragermon, WarGreymon said quickly, "I'll keep Vampiramon occupied for the moment while you get Kara to safety."

"Okay, but save some of the action for me!"

"FireDragermon, over here!" Tai shouted, waving his arms to get the ultimate digimon's attention.

Transferring Takara gently to his hands, FireDragermon quickly headed towards them, and running to meet his partner, Dai came to a stop in front of FireDragermon, his intense gaze focusing on his female friend. He wanted to say something, but seeing as how he was unable to wrap his head around the fact that she was finally safe, he barely managed to stutter, "Kara, I..."

Kara didn't respond. Instead, she leaped out of FireDragermon's hands and flung herself directly into his arms, knocking both of them right off their feet.

Landing on his backside, Dai quickly scrambled up so he could wrap his arms around his female friend's waist, and holding her tightly against his chest, he whispered softly in her ear, "Funny, I didn't think you were the damsel in distress type."

"I'm not," Kara mumbled into his neck, her arms tightening around his shoulders, "but I'll let you save me this time. Just this once."

"I'm really sorry, Kara. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"What are you talking about? Look where I am, Dai! If you ask me, I'd say you did a pretty good job."

"But..."

"I'm right here, Dai," Kara said softly, lifting her head to kiss his cheek. "I'm right here with you, where I belong."

Not quite sure what to say to that, Dai blushed and mumbled, "I have your dad to thank for that."

"Huh?"

As if on cue, Tai raced over to them, his arms circling Kara, effectively causing Dai to be pulled into the hug as well, and kissing the top of his daughter's head, the former leader said in relief, "Don't ever scare me like that again."

"I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Not your fault. I'm just glad you're safe. I...there's a lot I need to tell you."

Turning slightly so she could wrap an arm around her father's waist, Kara said quietly, "I figured as much."

"Kara, I..."

"It's okay, Dad. If Dai can handle it then so can I. I'm not your daughter for nothing, you know."

Instead of responding, a faint smile appeared on Tai's face, and resting his cheek against his daughter's dark hair, he nodded in agreement.

"Kara, you're safe!" Dovemon cried, throwing herself into her partner's arms and rubbing her cheek affectionately against the female Digidestined's heart. "I was so worried about you."

"I know. I'm sorry for making you upset. Are you up for a little bit of friendly combat?"

"You bet I am! I've been itching to be part of the fight."

Kara nodded, and pointing towards the battle field, her hazel eyes narrowing into angry slits, she said confidently, "Then let's show these jerks it's not very nice to keep people hostage! Get them, Dovemon."

"Right! Dovemon digivolve to, Ibismon!"

Leaping into the air, the female champion proceeded to dive directly into the heart of the battle field, and completely abandoning the use of her special attacks, she punched Spritemon directly in the face, sending the female mega sprawling onto the ground.

"Oh my," Gabrielmon remarked, his lips twitching into a small smile.

"That was for our leader!" Ibismon snapped, glaring at the female mega and kicking her sharply in the ribs. "And that one was for Tai. This one here is for me!"

Shrieking in fury, Spritemon tried to roll away, but seeing as how Ibismon had only just digivolved and was full of energy, she was able to plant her green knee-length boot into the female mega's stomach before Spritemon could escape. The look of determination in Ibismon's green eyes made Dai smile, and pointing her fist directly into the female mega's face, she shouted, "And this one is for Kara! Emerald Flare!"

As Dai watched in fascination, Spritemon's head disappeared in a blast of green sparks, and due to the force of the blow at such close range, Spritemon's small body went flying past Gabrielmon and Angelicmon, who were both trying not to smile and failing miserably.

"Nice one!" ExVeemon called out, giving the female champion a thumbs up.

Waving her hand at the carnage she'd created, Ibismon said cheerfully, "That was so satisfying!"

"I bet," Angewomon said dryly, fluttering past to shoot an arrow at the energetic Jestermon.

"What do you think, Dai?" FireDragermon shouted, weaving between Vampiramon's deadly bolts of lightning and shooting his fiery bullets at her head. "Time to make our exit?"

Taking Kara's hand, Dai climbed quickly to his feet, and without even looking at the golden-haired Digidestined who had come up suddenly on his right, he wrapped an arm around Ryoko's shoulders, who in turn slipped an arm around his waist, an affectionate gesture that Dai knew was not something Ryoko tended to perform while in his presence, and gazing across the battle field at Sam and the twins, who stood gazing back at him with smiles on their faces, Dai quietly nodded, his hand tightening around Takara's fingers and his arm tightening around Ryoko's shoulders. "Let's do this!"


	199. Thinking Ahead

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Back with another chapter! Part of this one takes place in a new POV. Hope you all like it! Also, this chapter is dedicated to ****digi-cata for giving me such an awesome review, and don't worry, I definitely don't plan on giving up on this story any time soon!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 199: Thinking Ahead

_FireDragermon  
_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Hovering in the air above the battlefield, his sharp gaze focusing on the vampire digimon stalking him down below, FireDragermon held his right fist into the air and shouted, "You guys heard Dai! Let's clean up here and move out!"

"Let's show these jerks what happens when you mess with the Digidestined!" Ibismon called out, spinning in a circle and stirring the air around her into motion. "Cyclone Fury!"

"Here, let me help!" Sabirdramon offered, swooping up behind Ibismon and spreading his wings. "Nitro Arrow!"

Together, Ibismon's pink feathers and Sabirdramon's black arrows combined to form a huge, deadly tornado, and caught off guard by the sudden joint effort to attack her, Spritemon was swept right off the edge of the cliff, her small body disappearing from sight.

"Our turn!" Angelicmon said firmly, waving his hand at the angel digimon hovering in a half-circle behind him. "Aim for my blast! Celestial Star!"

"Understood!" Gabrielmon shouted, pointing his staff at the glowing comet streaking towards Jestermon. "Holy Sceptre!"

"My turn! Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon added, aiming directly for the heart of Angelicmon's attack.

Not surprisingly, seeing as Jestermon was normally the first one to call himself a fool, it took a moment for the mega digimon to figure out what the angels were trying to do, and staring at the huge blast heading towards him he let out a yelp and shouted, "Shadow Spheres!"

"Your tricks aren't going to work this time!" Angelicmon said confidently, nodding his head in satisfaction.

"You think you can stop me with such a waste of an attack?" Jestermon cackled, facing the blast heading towards him without so much as flinching, despite the fact that the blinding white comet of holy light had completely engulfed his black spheres.

He looked more than a little confident, but so did the angels, and hovering between Angewomon and Gabrielmon, Angelicmon pointed his finger right at the sun hanging high above them in the sky and said quietly, "I do. Zenith Point!"

"And so do I!" Angewomon shouted with authority, pointing an accusing finger at Jestermon. "Now witness the true power of the Digidestined! Heaven's Charm!"

Streams of brilliant gold light, courtesy of Angelicmon, rained down around Jestermon, who was unable to avoid Angewomon's attack, and letting out a gasp of surprise, he was swept right off his feet by the force of her pink blast. As a result, he had no chance to avoid the pink and gold comet speeding towards him, and covering his wrinkled green face with his hands he disappeared in a flash of pink, yellow, and orange light, obscuring him from view.

As far as FireDragermon could tell, it looked as if the angels' combined attacks had managed to temporarily subdue the jester digimon, and watching the streams of light raining down upon the fallen mega, he smiled in satisfaction.

_When will they ever learn? It's not about strength. It's about having the will to fight and the determination to protect something you care about. And when the strength of our bodies eventually equals the strength of our hearts, then we'll finally see the true strength of a mega._

"That was for Mickey!" the three angels shouted simultaneously in satisfaction, beaming at each other and turning to wave in the direction of the twins.

"Two down, two to go!" Tirimon growled, his sapphire eyes narrowing in determination. "You're next, BlackWidowmon!"

"I don't think so! Web Shackles!"

Leaping over the spider digimon's sticky threads, Tirimon rolled to the side to avoid BlackWidowmon's venomous darts, which she had used in an effort to make up for her missed attack, and tackling the female digimon, Tirimon shouted, "Winter Inferno!"

"No!" BlackWidowmon shrieked, unable to counteract the icy blast.

Engulfed in a huge blizzard of snow and ice, BlackWidowmon was unable to escape, and taking advantage of the situation, Dracomon shouted, "Now, Zudomon! Lightning Spark!"

"I'm on it! Vulcan's Hammer!"

"Don't forget about me!" ExVeemon called out, coming up beside Dracomon. "Vee Laser!"

Together, Dracomon's blast and ExVeemon's attack pierced through the storm surrounding BlackWidowmon, creating another small explosion deep within the icy inferno surrounding the female mega, and the massive wave of energy from Zudomon's hammer sent her careening over the cliff after Spritemon, a trail of melted snow marking her descent.

"Fools!" Vampiramon shrieked, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Can't any of you do _anything _right?"

"Now is our chance," MetalGarurumon said quietly, nodding his head at the vampire digimon.

While ExVeemon and the other digimon had been fighting, FireDragermon, along with his two mega companions, had been stalking Vampiramon from the air while she'd been stalking them from the ground, and glancing towards the group crowded around Matty, he said quickly, "Go. Now is your chance."

Without a word, Matty broke away from the rest of the Digidestined and raced towards Dai's group, completely disregarding his safety in the process, and scolding his brother quite vocally, his disapproving shouts following Matty, Mickey quickly hurried after the younger twin, the rest of the group following along behind.

"Matty!" Dai shouted, hurrying to meet the younger twin.

Flinging himself at the goggle-headed leader, Matty hit Dai hard in the chest before collapsing against him in a kind of awkward hug, and turning to look up at his partner, the younger twin said in a choked voice, "Let's go home."

"Let's," Angelicmon agreed, smiling fondly at his partner.

_Time to make our exit, but first..._

Whirling around, FireDragermon waved his hand to get Zudomon's attention, and nodding his head towards the Digidestined, he said, "Those of you without wings, de-digivolve and join with your partners."

"Right," Zudomon responded, glancing meaningfully at Tirimon. "That means us. Let's go."

"You don't need to tell me twice!"

"As for us three, it's time to take out the garbage!" WarGreymon shouted, diving towards the vampire digimon. "Terra Force!"

"Giga Missile!" MetalGarurumon growled, following his fellow digimon's example.

Knowing already that the attacks would miss, thanks to Vampiramon's speed, FireDragermon shouted, "Serpentine Blast!"

"What now?" Vampiramon snarled, looking up in irritation.

Performing a move that was similar to MetalGarurumon's earlier attack, FireDragermon launched an arsenal of heavy artillery from various hiding spots in his armour, which consisted of flaming bullets and missiles in several sizes, and together the separate shots quickly merged together to create a long coiling blast of fire and metal. It twisted and turned like a flaming snake, and swirling through the air at an incredible speed it exploded into Vampiramon, knocking her right off her feet.

"Ready?" MetalGarurumon shouted.

"Now!" WarGreymon called back. "Terra Force!"

"Giga Missile!"

_And one more..._

Spreading his arms and legs, his chest cavity opening to reveal a weapon similar to that of MetalGreymon's, FireDragermon shouted, "Fire Meteor!"

"You'll pay for this!" Vampiramon shrieked as her small form disappeared in a huge eruption of fire caused by the combined blast of the three deadly attacks.

"I'll get you! All of you! The Ruler of Darkness will have not only your Spirit Chips but your very souls! If you think your pathetic attacks will defeat me, you are wrong! A minor inconvenience. Darkness will claim your hearts and when it does, I will deliver you all to my master personally. You will see!"

Tired of listening to the vampire digimon's rant, FireDragermon shot at her with the pistols on his golden gauntlets, sending her flying over the edge of the cliff, and watching her disappear from his field of vision, he said softly, "No, you will see. As long as we fight together, the darkness will never claim us."

"Are we ready to go?" WarGreymon asked quietly, clearly waiting for instructions.

Glancing at all of his digimon companions, minus Alopemon and Gomamon, who had crowded around him in a circle without him even noticing their sudden approach, he nodded his head and said firmly, "Come, let's leave this place. Vampiramon and her allies may be down, but they're not out. We must get our partners to safety before they recuperate and try to make a second attempt to stop us."

"Indeed," Gabrielmon agreed, giving him a warm smile. "Let's go."

Motioning for the others to follow him, FireDragermon quickly flew towards his partner, and gathering all of the humans into his large hands he looked at the leader of the Digidestined and said simply, "I'm proud of you, Dai."

"I couldn't have done it without you," Dai replied, smiling at him in return. "You're awesome, FireDragermon."

"I'm glad you think so, but don't forget we had a lot of help."

Dai nodded in response and glancing at the female Digidestined, who sat cuddled against his chest, he said softly, "I know. I won't forget."

"We're all proud of you, Dai," Davis said cheerfully, gently ruffling his son's hair.

"All of you?" Dai mumbled, clearly trying to avoid the eyes of his friends.

Placing a hand on the goggle-headed leader's shoulder, Mickey said firmly, "All of us."

"All of us," Sam agreed, blushing a deep shade of red. "Maybe if I were more like you I wouldn't be where I am now."

"A little bit of courage goes a long way, Sam," Matt said quietly, exchanging a look with Tai. "Take it from someone who's seen the results."

_Even Sam can forget his misery long enough to forgive Dai, but what about the other two?_

Neither Ryoko or Matty had volunteered any compliments, but looking at the two of them now, both of whom sat huddled between Joe and Kari, FireDragermon could tell it was only a matter of time before they, too, eventually gave in to their real feelings.

"I think it's time we headed for the gate," Tai called out, a smile on his face.

"Yes," Kari agreed, beaming at her brother. "Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Gotsumon are probably really worried about us. We shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."

"Wait till Izzy hears about this one," Joe sighed, shaking his head.

Laughing, Noriko shouted, "Let's go, FireDragermon!"

"Right!"

Holding Gomamon, Alopemon, and the humans securely in his hands, FireDragermon quickly made his way back down the mountain towards the gate, the rest of the digimon following along behind.

They had accomplished their goal of rescuing Kara, saving Dai from himself, and getting the Spirit Chip of Bravery, but glancing at the three angel digimon soaring around him, who kept turning to gaze at the peak of the mountain, FireDragermon knew the battle was far from being over.

If anything, it was only just beginning.

_He's back there. Watching. Waiting. But for what? Why did he not join in the fight? Why did he stand back and do nothing when his companions could have used his help?_

It was a question he did not have an answer to, but whatever the fallen angel was planning, somehow he had a feeling that DarkAngelicmon's goals were slightly different than Vampiramon's goals. Different even than the goals of the Ruler of Darkness himself, and in FireDragermon's opinion, whatever happened in the future, whether good or bad, it would be very interesting indeed, especially for the fallen angel.

_And for us._

_Lucemon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Lucemon, are you okay?" MarineAngemon asked quietly, his voice echoing faintly in the woods.

After confronting DarkAngelicmon, Lucemon had quickly made his way back to his hiding spot in the forest and gazing up at the impressive form of FireDragermon soaring past overhead, he smiled to himself, pleased with the Digidestineds' obvious success. "I'm fine, MarineAngemon."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, don't you see? The Digidestined are going home now. They did it. They really did it, MarineAngemon."

"I knew they would! Isn't it nice to finally hear some good news for once?"

Smiling at the little mega hovering next to his shoulder_, _Lucemon said softly, "It is. It's been too long since I've had a reason to celebrate..."

"Lucemon, I...What about DarkAngelicmon?" MarineAngemon said quietly, hesitant to bring up such a painful topic.

_Angelicmon..._

Glancing at the peak of Infinity Mountain, Lucemon silently shook his head, at a loss of what to say. During the entire battle, DarkAngelicmon had been there, watching and waiting, just out of sight, and not once had he even attempted to join in the fight.

_I don't understand. Why did you sit back and do nothing? Why didn't you help Vampiramon?_

Even after the debut of FireDragermon, DarkAngelicmon still had not tried to intervene in the fight. Instead he had continued to watch, and fate had taken its course.

_You hide in the darkness because you cannot stand the light. Or is it the other way around? Perhaps you cling to the light because you fear the darkness. It makes no sense to me. Why do you hide in the shadows when you hate what you've become? You hate the very darkness that clings to your soul, but you cannot seem to let it slip away. One day we'll be free. I believe in Mickey and Matty, even if you do not._

"Lucemon?" MarineAngemon pressed, peering intently at him.

"Come, MarineAngemon, it's time for us to leave this place."

"Okay, but...um..where are we going?"

"To Server. I believe that is where we will find Gennai. If he has discovered the location of the next Spirit Chip, we need to know where it is."

"I guess. Just...try to be a little more careful next time, okay? I worry about you, you know."

"I apologize, MarineAngemon. I do tend to get a little reckless sometimes, don't I."

"Just a little."

Laughing, Lucemon quickly launched himself into the air, and glancing back once more at the peak he humbly bowed his head before setting off for the continent of Server.

_There is hope for you yet, my friend. I will not rest until we're together again._

_DarkAngelicmon_

_File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Long after Vampiramon and the rest of his allies had left the peak, presumably to head back to the continent of Cyber, DarkAngelicmon stood staring at the stone pedestal that used to hold the Spirit Chip of Bravery, and running his hand over its rough surface, he murmured, "So...you passed the test after all, Daichi. I knew you would not fail me. That's one down and five more to go. Now, the real battle begins."_  
_


	200. Cryptic Words

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: And another chapter is here! Sorry about the wait, but once again thanks to all of you for your patience! So, without further ado, here is the next chapter. (And if you're wondering, yes, Tai will get around to the whole telling Kara thing, but that will be in a few chapters. I have not forgotten that part!)

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 200: Cryptic Words

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Trying unsuccessfully not to open his eyes, Dai let out a gasp as he landed on the floor of the room his parents used for an office with a loud thump, and groaning softly, he rolled over just in time to get a face full of Shadow's fur as the little puppy began to lick his nose. "Yuck! Shadow, get off!"

"What do you expect?" Ami scolded, helping him into a sitting position and whacking him on the back of the head for good measure. "He's just happy to see you in one piece, as are the rest of us. Don't you know how worried I was? Of all the little brothers I could have ended up with, I get stuck with the idiot one who doesn't have any brains!"

"Hey!"

"What were you thinking running away from everyone like that? You could have gotten seriously hurt, or worse! You could have _died!_"

For a moment, Dai merely stared at his sister, surprised by her sudden outburst, and lowering his eyes to the ground he mumbled, "Relax, would you? I'm still here. Nothing bad is going to happen to me."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" DemiEmbermon said firmly, leaping onto Shadow's back and gazing defiantly at everyone in the room, daring them to disagree.

"I know, but this still stinks!" Ami shouted, ignoring DemiEmbermon and stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm your big sister. I'm supposed to be the one looking out for you! But no! You keep getting yourself into trouble and there's nothing I can do..."

_Ami..._

Contrary to what Vampiramon might think, Dai wasn't stupid. He knew his sister cared about him, despite the fact that she went out of her way to annoy him on a daily basis, but for her to lose her cool like this, it was obvious she had been more worried about him then he would have given her credit for in the past.

_I guess I can't really blame her. I would have felt the same way if she had been the one in danger instead of me._

"Um...Ami, you're not mad, are you?" DemiEmbermon asked hesitantly, glancing back and forth between the two of them.

"Of course I am! Of all the stupid things to do..."

Dai rolled his eyes, and staring at Ami he did the only thing he could think of. He returned his sister's favour and gave her an enthusiastic whack on the back of the head.

"Ouch! What was the for?" Ami shouted, glaring at him and gingerly rubbing the tender spot on her skull.

"For being an idiot."

"Oh...Sorry."

Realizing how comical the situation must look to everyone else in the room, Dai started laughing, and pulling his sister into a tight hug, he mumbled, "Thanks for caring, Sis."

"As if I wouldn't," she snorted, hugging him back and giving him a playful punch in the ribs.

"Hey, careful! I'm still injured you know. Watch the tender spots!"

"Oops. Sorry!"

Shaking his head, Dai turned to look for Kara, and spotting her in Sora's arms, he smiled, relieved to see the two of them reunited once again. At the moment, neither of them was speaking, and as far as Dai could tell, they seemed quite content to just hug each other and let their actions do the talking for them.

"Sorry about the scare," Tai said sheepishly, giving his wife a quick kiss on the cheek.

Sora looked up at her husband, and shaking her head, she said softly, "It wasn't anyone's fault. I'm just glad you're all safe."

"Kara, are you sure you're okay?" Taysuke asked anxiously, slipping an arm around his sister's shoulders. "I was really worried about you."

"I'm fine, Tay. My head hurts a little bit where it hit the back of the pedestal, but the other than that I wasn't hurt."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked softly, hugging her daughter protectively against her chest. "You might have a concussion and not even know it."

"I'm pretty sure I'm-"

"There's no harm in getting checked out if it will make your parents feel better," Joe interrupted, motioning for Kara to come sit beside him. "I'm sure you're fine, but it'll probably be best if you let me take a look."

"Joe's the best at what he does," Gomamon said confidently, gazing proudly at his partner. "If there's a problem, he'll figure it out."

"Okay, I get it."

Takara rolled her eyes, and quickly untangling herself from her mother, she moved across the room to sit next to Joe. Exhibiting an excellent amount of patience, she sat quietly as Joe began to gently examine the back of her head.

Now that Kara was sitting closer to him, Dai could feel his face turning red, and glancing uncertainly at Sora he jumped when he realized the female Digidestined was watching him. Without a word, Sora moved across the room to kneel next to him and putting her arms around him in a warm hug, she said quietly in his ear, "Thank you."

"But...but I...It could have ended differently. It could have gone so wrong, all because of me..."

"But it didn't. Kara's safe and so are you. That's what matters most to me."

"Really?"

Sora smiled at him, and resting her cheek against the top of his head, she said softly, "I knew you would find your way. I never stopped believing in you. Even though I was worried, even though I was scared, even though I knew there was a chance you could lose yourself to the darkness in your heart, I never stopped believing."

In response to Sora's words, Dai felt a sudden lump in his throat, and hugging the female Digidestined tightly around the waist, he mumbled, "Thanks, Sora."

"You seem to be fine," Joe interrupted, giving Kara a warm smile. "That bump on the back of your head might stick around for a while, but it's actually not as bad as it looks. You don't appear to have a concussion either, so I think you're in the clear."

"See? I told you!" Kara laughed, turning to make a silly face at her mother.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Sora said gently, motioning for her daughter to join her again. "I love you."

"Love you too, Mom," Kara replied, hugging her mother close again.

Due to the fact that Sora still had her arms wrapped around him, somehow Dai ended up being incorporated into the hug, and conscious of the fact that he could feel Takara's cheek resting against the back of his head, he felt his cheeks turn an even deeper shade of red. Thankfully, his face was mostly obscured by Sora's shoulder, but even so he could still feel his sister and his friends grinning like idiots behind his back.

"Next time, you'd better be more careful, Kara," Taysuke scolded, giving his sister a disapproving look.

"It's not like I had any choice. DarkAngelicmon just kind of scooped me up out of nowhere! How was I supposed to prepare myself for something like that?"

"Speaking of what happened," Izzy interrupted before Taysuke could respond, "for those of us who stayed behind, we still don't know all the details. We only know what happened up until the point where you all split up. Thanks to Matty, we also know Dragermon was able to digivolve to the ultimate level, but that's about all we know. Why don't you all start by telling us the rest of the story. I'm curious to know exactly what happened on Infinity Mountain."

"Yes, please, do tell," Hawkmon called out from the computer screen, where he was still in the Digital World with Armadillomon and Gotsumon. "The nerve of you, Daichi, rushing back through the gate without even telling us what happened up there!"

"The rest of you aren't hurt or anything, are you?" Taniko asked anxiously, glancing at Sam and the twins.

"We're fine," Mickey reassured the dark-haired female, giving her a warm smile.

"Are you positive about that? I mean...um...Matty, you look a little...er...ruffled."

"You mean, beat up?" Ryoko snorted, smirking at the younger twin.

Glaring at his cousin, Matty quickly ducked his head and mumbled, "I'm fine."

_No thanks to me..._

Dai could tell Taniko didn't believe Matty, but right now that was the least of his problems. There were so many things he needed to tell them, and it looked like now was the time to do so.

"Well..." Tai began, glancing meaningfully at Matt. "You see..."

"Let me explain what happened."

"Huh?"

Tai looked at him in surprise, and ducking his head when he realized everyone was staring at him, Dai mumbled, "There's...a lot I want to tell you guys."

"Then what are you waiting for?" his father asked, slipping an arm around him.

Dai beamed at his father, and taking a deep breath, he quickly told the others about everything that had happened to him after he had left the group, and he quickly filled in Izzy and the rest of the gang who stayed behind about what had happened at the peak. Staying true to his words, he did his best to leave nothing out. He told them about DemiDevimon and his insecurities about the Spirit Chip, and when he was done, Mickey and Davis explained what had been going on in their two groups while everyone had been separated. The only thing he didn't tell them was Tai's story because he knew Tai would want to tell Kara himself. That way Kara could be the one to tell everyone else, too.

"So, DemiDevimon...he's gone," Mickey said quietly, clearly saddened by this unfortunate piece of news.

Feeling ashamed of himself, Dai avoided Mickey's eyes and mumbled wearily," Yeah, he...I was really stupid. He didn't even do anything to me, but...I didn't trust him, you know. I thought...I couldn't forget what had happened to Tai and his friends. I thought this DemiDevimon was trying to trick me. I thought he was just like that other DemiDevimon, but in a lot of ways he was telling the truth. He tried to explain, but...I wouldn't give him a chance. I didn't even try to make sense of what he was saying. Instead, I ordered Dragermon to get rid of him. It was such a cowardly act. I mean, he was so defenceless..."

"What's done is done, Dai," Mickey said gently, giving his shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. "The only thing left to do now is to move on from your mistakes. If you don't, DemiDevimon's death won't mean anything."

"Mickey...you must think I'm a really horrible person."

For a long moment, Mickey merely stared at him and then shaking his head, the older twin said firmly, "No, Dai. Actually, I think you're pretty amazing. To come back from all that you were going through, to be able to overcome your fears at such a critical moment...that takes real courage. If you weren't my friend, I don't know what I would do. I'm just sorry that I wasn't able to help you a little bit more."

"But you did. All of you did. That's one of the reasons why I was able to get my Spirit Chip. I was thinking about all of you and I knew I wasn't alone. Even though you guys weren't awake, well...other than Kara, I knew you were all there with me. That gave me courage."

"Oh, Dai," Takara whispered, giving him a brilliant smile.

"You...you jerk!" Ryoko suddenly shouted, leaping up and whacking him hard in the chest.

"Ouch! Ishida!"

"Idiot," Ryoko mumbled into his shoulder, pulling him into a very uncharacteristic one-armed hug.

Glancing around Ryoko's golden head, Dai could see Sam watching him, but instead of attempting to say anything, the raven-haired Digidestined merely smiled at him, and he smiled back at his friend.

From that smile alone, Dai could tell that all had been forgiven between them.

_But...what about Matty?_

Sitting a few feet away from him, Dai could tell Matty was also watching him, but unlike the rest of his friends, the younger twin's face was hard to read.

"You should talk to him," Mickey said quietly, nodding his head towards Matty.

"Don't worry, I plan on it."

During his story, he had informed the others that he and Matty had fought, but he hadn't gone into the details. Some of them, like Ryoko and Tai, already knew, but to him the details weren't important. There was no excuse. He had treated Matty terribly and now it was time for him to undo the horrible things he had said and done.

If Matty would let him.

"You know, guys...I should have known. The Spirit Chip was red. It matched my D-Coder. And the symbol on the Spirit Chip...it matched the symbol that was carved onto Embermon's pedestal. It was all right there in front of me, and yet...I still couldn't believe it. I _still_ doubted myself."

"It's not surprising," Ryoko said briskly, avoiding his eyes. "The evidence might all have been there, but sometimes that's still not enough. Sometimes...sometimes it takes something really special to make you believe..."

_Ryoko..._

"There's still one thing I don't understand," Mickey said slowly, a frown on his handsome face. "DarkAngelicmon...He kept insisting he needed the Spirit Chip, and he was adamant that we all make it there, but...when we did finally get there, he didn't even show up, let alone try to steal the Spirit Chip. Why not? I mean, where was he that whole time?"

"Oh, he was there," Gatomon said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"He was?" Matty said stupidly, speaking for the first time since coming back from the Digiworld and looking just a little bit confused.

"Yes, we could sense him," Goldmon replied, wiggling his large ears. "He arrived on the scene just after Davis' group reached the peak. He was there the whole time, doing nothing but watching and staying out of sight. We think he was a little further down, but still close enough to hear what was going on."

"As to why he didn't show himself, we don't know," Palelymon said quietly, clearly distressed. "He was watching us when we left the peak, too."

"That explains why you guys kept looking back," Kari commented, a thoughtful look on her face.

"That is a good question, though," T.K. interrupted, gazing intently at his hands. "Why didn't he attack you guys? Why didn't he help Vampiramon? Why didn't he attempt to steal the Spirit Chip? None of it makes any sense."

Giving T.K. an apologetic look, Palelymon said helplessly, "I wish we had an answer for you, but we don't."

"Sometimes in order to reach the light, you must first find your way through the darkness," Mickey murmured quietly, quoting DarkAngelicmon's earlier words. "I wonder what he meant by that."

"Goldmon, what happened between you and DarkAngelicmon?" T.K. asked curiously, frowning at the little digimon. "Your story is the only one we haven't heard yet."

Blushing a deep shade of red, Goldmon hid his face against Matty's stomach and from that small gesture alone, Dai could tell the little digimon was hiding something.

_I wonder what it could be..._

"You promised you would tell," Matty reminded his partner. "If you don't, it means I don't have to keep my end of the bargain."

"What bargain?" Ryoko demanded.

"It's nothing," Tai replied before Matty could answer, smiling at the younger twin in amusement.

"It's kind of hard to explain," Goldmon said softly, turning slightly so he could look at everyone. "When we confronted each other, he wasn't acting like his usual self."

"How so?" Rosa asked curiously, encouraging the little digimon to continue.

"At first, he wanted to know if I'd come to challenge him, but when I denied the accusation, he got really weird."

"Weird?" Mickey echoed, clearly confused.

"I told him to stay away from Matty and for some reason that made him pretty mad. But...instead of yelling at me, he told me maybe I should stay away from Matty, unless I wanted to end up like him."

"What?" Matty gasped in horror. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. I told him I wasn't like him, but...he said we're all like him and that's the reason why we've gotten ourselves into this mess in the first place, whatever that means."

"Strange," Kari murmured, almost to herself. "Very strange."

"I then asked him why he kept avoiding going after Lucemon, but he wouldn't answer me directly. Somehow that led to a conversation about his past and he...he told me he couldn't remember."

"Remember what?" Mina spoke up, glancing quickly at her husband.

"His past. He kept insisting he couldn't remember his past, and something about not being able to remember seemed to have frightened him. He...he told me he hated me."

"Oh, he didn't!" Palelymon gasped, covering his face with his large ears.

"He did. I asked him why, and he told me he hates me for everything that I am. For everything that he is not. That...really confused me, so I asked him if it was because he hated me for everything he could be and isn't, but he told me no, he hates me for everything that he _used _to be."

"Wait," Sam said slowly, "does that mean he really did use to be a good digimon?"

"I don't know, it's hard to say. A lot of the things he told me didn't make a lot of sense, like...he said Mickey was his and he wasn't going to let us interfere."

"Over my dead body!" Matty snapped, looking bound and determined to take out the fallen angel himself if he had to.

"That's not all, Matty. He told me you were going to help him claim his prize. He pretty much said you were going to help him get to Mickey."

Instead of responding, Matty slowly turned to stare at his brother and for a moment the two of them merely gazed at each other in silence, both of them clearly uncertain as to who should make the first move.

"Matty, DarkAngelicmon said you might end up being the most important player in whatever game he's playing!" Goldmon cried, clearly distressed. "He said you were every bit as important as Mickey and that he has a use for you, too!"

"Is that all?" Matty said coldly, his amber eyes never straying from his brother's oddly calm face.

"No! I told him not to hurt you guys, but he said you were the ones hurting him, not the other way around. I don't understand any of this and it scares me!"

"It's okay, Goldmon, we'll figure it out!" Palelymon insisted, leaping into Matty's lap to join his little friend.

"I know, but...Mickey, he also had a message for you."

Tearing his eyes away from his twin, Mickey looked at the little digimon and said quietly, "What is it?"

"I don't really understand it, but...he told me to tell you it isn't very wise to be stealing his feathers."

Mickey quickly pulled the black feather in question out of his backpack and holding it out in his hands, he said slowly, "How did he know?"

"If Lucemon dies, you die," Goldmon quoted softly, huddling against Palelymon's side. "That's what he said to me. Don't you see? I'm not sure exactly what all DarkAngelicmon wants from us, but one thing he did make pretty clear. He wants us to protect Lucemon!"

"Then that's what we'll do," Palelymon said firmly.

"So, you're saying he doesn't really want to capture Lucemon?" T.K. asked, attempting to clarify Goldmon's words.

"Exactly. He doesn't really want to bring Lucemon to the Ruler of Darkness. He doesn't want to hurt his old friend, but he has his orders and he's powerless to do anything to change Lucemon's fate. That's one of the reasons why he needs us. He wants us to protect Lucemon in his place! I'm sure of it!"

"And we will," Mickey said firmly, turning to look first at his parents and then at Matty. "Right?"

"Right," Matty agreed, avoiding his brother's eyes.

"Of course!" Kari insisted.

"Definitely," T.K. agreed.

"No way we're going to let the bad guys get Lucemon!" Rina shouted enthusiastically, bouncing up and down in excitement.

Watching the twins, who were still sneaking looks at each other, Dai said shortly, "Stop with the looks. We're all in this together and we're all going to make sure we get out of this in one piece. It's like that voice said..."

"What voice?" Noah asked curiously, frowning in confusion.

For a moment, Dai wasn't sure if he should respond, since the voice both he and Kara had heard happened a while ago and they had agreed to wait until everyone was present to tell their story, but despite his uncertainties he knew the voice could be important, and glancing at his female friend, he gave her a questioning look. In response, she smiled back at him and right away he knew that was her way of telling him he should continue. Now was the time. There was never going to be a better opportunity.

"Dai?" Mimi insisted, clearly eager to hear what he had to say.

"Well...do you guys remember when we went to rescue Gennai? After we left the castle, I...When we were waiting for Benjamin and the rest of our friends to catch up with us...I heard this voice. It almost sounded like it was a part of the wind and I felt this weird sensation, like it was calling out to me. It told me to...to hold onto my friends."

"I heard the same voice," Takara said quietly, reaching out to give his hand an encouraging squeeze. "It happened on the same day, just after we managed to escape from the castle on Cyber. Hold onto your dreams. Your dreams and your friends. That's what the voice said to me."

"That's why you seemed so distracted when we were trying to escape," Ryoko interrupted, a thoughtful frown appearing suddenly on his face. "I had to remind you to pay attention."

"That's right. Both Dai and I were sure the voice we heard was the same one. It was a deep voice, definitely male, and...it sounded kind of sad. But...at the same time, the voice also sounded hopeful."

"The voice of the wind?" Ema asked skeptically, raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

"No..." Cody said quietly, shaking his head. "The voice of Oikawa."

_The voice of...Oikawa?_

This was certainly news to Dai and it startled him so much that he turned to gaze at Cody with his mouth hanging open. "What do you mean 'the voice of Oikawa?'"

"Those were the last words Yukio Oikawa spoke to me before he died," Cody explained, smiling sadly at the memory. "I think maybe what you were hearing was the sound of his spirit, which still protects the Digital World to this day."

"That's right," T.K. said quietly, exchanging a smile with the younger man. "Oikawa gave up his life to protect the Digital World and as long as he's watching over our digimon partners and their world, he will always remain alive within our hearts. I think...he knows about all of you, and I believe he's doing what he can to protect you in the Digital World, just as much as we, your parents, try to protect you everyday."

_Oikawa...Thanks. If I'd listened to you earlier, I never would have almost lost Kara and my Spirit Chip, but I understand now. I'll make you proud. I'll protect the Digital World and my friends, and I'm never going to let the Ruler of Darkness take away my dreams!_

"Dai, are you okay?" Miya suddenly shouted in his ear, waving her hand in front of his face to get his attention. "You look a little lost."

Despite Miya's rude awakening, he wasn't the only one who looked lost in thought. Everyone appeared to be reflecting on Oikawa's words, clearly wondering if their hearts were strong enough to fulfill his expectations. In his own heart, Dai believed he could, but that wouldn't have been the case earlier and he was humbled by the words of a dead man, whose memory would always live on.

_Ryoko, Kara, Sam, Mickey, Matty...We can do this, I know we can!  
_

Though nobody actually looked in his direction, it was almost as if his friends had heard his thoughts because they all suddenly sat up straight, and Sam said calmly, "We have one Spirit Chip, but there are still five more we need to find. The question is, where do we start looking?"

"Sam's right," Ryoko said firmly, glancing at each person in the room with a look on his face that suggested he was measuring their strength and courage. "One Spirit Chip isn't going to make much of a difference if we can't find the other five, which leads us to the most important question of all. Where are they? Where do we start our search? How do we go about finding them before the Ruler of Darkness does?"


	201. The Spirit Chip of Compassion

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

A/N: And here's another chapter! Hope you all like it!

Chapter 201: The Spirit Chip of Compassion

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"So, what do you think, Izzy?" Kenzo asked curiously, exchanging a look with Mina.

Sam didn't want to admit it, but he too was curious as to what Izzy would say. Last time, Gennai had been close at hand to guide them to the Spirit Chip of Bravery, thanks to his knowledge of what awaited them on Infinity Mountain. Though he had not actually physically led them to the Spirit Chip in person, he had still played an important role in their mission to save the Digital World. Thanks to Gennai, the Spirit Chip of Bravery had been pretty simple to find, but now that they were moving onto the second Spirit Chip, that was no longer the case. This time they didn't have a single clue where to start looking next, and Gennai, who had been so helpful the last time, appeared to have left them to fend for themselves.

_I wonder what Izzy will do. Even he can't accurately plan our next move without at least a little bit of information to go on._

"Well, this certainly is quite the predicament we have on our hands," Hawkmon observed, gazing meaningfully at Izzy through the computer screen. "I do hope you have some idea of what to do next."

"Well..."

While Izzy struggled to come up with a reply, Sam stared blankly at the computer monitor, lost in his own thoughts, and to his surprise, the screen suddenly changed, like a television screen switching channels, catching him completely off guard. Gone were Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Gotsumon, and in their place stood a young man in a long white robe and a pink bowling ball with wings hovering by his side.

"Gennai!" Mickey gasped, staring wide-eyed at the computer screen.

"Piximon!" Ryoko shouted, glaring at the little pink digimon hovering next to Gennai's shoulder.

"A little late in coming, as this was the reaction I'd been expecting when I first met you rookies, but I suppose it will have to do," Piximon snorted, ignoring the angry look on Ryoko's face. "It still beats the rude greeting I received after Gennai kindly offered to tell you about the Spirit Chips, yup yup. I hope you've all been keeping up with your training."

"What training?" Dai asked curiously, scratching his spiky hair in confusion. "You never offered to train us."

"That doesn't mean I don't expect you to train yourselves. Your parents should be passing on my words of wisdom!"

"Right...we'll get to that," Tai replied, exchanging an amused look with Matt.

"Um, Gennai...I mean, you are Gennai and not one of the others, right?" Mickey asked hesitantly, looking unsure of whether or not he should continue.

The robed figure on the screen smiled at Mickey, and he nodded in response to the question that had been asked of him. "It appears all of you are in need of assistance, but before I offer some guidance, I'd like to congratulate you all on receiving the Spirit Chip of Bravery. Well done, Daichi! The Digital World was quite right in seeking you out as the next leader of the Digidestined."

Though he had never lacked confidence, Daichi was not exactly used to receiving all that many compliments and blushing a deep shade of red, he mumbled, "Thanks, but how did you know about the Spirit Chip already?"

"Benji, Leomon, Ogremon, and several of our other comrades are watching the castle on Cyber. As you can imagine, there was quite a lot of commotion going on once Vampiramon and her allies arrived on the scene. Needless to say, upon arriving home, they weren't very happy about the way things had transpired on Infinity Mountain, and I must say they were quite vocal about it."

"But-"

"Benji and I might be on two different continents, but we still have ways of communicating with each other, just like I have ways of communicating with all of you."

"Um...Gennai? Was DarkAngelicmon with them?" Mickey asked hesitantly, avoiding the robed figure's eyes.

"He arrived a little bit later than the others, but yes, he did return to Cyber."

"Did he...seem upset?"

"Subdued I think would be a more accurate description, though I may not be the best judge, since I wasn't there to see him for myself. Aside from that, though, unlike Vampiramon and the rest of his companions, he appeared to be in a surprisingly good mood. What to make of that, well...you'll just have to draw your own conclusions."

"Not exactly an easy thing to do," Matt replied, shaking his head. "So, you said you can help us with the next Spirit Chip? We kind of need at least a little bit of information if we want to travel to the Digital World tomorrow with some sort of a plan."

"Indeed. While you've been on your quest to secure the Spirit Chip of Bravery, myself, along with Piximon, the Four Guardians, and many of our other allies have been searching for the location of the next Spirit Chip, and as you may have guessed already, we were successful in our search."

"That's great! So...um...where is it?" Takara asked hesitantly, tugging nervously on her ponytail.

"It's right here on Server, in the Eastern Hemisphere."

"Server? That's right, you did say earlier that there was one on the continent of Server," Mina remarked. "I take it you've found out exactly where?"

"Yes, but I will explain that more in detail once you arrive on Server tomorrow."

"Server...Well, that shouldn't be too had," Joe replied, glancing at Izzy for confirmation. "At least we'll know the area pretty well."

Since Joe was looking in his direction, Izzy nodded in agreement, and crossing his arms over his chest he said, "True enough, but we'll still need to be careful."

"Which Spirit Chip is it?" Matt demanded, gazing meaningfully at Gennai. "You must have some idea this time around. If we want to get our hands on it before Vampiramon does, we'll need to know who to bring along."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do happen to know which one it is. Thanks to a lot of the digimon on Server we were able to get close enough to discover its identity. The one on Server is the Spirit Chip of Compassion."

"Which means...the Spirit Chip on Server is protected by the crests of Kindness, Knowledge, and Sincerity," Mina said quietly, her dark eyes gazing at each person in the room before moving onto the next face. "In other words, we're going to need Ken, Izzy, and Mimi for sure."

"I knew it," Matt muttered, making a face. "Well, if Mimi has to come with them then I'm coming too!"

"Yolei will probably want to come, as well," Kari interrupted, letting out a deep sigh. "Ken will need some moral support and she did own the Digi-egg of Sincerity at one time."

"I'll let them know as soon as we get home," Miya promised, trying to smile. "Er...if that's okay with you, Izzy."

"I suppose it probably would be best to have Yolei come along, and yes, Matt, I know nothing I say is going to change _your_ mind."

"So, it's settled then?" Noriko asked, glancing at Izzy for confirmation.

"Yes. It'll be myself, Yolei, Matt, Ken, Mimi, and I think Cody and Rosa should come along, as well. Just in case we need the extra help. Like Yolei, neither one of them has had a chance to visit the Digital World yet, and the Digi-egg of Knowledge did used to belong to Cody. He already missed out on the Crest of Reliability for one Spirit Chip, though he'll have another chance with the Spirit Chip of Loyalty, but even so...it only makes sense for him to come along. Plus, I know it will make Gotsumon and Armadillomon happy."

"Hawkmon, too!" Nao interrupted, beaming at the computer expert.

"I guess that settles it then," Ryoko sighed, shaking his head. "Only...Mom, just don't do anything crazy."

"What he said," Matt quickly intervened, glaring at his wife. "Don't you dare do anything wild, crazy, stupid, or...or Mimi-like!"

In response to Matt's outburst, Mimi burst out laughing, and smiling at her husband and son, she said, "I'll behave, I promise, but only if you two take your own advice."

"Don't look at me," Ryoko snorted, rolling his eyes. "I was one of the few who _didn't _put themselves in danger this time around!"

"Can it, Ishida!" Dai grumbled, glaring at the golden-haired Digidestined.

"The Spirit Chip of Compassion," Mickey said softly, gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling. "If we take into account which crests are protecting it then that means the Spirit Chip has to belong to either Ryoko or..."

"Sam," Matty finished, a slight edge to his voice.

"Which means only their D-Coders should glow when we come within close enough range to the Spirit Chip," Rosa added.

The silence in the room was so profound, Sam could almost hear his own heart beat echoing off the walls of the small bedroom Davis and Noriko used for an office, and even though there was a possibility that the Spirit Chip of Compassion could also belong to Ryoko, Sam could not help noticing that for some reason everyone appeared to be staring at him instead of his golden-haired friend.

_Dad..._

There was no way around it. He was going to have to go to the Digital World with his father whether he wanted to or not, and somehow he was going to have to make it through the experience without losing his heart in the process.

_Compassion...what is it really? What does it really mean? Ryoko probably knows better than I do. He was able to forgive his father for what happened in the past so easily, but I...I don't know if I can do that. I don't know if I'm strong enough..._

Earlier, he had been so angry at Ryoko and Dai for keeping the truth about his father a secret, but now it no longer mattered. Now, all he wanted was to have his friends back.

_Ryoko tried so hard to tell me. When he told us the story about his dad, so many time she hinted at what he suspected might be the truth about my father. He was so angry at me because he knew. He knew exactly how I would react, and he tried to warn me. He tried, but I just wouldn't listen..._

"I don't know about this Spirit Chip," Dai said slowly, making a face. "It's going to be a tough one."

"What do you mean?" Davis asked, glancing curiously at his son.

"Well, it could work for either one of them. It's not going to be as easy to guess this time around as everyone seemed to think it was the last time around."

"Wait, what?" Ryoko gasped, staring at the goggle-headed leader in disbelief. "You actually think it could be mine?"

Dai glanced at Ryoko, and spotting the look on the golden-haired Digidestined's face, he immediately went on the defensive. "What's wrong with that? The way you forgave your dad earlier was pretty cool. That kind of...you know...qualifies as compassion, right?"

"I guess, but...just...coming from you..."

"What?" Dai snapped, his cheeks turning red. "Spit it out already, would you?"

"I...um...thanks," Ryoko mumbled, avoiding the goggle-headed leader's eyes.

Clearly that wasn't the answer Dai had been expecting, and Sam had to smile. As a general rule, the way Dai and Ryoko always acted kind of awkward around each other when they weren't fighting exasperated him to no end, but now it made him feel kind of lonely. He missed being a part of that. He missed being on the inside with his friends instead of watching them from the outside.

"I guess this means we should all get some rest if we want to be in fighting form tomorrow," Sora sighed, getting slowly to her feet.

"That would be best," Gennai agreed, nodding in approval. "Once you arrive on Server tomorrow, I would very much like you all to come pay me a visit. Izzy, you know where you can find my house. I hope you haven't forgotten the way."

"Like I could ever forget," Izzy replied, shaking his head in amusement.

"Once you arrive at my residence, I will explain more in detail about the location of the Spirit Chip, and also...there is something else I would very much like to show you, which I am quite sure you will find very interesting. It may even help you on your quest to save the Digital World, though I have not yet figured out how or in what form this knowledge might become useful to you."

In response to Gennai's mysterious words, Izzy's eyes immediately lit up with excitement, that familiar fanatic gleam his dark gaze always established whenever it came to the Digiworld becoming much more prominent within the depths of his dark orbs. "What is it?"

"You'll find out once you've paid me a visit. In the meantime, rest well, Digidestined. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"My thoughts exactly," T.K. groaned, exchanging a look with Patamon.

"Well, at least today was successful," Kari said with a smile. "Thanks for the information, Gennai. Have a good night."

"You too, Piximon," Rina giggled, waving at the little pink digimon, who beamed in response.

After giving Izzy a few more last minute instructions, Gennai quickly signed off, causing the image on the computer screen to switch back to Hawkmon's group, and glaring indignantly at Izzy, the little bird digimon snapped, "What is going on and why did we lose contact with you?"

"Relax, Hawkmon," Tai snorted, smiling in amusement. "It looks like you, Armadillomon, and Gotsumon are going to have a chance to meet up with your partners in person again!"

"Really!"

"Seriously?" Gotsumon gasped, pushing Hawkmon out of the way for a better look at the screen.

Izzy, being in the spirit, quickly explained what had happened with Gennai to Hawkmon's group, and giving the computer screen a stern look, he said, "Make sure you guys are ready to meet us on Server tomorrow."

"Not a problem," Hawkmon said confidently, nodding his head for emphasis. "There are many digimon of the sea who live on or around File Island. One, or a few, of them will be sure to give us a ride. Tomorrow afternoon then?"

"That's right. We'll meet you by the shore. There's a gate on the beach west of Gennai's house. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes. We've had lots of time to travel since Yolei and her friends left the Digital World and we know the continent of Server quite well now. We'll be waiting for you as soon as you arrive."

"Sounds good. You guys have a good night."

"Goodnight, Cody," Armadillomon called out.

"Goodnight, Rosa!" Gotsumon added, not to be outdone by his rookie friend.

After a few more last minute goodbyes, Izzy shut off the computer, and stretching the computer expert said, "Time to go home then?"

"Mom, Dad, if you guys don't mind, I'm just going to go walk a part of the way with my friends," Dai suddenly spoke up, gazing calmly at his parents. "I promise I won't be gone long and Shadow _could_ use a walk."

"Oh...well, yes, I suppose that's fine," Noriko stuttered, clearly caught off guard by Dai's sudden willingness to for once actually take his dog for a walk.

Davis, on the other hand, could tell his son had an ulterior motive, but instead of pointing this out, he merely waved his son out the door with a smile on his face.

"Come on, Sam, let's go," Mickey suddenly said softly in his ear, startling him badly.

_It's now or never. I did promise Dracomon I would..._

Though he was reluctant to do so, Sam quickly followed the rest of his family and friends out the door, and once they were all standing on the sidewalk outside the Motomiya residence he turned to his brother and sister and said, "You guys go on. I'm just going to walk with the rest of my friends for a bit. I'll meet you guys back at the house."

"What about the rest of you?" Sora asked quickly, frowning at each of the six rookie Digidestined in turn.

"Yolei and Ken will be especially worried," Jun commented.

"You guys go on," Ryoko said easily, waving them off. "We'll all be back at our respective homes in a little while."

"Okay, but be careful, it's getting late," Mimi replied. "The sun will be setting soon."

Sam glanced anxiously at his sister, but before he could ask again, she said, "I'll let Mom and Dad know where you are."

"Don't stay out too late or we're going to come looking for you," Tai warned, frowning at his daughter.

Several reassurances later, Sam finally found himself alone with his five friends, their digimon partners, and Shadow, and moving over to sit beneath a large tree lining the sidewalk, he turned to gaze at the Motomiya house without really seeing it.

"Well, here we are," Ryoko said simply, sitting down next to him. "You've managed to get us all alone. Obviously you have something you want to say. Don't you think now would be a good time to say it?"

"What's wrong, Sam?" Mickey said softly, sitting down on his other side and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

_Compassion. When all you feel is anger, how do you allow yourself to give in to your emotions? Vampiramon will probably think whoever owns this next Spirit Chip is weak_, _but...what about DarkAngelicmon? Is compassion a sign of weakness or a sign of true strength?_

Across from him, Sam could feel Matty, Dai, and Takara watching his every move, each of them sprawled in the grass in various positions, Shadow curled up against Dai's thigh and their digimon hidden in their backpacks, and gazing deeply into their eyes he said quietly, "Dreams are a funny thing, aren't they?"

"Huh?" was Dai's intelligent response.

"There are so many ways to dream, awake or sleeping. Two different types, but still essentially the same thing. Most people pass them off as just dreams. Dreams about the future and what we hope to achieve in life and dreams to pass the time while we sleep, almost like a movie, but..."

"But they're more than that," Takara finished for him, reaching out to give his hand a sympathetic squeeze. "Much more."

"I think...our dreams are the real key to discovering who we are. They have meaning and purpose, but...they're not always clear, especially those dreams we experience at night that we pass off as being silly in the morning, compared to what we dream for the future. How can the voice of someone I never knew in life teach me so much, only to pass it off as being insignificant?"

"What?" Mickey whispered, his amber eyes growing wide.

Sam had thought by this time he would have nothing left, and yet here he was, tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, and though he couldn't explain it, sitting there with his friends felt so good and so right.

"I had a dream. Sam Ichijouji, my uncle, he spoke to me from the World of Darkness, and he showed me where to find the light. I want to find a way to reach that light, but I can't. Not by myself. Not without you guys...and my dad."


	202. Dream Within a Dream

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. For the (over) two hundredth time!

**A/N: I have a sneaking suspicion I might have missed some mistakes in this one, so I will make sure to check it over again as soon as I get a chance! Thank you to everyone for your great reviews and I hope you enjoy this new chapter. It's short, but it helps to lead into a few good scenes before we're off to find the next Spirit Chip. For you Harry Potter and Kingdom Hearts fans, I am planning to update my KH story _Sunset Dreams _again, as I will be starting the next chapter on paper soon, and for all you Potter fans, I've just finished another oneshot called _Winter Wonderland_, that I hope to post next week. It's kind of a sequel to _The Pride of Slytherin _and focuses on Christmas holidays at Malfoy Manor. Enjoy, everyone!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 202: Dream Within a Dream

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Watching the late afternoon sunshine play across the faces of his friends, Sam once again felt like he was living inside a dream, but unlike the dream he'd had about his uncle the night before, this time he was awake and he knew his friends expected him to explain exactly what had happened in the dream about his uncle.

He was happy to oblige. Though he was still a bit nervous, even just the thought of telling his friends made him feel as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He took his time, wanting to be careful not to leave anything out, and when he was done, he merely stared at his friends, waiting to analyse their reactions.

At first, no one spoke, indicating that Dai and the others were clearly shocked by this sudden turn of events and just when Sam thought the silence might go on forever, Mickey bowed his head and said quietly, "The World of Darkness. He was trying to warn you."

"What?"

"Don't you see, Sam?" Takara said gently, giving him a sad smile. "If you continue to allow yourself to be filled with hatred, if you continue to allow yourself to give in to the pain and sadness inside your heart, you will ultimately lose yourself to the darkness you despise so much. When it comes right down to it, that's what your uncle was trying to tell you."

"I know, but..."

"You really heard him?" Matty interrupted, gazing at him in awe. "You really heard his voice?"

Sam tried his best to remain composed, but despite his efforts, the memory of his uncle speaking to him on the shore of the beach in the World of Darkness brought tears to his eyes. "I keep trying to tell myself it couldn't have been real, but I can't quite bring myself to believe that it was all for nothing, that it was just a dream. The way he spoke to me...He _knew. _He knew who I was. He called me by my name. He...he called me his nephew."

"But how do we know you really heard his voice?" Ryoko asked bluntly, ever the practical and sensible one. "I mean, you never met him, right? He passed away long before you were born. How do you know if what you were hearing was really his voice? Maybe your subconscious merely gave him a voice to compensate for the loss of something you've never heard before."

_Uncle...could Ryoko be right? Did I really hear your voice, or..._

Sam knew Ryoko wasn't trying to offend him, and because of that he wasn't upset by the golden-haired Digidestined's words, but even so he found himself hesitant to speak. After all, there was a chance Ryoko could be right and he was grateful that the golden-haired Digidestined was trying to eliminate all the possibilities that might be able to explain his bizarre dream and give him some answers.

There was a chance that a rational explanation could explain the presence of his uncle sitting on the shores of the beach in the World of Darkness and he could tell Ryoko cared enough about him to make sure he didn't get his hopes up if that turned out to be the case.

"Are you sure you've never heard your uncle's voice before?" Dai insisted, glancing meaningfully at Ryoko before once again turning his attention back to the conversation at hand.

Sam frowned in concentration, trying his best to remember, and sifting through all the memories inside his head he quickly nodded in confirmation, confident that he was right about his earlier suspicions. "We have lots of photos, but that's about it. We don't have any old tapes or anything like that, so there's no way I could have heard his voice before. My grandparents might have some tapes or something, but if they do I've never see them."

"Then there's only one way to find out," Ryoko said simply, a slight smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "Ask your dad. He would know, and if he can't describe the voice very well, get him to pick up a memento from your grandparents. If they have anything, that is. Considering how much they praised him all he time, they must have something."

"Ask...my dad?"

Ryoko was right, of course, but even the thought of speaking to his father brought a lump to his throat, and he found himself unable to look at any of his friends.

"Sam, you have to speak to your father eventually," Takara said gently, clearly sensing his thoughts, "but if you can't bring yourself to do it right now, then ask your mom. She's on great terms with your grandma and grandpa Ichijouji. I'm sure they'd be happy to hand over a memento of your uncle, especially if it's for you."

_Kara's right. Grandma and Grandpa were really pleased when my mom and dad named me after my uncle. I'm sure they'd be happy to know I'm interested in learning more about him._

"'Kindness and compassion will show you the way,'" Mickey quoted softly, gazing thoughtfully at his hands. "You guys don't think..."

"The Spirit Chip of Compassion," Matty finished, gazing meaningfully at his twin.

_Wait...they think the Spirit Chip might belong to me over Ryoko?_

Sam was shocked, to say the least, and turning to look at Ryoko, he stammered, "W-what do you think?"

_It can't really be mine, can it? I haven't exactly been very compassionate lately, and besides, it suits Ryoko just as much as it suits me. He might seem a little cold on the outside at times, but I know him better than that. On the inside, he might be the most caring out of all of us, even over Mickey..._

"We'll find out tomorrow, I guess," Ryoko said simply, avoiding his eyes. "Personally, I hope it belongs to you."

"Ryoko..."

Sam could feel a lump building in his throat and reaching out he placed a hand on the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder, forcing Ryoko to look at him. "Ryoko, listen, I...I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have yelled at you and Dai like that. I know you were just worried about me, and I'm not mad at you anymore or anything like that. I understand that you were just trying to help me...and...you know...I..."

"What?" Ryoko asked bluntly, gazing directly into his eyes.

Sam had to look away, and feeling ashamed of himself he managed to whisper, "I don't hate you."

"Sam..."

"You're too important to me to let something as stupid as this stop me from being your friend. You and Dai. I know I acted like a jerk, but if you can find a way to forgive me, I promise I'll do my best not to make the same mistake again. I-"

"Sam," Ryoko interrupted, shaking him gently by the shoulders, "there's nothing to forgive."

"He's right," Dai agreed, nodding his head for emphasis.

"But-"

"People say things they don't mean," Ryoko insisted, a faint smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "I think that's been the case with a lot of us lately."

"Maybe."

"We really are a bunch of idiots," Dai muttered, shaking his head in amusement.

"I don't think so," DemiEmbermon contradicted, poking his head out of the goggle-headed leader's backpack. "You humans are just too stubborn for you own good sometimes."

"Very true," Fluttermon agreed, smiling at her partner.

_Uncle...was it really just a dream or were you trying to tell me something important? Does the Spirit Chip of Compassion really belong to me?_

Sam didn't know, but he did know he wanted his friends back, and smiling hesitantly at Ryoko, he said shyly, "Can we go back to how things used to be between us?"

For a long moment Ryoko didn't say anything, and just when Sam was starting to feel a little bit uneasy, the golden-haired Digidestined sighed and said softly, almost to himself, "All of you drive me nuts, but...where would I be without you?"

"Ryoko?"

"Consider it done, Sam. Only...I don't really want things to be exactly like they were before."

"What do you mean?"

Leaning close to him, Ryoko said softly in his ear, "I want things to be even better."

_So do I..._

A day ago, Sam was convinced he'd never be able to smile again, but to his surprise he found himself beaming at the golden-haired Digidestined, and slipping an arm around Ryoko's shoulders he turned to Dai and said, "What about you?"

"What about me?" Dai snorted, rolling his eyes. "You're my friend, plain and simple. What else is there to say? Sure you were angry, but that was just a minor inconvenience. It never stopped us from being friends. It never will. You know I'll always have your back no matter how many stupid things you do. Like I'm one to talk. It's not like I haven't done enough stupid things myself. I think today wad proof enough of that."

"Oh, Dai," Takara sighed, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile.

Ryoko, too, looked like he wanted to have his say, but before the golden-haired Digidestined could even open his mouth, Dai glared at him and said playfully, "No comments from you, Ishida. I've heard enough out of you already today."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Ryoko said innocently, smirking at the goggle-headed leader.

"_Very _convincing. Just you wait until it's your turn."

Sam expected Ryoko to reply with some sort of clever insult, but instead the golden-haired Digidestined merely stared at his feet in silence, and unreadable expression on his face. Though he didn't appear to be upset, something about the look in his sapphire eyes made Sam feel a little bit uneasy.

_He does want to find his Spirit Chip, doesn't he?_

Or maybe, was there something Ryoko wasn't telling them?

"Are you going to be okay now, Sam?" Mickey asked quietly, interrupting his thoughts.

"I'm not sure. Mickey, what do you really think of my dream? Was it just a dream or something more?"

"I think...it's had to explain, but I really do believe your uncle was trying to give you an important message, and maybe a dream was the only way he could do so. I know you would never lie about something like this or make it out to be more than it is."

"So...then you believe it was something more than just a dream?"

"I do, but you already knew that," Mickey said simply, his voice quiet, but firm. "I'm not blind, Sam. You know me better than you think you do."

"See, Sam?" Glimmermon said softly from is backpack. "I told you it would be easy. You know your friends would never let you down."

_Maybe, but is that true for all of them?_

It was a good question, and remembering how uncertain he'd been about Matty earlier, he turned to look at the younger twin and said hesitantly, "What do you think?"

_What do you really believe, Matty?_

"Isn't it obvious what I think?" Matty replied, avoiding his eyes. "Mickey's usually right about these kinds of things so I don't see why this time should be any different. No matter how impossible something might seem, sometimes you just have to believe. If you can't do that then you might as well give up. What's the point of having any faith at all if you can't find meaning in everything you see and do? Whether or not your dream was real or a figment of your imagination, it doesn't really matter. If you were able to find some kind of meaning in that dream, and a sense of purpose, that's what really matters. That's what your uncle would have really wanted if he were alive today. Your dream was real to you and that's what counts."

Sam tried to speak, but despite his efforts he found himself unable to utter a sound. Matty's speech had moved him so much, it caused tears to form in his eyes.

"I believe in you," Matty said quietly, humbly bowing his head. "Even if you don't believe in yourself."

_Just like I believe in my dad, even if he doesn't always believe in himself._

It was a comforting thought, and slipping his arm around Matty's shoulders, he managed a watery smile. "Thanks, Matty."

"What now?" Iramon asked, getting back to business as usual.

"Now I think it's time to go home," Takara replied.

"You guys go ahead, Matty and I will catch up," Dai insisted, glancing calmly at the younger twin, a no nonsense look on his face. "You don't mind, do you, Mickey?"

Sam almost smiled. As if Mickey would mind.

"Not at all," Mickey said softly, reaching out to give his brother's shoulder a quick squeeze. "I'll see you back at home, Matty."

_Poor Matty. Dai's never going to let him get out of this now!_

And apparently Matty realized the same thing because the younger twin let out a deep sigh while trying unsuccessfully not to look in Dai's direction.

"Come on, Sam, I'll walk with you a bit of the way," Mickey murmured in his ear, giving him a warm smile.

"Thanks, Mickey."

_He wants to make sure I'll be okay facing my dad. I guess I really am lucky. Not very many people have friends like I do._

"We'll see you guys tomorrow," Takara said cheerfully. "Let's go, Ryoko."

"Definitely. I think we could all use a good night's rest."

Sam had to agree, and as he watched his friends, minus Mickey, wander off in different directions he felt suddenly weary and anxious to hop into bed himself.

_But first I'll have to face my dad...  
_


	203. Best Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, but here I am again! Also, I'm going to try to update my Kingdom Hearts story very soon, and KH is in fact the reason for the delay of this chapter. (As in Birth By Sleep, which I'm still not close to being done.) Despite that, though, I did manage to get this up so I hope you all like it!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 203: Best Friends

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Uh...Dai? Where exactly are we going?"

"Relax, would you? We're just going for a little walk."

"Right, and where exactly is this little _walk_ going to take us?" Matty snorted, rolling his eyes.

They'd been strolling along the sidewalk for several minutes now, following a path that took them past the school, and pointing up ahead and a little towards the right at the breathtaking view of Tokyo Bay, which separated the district of Odaiba from the mainland, Dai smiled and said, "Where do you think? Hope you don't mind a quick trip to the beach."

"Of course, the beach," Matty sighed, shaking his head in defeat. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

"Thanks, I love you, too. If I had known hanging around me was such a chore, I wouldn't have asked you to come along. Sorry for the inconvenience."

As Dai expected, Matty looked properly stunned by his words, and blushing in embarrassment, the younger twin managed to stammer, "Wait, I didn't mean it like that!"

"You sure could have fooled me."

"Dai! It wasn't like that! I..."

"I know, I know! I'm just kidding, Matty. Don't take things so seriously all the time, would you? You're starting to get as bad as Ryoko."

"I...oh..."

Dai caught a glimpse of the flustered look on Matty's face, which greatly amused him due to the fact that usually Matty never took anything very seriously, until recently by the looks of it, and elbowing the younger twin in the side, he said gently, "Come on. Let's go before it starts getting dark. After what happened with my Spirit Chip today, I don't think my parents will want me staying out late tonight. Not that I blame them. After the whole fiasco on Infinity Mountain, I could definitely use a good night's sleep."

"I guess..."

They walked in silence and sitting down side by side at the very edge of the water, they both turned to gaze unseeingly at the ocean, each of them lost deep within their own tangled thoughts. High above them, the sun was just beginning to sink lower in the sky towards the horizon, and watching the clear blue water ripple gently towards the shore, Dai felt strangely at peace with himself and the world, as if everything was now finally coming together. Despite the rift between himself and Matty, there was, in fact, a way to make things better.

If he could only find the courage to take the first step.

_After everything I've been through today, how could I have ever thought this would be hard? Matty's one of the most important people in the world to me. We can get through anything together. Without leaving Ryoko behind._

Dai wasn't exactly sure how long the two of them sat staring at the ocean, but just when he did finally become aware of his surroundings again, he was surprised to discover the sky had turned a brilliant shade of orange, and not only that but the sun was beginning to slip away beneath the horizon, signaling the onset of twilight.

_Well, I guess it's now or never. At least, if I want to make it back before dark._

Dai opened his mouth to speak, but a soft noise to his left suddenly captured his attention and turning to glance at the younger twin sitting beside him, he let out a soft sound of surprise. Beside him, Matty had his digital camera out and from what Dai could tell, it looked as if the younger twin was taking a picture of the sunset.

"Can't let a good opportunity like this go to waste," Matty said softly, when he became aware of the fact that he was being watched.

"I guess not. The sky does look pretty cool, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it looks just as pretty as the sky in the Digital World!" Goldmon cried enthusiastically, interrupting his partner before the younger twin could speak.

Somehow Goldmon and DemiEmbermon had managed to sneak out of their respective backpacks without being noticed and snuggling themselves into the soft sand next to Shadow, they beamed at the ocean, clearly impressed by the surprisingly magnificent beauty of the human world.

"Hey, you two, you should be more careful! Someone might see you," Matty scolded, frowning disapprovingly at the two little digimon.

"No, they won't," DemiEmbermon protested. "The beach is empty. Besides us, I mean, and Shadow needs some company, too!"

Apparently, Shadow agreed with the little digmon because not only did he bark in approval, he also gave DemiEmbermon a hearty lick for good measure.

"Fine, whatever. Just make sure you take cover if someone happens to come along, okay?"

"Don't worry, we'll be careful, Matty," Goldmon replied, smiling at his partner.

_Sometimes you have to be careful, but there are also times when you need to take risks. It looks like this is one of those times. At least, for me it is. Wish me luck, DemiEmbermon._

It was almost as if Matty could sense what he was thinking because the younger twin suddenly lowered his camera and said wearily, "What do you want from me, Dai? You obviously called me out here for a reason, so just...spit it out already."

"Actually, I think this is more about what _you _want from_ me._"

"W-what?"

Dai pointed to the camera in his friend's hands and changing the subject, he said mildly, "I haven't seen you use that thing since we started going to the Digital World. How come?"

"Haven't had a chance to. We've bee pretty busy lately, in case you haven't noticed."

"I know...but it's just...I guess I kind of miss it. You know, the way you randomly take pictures of people and other stuff. We're so used to it, it was kind of just like background noise, but now that you haven't been using your camera lately, it's kind of hard not to notice something's missing."

"If that's how you feel then why didn't you say something before now?"

"Because in case _you _haven't noticed, we've been kind of busy lately."

He expected Matty to lash out in anger or to be embarrassed, but instead of getting riled up the younger twin smiled faintly and said, "I guess I deserved that. It's just...that day you got Gennai's message, that day before we actually went to the Digital World, we should have known. We should have guessed there was something big going on. I didn't realize it at the time, but now that I look back on that day, I understand just how much I missed. I mean, sure all the usual stuff happened, you were fighting with Ryoko, Mrs. Hanari gave you a detention...but I didn't use my camera once that day. Something about that day...it just felt different. It made the usual routine feel different. It made me forget myself. Dai, we should have guessed something huge was going to happen and I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not believing you about the email at first."

"Er...Matty, you already apologized for that, remember?"

"I know, but...I feel like I have to apologize again. It's just...I don't know what to say..."

"About what? About yourself? About me? About our friendship?"

"About...everything I guess."

_And it's my fault..._

Dai turned away from his golden-haired friend and gazing out at the sunset, he said quietly, "Matty, I can't fix things if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"I know."

"Then why don't you tell me?"

"Because, I..." Matty faltered and humbly bowing his head, he mumbled, "I don't want you to think I'm a bad person."

_Huh?_

Turning to gaze at the younger twin in surprise, Dai said slowly, "Why would I think that?"

"Dai, we're best friends, right?" Matty asked quietly, avoiding his eyes.

"Yeah, last time I checked. Unless, you know...you don't feel that way anymore after what happened on Infinity Mountain."

There was silence.

_Any moment now..._

"We can call ourselves whatever we want, but I'm not the only one. You know I'm not," Matty finally choked out, his fingers clenching tightly around the digital camera in his hands. "You can pretend, but don't forget. I know how you feel about my cousin. Where does that leave me?"

_I knew it. Well, there it is. So...it all comes down to this. And Ryoko thinks I'm an idiot. Come on, Matty, give me some credit here. You know me better than that..._

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"It's not funny, Dai!" Matty snapped, turning his face away.

"I never said it was. Matty, are you jealous of Ryoko?"

"I...um...maybe a little."

The words were quiet and surprisingly shy coming from Matty, and due to the fact that he hadn't expected the younger twin to be so blunt about it, Dai could do nothing but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Matty cried defensively, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

"Sorry, it's just...what do you have to be jealous about? If you ask me, I'd say you both have it pretty good, if I do say so myself."

"What do you mean?"

_How did I end up becoming friends with so many people who are so different from me? Even Matty. We're the most alike, but even we have our differences. I'm glad, though. That's what makes us fit well together._

"Dai?"

Dai could feel Matty's hand on his shoulder and turning to look at the younger twin, he said seriously, "Matty, do you really think someone else could ever take your place?"

"But...Ryoko."

"Okay, you got me. You're right. We've talked about it before and nothing has changed. I don't hate Ryoko. I've _never_ hated Ryoko. He's one of my closest friends and I can't stand fighting with him all the time. I hate all of this. I...I just hate what's happened to us and I want to fix things. I want to be someone he can count on."

"Dai..."

"I won't lie to you, Matty. It would be awesome to have Ryoko for a best friend, but does that mean I'm just going to kick you to the curb and let you play second best? No. No way! Not even a chance."

"But-"

"Do you really think I'm the kind of person who would forget about my friends just because there's someone else out there who needs my friendship just as much as someone like you?"

"Of course not! I...I just don't want you to forget about me," Matty whispered, once again turning his face away.

Those words stung, coming from Matty, and shaking the golden-haired Digidestined gently by the shoulders, Dai said firmly, "Matty, all of you are important to me in different ways, and besides, no one ever said I couldn't have two best friends."

"Really?" Matty gasped, a smile beginning to form on the younger twin's face.

"Yeah, er...not that that will ever happen, if Ryoko has anything to say about it."

For a moment, Matty looked like he wanted to respond, but instead of commenting on his cousin, he shook his head and said quietly, "I haven't had much faith in you lately, have I? I'm sorry, Dai."

"I should be the one apologizing to you. I haven't given you very many reasons lately to have any kind of faith in me at all. All of you are my friends, Matty, and because you're all so different I'm going to relate to all of you in different ways, but that doesn't mean I like any of you less than any of my other friends."

"That's true. Actually...that's one of the reasons why I like you so much."

"Seriously, Matty, do I look like someone who would forget about his friends?"

Matty beamed at him, and ducking his head, the younger twin said softly, "No."

"You're not mad at Ryoko, are you? Because none of this is his fault."

"No. He tried to tell me..."

_Tell you what? What the heck does that mean?_

"No one is ever going to take your place, Matty. When it comes to being my friends, you and Ryoko both have your own places."

"Same here. I wish..."

"What?"

Gazing quietly at the sunset, Matty whispered, "I wish Ryoko would realize just how lucky he is."

Dai wasn't exactly sure what to say to that, so instead of responding he followed Matty's example and turned to gaze quietly at the sunset. Though neither one of them cared to speak at the moment, the silence between them was no longer filled with tension, and for that Dai was grateful. The air between them now felt like it always did, and although Dai knew he didn't have to ask he decided to anyways because Matty deserved to hear the words.

"Hey, Matty?"

"What's up?"

"Are we okay now? We're still best friends, right?"

He didn't look at Matty, but he smiled when he felt the younger twin's arm go around his shoulder. "Like you need to ask, only...the next time something like this happens, don't forget that I'm here to help you, okay?"

"I won't."

"Which is why I'm not going to let you or Ryoko screw this up."

"Huh?"

Dai turned his head to look at Matty in surprise, and he frowned when he realized the younger twin was fiddling with the buttons on his camera. "What are you doing?"

To Dai, it looked like the Matty was sifting through all the photos stored on his camera, a sad smile on his face, and stopping on one picture in particular, he held out the camera, a very serious look on his face. "Sometimes it's what you don't see that gives you the most insight into what those around you really feel inside their hearts."

_Again with the riddles. Maybe Mickey's rubbing off on him or something. Or DarkAngelicmon..._

Dai hesitantly took the camera in his hands, and gazing at the photograph on the small screen staring back at him, he felt a large fist clench around his heart. The photo had been taken about a week before Gennai's email appeared on one of the school computers and it was a day Dai remembered vividly, for all the wrong reasons. It had been taken just after school the day after he had gotten into another huge fight with Ryoko. He could see himself in the photo smiling at the camera and waving to Matty, who had taken the picture, but it was the figure in the background that had captured his attention. Behind him stood Ryoko, staring at the back of his head, and the look of sadness and despair on the golden-haired Digidestined's face hurt him so deeply he had to close his eyes and look away.

_Have I been wrong this whole time?_

"You and Ryoko are only seeing what you want to see," Matty said quietly, taking back his camera and holding it up to take one last picture of the dying sun. "You're both missing the whole picture."

_Maybe I am, but so are you, Matty._

Dai tried unsuccessfully to speak around the lump in his throat, but it was impossible to do so. It was only after a few minutes that he finally managed to compose himself enough to choke out a response. "Why didn't you show it to me before?"

"I only just found it now. I have a lot of photos on my camera and I haven't had a chance to look back at them until now. If I had just taken the time to look earlier..."

"It doesn't matter. It wouldn't have changed anything. Matty, listen..."

"If you're really serious about this then you can't give up."

"Sorry, what?"

"I'm going to help you," Matty said firmly, his amber eyes shining with determination. "I'm not going to let you and Ryoko hurt each other anymore. If Mickey can share then so can I."

Dai once again found himself at a loss for words, so instead of trying to find the right thing to say, he merely pulled Matty against him in a one-armed hug. After all, Matty was not only his friend, the younger twin, like his other friends, was also like family to him, like a brother he had never had.

"Come on, Dai, we should get going before our parents start to worry about us," Matty said softly in his ear, returning the hug before pulling away and giving him a big smile.

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry," DemiEmbermon complained.

"Me too!" Goldmon cried, eagerly backing up his small friend.

"You guys are always hungry!" Matty groaned, jumping to his feet and motioning for Goldmon to hop back into his bag.

Dai waited until DemiEmbermon had followed Goldmon's example before picking up his own backpack, and grabbing onto Shadow's leash, he began to make his way back towards the house, Matty by his side.

"Do you think Mickey will have any luck with Sam?" Matty asked curiously, a slight frown on his face.

"I hope so, but I doubt it. At least not today."

"Yeah...well, I guess I better get going. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sounds good. See you, Matty, and...thanks."

Choosing not to respond, not that he needed to, Matty merely waved to him before racing off down the street, and watching the younger twin disappear from view, Dai couldn't help feeling a little bit sad. Not about Matty, but about another friend he'd managed to let down more times than he could count.

_Ryoko...am I the one who made you like this? Is it all because of me?_


	204. From Dusk to Dawn

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**_A/N: Not much to say here except a big thank you to all my new readers who have given up a lot of their free time to read this fic and to catch up to where it currently stands now. It always makes me happy to know that others are enjoying this story every bit as much as I am._**

Chapter 204: From Dusk to Dawn

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth  
_

After having parted ways with Takara and Ryoko earlier, Sam was left to make his way home with only Mickey by his side, but despite the fact that Mickey was keeping pace right next to him, he felt strangely distant from his friend, as if a giant wall had been constructed between them, a wall he was hesitant to cross for fear of perhaps causing even more tension between them, much like the tension that currently existed between Matty and Dai.

When he had been sitting with his friends across the street from the Motomiya residence earlier, he'd felt oddly at peace with himself, despite all of the uncertainties he still felt concerning his father and his friends, but now that he was alone with Mickey, he couldn't help feeling as if he was nothing more than a failure. A failure to his father, his family, and his friends.

_Mickey, how can you stand there acting like there's nothing wrong when you most of all must be so ashamed of me and the way I've been acting lately? Why do you call yourself my friend when lately all I've done is hurt you and everyone we care about? I...I don't deserve to be your friend. Not anymore..._

"The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they?" Mickey suddenly said softly, pointing to the sky and startling Sam out of his depressing thoughts. "It's rare to see them so brightly in Tokyo, even in the Odaiba district, but tonight I can see them so clearly. It's nice, isn't it?"

"I guess..."

"Don't sound so excited," Mickey teased, shaking his head in amusement. "You should appreciate moments like this, Sam."

"Hey, Mickey?"

"Yes?"

Sam turned his face away, unable to look at his friend, but he knew no matter what Mickey's answer might be, he needed to speak regardless of the outcome. "You must be really disappointed in me, aren't you."

"Of course I am," Mickey said sadly, gazing mournfully at the dark sky. His hands were shoved deeply into his pockets and judging from his posture, it looked like he was lost in thought. "Sam, the way you've been acting lately... This just isn't like you at all. I know you're stronger than this. I know it, so...why? Why can't you see it, too?"

"Maybe you have too much faith in me. You and Matty."

"Or maybe...you just don't have enough faith in yourself," Mickey said softly, without looking at him. "Matty might not find it as easy to give advice the way I do, but...he says some things that make a lot of sense. I think maybe you, you and all the others, sometimes...miss that."

"Mickey..."

"Sam, I'm sad and I'm disappointed, but I still believe in you," Mickey said gently, turning to smile at him. "I know you'll find a way to be yourself again."

_I hope so, Mickey, but...I'm not so sure..._

He did feel a lot better after talking to his friends, but it still wasn't enough. The only way he was ever going to feel like himself again was if he could somehow find a way to change what was happening between himself and his father.

_But how?_

"Sam? Do you remember what Ryoko said?"

"You mean...about how I might not have heard my uncle's voice after all?"

"Yes. Do you...think he might be right?"

Sam pondered the question for a moment, and glancing at Mickey, he said quietly, "What do you think?"

"I believe your uncle really spoke to you, but it's what you believe that really counts."

"I'm going to find out."

"Huh?"

Mickey looked at him surprise, and smiling, Sam said, "Ryoko's right. If I want to know for sure then I'm going to have to do what I can to find out the truth."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"It's like Kara said, I'm sure my mom won't mind helping me out. I think...she really wants me to ask my dad and so does Ryoko, but...I'm just not ready for that. Maybe one day I will be, but in the meantime I can't forget about my mom. I know she's worried about me."

"Everyone is worried about you, Sam," Mickey sighed, shaking his head. "Ask your mom then. I'm sure it will make her feel better to know she's helping you."

"I hope so..."

For several minutes the two of them walked in silence, but Sam's thoughts were far from just being about his father. He had other worries, too, including what was happening between the Takaishi twins, and after what had happened between Angelicmon and DarkAngelicmon that day, he was even more concerned than he otherwise would have been about the rift that seemed to be growing between Mickey and Matty.

"Hey, Mickey? About what Goldmon said when we were still at Dai's house..."

"You mean...all of the things he said about DarkAngelicmon? About Matty?"

Sam didn't answer. Instead he turned to glance at the golden-haired Digidestined standing beside him and he was surprised to find that Mickey's face, and especially his eyes, were completely void of emotion. Normally, Mickey's thoughts could be read quite plainly on his face and usually it was pretty easy to tell how he was feeling at any given moment, but now Sam felt more like he was staring at Ryoko than the sweet, sensitive Makiya Takaishi he had grown up with.

"Mickey...you don't really believe DarkAngelicmon about Matty, do you?"

"Sometimes it isn't always easy to tell what the right thing to do is," Mickey finally said quietly, after a long moment of silence. "And sometimes the answer isn't always absolute."

"Mickey..."

"If you're asking me if I have the answers, I don't, Sam. No more than you do. All I have are questions, and I very much doubt DarkAngelicmon is going to answer them for me. I don't think even Matty can do that, as much as I know he wants to. The answers, I think, are going to have to come from me."

"What do you mean?"

"If I want to separate the truth from all the lies then I'm going to have to find the answers myself. For me and for Matty."

"Then...you don't have any idea why DarkAngelicmon said all those things about Matty?"

Mickey suddenly stopped without warning, forcing Sam to stumble to a quick halt, and gazing up at the dark sky, his eyes, which had held absolutely no emotion whatsoever only moments ago, began to sparkle with a tinge of sadness that ran so deep it made Sam's heart ache for the older twin.

"I think...DarkAngelicmon's trying to prove something to all of us. You, me, Matty, our friends, his allies, Lucemon, and even the Ruler of Darkness himself, but what exactly he's trying to prove, I can't make any sense of it. I don't think he really wants to hurt anybody, but for reasons I can't understand, he feels like he doesn't have any other choice."

"You're worried about Matty, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," Mickey mumbled, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "I always worry about Matty, but it's not because of what DarkAngelicmon said to Angelicmon."

"Huh?"

Sam stared at Mickey in surprise, and turning his eyes to the ground, Mickey said quietly, "I don't believe Matty could ever hurt me, and I know I could never bring myself to hurt him. I'm not saying things are always going to be perfect between us, but I know, no matter what happens, we'll find our way back to each other again."

"But..."

"Even if Matty _were_ to hurt me, I know he wouldn't do it because he wants to, as is the same for me. We'll find a way to work things out. You'll see."

"Are you sure?"

Sam wanted to believe, but after everything that had been happening to all of them lately, including himself, it was hard to feel optimistic, despite the fact that Mickey was usually right about these kinds of things.

"Sam, do you know why I'm so worried about Matty?" Mickey asked softly, lifting his head slightly so they could look at one another.

How could he not know? Mickey was Mickey, after all.

"You're worried because you think Matty will take DarkAngelicmon's words too much to heart."

"Yes. If DarkAngelicmon's goal was to make me fear my own brother, it's not going to work. Threats are meaningless to me, but Matty...I'm afraid, Sam. I'm afraid Matty's going to take DarkAngelicmon's words too literally instead of reading between the lines, and if he does, you know what will happen."

"Matty would do anything to protect you. If he feels like he's a threat to your safety, he'll do his best to drift away from you. Not because he wants to, but..."

"Because he wants to keep me safe," Mickey finished with a frown, shaking his head in despair. "He'll do whatever he can to protect me from himself."

"But...that's so stupid."

"Not to Matty, it isn't."

"Maybe, but how can he be so blind? Pushing you away isn't going to solve anything."

"That's why I can't let it happen," Mickey agreed, a faint smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "Right now Matty needs me, and I need him, just like DarkAngelicmon needs Lucemon. I won't give up, Sam. Matty would never give up on me. It's only fair I return the favour."

_I can't even imagine how Matty must be feeling right now. To be afraid of yourself. I bet my dad knows exactly what that feels like. I'm sure he could probably help Matty, at least a little bit. If only I could talk to him without feeling so betrayed..._

"Sam, are you okay?" Mickey suddenly asked quietly, as if sensing his thoughts.

Sam jumped at the sudden feel of Mickey's hand on his shoulder, and giving himself a mental shake, he gazed into the older twin's amber eyes and said seriously, "Hey, Mickey, why do you think DarkAngelicmon is doing this? I mean, what's the point of making Matty doubt himself? Won't that affect his chances of getting a Spirit Chip?"

"You would think so, wouldn't you, but..."

"What is it?"

Mickey's face suddenly scrunched up, and wrapping his arms around himself, he whispered, "I don't know why DarkAngelicmon would do something like this, especially after everything he's done for us, but there must be a reason for it. I won't lie to you, Sam, I just can't believe DarkAngelicmon really is our enemy. Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but I can't change how I feel. The way he looks at me. I just..."

"Mickey, it's okay. I don't blame you. I feel the same way. As much as I want to hate him for what he's done to me, I just can't bring myself to be angry anymore. I want to believe he told me the truth about my father because he wanted to help me, and in a way he has. If only I could find the courage to use what he told me in a positive way."

"You can, and you will," Mickey insisted, shaking him gently by the shoulders. "I believe in you, Sam. We all do, including your dad. Now you just have to believe in yourself."

"But, Matty..."

"I'll deal with Matty. You just focus on fixing things with your father."

"But-"

"We already know we can't take everything DarkAngelicmon says literally. He likes to speak in riddles and it's important that we learn to read between the lines if we want to figure out the true meaning behind his words. He's not going to make it easy for us. He wants us to understand, but he's not just going to tell us. It's almost like he's testing us, and if we want any answers, we're going to have to work for them. How else are we going to grow as Digidestined? What you said earlier about how DarkAngelicmon's words could affect Matty's chances of getting his Spirit Chip... Maybe that's not entirely true."

"What do you mean?"

"Look what happened to Dai today. DarkAngelicmon was the one who planted the seeds to what could have been his undoing, but instead DarkAngelicmon's actions ended up saving Dai. He forced Dai to take a long, hard look at himself, and that's what turned the tide. Dai didn't like what he saw, and instead of giving up in despair, he did something about it. He changed his way of thinking, and by doing so he was able to overcome the darkness in his heart. In the end, he not only got his Spirit Chip, he also got his freedom."

For some strange reason, Sam felt oddly moved by Mickey's words, and realizing his hands were shaking, he stared at his blond friend and whispered, "W-what are you saying?"

"This pain you feel, the pain that exists inside Matty's heart, the pain Dai experienced," Mickey murmured, his amber eyes serious, "all brought about by the same digimon. By DarkAngelicmon. We already have one Spirit Chip. Maybe we're a little closer to two more than we think we are."

_Huh?_

Sam tried to answer, but before he could come up with a coherent reply, Mickey suddenly pulled him into a fierce hug and whispered softly in his ear, "Stay strong, Sam, for all of us."

"Mickey-"

"I have to go home now otherwise my parents will probably start to worry about me. Talk to your mom tonight, and if you can, at least try to talk to your dad, even if it's just a little bit."

"I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises."

"I know. I'll see you tomorrow, Sam."

Sam had to admit, he was afraid, and for a moment he didn't want to let go of Mickey, who to him felt like an undying flame of hope, giving him a sense of stability, but after several moments of clinging tightly to his friend, he reluctantly let go, unsurprisingly with a heavy heart.

"Bye," Mickey whispered, waving to him before disappearing into the night.

_Bye, Mickey, and good luck. I hope you and Matty can work things out..._


	205. Duty Calls

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: I'm finally back with another chapter, and I like this one! (I seem to really like bad guy chapters for some reason...) I'm really sorry everyone for the wait. I hope you all enjoy it, and I'll do my best to continue to update as often as I can. Oh! And also, have any of you noticed anything different about DarkAngelicmon lately and his manner of speaking? Bonus points to anyone who has picked up on what I mean and can guess the answer!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 205: Duty Calls

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

"So, once again all of you have failed me," the Ruler of Darkness hissed, pacing back and forth in front of the four mega digimon and one champion kneeling on the stone floor in front of him. "Daichi Motomiya, their leader, has gained the use of his Spirit Chip, and another ultimate digimon has been born. Do you realize what this means?"

"It's all his fault!" Spritemon squeaked, pointing to the fallen angel kneeling beside her. "What happened on Infinity Mountain was his plan to begin with! He's the one to blame!"

"Silence, fool! I did not ask who was to blame! You've all failed in your own way, including DarkAngelicmon. There are no excuses!"

_My, my, so quick to point the finger. What wonderful allies I have._

It was an amusing thought, and glancing at the sprite digimon kneeling on his left, DarkAngelicmon smiled to himself, his shadowy wings fluttering with silent laughter. Despite the fact that they were all in serious trouble, he had to admit, he was enjoying himself.

A lot.

"But...he...the plan!" Spritemon protested.

"I told you to keep quiet!" the Ruler of Darkness snapped, turning his back on the cowering pixie and crossing his arms over his chest. "When we originally set out to bend the Digidestined to our will, it was important to gain control of their D-Coders to have access to the Spirit Chips. That was the reason why I wanted you to steal the Digivices in the first place. Since then, we've discovered that the D-Coders are useless to us without the Digidestined themselves, and now that we have devised a better way to get our hands on the Spirit Chips, it should have been easy to take that which we desire. Simple, and yet you _still _continue to fail me."

"Forgive us, master," Vampiramon murmured, cowering on Spritemon's left. "You are entirely right. There are no excuses. We had Daichi Motomiya in the palm of our hands and even after he gained the full use of his Spirit Chip, we are still the stronger of our two opposing forces. It should have been easy for us to take the Spirit Chip, but instead we allowed FireDragermon to catch us off guard."

"Indeed, you did," the Ruler of Darkness said bitterly, keeping his back to the female mega. "The Digidestined are weak. You've seen that for yourselves. How easy it is to plunge their hearts into darkness. We needed Daichi to overcome that darkness and he did so magnificently, but even so that does not make him more powerful than us. That Spirit Chip should have been ours. You know what the humans are like. They are surprisingly resilient, but that alone will not save them. They rise up only to fall deeper into despair. It is only a matter of time before the darkness claims them, and when it does...then we shall have our victory."

_They rise up only to fall deeper into despair and yet...the harder they fall the quicker they seem able to pick themselves back up again. Humans have such admirable hearts. How I do envy them..._

And now, it appeared it was time for him to have his say.

"Pardon me, your evilness, but if I may intervene?"

"Forget it, angel boy, even the fool knows not to interrupt our master when he's angry," Jestermon hissed softly in his ear, elbowing him in the ribs.

Instead of responding, DarkAngelicmon chose to ignore the court jester kneeling on his right, and tilting his head to the side, he gazed expectantly at the back of his master's head in silence, knowing full well he would be rewarded for his patience.

He was not disappointed.

The Ruler of Darkness turned slowly to face him, and humbly bowing his head, he smiled to himself, pleased with the way things had turned out.

Oh, how he was enjoying this.

"Is there something on your mind, DarkAngelicmon?" the Ruler of Darkness asked pleasantly, regarding him with a mixture of curiosity and resentment.

"Forgive me, your evilness, but though you have every right to be concerned over the incident with the Motomiya boy, not all is lost. Rookie leader, indeed. He may have gotten his Spirit Chip, but that does not make him any less of a target. He might think he's safe now, but truly it's quite the opposite. Now that the Spirit Chip is in his possession, he no longer has a shield to hide behind. His Spirit Chip works. We've seen that for ourselves, which is actually a huge accomplishment for us."

"How so?" BlackWidowmon demanded from Vampiramon's left, forgetting her place.

"Have you forgotten so quickly? We can't bend the Spirit Chips to our will if the Digidestined themselves cannot even get the Spirit Chips to work. In order for our plans to succeed, we _need_ the Digidestined to gain the full use of their Spirit Chips. Their leader has done that, thanks to my careful planning, which means we're half way there, at least as far as the Motomiya boy is concerned. Granted, we did not get a chance to steal his Spirit Chip today, but that does not mean there won't be other opportunities to do so. All the Motomiya boy needs is the right motivation to give up on himself, and once his heart has been plunged into darkness, we will be able to use those dark thoughts to bend his Spirit Chip to our will. I assure you, it's only as matter of time before we have the leader of the Digidestined right where we want him, and where he goes the others will follow, if they don't manage to fall first, that is."

"You are a sentimental fool, DarkAngelicmon, but you are right," the Ruler of Darkness sighed, shaking his head in amusement. "All is not lost, but that does not excuse what happened today. How often do you waste your time keeping the others out of trouble. I do wish you could put that brilliant mind of yours to better use."

"As do I, my lord."

"You already used the Kamiya girl," Vampiramon snarled, grinding her teeth together. "Do you honestly think you can find another excuse to plunge the Motomiya boy's heart into darkness?"

_Such a ridiculous question. No one is safe from the darkness. Not Dai, not Davis, not Tai, not even Takahiro Kuroki. _

DarkAngelicmon could tell that the vampire digimon was upset about the praise he was receiving, while she herself was being called a failure, but that did not bother him in the slightest. He had more important things to worry about.

"The Kamiya girl is only one tantalizing point of interest in the Motomiya boy's life. There are many more, each with the opportunity to send his heart over the edge of despair. It's just a matter of finding what makes him tick, and when it comes to the Digidestined, I happen to be a master at that, if I do say so myself."

"Where were you?" Vampiramon demanded, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You left, and you did not come back. If you had been with us when Daichi claimed his Spirit Chip, the battle might have ended differently."

At this sudden declaration, DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows, and smiling innocently at the female mega, he said sweetly, "Vampiramon, my dear, are you _complimenting _me?"

"I am doing no such thing! You neglected your duties and therefore you deserve to be punished!"

"No more than the rest of you," the Ruler of Darkness said harshly, dismissing the female mega's words with a wave of his hand, "but Vampiramon does have a point. Things may have ended differently if you had been there to stop Daichi from getting away with his Spirit Chip. Where were you, my fallen angel, and you'd _better _have a good excuse."

DarkAngelicmon smiled at his master, and leaping lightly to his feet he circled the Ruler of Darkness with a triumphant gleam in his emerald eyes. "I was busy sewing the seeds of destruction."

"Explain, please."

DarkAngelicmon suddenly stopped, and taking his master's hands, he knelt in front of the Ruler of Darkness, his forehead coming to rest against the mysterious digimon's stomach. "I feel tainted."

"So, in other words, you've been in the presence of other angel digimon. Angel digimon who do not work for me."

"It is good to be by your side again, master."

The Ruler of Darkness gently patted his head, but DarkAngelicmon could tell his master's mind was somewhere else. "Angel digimon...you don't mean..."

_No!_

Realizing he'd almost made a mistake, DarkAngelicmon quickly shook his head and said, "No, not him. Angelicmon."

"Angelicmon?"

"Yes, and his celestial companions, but Angelicmon is the one of most notable interest."

"How so?"

DarkAngelicmon quickly pulled away from his master, and turning to face the torches lining the walls, he murmured, "The Takaishi twins. The seeds have been planted and now we must wait for them to take root. When the time comes, I have no doubt their Spirit Chips will be ours. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I thought Vampiramon and the others would be able to handle the Motomiya boy without me, but obviously I was wrong to put that kind of faith in them."

"We almost had him!" Jestermon protested, chucking a black spear angrily in the fallen angel's direction.

DarkAngelicmon caught it easily in his hands, and throwing it back, he said playfully, "Not close enough, obviously. Despite your failure, though, my conversation with Angelicmon proved to be quite useful."

"So, that's where you were? Consorting with the enemy?" Vampiramon demanded, clearly outraged.

"In a matter of speaking, yes."

"You really are a fool!" BlackWidowmon snorted, shaking her head in disbelief. "Worse even than Jestermon."

"Hey, I resent that!" the fool shouted, leaping to his feet. "When it comes to being the fool, no one is worse than me!"

"You said it," Spritemon smirked.

"You lie," Vampiramon hissed, tugging angrily on her skirts. "Angelicmon was there. He helped the others fight. I don't doubt you spoke to him, but where did you go after that? If Angelicmon could get back in time to defend the Spirit Chip, why couldn't you?"

_Well now, she has more brains than I gave her credit for. This should be interesting._

DarkAngelicmon knew he couldn't deny the female mega's words, so he didn't even try. Instead, he merely turned to his master and said quietly, "She speaks the truth. Where was I then? I made that quite plain already. Sowing the seeds of destruction. Watching and planning. Our moment will come. The Takaishi twins will be yours, my lord."

"You mean _yours_," the Ruler of Darkness laughed softly, beckoning him closer.

"What is it, your evilness?"

"Come here."

DarkAngelicmon hesitated only a moment before joining his master, and placing a hand on his head, the Ruler of Darkness said, "Do not fail me."

"You can be sure I won't. The Spirit Chips are as good as yours."

"If we can even find the rest of them," Spritemon grumbled, making a face.

_Indeed, that will be our next challenge._

DarkAngelicmon didn't like having to agree with Spritemon, but thankfully before he could voice his opinion, the Ruler of Darkness said calmly, "That will be the least of our problems. Persiamon, Phelesmon, if you could please inform my servants here of what you've discovered?"

_Of course..._

DarkAngelicmon nearly jumped as both Persiamon and Phelesmon suddenly appeared out of the shadows, and crossing her arms over her chest, the feline digimon said, "While the five of you have been out playing with the Digidestined, we've been spying on Gennai and his allies, much like he's spying on us. We've discovered that the Spirit Chip of Compassion is located on Server."

"And thanks to Gennai we know exactly where it is," Phelesmon smirked.

"You will be given the details tomorrow morning with your instructions," the Ruler of Darkness added, folding his black-gloved hands together. "Until then, I need some time to think."

_The Spirit Chip of Compassion. It appears I know the Digidestined better than they know themselves. How the Digidestined can be so blind is beyond me. Sam Ichijouji, it's time for you to take to the stage. Will you play your part accordingly or will you fail us all? A question I don't think even Piedmon would have been able to answer._

"And so the plot thickens," Jestermon murmured.

DarkAngelicmon smiled. It was almost as if the court jester could read his mind, and beaming at his companions, he said confidently, "Excellent, the Spirit Chip of Compassion. It appears the young Ichijouji boy is our next target. This should be quite interesting, I believe."

"How do you know the Spirit Chip of Compassion belongs to the Emperor's son?" Vampiramon snapped, glaring accusingly at him with her hands on her hips. Forgetting her place, much like DarkAngelicmon himself had earlier, she had jumped to her feet in anger only to be rewarded with an angry hiss from the Ruler of Darkness, which greatly pleased DarkAngelicmon. Apparently he could get away with breaking protocol, but the vampire digimon could not.

"How do I know? It's simple. We have Gennai's words to prove it. The Spirit Chip of Compassion can only belong to either the Ishida boy or the Emperor's son, and out of the two of them, which one do you think would be mostly likely to own the Spirit Chip of Compassion?"

"The fool agrees," Jestermon replied, summoning his black spheres and juggling them lazily above his head. "The Ishida boy is a bit too cold for the Spirit Chip of Compassion, I think."

_Ryoko, cold? How little these fools know their enemies. Cold on the outside perhaps, but certainly not on the inside. He is very attached to those he cares about and his heart will not let him forget it._

"Okay, let's say you're right. Let's say the Spirit Chip of Compassion really does belong to the Emperor's son. How exactly is that going to help us?" BlackWidowmon demanded, shaking her head in disgust. "Do enlighten us, DarkAngelicmon. How exactly do you plan to give the Ichijouji boy a decent chance of claiming his Spirit Chip?"

"How nice of you to ask, BlackWidowmon."

"Huh?"

DarkAngelicmon turned slowly to face his fellow digimon, his back to Persiamon, Phelesmon, and the Ruler of Darkness, and smiling slightly, he said, "That's already been taken care of."

"What do you mean?" Spritemon asked suspiciously.

"Contrary to what you might believe, our young target knows that his father, the famous boy genius, Ken Ichijouji, was the Digimon Emperor."

"What?" Vampiramon shrieked, nearly tripping over her skirts in shock. "Since when?"

"Oh, he has known for quite a while now."

"How?" Jestermon spluttered, his black spheres tumbling to the ground and rolling across the stone floor in different directions.

"Why, I told him of course."

"When?" Spritemon demanded, clearly shocked by this sudden turn of events.

"It doesn't matter. The point is he knows, and we can use that to our advantage. As you can imagine, he and his father are at odds at the moment. What more incentive does he need to have a reason to get his Spirit Chip? His father's crest is part of one of the seals protecting the Spirit Chip, which means Ken Ichijouji will have to be present for this search. Our little Emperor won't be able to avoid his father then. Let events play out as they will, and we will have our Spirit Chip."

"What's that supposed to mean?" BlackWidowmon snorted.

"It means we sit back and wait and let the Digidestined, or more precisely, the Ichijouji boy and his father, do all the work for us. Wait and watch, and when the time is right that's when we'll strike."

"You never cease to amaze me, my faithful servant," the Ruler of Darkness murmured, clearly pleased to have a least one capable underling on his hands. "You will lead the others tomorrow. Do as you see fit."

"What do you mean, he'll lead?" Vampiramon snapped, glaring at the Ruler of Darkness.

"Know your place, Vampiramon. What it means is that he will lead the operation tomorrow, you will follow. This is your punishment for such a spectacular failure today. I suggest in the future you try to be a bit more diligent in your duties. Now leave me. You and the others are dismissed."

In response to her master's words, Vampiramon stormed out of the former crest room, Jestermon, BlackWidowmon, and Spritemon right on her heels, and watching his fellow companions DarkAngelicmon could do nothing but stare after them in amusement.

_I do believe this is another victory for me. My apologies, Vampiramon, but you're going to have to play second best for now. At least until I get what I want._

With that thought in mind, DarkAngelicmon made to follow after his companions, but before he could take so much as a single step, the Ruler of Darkness caught his arm, forcing him to stop. "You will stay. As you may have already guessed, there is something I need to discuss with you."

_Try all you like, he will never be yours. The darkness will claim me first before I let you take him back._

DarkAngelicmon closed his eyes briefly, doing his best to compose himself, and taking a deep breath he turned to gaze at his master with a neutral expression on his handsome face. "What is it, my lord?"

"What of Lucemon? Has there been any progress?"

"No, my lord. He is a difficult digimon to locate when he does not want to be found. I do not sense him like I used to. He has become...very distant from me."

A lie, but the Ruler of Darkness did not need to know that.

"I see. I suppose that is to be expected. You will continue searching for him as well as for the Spirit Chips. Though you may lead your allies tomorrow, your main duties are not to be forgotten. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, my lord. I will do my best not to disappoint you."

"I expect nothing less from you."

"Of course, my lord."

The Ruler of Darkness reached out to gently stroke the feathers sprouting from DarkAngelicmon's head, almost like he would a favorite pet, and turning to face the torches lining the walls, he whispered, "DarkAngelicmon, bring my servant back to me. After all, what are the Demon Lords without their leader?"

_No...please..._

"Phelesmon!" the Ruler of Darkness suddenly called out, snapping his fingers and motioning for the fallen angel digimon to join him. "I must rest now. Please see our comrade out."

"Yes, my lord," Phelesmon murmured, bowing deeply to his master.

DarkAngelicmon allowed the other celestial digimon to take hold of his arm and upon reaching the door, Phelesmon leaned close and whispered fiercely in his ear, "Just you wait, you won't be our master's favorite forever!"

_Lucemon..._

DarkAngelicmon stopped dead in his tracks and turning to glare at his fallen angel companion, he snapped, "No, I won't be!"

And with that, he stormed out the door, leaving Phelesmon to stare after him.


	206. Don't Let Go

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Here's another chapter! There will be a few of these type of chapters in the human world before we get back to the Digital World, which are basically just clearing up and expanding on some of the side issues that occurred along with Dai getting his Spirit Chip, so enjoy! Also, I am still in the process of finishing another chapter for _Digimon Chronicles: The Demon Years _so if you want to check it out, I will let you know when it's posted on the forum. Again, that story of oneshots focuses on Takahiro 'Tal' Kuroki and his gang of Digidestined who do have a connection to this story. Look for it if you'd like to know more about Tal and his friends. And on that note, on with the story!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 206: Don't Let Go

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

It was hard not to be nervous and for that reason alone Mickey couldn't help feeling a little bit ashamed of himself, but at least he had the comfort of knowing he was worried for all the right reasons, though that wasn't quite enough incentive to coax a smile onto his face.

He felt empty inside, and the food staring back at him from his plate sitting on the kitchen table didn't exactly look all that appetizing at the moment.

_What should I do? What do I say? How do I make him change his mind about me? About himself. About us?_

He didn't know, and it was eating him up inside, but even though it felt like his soul was breaking into pieces, he knew his heart would never waver.

He was not afraid of Matty, his twin brother, his friend, his source of comfort, his greatest supporter, the backbone of his existence. He loved Matty and that would never change, but he was afraid that Matty would take DarkAngelicmon's words too much to heart.

_Afraid of Matty? Never. I could never fear my own brother. But...I am afraid. I'm afraid Matty will end up fearing himself._

"Mickey? Big brother?"

Rina's small voice startled him, and glancing at the little girl sitting on his left at the table, he managed a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, Rina, did you say something?"

"I don't like it when you're quiet."

"Sorry, what are you talking about?"

Rina looked at him with her big blue eyes for a moment, and fiddling with the uneaten food on her plate, she mumbled, "You're always quiet, but not like this. I don't like you like this. I want my big brother back."

_Rina..._

Her words alone were enough to make Mickey feel ashamed of himself and glancing anxiously towards the stove where his parents were talking quietly to each other in low voices, he felt his face heat up with embarrassment. Luckily, it didn't look as if they'd heard Rina's words, but even so he lowered his voice to respond. "Which brother? Because...I don't know..."

"Both of you. I want both of you back."

"Rina, I..."

"She's worried, Mickey, as are we," Palelymon said mournfully, from his spot on the kitchen counter where he sat with Patamon and Gatomon.

"You can't blame us for being worried," Gatomon agreed, taking extra care to keep her voice as low as possible.

Patamon, too, looked like he wanted to agree, but instead of voicing his opinion, he merely shook his head and proceeded to finish his dinner in silence.

Anything to keep busy. Anything to stop the voices whispering from the darkness.

"You're making Mommy and Daddy worry," Rina accused, pointing a sticky finger at him. "You and Matty. I don't like it. I'm scared."

_What am I supposed to say to that?_

Mickey didn't know, so instead of answering he pulled his sister into a quick hug. "I know. I'm sorry, I..."

"If you're sorry then why aren't you doing anything about it?"

"I am! I mean...Rina, I...I'm going to fix things no matter how long it takes. I'll make things right with Matty. I won't let anything bad happen. I won't let Mom and Dad down, or you."

"Promise?" Rina whispered tearfully into his shoulder, her small arms clinging tightly around his neck.

"I promise."

_I won't give up. I'll save Matty so matter what..._

At that moment, Mickey heard the front door open and letting out a soft gasp he quickly lowered his amber eyes to the table top, his heart beginning to pound frantically in his chest.

"Matty, is that you?" their father called out, turning quickly towards the kitchen door, earlier conversation forgotten.

There was no response, but after a series of familiar noises in the front hall, a backpack being dropped, shoes slipping off a pair of feet, Matty slowly entered the kitchen with Goldmon in his arms, a faraway look on his face.

_Matty..._

"There you are, Matty. Are you hungry?" their mother asked softly, giving the younger twin a hesitant smile.

Matty shrugged in response and moved slowly towards the table, his amber eyes taking in the empty chairs still available for him to pick from and Mickey winced when the younger twin chose the seat furthest from him, something he was sure Matty had not done by accident, nor was it only a coincidence.

Matty didn't want to be anywhere him, he was sure of it, and the pain Mickey could feel inside his heart began to intensify, spreading to every nerve and vein in his body.

"What took you so long?" their father asked curiously, setting a full plate of food down in front of Matty and sitting next to the younger twin. "Mickey said something about you staying behind to talk to Dai."

"Is everything okay?" their mother pressed, sitting down between Matty and Rina and frowning at the younger twin.

Matty began to pick quietly at his food, and avoiding their mother's eyes, he mumbled, "Dai just wanted to talk."

"And?"

"And...nothing. Don't worry, everything is cool."

"Just like it should be!" Goldmon said happily, leaping off the table to join his friends on the counter.

Now it was Rina's turn to be happy. She beamed at Matty, and leaning over their mother to the hit the younger twin with her empty glass, she said, "Silly Matty. You shouldn't fight with your friends. It's not very nice, you know."

_Your friends or your brother, Matty._

It was more than Mickey could take, sitting there watching his brother ignoring him and pretending he didn't exist. It was too much and staring at his twin, who was trying to avoid his eyes, he pushed himself away from the table, willing himself not to cry.

"Mickey, where are you going?" his mother immediately questioned him, her dark eyes taking on a worried look.

"I...I feel pretty tired after today. I think I'm going to go to bed early, if that's okay."

His father started to say something, but before the golden-haired Digidestined could finish, Mickey turned and almost ran from the room in his haste to get away, completely forgetting about Palelymon.

Once inside his room, he softly closed the door and collapsed onto his bed, willing the tears in his eyes not to fall. He buried his face into one of the two pillows strewn across his bed and a soft sob escaped his throat.

There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. He and Matty shared a room together and that meant there was no escape. Sooner, rather than later, they would have to face each other, and when they did what would Matty say? What would he say? What would he do?

_Does it matter? Either way, it won't be the same..._

The sound of the doorknob turning immediately alerted Mickey to the presence of his twin and leaping off the bed he quickly yanked his shirts over his head before stumbling his way over to the dresser to find a clean top to sleep in, his hands trembling as he tried awkwardly to open one of the drawers. Unfortunately, because of his position in front of the dresser, he could see his reflection in the dresser mirror, and catching sight of his face, he flinched at what he saw. His skin was pale and his eyes were haunted. He looked like someone who was on the losing side of a battle with the demons that were trying to stalk him.

_The darkness is so close. How do I escape from this nightmare? I feel like I'm drowning..._

The door opened with an audible click and Mickey turned just enough to catch sight of his brother entering the room before quickly going back to his search for a clean shirt.

At least it kept his hands busy so Matty wouldn't see them trembling.

_But what about the rest of me?_

Mickey could see goosebumps beginning to prickle on his bare arms and chest, and he shivered, anxious to dive beneath the covers on his bed. The room was warm, but he felt cold both inside and out.

Empty. Lost. Like a wandering soul without a purpose, doomed to wander aimlessly with no light to guide the way forward, to move onto something better.

Something worth fighting for.

_Is this how Sam feels? Like he can never be himself again?_

Behind him, Mickey could hear Matty changing into his night clothes, having apparently decided to go to bed early, as well, and though he knew he should probably be doing the same thing, he continued to stand there without moving, his hollow eyes staring back at him from a face in the mirror he could barely recognize.

_Is that really me? Have I really given up so easily?_

A second face in the mirror startled him and he jumped when a warm hand suddenly touched his arm, snapping him out of his trance.

Matty, standing behind him, gazing into the mirror.

It was like a horrible spell had suddenly been lifted, and trying desperately not to cry, Mickey looked away from the mirror, unable to look at his twin brother's face, and whispered, "I won't let you do this. I won't let this happen."

"I know."

Two words spoken with conviction. A desperate plea for help.

It was more than Mickey could handle and squeezing his eyes shut he turned and flung his arms around his brother's neck, hugging the younger twin tightly to his chest. "Don't do this to me."

Matty's muffled reply was simple. "Don't let me."

Simple words, but they were exactly what Mickey needed to hear. Being there with Matty felt right again, at least for the moment, but considering the circumstances, a moment was all he needed. "Never."

Matty didn't reply and standing there with his brother's arms around him, Mickey didn't feel so cold, and it wasn't until the younger twin let go of him that he suddenly realized Matty had been clinging just as tightly to him as he'd been clinging to Matty.

It was better than being cold inside, being alone, but most of all it was better than being avoided, being treated like someone who was vulnerable to evil.

Tainted by weakness.

"Here," Matty mumbled, handing him a shirt he'd pulled from the drawer. "We should get some sleep."

Mickey slowly pulled the shirt over his head, and gazing at their identical faces standing side by side in the mirror, he said quietly, "I really should go and get Palelymon."

"No need. I brought them with me."

Matty pointed towards the two Digimon sleeping peacefully on his bed, and ducking his head Mickey felt a deep blush stain his cheeks. He'd been so nervous about confronting Matty he hadn't even noticed the two digimon in his brother's arms when Matty had entered the room.

_Even when we're far away, we somehow manage to be together._

It was a comforting thought, and pulling on the rest of his night clothes he quickly climbed under his covers and curled himself into a little ball for comfort. He expected Matty to do the same, but instead of preparing for sleep, Mickey felt the younger twin sit down next to him on the edge of the bed.

"Shouldn't you be getting some sleep, too?" Mickey pointed out, nodding his head towards his brother's bed.

Matty glanced briefly at the two digimon still sleeping on his pillows and leaning back against the headboard, he said firmly, "I'm staying right here."

"But-"

"Stop trying to tell me what to do and go to sleep."

The words were playful and Mickey had to smile. It was like they were little kids again, only this time their roles were reversed.

_Hiding from the darkness. Hiding from the monsters. Only this time, the monster are all too real..._

Or were they?

Shifting his head slightly, Mickey silently pulled DarkAngelicmon's feather out from beneath his pillows where he had stashed it earlier after coming home, and gazing sleepily at it beneath the covers, comforted by Matty's presence close beside him, he was surprised to discover that the feather looked slightly different than it had before, which made him grateful that despite Matty's determination to watch over him, the younger twin was already fast asleep.

DarkAngelicmon's feather was no longer completely black. Without him even noticing, sometime between leaving the Motomiya residence and pulling the feather out from beneath his pillow just now, the tip of the feather had turned white.


	207. Always and Forever

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Well, not unless they want to give it to me for free! *smiles hopefully*

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, but it's finally here! We'll be getting back to the Digiworld soon, but first a few more chapters to wrap up the day's events. Again, I will recheck the chapter for any mistakes I may have missed. Have fun reading! **

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 207: Always and Forever

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Sam hesitated before quietly opening the front door to his home, and stepping into the front hall, he glanced nervously towards the kitchen, unsure of how to proceed. He needed to talk to his mother, but how was he going to confront her alone without his father interfering?

_I can't speak to her if Dad's around to hear what I'm saying. He can't know about my dream, about his brother, my uncle...at least not yet. I'm just not ready for that..._

Would he ever be ready? He didn't know and that scared him.

It scared him a lot.

_Dad...why? Why did it have to turn out like this? Why did the Emperor...why did he have to be you?_

Strangely enough, the house seemed unusually quiet, and glancing towards the stairs, he anxiously chewed on his lower lip.

Where was everybody?

He needed to think sensibly, to calm himself, or he'd never work up the nerve to ask his mother for such a very important favour. Nao and Miya were probably in their rooms, and considering the fact that Nao was still a small child, the youngest member of the Ichijouji family was probably already asleep in bed. Miya was most likely doing her homework, or working on one of her crazy science experiments, which always made Sam feel a little nervous. She hadn't _yet_ managed to blow up the house, but at the rate her so-called experiments were going, there was still plenty of opportunity for her to do so.

That was unfortunately one of the setbacks of having a genius for a big sister, which meant if Miya and Nao were in their rooms, his mother was most likely in the kitchen and his father was probably in the living room.

_Perfect. The kitchen it is then._

Glancing uneasily at the door leading to the living room, Sam quickly hurried towards the kitchen, and stepping up behind his mother, who was standing at the sink, he plastered what he hoped was a convincing smile on his face. "Hey, Mom."

"Sam!" his mother gasped, whirling around to face him, an instant smile appearing on her face "You're home!"

"Sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. Miya told me you were walking with your friends. It's good to see you're still in one piece."

"I take it Miya and Nao told you what happened in the Digital World today?"

"Yes, your father and I heard the whole story. I swear, that Daichi! How could he have doubted himself like that? Honestly, he isn't the son of that fool Davis for nothing, you know!"

Sam had to laugh and settling himself on one of the kitchen chairs with his elbows propped up on the table, he smiled in amusement, taking note of the fact that his mother had, in her own way of course, just complimented Davis, which no doubt would have taken the former leader by surprise if he had been there to hear it. "Even Dai can't always be sure of himself all the time, Mom."

"Well, even so, I'm glad he was able to get his Spirit Chip to work. I'm sure Tai and Davis must be very proud of him."

"Definitely. I know I am. We couldn't have asked for a better leader."

His mother stared at him for a moment, and sitting down next to him at the table, she said carefully, "So...I hear Izzy wants your father and I to come to the Digital World tomorrow?"

Sam felt himself blushing and gazing self-consciously at his hands, he managed to nod his head. "That's what he said. I...um...Izzy said that...that Dad has to be there because of the...you know, Crest of Kindness, and he figured you'd probably want to come too, since you haven't had a chance to see Hawkmon yet."

"And it's about time! How could Izzy have left me behind for this long! The nerve of him!"

"Er...I'm sure that wasn't his intention, Mom. It just kind of worked out that way."

"Even so, he's going to get a talking to when I see him tomorrow!"

Sam could feel a lump forming in his throat, and unable to look at his mother, he managed to choke out, "I take it this means both you and Dad are coming tomorrow then?"

"Of course we are! You think I'd miss out on an opportunity to see Hawkmon? And your father...well, he doesn't exactly have a choice."

"I know."

"The Spirit Chip of Compassion," his mother said quietly, without looking at him. "I wonder..."

Although his mother wasn't gazing in his direction, Sam could tell instantly what she was thinking.

"You think it belongs to me, don't you. To me and not Ryoko."

"Sam..."

He held up a hand for silence, and reaching out to give her hand a quick squeeze, he said softly, "Mom...could you do me a big favour? I know it might seem kind of odd, but...it's really important to me, so if you could do this one thing for me, I'd really appreciate it."

"You don't need to ask, Sam. Of course I'll do it," his mother insisted, obviously eager to please if it meant helping him in some way, especially since he rarely asked for favours. "What is it you need?"

"Well...like I said, this is going to sound a bit strange, but do you know if Grandma and Grandpa Ichijouji ever kept any old tapes of my uncle? You know...maybe something from a school event, or a birthday, or...something."

His mother stared at him in silence, and folding her hands together, she said slowly, "I'm not sure, but...they probably have something like that. Your Uncle Sam was very important to them and they were really proud of him. He was a genius and he had a promising life ahead of him. I'm sure they would have wanted a physical reminder of some of those more memorable moments."

"Do you think maybe you could ask them?"

His mother continued to stare at him and once again he felt his face heat up. She hadn't said anything, but he could tell from the look on her face that she knew this all had something to do with his father.

"I'll tell you what, Sam. Why don't I head over there to ask them for you?"

"Really? You would do that for me?"

_I guess if it means fixing things with my Dad she'll do anything to help me. That's why she's not pestering me with questions like she normally would have. That's why she was so quick to agree to my request. She wants me to forgive Dad. She wants things to go back to the way they used to be. Just like I do. Oh, Mom...I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I've made you worry..._

"Yes, but on one condition."

"W-what would that be?"

_Uh oh..._

"It's late, Sam, and you look tired. I'll head over to your grandparents place right now, but if I do manage to scrounge something up, I don't want you watching it tonight. You need your rest. You can watch it tomorrow morning before school, okay?"

For a moment he had been afraid she might ask him to speak with his father, so although he would have preferred to watch whatever his mother was able to find right now, if she even managed to get her hands on anything at all, having to wait was still a better alternative than having to confront his father.

"Okay, Mom, I promise I'll go right to bed."

"What about dinner?"

"I'm not really hungry at the moment. I'll eat it for breakfast tomorrow, if that's okay?"

"Well...if you're sure..."

It was a relief to avoid the topic of his father, and that made him sad. The more he tried to convince himself that he didn't want to speak to his father, the more it made him want to do just the opposite.

Badly.

_Dad..._

A soft sound at the door made Sam look up in surprise, and he winced when he spotted his father leaning against the wall next to the fridge, an unreadable expression on his pale face.

"Ken, there you are!" Yolei cried, leaping up from her chair and moving towards the door. "I was just coming to find you."

"How come?"

Sam could feel his father's eyes on him, but he didn't dare acknowledge the man for fear of what might accidentally come out of his mouth.

"I'm just heading out for a little bit. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

Sam almost smiled at the look of surprise on the raven-haired Digidestined's face, and scratching the back of his head in confusion, his father said, "Oh. Um...where are you going?"

"Nowhere special. I'll be back!" his mother said cheerfully, kissing his father on the cheek before sailing out the door and into the front hall.

As soon as she was gone, Sam felt his whole body grow tense. Earlier his mother had acted almost like a shield to protect him from what he didn't want to face, but now that she was gone, he was once again vulnerable to his own fear and despair.

She had left him alone with his father. Now what was he supposed to do?

_I wonder what he thinks about the Spirit Chip of Compassion..._

After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, his father finally said, "You should probably be going to bed. From what Miya and Nao have told me, it sounds like we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Sam didn't trust himself to speak, so instead he merely nodded and quickly slipped past his father, heading towards the stairs.

It wasn't until he was about halfway up that he realized his father was following him.

_He doesn't know. He can't know. Not yet..._

Not sure what to do, Sam came to a stop in front of his bedroom door, and just barely glancing over his shoulder, he whispered, "I know what you're thinking, but...just to warn you, don't be surprised if it isn't mine."

He was sure his father tried to respond, but he didn't give the man a chance. Instead, he quickly hurried into his room and slammed the door behind him.

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Ken stood quietly in front of his son's closed bedroom door, uncertain of what to do. He didn't want to upset Sam, but at the same time he didn't want to leave without even saying goodnight.

_I wonder what he was talking to Yolei about..._

He desperately wanted to know, but at the same time he was almost afraid to know. Afraid that somehow it would end up hurting him even more than he had already been hurt in the past.

_Sam...how can you not see it? As fond of Ryoko as I am, I know the Spirit Chip can't belong to him. He's not the one who needs to learn the true meaning of compassion._

Ryoko already understood and he had other qualities that were even more ingrained inside his heart. The Spirit Chip of Compassion would not be an asset to him.

But to Sam, it would be.

Despite the way the raven-haired Digidestined was acting now, Ken knew the very core of Sam's heart centred around his ability to feel kindness and compassion for everyone around him. He was angry, yes, and blinded by the pain inside his heart, but that did not change who he was on the inside.

Of that, Ken was sure.

_I never changed either. My heart might have been swayed by darkness and I may have truly believed I was the Emperor, but that never changed who I was on the inside. The mask of the Emperor may have hid who I was, but it did not change me. With help from Davis and the others, I was able to free myself from the darkness, from the mask, before that could happen, and if I could do it then there's no reason why Sam can't do the same thing. He's stronger than me, and he has so many things I didn't have while growing up._

He couldn't stay silent anymore. He had to speak, and despite the risk he was taking he leaned his forehead against the cool, smooth surface of his son's bedroom door and began to speak.

"Sam, I know you're probably not even listening to me, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm never going to stop believing in you."

His words were greeted by silence, which didn't surprise him, and squeezing his eyes shut, he managed to choke out, "I'll always love you, even if you never speak to me again. Nothing can ever take away how I feel about you. Nothing. I don't really know what you're trying to accomplish by pushing me away, but it won't stop me from caring about you. You won't change my mind, Sam, no matter what you do. I won't let you justify your own guilt by attempting to ease your pain with distance."

_I won't leave you. I won't give up on you._

More silence. Just what he had expected.

_Did he even listen to me at all?_

Ken didn't know, and slowly moving away from the door, he turned to look over his shoulder and said firmly, "You might not want me to be your father anymore, but you're still my son and that Spirit Chip is yours. My past might be a black stain on my heart, but that doesn't mean I have to let it define who I am. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love you, and I'll prove it to you. Even if it's not enough, even if it takes the rest of my life. Emperor, or not. Even your worst enemies know what it feels like to suffer. Maybe...maybe they know best of all."

_To fall so far into darkness. Is there any pain greater than losing everything that used to matter to you? To give up everything that used to define you? If I asked DarkAngelicmon that question, I wonder what his answer would be..._

He waited, but there was still no reply from Sam, and turning away from the door Ken headed back downstairs with a heavy heart.

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

In the bedroom, Sam sat curled up on the floor with his back pressed against the door and Glimmermon sleeping quietly in his arms, and listening to the sound of his father's footsteps fading away, he smiled through his tears and whispered, "Goodnight, Dad. I love you too."


	208. Family Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. You know, it's amazing I haven't gone crazy writing this over two hundred times just in this one story alone...

A/N: And I'm back with another chapter! This is the last chapter for the current day so the next one will be starting a new day and of course the quest to hunt down a new Spirit Chip. Lots of good stuff to come!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 208: Family Time

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth _

Tai stood silently in the doorway of his son's small bedroom, gazing quietly at the sleeping boy resting beneath the covers of the twin bed in the far left-hand corner of the room, and nervously scratching the back of his head, he smiled wryly to himself.

Sora was right, of course. Now that Daichi knew the truth about his past, it was time he told his kids what the current leader of the Digidestined had already discovered earlier in the afternoon.

He wasn't really worried. He knew Takara and Taysuke would understand, especially since neither one of them was likely to respond in the same fashion that Sam had shown towards the former Emperor, but even so he hesitated just inside the door, his dark eyes studying the peaceful face of his young son.

Both Takara and Taysuke were less likely to succumb to their emotions the way Sam had, but even so that did not mean they were invincible.

And yet, that still wasn't why he hesitated. The truth was, both of his children were obviously very tired and he really didn't want to wake them up, even if they did deserve to know the truth as soon as possible.

_I don't know why Sora wouldn't let me wait until tomorrow to tell them. They've waited this long, haven't they? A few more hours won't hurt._

He had actually wanted to tell Tay and Kara the story as soon as they arrived home, but with getting ready for tomorrow and things being so hectic he hadn't had a chance to talk to either one of them about his past. Now was the perfect opportunity to say something, especially since there was no guarantee he would have time tomorrow.

At least, that's what Sora seemed to think.

"Are you ready, Tai?" Agumon asked him quietly, nudging him lightly in the knee to get his attention.

"Well, thanks to Sora, it's not like I really have a choice."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to threaten you, Tai. She just wants you to clear the air with Tay and Kara before Kara goes to the Digiworld tomorrow."

"Right..."

_Sora sure can be scary when she wants to be!_

Which was the reason why he was standing in his son's bedroom in the first place.

_You'd think I didn't need any sleep myself from the way she kept hassling me!_

Tai shook his head in amusement, and crossing the room he quickly sat down on the edge of his son's bed, his dark eyes coming to rest fondly on his young son's sleeping face. For a moment, he merely took in the sight of Taysuke curled up beneath the covers, the sound of his son's soft breathing the only sound in the room, and reluctantly reaching out a hand, he gently shook the boy awake.

"Dad?" Taysuke mumbled, his eyelids fluttering open.

"Hey, Tay. Sorry about waking you, but I swear it was your mother who made me do it!"

Taysuke blinked at him in confusion, and rubbing his eyes, the boy mumbled, "What's going on?"

"It's nothing to worry about. It's just...it's about what happened in the Digital World today. It's kind of hard to explain, but basically it's about...well, it's about what Dai _didn't _tell you guys because he wanted me to tell you myself."

Taysuke, who had been looking ready to fall back asleep again, suddenly bolted up into a sitting position, his sleepy gaze widening in shock. "You told Dai something about your past, didn't you!"

"I did, and now I want to tell you and Kara."

Taysuke looked wide awake by this time, and gazing down at his hands, he said slowly, "It's because of you, isn't it. You're the reason why Dai was able to believe in himself again. It's because of something you said to him."

"It wasn't just me. What happened was a result of everyone who is close to him, but I guess I did help a little bit."

"Not just a little bit," Agumon shot back, leaping onto the bed next to Taysuke and shaking his head in denial. "You helped out a lot."

"You're going to tell me what happened?" Taysuke asked eagerly, giving him a hopeful look.

Tai gently ruffled his son's tousled hair, and giving the boy a warm smile he nodded in confirmation. "You bet I am, but before I do, why don't we pay Kara a visit? She deserves to know the truth just as much as you do, and it'll be easier for me if I just tell you both at the same time."

Taysuke didn't need to be told twice. Without a word, he scrambled out of bed, and Tai felt himself being dragged towards the door. "Come on!"

"Wait for me!" Agumon cried, hurrying after them.

Tai allowed himself to be pulled down the hallway towards Kara's room and stepping just inside the door, he spotted his daughter curled beneath the covers of her double bed, her dark brown hair just peeking out from beneath the sheets.

Like Taysuke, she looked so peaceful lying beneath the covers, and feeling a sudden surge of affection for his two children, Tai had to look away to gain control of his emotions before speaking.

"Come on, Tay. You too, Agumon."

Together, the three of them crossed the room, and sitting down next to Kara, Tai studied his daughter's face for a moment, wondering just exactly how he should begin.

"Hey, Dad," Takara suddenly said softly, interrupting his thoughts.

Tai stared down at his daughter in surprise, and shaking his head, he said in amusement, "And I thought you were asleep, making me felt guilty about having to wake you."

"I couldn't sleep, not until I heard the truth."

"You mean..."

Sitting up, Takara wrapped her arms around his waist, and snuggling her cheek against his shoulder, she gave him a soft smile. "I knew you would come and tell me tonight. So...I've been waiting."

"Kara..."

"Wake up, Fluttermon!" Taysuke called out, scrambling onto the bed to sit next to Kara and shaking the poor digimon a little more heartily than was strictly necessary.

"Where's the evil digimon?" Fluttermon mumbled, rolling away from Taysuke to avoid the young boy's wrath.

"There are no evil digimon."

"No more evil digimon. I'm too sleepy," Fluttermon moaned in response.

Taysuke rolled his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "I told you, there's no evil digimon! Tell her, Agumon."

"Tai's going to tell us a story," the rookie explained, leaping up onto the bed in front of Taysuke and giving the sleepy digimon an encouraging smile.

Fluttermon must have finally gotten the message because she suddenly jumped into Takara's lap, forcing Tai to let go of his daughter. "Oh, I love stories! Make it a good one, Tai! I'm guessing it's about you and what happened with Dai?"

"You could say that."

"Go ahead, Dad, we're listening. Right, Tay?" Takara replied, turning to look at her brother.

"You bet we are! Let's hear it, Dad!"

_Wow, I didn't expect them to be this eager about hearing what a jerk I was back in the day. Well, here goes nothing, I guess..._

Tai took a deep breath and talking quietly, he told them everything he had told Dai, doing his best to leave nothing out, and when he was done, they stared at him with wide eyes, both shocked and amazed by what had happened to him in the past.

Taysuke managed to stammer after a long moment of silence, "So...even you..."

"Had my doubts. It's not like Dai's the first leader who has had his courage fail him and he won't be the last. Agumon, Piximon, and all my friends...they taught me so much while I was in the Digital World. If it weren't for them, I don't know if I'd be the same person I am today."

"I'm glad you told us," Takara said softly, giving him a warm smile. "And thanks, Dad, for...you know...helping Dai."

Tai could see the faint blush on his daughter's cheeks, but with Taysuke also in the room he didn't bother commenting on it. He knew Takara was a sensible girl, and one day things would work out between her and Dai. That was something he was sure of.

"I'm glad you're okay, Agumon," Tasyuke interrupted, reaching out to wrap his arms around the orange dinosaur digimon. "It must have been awful being SkullGreymon."

"Well, it definitely wasn't one of my better moments," Agumon agreed. "It's scary to think I could have ended up hurting my friends, but somehow Tai and I managed to pull through."

"And you guys saved Mom," Takara said softly, her face lightning up. "It's like something out of a fairy tale or a really good romance story!"

Taysuke groaned loudly, but Tai just laughed and pulled his daughter into a tight, warm hug. "Dai told me you wouldn't hesitate to forgive me. He insisted that you were strong enough to handle my past and that you would never turn your back on me. I guess he knew what he was talking about."

"Of course. This _is_ Dai we're talking about, and I meant what I said earlier. I'm not your daughter for nothing, you know."

"Kara really looks up to you!" Fluttermon said cheerfully, beaming at him from her place between Kara and Taysuke. "She would never turn her back on you."

"What about you, Tay?"

In response to his question, Tai felt Taysuke's small arms slip around him in a tight hug, and pulling his son close, he ruffled the young boy's carrot-coloured hair.

"You're awesome, Dad," Taysuke mumbled into his chest. "I want to be just like you when I grow up."

"Really? What about Ryoko? I thought you wanted to be like him."

Taysuke turned a deep shade of red, and Takara started giggling, clearly amused by her brother's obvious embarrassment. "That's right. You're always going on about how great he is. Dai only complains about it _all_ the time."

"I want to be like Dad _and _ Ryoko." Taysuke protested, glaring at his sister. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Takara insisted. "I was just teasing you. Actually, I think it's pretty cool."

Tai had to agree, and looking down at his son, who was curled comfortably against his cheat, he smiled and said, "I couldn't agree more, and I'm sure your uncle Matt wouldn't have any objections either."

"Thanks for telling us, Dad," Takara said firmly, gazing directly into his eyes. "I knew it couldn't have been easy for you after the way Sam took the news about his father. It means a lot to me that you would trust us with your story."

"Nothing much really surprises me anymore about you, your friends, or the Digital World," Taysuke insisted, an earnest look on his face. "People do things they regret all the time. In fact, I think it happens more often than we're willing to admit to ourselves. I don't really know how to explain it, but it might actually be a good thing. How can you become a better person if you're always doing the right thing all the time? We have to learn somehow and making mistakes is the best way to go about it, I think."

_The best way, and maybe the only way. Tay might be young, but he's far from being stupid. For a kid his age, he's pretty smart, smarter than I was back then, that's for sure._

Tai couldn't help smiling at his own thoughts and gazing into his two children's bright eyes, he said, "I knew I had to tell you the truth. If I've learned anything from Sam and Ken, it's the fact that it just doesn't pay to keep secrets. If you do, sooner or later they're going to catch up with you and when they do the results of what could happen can be devastating. Better to get them out in the open before you end up hurting someone you love."

"If only Ken had realized the same thing before it was too late," Takara said sadly, shaking her head in despair.

"You did do some pretty selfish things, Dad," Taysuke scolded, giving him a stern look. "A lot of people could have ended up getting hurt, but you pulled through. You know we forgive you."

"You would have forgiven us if we had been in your place," Takara added, her tone leaving no room for argument.

It was true and thinking about what Takara had said, his mind wandered back to Sam and Ken.

"You know, I wish somebody would tell Sam the same thing about Ken."

Takara and Taysuke suddenly exchanged meaningful looks and smiling slightly, Takara said simply, "Maybe somebody will."

"Can we tell the others about your past?" Taysuke asked eagerly, excitement written all over his face. "I want to tell my friends."

"And I think Dai wants me to be the one to tell Ryoko and the others," Takara added, a smile on her face.

"Go ahead. And I'll make sure to tell the other adults what really happened between Dai and myself on Infinity Mountain."

"I bet Ryoko and the others will be so proud of you," Fluttermon insisted, hopping up and down in excitement.

"And now I think it's time for the three of you to go back to bed again. You need your rest, Fluttermon, and so do Tay and Kara."

"But-"

"No buts," Tai interrupted, giving his son a stern look. "It's time we left Kara alone so she can get some sleep."

Taysuke reluctantly scrambled out of his arms, and grumbling to himself he slid off the end of the bed and quickly made his way towards the door with Agumon in tow.

Takara once again settled herself beneath the covers and gazing up at him with hazel eyes that looked much too alert considering what time it was, she whispered, "I love you, Dad. I promise I'll be careful from now on."

Tai felt a sudden lump in his throat, and leaning over his gave his daughter a quick kiss on the forehead. "I love you too, Kara. More than I could ever put into words. I can't even tell you how scared I was today, but...now I know I didn't need to be afraid."

"What do you mean?" Takara asked curiously.

Tai pulled back slightly so he could look into his daughter's eyes and studying her face, he said firmly, "As long as Dai's around, I know I'll never have to be afraid. You're a lucky girl, Kara. A really lucky girl. And Dai...he's gotta be the luckiest guy in the world, no doubt about that. Make sure you take good care of him, okay? I know he'll do the same for you. He's made that pretty clear already."

_More times than I think he's even realized himself._

Tai watched his daughter's hazel eyes widen in shock, but before she could say anything he quickly made his way towards the door, a smile on his face.

After watching Taysuke scramble into bed and giving his young son a quick kiss on the forehead, he slowly made his way back to his own room with Agumon, where Biyomon was sleeping perched on the headboard and Sora was lying curled up beneath the covers.

Slipping in beside his wife, he smiled as the female Digidestined's arms suddenly circled his waist and mumbling into his shoulder, she said, "See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it."

No indeed. Not so hard after all. A little bit of courage goes a long way, especially when you have the kindness and the compassion to understand the true meaning of forgiveness.

And now it was Sam's turn. But how exactly he would respond...They would just have to wait and see.


	209. The Demons Gather

Disclaimer: Once again I do not own this amazing television show! Shame, I know. (Er...at least I like to tell myself that...)

A/N: And another chapter done! It's the beginning of a lovely new day (er...maybe the word lovely isn't exactly an accurate word to use, but still a new day nonetheless) for Daichi and his friends, so go ahead and read, and cheer them on! (Cause they're gonna need it!) Will check again for any missed mistakes.

Chapter 209: The Demons Gather

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World_

DarkAngelicmon stood silently on the circular balcony that was a feature of the bedroom he occupied in the castle, his arms resting on the stone railing, and gazing up at the cloudy sky blanketing the Western Hemisphere, he frowned, his thoughts once again returning to last night's conversation with the Ruler of Darkness.

_Lucemon...what can I do? How am I to keep you out of harm's way when you insist on putting yourself in danger? What a foolish thing to do, showing up on Infinity Mountain like that. Are you trying to get caught? If you continue down this reckless path, I will have no choice but to deliver you to my master._

And that was something he most definitely did not want to do. If Lucemon were to end up in the clutches of the Ruler of Darkness, it would ruin everything.

_I must concentrate. It is Sam Ichijouji whom I need to worry about today, not my traitorous friend._

Sam Ichijouji. The Digimon Emperor's son.

_Will he allow the deeply alluring power of darkness to cast a shadow upon his soul, or will he rise up and overcome the darkness, and in doing so manage to claim what undoubtedly has to be his Spirit Chip? The outcome of this little charade may depend entirely on the former Emperor. We shall see, Ken Ichijouji, if you have the strength and will to claim back your own son._

"DarkAngelicmon?"

_Shame. I suppose hoping for a moment of peace in this castle was entirely too much to expect._

Now, what to do...

He couldn't exactly ignore his visitor and with a deep sigh he slowly turned to face the digimon standing in the doorway. To his surprise, instead of finding himself face to face with Vampiramon or one of his other allies, he instead found himself looking down at the shadowy feline digimon who was Gatomon's counterpart in every way imaginable.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise. And what brings you here on this...not exactly a very fine morning, is it. I must admit, I'm not too fond of the rain. It certainly isn't very kind to my wings, which is why I try not to fly in bad weather as much as possible."

Just as he finished speaking, a bolt of lightning split the sky, followed by a huge crack of thunder.

"I'm not exactly a fan of the rain myself," BlackGatomon admitted, leaping up onto the stone railing of the balcony and curling up next to this right elbow. "I'm here because the Ruler of Darkness sent me to inform you that the others are almost ready to leave."

"Vampiramon couldn't tell me this herself? I suppose that means she must still be...upset about last night."

BlackGatomon snorted in response, and lazily flicking her tail she turned to gaze out at the rain that had just erupted from the heavy clouds above and was pouring down on the valleys and forests of the Western Hemisphere with a vengeance. "You must be unlucky today."

"And why is that?"

"This storm is going to follow you all the way to the Eastern Hemisphere this afternoon. Good luck with that."

Watching her, DarkAngelicmon was struck by a sudden feeling of uneasiness stirring deep within his shadowy heart.

_I wonder..._

BlackGatomon had joined their ranks shortly after he himself had become a servant of the Ruler of Darkness, and watching the feline digimon now, he couldn't help remembering the day she had first come to their castle on Cyber. It was a couple months before even Vampiramon and the rest of his allies had joined the Ruler of Darkness, and he could remember the day very well.

All of the lower ranked servants at the castle answered to the Ruler of Darkness, but at the same time each of them was expected to report to their superiors, as well, which included not only him, but also Vampiramon and his other allies, Persiamon, Phelesmon, and several others within the castle.

BlackGatomon, though, was something of a rarity amongst the lower ranked servants.

For reasons he still did not understand, on the day that BlackGatomon had first joined their ranks, the Ruler of Darkness had asked him to look after her specifically, to make sure that no harm came to her, though he had almost failed spectacularly in that regard when the Digidestined had managed to sneak their way into the castle. Though BlackGatomon still answered to Vampiramon and the other higher ranked digimon in the castle, he was the one she gravitated towards the most, and over the years she had become more of a servant to him than to anyone else, which is what he secretly suspected had been his master's plan all along.

But why, though? Why did the Ruler of Darkness want him to watch over the feline digimon? What made her so important? More important than the rest of their lower ranked servants?

Unless...

Gazing at the feline digimon, DarkAngelicmon felt a small shiver race up and down his spine.

_Daemon from the past, banished to the Dark Ocean. Lucemon, my old friend, unable to face the truth of who he is. A stray BlackGatomon having come to the castle. LadyDevimon reborn. How long before we see Lilithmon, the Demon of Lust? All connected to the past. Could it be that I am right about my suspicions concerning the digimon Takahiro Kuroki and his Digidestined allies defeated? Was it really him, the Ruler of Darkness, that Tal banished to a life of eternal slumber deep within the World of Darkness? If that is indeed true_.._.then the Digidestined are not a force to be taken lightly._

"DarkAngelicmon, are you feeling okay today?" BlackGatomon suddenly shouted in his ear, startling him out of his thoughts. "You're being awfully quiet for a digimon who's...well, never quiet."

"I'm fine, BlackGatomon. In fact, if you must know, I'm feeling particularly cheerful today."

"Only because you get to play with the Emperor's son today."

"Indeed. If nothing else it should prove to be an interesting day."

"I don't doubt that for a minute. Oh, and a word of advice, your evilness. I'd watch my back today, if I were you. As you've obviously already guessed, Vampiramon's in a nasty mood."

"After last night, that was to be expected. It's about time she started getting used to it, though. I very much doubt today will prove to be any kinder towards her, especially with yours truly in charge of the operation."

BlackGatomon laughed at that, and leaping off the railing she beckoned him towards the door and said, "You'd better hurry up, your evilness. If you show up late, they'll blame me for it."

"We can't have that, now can we."

BlackGatomon beamed at him, and turning his back on the stone balcony, he quickly followed the feline digimon towards the door, his thoughts still on the events of yesterday.

It was not going to be easy to continue to thwart Vampiramon, but somehow he was going to have to manage it, if his master's plans were going to succeed.

_The more we focus on the Spirit Chips the less my master will be inclined to think about Lucemon. It's all up to you, Sam. Do not fail me, or we will both suffer the consequences..._

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

"Sam, Mickey's here to walk with you to school. You'd better hurry up if you don't want to be late!"

At the sound of his mother's voice, Sam reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the small television in his bedroom, and letting out a soft sigh, he quickly stood up to turn off the old VCR sitting next to the DVD player on the shelf beneath the television.

Friday the thirteenth. Today of all days.

He had surfaced from a deep sleep earlier than usual that morning to find two old video tapes sitting on the nightstand with a note from his mother, indicating that she had been successful in her quest to borrow old footage of the late Sam Ichijouji from his grandparents on his father's side, and for that he was grateful. He wasn't sure if his mother would manage it, but she had pulled through for him, proving once again that she was, as Takara always said, a formidable woman.

The current date, though, wasn't exactly helping his mood, and it put quite a bit of a damper on the good deed his mother had done for him. Normally, Sam wasn't a superstitious person, but considering what had been happening to him lately, and what was still to come, he couldn't help feeling just a tad bit uneasy.

_Uncle..._

His mother must have gotten home last night after he'd already fallen asleep because he had not heard her come into his room to place the tapes on the nightstand. As much as he loved his mother, he was grateful he hadn't had to face her again last night, though he had a sneaking suspicion that was due mostly to the fact that he had still been trying to get over his father's speech to him through his bedroom door before falling asleep.

He was a little curious to know what his father would think about the tapes, but at the same time he wasn't about to tell the man. Better that the raven-haired Digidestined didn't know. That way he would be less likely to start asking questions Sam did not want to answer.

_Uncle, I was right all along. It was you. You were there on the beach with me. You were really there, encouraging me not to give up..._

There was no denying it. The voice on the tapes was the exact same voice that had been in his dream. He had known his uncle's voice before he had ever heard it. The Sam in those tapes of old school competitions and birthdays looked and sounded exactly like the Sam from his dream. He doubted even Ryoko would be able to come up with a sensible answer for this unexpected twist of fate.

_Not that he won't try, I'm sure, but that's Ryoko for you. That's why I like him so much. He keeps me sane when I keep trying to drive myself crazy._

"Sam, get down here right now! It's rude to keep a friend waiting."

"We'd better hurry, Sam," Glimmermon whispered frantically from his place on the rumpled bed sheets. "Your mom's a really nice lady, but she can be pretty scary when she's angry."

"Don't I know it," Sam grumbled, and to his mother, he shouted down the stairs, "I'm coming!"

Leaping to his feet, Sam quickly hid the tapes in one of his drawers beneath a clean pile of socks and underwear, just in case his father decided to go snooping in his room, (not something the former Emperor had ever done before, but there was always a first, which wouldn't surprise him due to the fact that he knew his father was worried about him) and racing out of the room with Glimmermon in his arms, he came to a stop on the landing of the stairs, his sapphire eyes surveying the scene below him.

Mickey was standing in the front hall talking quietly to the former Emperor, and next to them, Sam could see his mother helping Nao pull on his backpack. Off to one side, Ami and Miya were chattering happily with Noah, Taka, and Makku, and gazing at his father, Sam felt a sudden lump in his throat.

"Hey, Sam," Taka called up the stairs, giving him a rather reserved smile.

Sam managed to smile back at his cousin and he blushed as both Mickey and his father turned to stare up at him, the expressions on their faces giving no indication as to how they were feeling at the moment.

"Ami, Miya, and Noah were just filling us in on what happened yesterday," Makku explained, a grin on his face. "We want to keep up to date with what's going on, you know."

"Which is why we're coming with you to Dai's house this afternoon," Taka added.

Sam felt a sudden rush of affection for his two cousins and moving slowly down the stairs, he joined them in the front hall, taking extra care to avoid making eye contact with his father. He hadn't seen his father since last night, and after their one-sided conversation through the bedroom door, he had to admit he felt a bit nervous in the former Emperor's presence. "I didn't know you guys were here."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't been hiding in your room all morning you would have heard them raiding the refrigerator this morning," Miya snorted, before either Taka or Makku could answer. "Add Noah and Ami into the mix and it's amazing there's any food left in this house."

"You ate just as much as we did this morning!" Ami shot back, giving her best friend a dirty look.

"And _you_ didn't finish your dinner from last night like you said you would," his mother scolded, shaking her finger at him.

Sam blushed and quickly ducked his head, trying unsuccessfully to avoid his mother's wrath. "Sorry, I'll...um..."

"Just make sure you eat a good lunch today to make up for it, okay? And regardless of how much you all ate, or didn't eat, you're going to be late if you don't hurry up," his mother interrupted, giving Nao a gentle push towards the door. "Make sure Miya drops you off at your school before she goes running off with her friends, sweetheart."

"Like I'm going to forget when he's standing right next to me!" Miya shouted indignantly, taking hold of Nao's elbow and steering him towards the front door. "Come on, Nao."

"We'll see you this afternoon, Sam," Noah called out, waving and following Miya out the door.

"We'll be cheering you on!" Taka added, following Ami.

"Give the bad guys a couple of hits from us, too!" Makku called cheerfully, winking and closing the door behind him.

All of a sudden, the house seemed unusually quiet, and turning to Mickey, Sam said hastily, "Um...where's Matty?"

"He went on ahead to Ryoko's house. Are you ready to go?"

Mickey was smiling and his tone was pleasant, but something about the way he'd said Matty's name made Sam look a little bit more closely at the older twin. Mickey seemed unusually tired and there was no doubt about it, the smile on his face was definitely forced.

_Something is definitely going on. Probably something to do with Matty, no doubt._

"You're still planning to come to the Digital World this afternoon, right?" Mickey asked Ken, turning once again to face the former Emperor.

Sam glanced hastily at his father's face, but instead of looking back at him, the former Emperor merely stared at his feet and said quietly, "Don't worry, Yolei and I will both be there."

"You can count on it!" Yolei said fiercely, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not passing up a chance to see Hawkmon again."

"I'll be there, too," Wormmon said pleasantly, from his comfortable position in his partner's arms. "We need as many digimon as possible if we want to stop the Spirit Chip from falling into the wrong hands."

"Are we ready to go then" Palelymon called out from Mickey's backpack.

Sam quickly shoved Glimmermon into his own bag and turning his back on his parents, he mumbled, "I'll see you guys later."

"Be good," his mother lectured from behind his back. "And make sure you keep Dai out of trouble today! If he messes up our plans to go to the Digital World, Davis is going to hear about it from me later!"

"Have a good day at school," his father said in a hopeless sort of voice, as if resigned to the fact that he probably wouldn't receive an answer or even a simple goodbye in return.

For some reason this greatly disturbed Sam, and following Mickey out the door, he turned to look back over his shoulder and said quietly, "Bye, Dad. I'll...um...see you after school."

He just had time to register the look of surprise on his father's face before he hurried down the steps after Mickey, doing his best to ignore the older twin's failed attempt to keep himself from smiling in amusement.

This time, Sam noted, the smile was genuine.


	210. Before the Bell

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Nope, not a character, a line, a digimon, the idea, or anything.

A/N: Well, I managed to get this chapter out and I will actually be posting a new chapter title list soon to give you guys a hint/preview of what's to come. Just look for it on the forum soon!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 210: Before the Bell

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth _

"I wonder what's taking them so long," Ryoko grumbled to himself, glaring around at the other students sprawled across the school's front lawn in various standing and sitting positions, clearly impatient to hear some news.

Matty stood next to his irate cousin, and leaning against one of the two large trees standing on either side of the concrete sidewalk leading up to the school's front doors, he shrugged his shoulders in response, even though Ryoko hadn't really been speaking to him at all.

Earlier that morning, he had left his brother behind to walk with Ryoko because Mickey had wanted to be with Sam before heading to school, and despite the fact that he, too, would like to have been there to support Sam, he couldn't stop himself from feeling as if he would have been more of a hindrance than a help, especially when it came to trying to understand Sam's feelings. Mickey had always been better at that sort of thing than he was, and though he didn't hold a grudge against Mickey for being who he was, he still felt a little bit useless this morning.

_Besides...I can't forget about last night. Mickey's really hurting and it's all because of me..._

Now that was something Matty did not want to think about, so instead he turned his thoughts to Dai, a slight smile on his face.

He was still a bit unsure about things between them, but he knew he needed to trust Dai. The strength and power of the Digidestined depended on it, and he was going to make sure he didn't end up being the one to let the team down.

_Not that I want anyone else to either, but I'm still afraid. I feel like it's only a matter of time before one of us does something we won't be able to take back..._

"And where are Dai and Kara?" Ryoko complained, tossing his head in annoyance. "I can understand why Mickey and Sam might take a little longer to get here, but those other two have no excuse!"

This time Matty didn't bother responding, having recognized the obvious signs of Ryoko getting ready to launch into a huge rant about Dai, and smiling to himself he carefully adjusted the straps on his backpack so as not to disturb Goldmon.

Ryoko could pretend all he wanted, but Matty knew the truth. It was so obvious, he couldn't understand why he hadn't figured it out years ago. Though their relationship was a complicated one, it was obvious Daichi and Ryoko were made to be best friends, which was something even Matty himself could not deny.

_So...where does that leave me?_

It was a difficult question, but perhaps Dai was right. There was no law saying a person couldn't have more than one best friend, and the truth was, he fit nicely in the middle. Dai and Ryoko were always going to fight, no matter how great their friendship was, and in those moments when they were both bound to lose their courage to face one another they were going to need someone else to turn to instead.

And deep down inside, he supposed he had always known that someone was him. They were going to need to be able to count on him because he was just as important to both of them as they were to each other.

And he was okay with that.

He still had his uncertainties, but at the moment he had other things to worry about. Besides, Dai said everything would be okay, and if there was one thing he did know for sure, it was the fact that he could trust the goggle-headed leader without any reservations. Dai meant what he said and he lived by his words.

That alone made his words good enough for Matty.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Ryoko suddenly snapped, interrupting his chain of reflective thoughts.

Startled, Matty realized he had been gazing at his cousin's face, searching for any signs that Ryoko just might feel the exact same way he did.

"I...sorry. It's nothing."

"Matty..."

Matty could tell Ryoko was still unsure of the awkward rift between them that still lurked just out of reach, and wanting to reassure his cousin, Matty smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. Here come Dai and Kara now."

_He wants to know what Dai and I talked about last night. I can tell by the look on his face. Well, if he wants to know I'm not going to tell him. He's going to have to find the courage to ask me first._

Would he be able to, though? That was the real question.

"Where were you two?" Ryoko scolded, glaring at the two newcomers.

Both Takara and Daichi came to a stop panting in front of them, and making a face, Dai shot back, "What are you yelling at us for? Sam and Mickey aren't here ether! Besides, we have plenty of time before the bell rings."

"Which is good cause there's something I want to tell you guys," Takara added, beaming with a kind of pride that left Matty feeling slightly confused.

_I wonder what she's so happy about..._

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ryoko asked curiously, forgetting for the moment that he was supposed to be annoyed.

"I'll let you know when Sam and Mickey get here. I'm sure Tay has probably told Ema, Noah, and all the others by now. It's only fair I do the same."

"Um...is there something wrong?" Dai suddenly asked hesitantly, looking slightly nervous as his dark eyes travelled over Ryoko's face before settling, Matty realized in horror, on his own.

_He must have sensed the awkwardness between me and Ryoko. I don't want him to think..._

"It's nothing," Ryoko said quickly, turning his face away to hide the blush on his cheeks.

This left Matty to the mercy of Daichi's penetrating gaze, and smiling at the goggle-headed leader, he said softly, "You worry just as much as Mickey, even if you won't admit it. You know that, don't you?"

Daichi gaped at him, but before the goggle-headed leader could respond, Takara suddenly pointed towards the street, a smile on her face. "There they are! Mickey! Sam! Over here!"

"Hey, guys," Sam said quietly, making his way towards them with Mickey, a faint smile on the raven-haired Digidestined's face. "For once, we're all actually early for school. I don't think that's happened in...well...forever!"

"Usually because of Daichi," Ryoko smirked.

"Hey! Nobody asked you, Ishida!"

Unable to stop himself, Matty glanced quickly at his brother, and he blushed when he realized Mickey was gazing back at him, a solemn expression on the older twin's face. The two of them hadn't said much to each other since waking up that morning, and Matty had to admit he was still a bit embarrassed about what had happened the night before. Not because he disliked showing Mickey how he really felt, it was more because he was afraid his actions from the night before would make Mickey worry even more about him.

The rift between them was huge, but how was he supposed to fix it when even DarkAngelicmon believed, as he himself secretly did, that he was going to hurt Mickey sometime in the near future?

_It's not fair. I just want things to go back to the way they were before..._

"Your parents still plan on coming?" Dai demanded, giving Sam a searching look.

"They'll be there. Taka and Makku are also planning to come, and I suspect several of my other cousins will end up showing up, too. Just to warn you ahead of time."

"Well, the more the merrier!" Takara said cheerfully, beaming at everyone in the group. "We need all the support we can get!"

Ryoko rolled his eyes, and turning to Sam the golden-haired Digidestined said shortly, "So...how did things go last night? You said you were going to ask your mom about...you know...seeing if there was a way you could hear your uncle's voice and the way he sounded in real life."

Sam hesitated before saying, "It went...better than I expected, but before I say anything, I think we'd better move a little further away from the front doors. Mrs. Hanari's standing on the front steps, and she keeps glaring suspiciously in our direction."

_Yikes! The last thing we need is Mrs. Hanari finding out about the Digital World!_

Matty glanced anxiously over his shoulder and sure enough he spotted Mrs. Hanari glaring at him from the front steps.

For some reason he suddenly felt guilty, even though he had yet to do anything wrong, and turning hastily from his teacher's deadly gaze, he grabbed onto Ryoko's arm and proceeded to drag his cousin around the corner of the building, where they would be out of Mrs. Hanari's sight.

"Start talking, Sam!" Dai demanded, as soon as they were huddled against the wall beneath a thankfully closed classroom window. You never knew who might have gone inside early and the less chances they had of being overheard, the better.

"My mom managed to get a couple of old tapes from my grandparents last night. I only got the chance to watch them this morning and...I...it was him. I mean...the voice. The very same."

"So...you really did hear your uncle then..." Takara said slowly, shaking her head in disbelief. "You knew his voice before you ever once heard it."

"But...what does it mean?" Glimmermon whispered softly from Sam's backpack.

Mickey, who hadn't spoken a single word until now, suddenly opened his mouth and said hesitantly, "I don't know what it means exactly, but I do know one thing. Sam, you obviously share a deep connection with your uncle, even though you never had the chance to meet him. The fact that you had this dream...it's obviously important and I don't think you should ignore it."

"But, I..."

"We have no way of knowing whether or not your dream is real, and I doubt we'll ever find out the truth, but why worry about something like that?" Ryoko insisted, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Mickey's right. It doesn't matter either way. What's important is that it was real to you."

Unable to look at his friends, Matty took a deep breath and began to speak quietly, talking more to his hands than to the people around him. "It's just like with Oikawa, isn't it? Dai and Kara were able to hear his voice, just like Sam was able to hear his uncle's without having ever met him before. Doesn't it prove something that's really important, or even if it doesn't prove anything, it at least gives us something to think about?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, frowning in confusion.

"It's just...it makes you wonder, doesn't it? If we can hear the voices of those who have passed away then they're not really gone at all. It means they're still here with us, watching over us and we haven't really lost them. Not really. And...I mean...There must be something more, you know...once we're gone, if they can watch over us from...beyond, so...we should make the most of the time we have now. One day, when we're gone, someone else might need to learn from us and I don't know about you guys, but I want to set a good example. It must be really hard, but also really cool to be able to watch over the ones you love..."

For a moment everybody just stared at him, and he felt his face turn a deep shade of read. "What?"

"Matty, I am so very lucky to have a brother like you," Mickey said softly, beaming at him and looking more proud than Matty had ever seen him look before.

"But, I..."

"Don't argue," Mickey shot back, before he could finish. "You usually let me win anyways."

_Huh?_

Matty stared at his brother in astonishment, and ignoring his friends, who were all grinning at him, he managed a surprisingly carefree smile in return.

"It all comes down to the same thing really," Dai interrupted, a determined look on his face. "Your dream was trying to tell you something important, and I don't think it would be a very good idea to ignore your uncle's words. They obviously have some kind of meaning and you should listen to what he had to say."

"I know," Sam mumbled. "I...I'm still thinking about it."

"So, what about you, Kara?" Palelymon whispered from Mickey's backpack. "What are you so happy about today?"

Takara glanced up at the large white, puffy clouds floating across an ocean blue sky and smiling to herself, she said softly, "My dad told me everything last night. About SkullGreymon, his crest...everything."

"Really?" Sam gasped, staring at Kara in shock.

Takara nodded and she turned to Dai with a smile on her face. "And I know he told you, too, and I'm glad his words were able to help you get your Spirit Chip."

"But, Dai...you never said anything about Tai telling you his story last night!" Iramon interrupted from Ryoko's backpack, outraged over the fact that the rest of them had been left in the dark.

"Sorry, guys, but it wasn't my story to tell. Kara deserves the honour, not me. I knew Tai wanted to tell Kara himself. That's why I never said anything. Kara's the one who should be telling you her dad's story, not me."

"Thanks, Dai," Kara said softly, smiling at the goggle-headed leader.

"Well then, are you going to tell us, or not?" Ryoko asked, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

Takara gave him a dirty look, but instead of responding, she merely began to recite Tai's tale of uncertainty and the rocky road it took for him to find his courage again.

When she was done, Matty could do nothing at first except stand there staring at his cousin in disbelief, his brain working harder than usual to process everything he had just heard. It was hard to believe that his uncle Tai, of all people, could have shown any sign of weakness during his time in the Digital World. Then again, the same thing had happened to Dachi, so there was really no reason for him to be surprised.

They were only human, after all.

_Just like the rest of us..._

"Tai suffered just like my dad," Ryoko said quietly, humbly bowing his head. "I guess even the best of us can lose our way sometimes."

"But it also means we all have a chance of turning things around, of overcoming our fears," Mickey insisted. "Look at Uncle Tai and Uncle Matt. Look at Aunt Mimi and Aunt Sora. Look at Joe and Izzy. Davis, Noriko, Cody, Ken, Yolei, my parents...They're all different people from each other, but despite their differences, they were all able to overcome the darkness that threatens all of us."

"What happened to Tai...that could just as easily have been me," Dai said seriously, his deep brown eyes growing dark and shadowy. "Embermon could just as easily have been Agumon. It could have been my digimon who ended up becoming an ultimate like SkullGreymon."

"No one is safe," Kara said quietly, glancing sideways at Sam. "We all have to fight the darkness. I'm proud of my dad. I'm glad he was able to find himself again."

"So are we," Mickey said firmly, a look of determination on his face. "I'm proud of my uncle just as much as I am of my parents and the rest of the older Digidestined."

"Same here," Ryoko agreed.

"Can't hold it against Tai when we didn't hold it against Matt or any of the others," Dai laughed.

Matty could feel himself smiling and turning to Kara, he said confidently, "Dai's right. I think Uncle Tai was pretty cool for what he did. Coming back from all of that. That definitely wasn't an easy thing to do."

It was scary to think someone as strong as Tai could lose his heart to the darkness so easily, but he'd fought back and that gave Matty hope. If the older Digidestined had proved anything to him it was the fact that anyone could fight the darkness and win. You didn't have to be someone special. All you had to do was believe in yourself and in everyone important to you.

_Believe...Sam...do you believe? Can you really give up so easily on your dad?_

The rest of the Digidestined must have been thinking along the same lines as him because as one they all of a sudden turned to look at Sam, and blushing, the raven-haired Digidestined said quietly, "Thanks, Kara. You've...given me a lot to think about."

"Good," Takara replied. "Because I know you forgive my dad and I know you're proud of him. Every bit as much as I am."

"Dai!"

At the sudden sound of an unexpected voice, Matty jerked around to see two members of Dai's soccer team racing towards them, both looking distinctly out of breath.

"There you are!" the shorter boy with black hair, olive skin, and deep brown eyes panted, his hands on his knees.

Matty recognized the boy as Niito Arakaki, one of Dai's fellow soccer players, whom he liked very much.

The lavender-haired boy with violet eyes, who was the taller of the two, and who went by the name of Zen Imamura, said in relief, "We've been looking all over for you, Dai!"

"Why? What's up?" Dai asked curiously, frowning at his two fellow soccer players.

"What have you been up to lately?" Niito demanded, looking both amused and exasperated at the same time. "Coach Watanabe keeps wanting to schedule our next soccer practice, but you're constantly busy all the time and it wouldn't look good to hold a practice without out captain there!"

"We haven't had a practice all week, and I think Coach Watanabe is pretty confused himself," Zen added. "He seemed a little bit worried about you. I mean...none of us have seen you in quite a while, so I can't really blame him. Even Mrs. Hanari has been a bit down lately, and most of the time she can't stand you!"

Matty could tell Dai felt pretty guilty about letting down his team, and doing his best to smile, the goggle-headed leader said, "Sorry about that, guys. I've just...had a lot on my mind lately. Tell Mr. Watanabe I'll be free for a practice next week. How does that sound?"

"We'll tell him. Make sure you show up though or you're going to hear about it from us," Niito scolded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He'll be there, don't worry," Mickey said firmly, giving both boys a reassuring smile.

Zen glanced at Mickey and smiling, he said, "Well, if you say so then for sure he'll be there."

"You always keep your word, Mickey, even if Dai doesn't!" Niito laughed. "By the way, Kara...Rena, Kira, and Megumi were looking for you. Something about 'girl talk', whatever that means."

"She wouldn't tell us exactly what she wanted, just cause we're boys," Zen complained, rolling his violet eyes.

"Oh!" For some reason Takara blushed and avoiding Niito's eyes, she said, "Thanks, guys. Tell them I'll be with them in a few minutes."

"Will do. See you all in class!" Niito replied, waving as he left with Zen.

Turning to Takara, Matty raised his eyebrows. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," Takara mumbled, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of red.

_I bet it has something to do with Dai. Maybe Megumi and the others suspect or know how she feels about Dai._

Judging by the look on Takara's face, she too appeared to believe the same thing.

"We have just enough time to drop off our digimon in the computer room and for Kara to catch up with Megumi and the others, so we'd better hurry and get into the school," Ryoko said briskly, stepping back out into the open and making his way towards the front entrance.

Matty slowly followed after his cousin, the others trailing along behind, and as he passed Mrs. Hanari on the stairs, he couldn't help noticing that under her scowl, she too looked worried.

Worried enough, in fact, to conveniently ignore the punch Dai had just given Ryoko for another one of his trademark Ishida insults.


	211. Testing the Waters

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing. That's all I'm gonna say.

**A/N: Well, I'm finally back with another chapter and...okay, I admit it, it's not the best. In fact, to put it bluntly, it's really just a filler chapter before we get on with what's going on in the Digital World. I never actually get writer's block, so to speak, I always know what I want to write, but sometimes I fall into this slump where I don't know _how_ to write it, and thus we end up with stupid filler chapters like this where I was clearly stalling for time while I tried to come up with how the story's going to proceed next. I'm sure you've all noticed there have been a couple of these spattered throughout the story. The good news is, they do actually help me to get back on track, which was the case here, and then I'm usually good for another twenty-five chapters or so before I fall into another slump. Don't worry, though, like I said, after this chapter there's tons of good stuff coming up where I had that sudden light bulb over my head spark of inspiration and things start to get pretty intense! Look for those chapters after this one! And in the meantime...roll your eyes over this one. I won't be offended.**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 211: Testing the Waters

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Sam felt like he couldn't breath.

Perhaps it was only his imagination, but regardless of how much he tried to ignore the unpleasant sensation, his chest felt tight and every breath felt like a struggle.

At first, he had tried to convince himself that it had absolutely nothing to do with his father, but that was, of course, a complete lie. It had _everything_ to do with his father and in only mere moments he would once again have to face said father, whether he wanted to or not. The elementary school would no longer be a convenient hiding place now that they were on the verge of entering the Digital World yet again to search for a Spirit Chip.

_Maybe I should just pretend I'm sick so I don't have to go. Now that I think about it, I do feel a little sick..._

Unfortunately, though, that would not solve his current dilemma. Sadly, it would merely delay the inevitable, which he was going to have to face sooner or later no matter what his feelings towards his father might be.

"Are you guys going to go in sometime today or should we just come back next week?" an amused voice asked from the walkway below.

Sam whirled around in surprise, and smiling sheepishly at the four teens standing behind him, he said weakly, "Hey, Ren."

His cousin Renmi gave him a look and turning to Taka, Makku, and Rumi, who stood around her in a semi-circle, she made a face and said, "No offence, Sam, but you look horrible today."

"How nice of you to say so. Thanks a lot, Ren."

"I thought it might cheer you up."

"We were just about to go in," Takara explained, smiling at the older female. "How are you guys doing?"

"We're doing great," Rumi replied in a polite voice, beaming at Takara. "I hope the same can be said for you six."

"We're okay," Mickey said softly, smiling shyly at Rumi.

"I'm guessing you guys came for the show?" Dai asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"You bet we did," Makku grinned, pumping his fist into the air. "I'm totally ready for some action! You guys had better not disappoint me!"

"Ignore him," Taka advised, elbowing his older brother in the ribs and shaking his head in amusement.

"Ouch. You wound me, little brother."

"I think you do a good job of that yourself."

Instead of responding, Makku grabbed his brother around the neck, ruffling the younger teen's hair, and letting out a yelp of protest, Taka tried unsuccessfully to squirm away, resulting in a scuffle that nearly knocked both boys over onto the front walkway.

"Will you two quit goofing off?" Ryoko scolded, glaring at the two brothers. "We should hurry up and get inside. I bet everybody else is already here."

"Are you ready, Sam?" Matty asked quietly, slipping an arm around his shoulders for support.

Sam blushed when he realized everybody was staring at him, and ducking his head, he took a deep breath and said, "I'm ready. Let's go."

Dai quickly led the way into the Motomiya residence and climbing the stairs they crowded their way into the small office across from Dai's bedroom, which stood next to the master bedroom that belonged to Davis and Noriko. Ami's bedroom was next to Dai's and there was also a bathroom at the end of the hall.

Not surprisingly, the room was crowded. Mina, Izzy, their digimin partners, and their daughter were all crowded around the computer and next to them seated on the floor huddled together were Taysuke, Rina, Kenzo, Ema, and Nao. Ami, Noah, and Miya were scrunched up in a corner with Shadow and DemiVeemon, holding what appeared to be a whispered conversation, and Matt, Mimi, Noriko, and their partners were seated in chairs across the room. Sora, T.K., Joe, Tai, Kari, and their partners were sprawled on the floor with Cody, Jun, Rosa, and Davis, and with a gulp Sam realized that left only his parents and Wormmon huddled together on Izzy's right side, who were talking quietly to each other. It was a full house, and for some reason that made Sam feel even more nervous about having to be in the same room with his father.

"There you are!" Noriko exclaimed, giving them all a suspicious look. "Took you long enough to get here. We were starting to worry."

"Actually, Dai, it was your mother who was worrying, not me. I just figured you must have gotten stuck in detention again," Davis joked, grinning at his son.

Dai rolled his eyes, feigning a look of hurt. "Thanks a lot, Dad. Doesn't anybody around here have any faith in me? Sam's the one who was holding us up. It had nothing to do with me."

Sam blushed as both his parents turned to look at him and lowering his eyes to the ground, he mumbled, "It wasn't me."

Dai raised his eyebrows at that. "Really? Then why were standing there staring at my front door for like ten minutes?"

"He's got you there, Sam," Ren pointed out, smirking slightly.

Sam glared at his cousin, but before he could reply, Nao bounced to his feet and beamed at Rumi, Ren, and the Inoue siblings. "Oh! I didn't know you guys were coming. Is Hikaru coming too?"

"Sorry, Nao, but my mom had to take him to the dentist," Renmi said, smiling apologetically at her younger cousin.

Nao immediately looked disappointed and ruffling the younger boy's lavender hair, Makku said, "Cheer up, Nao. You've got something even better!"

"I do?"

"Me, of course!" Makku exclaimed, puffing out his chest with an air of superiority.

"Right," Taka muttered, shaking his head in amusement. "The rest couldn't come either."

"Yes, Tams already had plans with Hana so they weren't able to make it," Rumi explained.

"Which is probably a good thing," Makku added. "Hana would just annoy us all anyways, and plus this room is already way too crowded as it is. Having her around would be a nightmare."

"You won't hear any arguments from me," Renmi snorted.

At this outburst, Rumi sent the two troublemakers a disapproving look, but they both ignored her.

On Rumi's left, Taka shook his head at Renmi and Makku and said, "You two are terrible."

"I did really want to see Hikaru," Nao mumbled, making a face.

Makku pretended to look offended, and scooping Nao up off the floor, he began to swing his younger cousin in circle through the air, causing Nao to burst into a fit of giggles.

"Good, now that we're all here, it's time to put our plans into action," Izzy said briskly, turning from the computer to gaze around the room at large.

Immediately the occupants of the room fell silent and Sam quickly took a seat on the floor as far away from his parents as possible. He could feel his father's deep blue gaze burning into him, and it was making him feel extremely self-conscious.

_He's probably wondering what Dai was talking about earlier. Does he suspect how much I didn't want to come here today?_

Judging from the haunted look in his eyes, the former Emperor appeared to understand completely, and Sam was pretty sure his mother suspected the same thing.

_They can tell I don't want to be near my dad right now, but I can't help it. I'm just...I'm not ready to face him yet. Help me, Uncle, what should I do?_

It was silly, really, to ask. There was no way the late Sam Ichijouji would be able to hear him, but despite that he still felt a little bit better remembering what it had felt like to have his uncle by his side.

"Well, as you all know, today is Friday," Izzy continued, his dark eyes sparkling with that ever present manic Digital World gleam, "which means-"

"It'll be the weekend tomorrow," Tai interrupted, glancing meaningfully at Matt.

"Exactly. Daichi and the others don't have school tomorrow, which will definitely work in our favour."

"What do you mean by that, Izzy?" Matty asked, frowning in confusion.

"We don't know how long it's going to take us to find this Spirit Chip. I know Vampiramon and her allies can't really do anything with the Spirit Chips until we release them from their seals first, but even so I think it's best if we find them as soon as possible."

"You won't hear any arguments from me on that point," Matt replied, exchanging a look with his wife. "So...are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Basically, it's like this. If we don't find the Spirit Chip before the day is over, I think it's best if we just stay in the Digital World until we _do_ find it."

"Or in other words, we'll be spending the night in the Digital World," Cody interrupted, leaning forwards to gaze solemnly at Izzy. "We'll have the whole weekend to look since Dai and the others won't have to worry about school."

"Exactly. As long as it's safe for us to remain in the Digital World, we might as well stay until we recover the Spirit Chip. No sense in wandering back and forth when we don't have to."

"That's true," Ryoko agreed, nodding his head for emphasis.

Almost everyone in the room appeared to think it was a good idea.

Everyone except Sam, that is.

Spending the night in the Digital World would mean spending more time with his father and that was something he most definitely did not feel up to at the moment.

_What am I going to do?_

"Sam, you okay?" Taka asked quietly, nudging him in the shoulder to get his attention.

"Sam?" Mickey echoed, peering anxiously into his eyes.

Without thinking, Sam blurted, "Do we have to? What if I don't want to stay overnight?"

Everybody in the room stared at him, and he felt his face heat up. He hadn't meant to voice his thoughts out loud, but unfortunately it was too late to take back his words now.

Both his mother and his father were staring at him, and though he wanted to meet their eyes, he found himself unable to do so.

"Sam, honey," his mother said hesitantly, "Izzy's suggestion is a good one, and if we're lucky we'll only have to stay one night, or maybe not at all."

"Don't worry, I'll leave you in peace," his father said flatly, turning away.

Sam stared at his father with his mouth hanging open, shocked by such a blatant dismissal, and glancing at the rest of the crowd in the room he realized that they, too, were staring at the former Emperor in astonishment.

Ken Ichijouji, the former boy genius, did not look at all like himself at the moment. His sapphire eyes were dull and lifeless, and the flat expression on his face held no emotion at all. He looked like he'd given up, and Sam knew it was all his fault.

_The Spirit Chip of Compassion...It can't be mine. Look what I've done..._

"Um...well, if you guys are going to be staying overnight in the Digital World then all us kids who aren't going will just stay here for the night," Ema said quickly, clearly anxious to change the subject. "We girls can stay in Ami's room and the guys can just camp out in Dai's room while he's gone."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Dai agreed, looking to his father, who also nodded in agreement.

"I don't think there's enough room in the house for all of us adults who are staying behind, so we'll just leave and come back in the morning," T.K. said quickly, looking towards Izzy. "Make sure you keep us up to date on what's going on, though, while we're gone."

"I will."

"Do we have everything we need to get going?" Mimi asked, standing up and stretching her arms over her head.

"Izzy and I packed a bunch of supplies before coming here, so you should be good to go," Mina replied.

"Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Gotsumon are waiting for us, so we should probably get going," Izzy added, standing up as well. "Remember, we have to make a stop at Gennai's before we can start searching for the Spirit Chip."

"Good luck, Sam," Taka whispered softly in his ear, giving his shoulder a quick reassuring squeeze.

"All of you be careful," Jun warned.

"Don't come back without the Spirit Chip!" Makku said boldly, giving Daichi the thumbs up.

"Before we leave, is everyone caught up on what's going on?" Izzy asked, motioning for Ryoko to step up to the computer.

There was a general murmur of assent, and Joe said, "News travels fast between Digidestined. We're all up to speed. Be careful, Izzy."

"You know I always am. It's not me you should be worried about."

"Or even me," Dai added, a slight smile on his face.

Sam felt himself starting to blush again when he realized the goggle-headed leader was looking at him, and scurrying over to the computer, he took his place next to Ryoko, who raised his eyebrows but did not comment.

"If you would do the honours," Izzy said, smiling at Ryoko.

Ryoko quickly raised his D-Coder and as soon as the group travelling to the Digital World were all crowded around him, he said, "Take us to Server. Digi-port open!"

Sam just had time to see his father's tormented gaze watching him before he was swept through the gate, the Digital World and who knew what else waiting for him on the other side.


	212. The Second Act

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: And we finally get to the Digital World! Things will start to move forward now and some of my favorite chapters are coming up after this one!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 212: The Second Act

_Ken Ichijouji  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World _

Ken took a few moments to regain his composure, the hurtful words Sam had uttered earlier just before entering the Digital World having wounded him deeply, and slowly opening his eyes he found himself standing with the rest of the Digidestined on the shores of Server, a slight breeze rippling off the ocean, blowing the dark hair off his forehead. The sky was gray and cloudy, and it looked like it might rain at any given moment, which suited Ken just fine.

It resembled his mood. Dark, shadowy, and full of doubt.

"Yolei!" a voice cried from the water's edge, audible even over the sound of the waves.

Ken turned to see Hawkmon, who had spoken, Gotsumon, and Armadillomon sitting comfortably on the sand several metres away from the television set, and letting out a shriek of joy, Yolei raced over to the group of rookies and scooped Hawkmon into her arms, nearly crushing him with the force of her hug.

"Oh, Hawkmon! I've missed you so much! You have no idea how good it is to see you again!"

"Yolei, I need to breath!"

Yolei pulled back slightly, and smiling apologetically at her partner, she said softly, "Sorry, Hawkmon, I do get carried away a bit sometimes, don't I."

"Indeed you do," Hawkmon agreed, shaking his head in amusement, "but this time I suppose I'll let it slide. After all, I'm just as happy to see you as you are to see me, I'm sure."

"We all can't help being excited," Rosa laughed, cuddling Gotsumon tightly in her arms. "It's so good to see you again, Gotsumon."

"Same to you, Rosa. I've really missed you."

"I've missed you, too, but now that I'm here, you and I can experience the Digital World together. The one time I was here, MaloMyotismon tried to take over both worlds. My time in this world didn't last very long and we didn't get to do much together."

"Yes, this time it'll be different, and I know together we'll find a way to help our friends stop the Ruler of Darkness."

_Will we? I'm not so sure anymore..._

It was a depressing thought, but Ken couldn't help feeling a little bit on the hopeless side. Without his son's love and respect, everything seemed hopeless.

_T.K. would be ashamed of me if he knew..._

"I hope I didn't interrupt your nap," Cody said gently to his partner, beaming at Armadillomon and pulling the little rookie into a hug.

"It's okay, Cody. A nap isn't the same without you here anyways. Are we ready to go and visit Gennai?"

"I think we're more than ready," Mimi replied, exchanging a smile with Palmon and pointing to a path leading towards a valley of tall grass up ahead. "Lead the way, Izzy."

"Gennai's house is this way and it's located...well, you'll have to see the lake for yourself. It's a bit of a long walk, though, so everyone stick together. You know what the Ruler of Darkness and his minions are like. They could be anywhere, so keep an eye out for them."

"How are you doing, Mimi?" Matt asked quietly, speaking softly into the rosy-haired Digidestined's ear as they made their way towards the valley. "Everything okay?"

"I'm fine and so is the baby. We'll get through this, Matt."

"Nothing bad will happen to Mimi or the baby," Palmon insisted. "You can count on me, Matt!"

"I know I can. It's Vampiramon and her flunkies I don't trust."

"If they try anything we'll take care of them," Gabumon said firmly, exchanging a meaningful look with Palmon.

_If only I could be so confident..._

Ken glanced at his son, who was walking near the head of the group with Ryoko, and letting out a deep sigh, he held Wormmon tightly against his chest, feeling somewhat comforted by his partner's small body.

Why could he not work up the courage to speak to Sam? This was his son, his flesh and blood who meant everything to him. Sam was one of his three greatest accomplishments in life, Miya and Nao being the other two, and yet he could not bring himself to speak. The words were there, but they would not come, and the longer he remained silent, the more he felt as though the darkness was seeping into his heart, driving away all the light his family and friends had poured into him for so many years.

Radiant light that had caused his own light to burst into flames again, but now that light inside of him felt like it was flickering and dying, becoming so fragile a mere breeze would be enough to extinguish it. And if that happened, what then would he do?

"It _won't_ be like this forever, Ken," Yolei suddenly said fiercely in his ear, as if reading his mind.

Since leaving the shore, Yolei had been content to walk next to him in silence, but now it looked as if she was ready to have her say. After all, as Ken had found out rather quickly in the days of the Emperor, Yolei was not the type of person to remain quiet for very long.

"Yolei, I...I feel so lost."

"I know you do. I feel the same way, but you can't give up on Sam. If you keep trying to get through to him, I know he'll respond."

"Sam's not the one I'm giving up on."

"Ken..."

Ken could feel Yolei watching him, and turning to look at his wife, he gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Yolei. I know you expect better of me, but I..."

"Ken, listen to me. You've been through this kind of pain before and look how you were able to come back from all the sadness building up inside your heart. You did it once, and I know you can do it again. I believe in you, so don't you dare give up on yourself. If you do, you'll not only feel like a failure to yourself, but also to Sam, and if that happens you might lose your son forever, and I know that's not what you want."

"Yolei, if Sam doesn't...if he..."

"Sam might seem angry, and he might be putting on a good show of hating you, but you and I both know that's not how he really feels. He's hurting, Ken, because he feels like we didn't trust him enough to tell him about the Digital World. Can you imagine how that feels? We've been lying to him for thirteen years. I've failed him just as much as you have. Yes, he's still talking to me, but it's not because I"m any less guilty. It's just easier because I didn't have as big a role to play as you did."

"I know, but..."

"Sam can pretend all he wants," Yolei interrupted, gazing directly into his eyes, "but he can't hide how much he loves you no matter how hard he tries. I can still see it in his eyes whenever he looks at you. That's not something anybody can fake. He still believes in you, Ken. I think...he just wants you to believe in yourself."

_How can I, though, when Sam won't even look at me? At least not that I've ever seen, despite what Yolei just said...  
_

"I believe in you, Ken," Wormmon suddenly said quietly in his arms, looking both worried and anxious. "Not just in you, but I believe in Sam, too. Somehow I know everything will work out, but it's like Yolei said. You can't give up. You have to keep trying, even if it's the last thing you want to do."

"Don't wait too long, though," Hawkmon advised, giving him a meaningful look. "If you do, it might be too late."

_Maybe it already is too late..._

_Lucemon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Do you really think Gennai will be home and that the Digidestined will come here?" MarineAngemon asked quietly, gazing at the lake in the distance, where Gennai's house lay hidden deep beneath the surface, a slightly skeptical look on his face. "I don't know..."

"Well...I cannot say for sure whether or not the Digidestined will come here, but like us they too need to find out the location of the next Spirit Chip, and who better to give them that information than Gennai?"

"Yes, but-"

"I don't think we have any choice but to remain here for now, MarineAngemon, at least until Gennai gives us a clue as to what out next move should be. Also, the fact that Leomon and Piximon arrived here earlier this morning makes me think something must be going on."

"So...you think something big is going to happen soon?"

"I believe something will happen. I can't say for sure, but to me it feels like they're waiting for someone to arrive."

"Not just someone, but a whole bunch of people. The Digidestined, right?"

"It certainly feels that way to me. Regardless of whether they come or not, though, we'll have to stick to Gennai like glue until he reveals the exact location of the next Spirit Chip. Without Gennai, we cannot see the road ahead of us."

"And that would be bad. We won't be of much help if we can't even keep track of the Spirit Chip and the Digidestined."

"Indeed."

"Hey, Lucemon?" MarineAngemon asked quietly, his tone indicating he was a bit hesitant to speak. "Do you think DarkAngelicmon and his allies know where the location of the next Spirit Chip is?"

Lucemon slowly lifted his pale blue eyes to the gray sky above Server, and pointing at a dark speck high in the air, he said, "The Ruler of Darkness has many servants to do his bidding. They will know. And it seems they, too, suspect the Digidestined will arrive here today."

"Vampiramon!" MarineAngemon gasped, gazing wide-eyed at the tiny bat in the distance. "They're not just guessing about the Digidestined! They know!"

"It helps to have a great many servants. When you have eyes everywhere, nothing remains a secret for very long."

"What if she sees us?"

Glancing at the little digimon hovering next to his shoulder, Lucemon couldn't help smiling in amusement. "We are well hidden, MarineAngemon, and if there is one thing I am good at, it's knowing how to stay out of sight."

"You're good at other things, too!"

"It's nice of you to say so, but I am well aware of the fact that I seem to be an utter failure at most things, if my past and present are any indication."

"Lucemon..."

Lucemon smiled at the tiny mega, doing his best to comfort his surprisingly loyal companion. "You are very special, MarineAngemon, my friend. So different from other MarineAngemon I've met in the past."

"Really? You think so?"

"Well...like I said, you speak for one thing."

"My fellow digimon talk!" MarineAngemon protested, blushing in embarrassment. "We just have our own kind of language."

"And yet you choose to speak to me in a way that allows me to fully understand you. And not just me, the Digidestined, as well."

"MarineAngemon are shy digimon; we always have been," the little mega said softly, humbly bowing his head. "But meeting you...it has helped me to step out of my shell, and the Digidestined...they make me feel the way you make me feel. That's something I don't ever want to lose."

"MarineAngemon..."

"I guess this means we're stuck having to wait again?" MarineAngemon inquired, quickly changing the subject.

"It appears so, but the same is also true for Vampiramon."

"Speaking of which, if she's here, where do you think DarkAngelicmon is? I expect he didn't come because he doesn't want the Digidestined to feel his presence."

"It appears so. As much as I suspect he would have liked to come here himself, it seems he's being cautious. What that means...I don't believe I can really say at this point."

_Where are you, my old friend? Hiding in the shadows? Or are you waiting at the place where the Spirit Chip lies hidden? I feel you out there, not close but here on Server. I know you're there. The Ruler of Darkness moves quickly, it seems._

But whether or not the Ruler of Darkness moved quickly enough still remained to be seen.

_Spritemon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"You have got to be kidding me! The Spirit Chip of Compassion is somewhere in _here?_" BlackWidowmon snorted in disgust, pulling her left foot free for at least the third or fourth time from a sticky patch of mud oozing beneath the heavy canopy of leaves overhead.

In the distance, the swamp seemed to stretch for miles, with large clumps of foliage weaving a path through the murky water and damp earth, and pulling her own foot free from a particularly disgusting patch of foul mud, Spritemon felt for perhaps the first time in her life a small spark of sympathy for BlackWidowmon, since she was entirely in agreement with her fellow mega.

This was not going to be a particularly fun mission, that was for sure.

"According to Phelesmon and Persiamom, it is," DarkAngelicmon said smoothly, his handsome face void of expression.

"And how exactly do they expect us to find it?" Jestermon demanded, making a face. "This swamp is huge. It could take us all day, if not all week. The fool is not pleased, angel boy."

"I don't know why Persiamon and Phelesmon didn't just follow Gennai's group to the exact location of the Spirit Chip," BlackWidowmon grumbled.

"They didn't want to risk being seen, obviously," DarkAngelicmon replied, rolling his eyes. "Besides, we don't really need to know exactly where it is. I expect the Digidestined will lead us right to it. It's enough that we know it's somewhere in this swamp. Once the Digidestined arrive, they'll do the rest of the work for us."

"They'll have a guide," Jestermon warned, gazing meaningfully at the fallen angel. "Someone from Gennai's party who helped discover its location. We need to be careful."

_Yes...the Digidestined won't waste all day looking for the Spirit Chip. Gennai will make sure they have someone with them who'll be able to guide them right to it. We'll have to remain alert and ready to follow._

"Do you think Vampiramon's having any luck?" BlackWidowmon asked curiously, looking to DarkAngelicmon for an answer.

"Persiamon and Phelesmon did say Gennai intended to have the Digidestined pay him a visit before starting off on their journey. Weren't you paying attention to our last minute instructions _at all_ before leaving?"

"If they weren't lying, that is," Jestermon complained, glaring at the slippery earth beneath his feet. "You know as well as I do how they feel about us, especially Phelesmon. They think they're so superior, being our master's handpicked guards."

"It's more me he doesn't fancy than any of you, I think," DarkAngelicmon replied, smiling faintly. "As much as I am in agreement with you, Jestermon, I don't think there is any reason to worry. Persiamon and Phelesmon would never do anything to jeopardize our master's plans. Lying to us would serve no purpose. It would only get them into serious trouble with the Ruler of Darkness."

"So, the Digidestined should be arriving at Gennai's place hopefully any time now?" BlackWidowmon interrupted, an eager smile turning up the corners of her thin mouth.

"Indeed, and with Vampiramon in position, we'll be following the Digidestined sooner than you think," DarkAngelicmon agreed, smiling pleasantly at the spider digimon. "Let us hope she can manage to pick up on anything they may say that could be useful to us."

_Indeed, but will she? That is the question._

Spritemon wasn't so sure, but there was one thing she did know. The sooner they found the Spirit Chip, the better, because she was really not a fan of swamps.

_And if I step into one more stinky pile of mud, I think I'm going to scream._

"You know, if it bothers you that much you _could_ just fly," DarkAngelicmon pointed out, as if reading her mind.

For a moment, Spritemon just looked at him, and blushing a deep shade of red she proceeded to launch herself into the air, putting as much distance between herself and that insufferable fallen angel digimon as possible.


	213. Beneath the Lake

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Kibomon, Aiwemon, Velinemon, or Gessmon, who were created by RoyalKnightX, Shire Folk, Silver Kitsune Lunara, and Miss Anonymous hp respectively. Once again thank you to all of you who participated in the thread challenge on my forum _Digital Connections_ a long time ago to have your own OC digimon placed in both _Following the Footsteps of Destiny_ and _Digimon Chronicles: The_ _Demon_ _Years._ These four were the winners and their digimon are amazing!

**A/N: And now we get to some pretty interesting stuff! Just to let you know****, if you have not read _Moonlight Demons_, _Digimon Chronicles: The_ _Demon Years_, or you skipped over the chapter in FTFOD entitled _The Importance of Mimi_, then you may get a bit confused by this chapter. So, if you haven't read even at least one of those things, you may want to for the sake of this chapter. That's all I'm going to say. You'll have to read the chapter to find out more. Also, if you want to do a bit of background reading to familiarize yourself with all the info that's going to be thrown at you over these next three chapters, I would suggest reading chapters of FTFOD like _Digimon Lore_ and _The Importance of Mimi _again, just to remember some key points in the story, since it's been a long time since we've had a chapter full of info like _Digimon Lore_. And that's it from me for this chapter. I'm looking forward to the next one especially, and I hope all of you will be too after this one!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 213: Beneath the Lake

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"We're here!" Izzy announced about two hours later, waving his hand at the small lake stretching out ahead of them beneath the gray sky with a flourish, a brilliant smile on his face.

Sam stared at the ripples of water lapping gently at his feet from where he stood with the others on the bank, and scratching the back of his head in confusion, he said, "Um...Izzy, there's nothing here."

_At least...nothing I can see. What in the Digiworld is Izzy going on about?_

The lake had a slightly purplish hue to it, and with the clouds threatening to burst, it created a surprisingly picturesque scene. Despite the state of the sky, though, the water was calm and there were no other digimon in sight.

It was quiet, but not a threatening kind of quiet. It was more a peaceful kind of quiet and it helped to calm Sam's nerves somewhat.

"Oh, well..." Izzy looked a little disappointed at the lack of excitement his words had generated from the party, but not one to be dissuaded so easily he immediately perked up again, a smile on his face. "It might not _look _like there's anything here, but trust me, this is definitely the exact location of Gennai's house. I remember it perfectly. I even double-checked the coordinates. There's no way I'm mistaken."

"If you say so," Daichi replied, looking a little as though he were trying not to laugh. "So, uh...where exactly is Gennai's house, and more importantly, how do we get _inside _it?"

"Uh, well..." Izzy hesitated for a moment, the smile on his face becoming a bit sheepish. "Actually, I'm not quite sure. The last time we were here there was this beacon of light shooting out of the lake, and it was that light that had guided us to Gennai's house in the first place. I suspect it was Gennai himself who opened the path for us so..."

"So, in other words we're going to be stuck standing here unless that light appears again?" Mimi demanded, her hands on her hips.

"Great," Matt drawled, shaking his head at Izzy. "At this rate, we could be standing here all evening. You, of all people, should think of these things ahead of time. I have to say, I'm kind of disappointed."

"W-what do you mean you're disappointed? Just...you know...give me a minute to think here. I'm sure I can come up with something. And besides, Gennai knows we're coming, just like he did the last time. He wouldn't leave us standing out here all night."

"And there he goes," Mimi sighed, watching as Izzy wandered off slightly from the group to mutter to himself.

"You can do it, Izzy!" Tentomon encouraged, following after his partner.

Since it looked as if it might take Izzy a while to figure out what to do next, Sam slowly sat down near the edge of the bank, happy to have a chance to rest while they waited. It had been a long walk and he was tired from the exercise.

_Or maybe I'm just exhausted from the effort it's taken to pretend my dad isn't here with me._

Sam glanced hesitantly at his parents, who were standing a little to one side of where Izzy sat on the bank with his laptop, and frowning Sam studied his father's pale face and his mother's serious expression, uncertain of where he stood with them. They were talking quietly to one another, or more accurately his mother was doing all the talking and his father only seemed to be half listening in resigned silence, and judging by the insistent tone in his mother's voice, Sam suspected she was trying unsuccessfully to cheer up his father, with disappointing results.

_And it's all because of me..._

A few feet away from him, Mickey, Matty, Takara, and Ryoko were sitting in a huddle with their digimon partners, and for some reason Halomon and Celestimon kept glancing at the valley of tall grass in the distance, as if searching for something they knew with certainty was there but were unable to see amongst the grass and weeds.

_I wonder if something's over there. DarkAngelicmon maybe? Can't be. If he was hiding in the grass, Halomon and Celestimon would warn us, but...if it's not DarkAngelicmon then what could they be looking at?_

He was concerned, there was no doubt about that, but seeing as how both Mickey and Matty didn't appear to look as if they thought there was anything out of the ordinary going on, he chose not to comment on the two celestial digimon and their behaviour. Besides, he had other things on his mind.

_Like my father..._

"Anything, Izzy?" Palmon asked from where she sat huddled in a group with Mimi, Matt, Cody, Rosa, and their digimon.

"Nothing yet."

Dai, who stood at the very edge of the water with Embermon, rolled his eyes, not even bothering to hide his impatience. "We're going to be here all night."

Izzy was about to make a retort when a huge beam of light suddenly shot out of the water, making Sam gasp in surprise. It startled Dai so badly, the goggle-headed leader promptly fell over backwards onto the ground, nearly crushing Embermon in the process.

"What's going on?" Takara cried, leaping to her feet.

Sam also jumped to his feet, Glowmon in his arms, and he stared at the beam of light weaving back and fourth in astonishment, convinced he was seeing things.

"I think that's our cue," Izzy replied, scrambling to his feet and quickly making his way over to the edge of the water. "Everyone, follow me."

Sam exchanged a look with his partner, and reluctantly he followed Izzy to the water's edge, the others crowding in close behind him.

"I'd say good job, but seeing as how you didn't do anything, I won't bother," Matt smirked, elbowing the computer expert in the ribs.

"Hey! This is Gennai we're talking about here. It's not exactly a walk in the park trying to get through his security system, you know."

"Look! Check it out!" Matty cried excitedly, pointing at the lake.

Sam quickly turned his attention back to the beam of light shooting out of the lake and he watched in fascination as the water parted in a style reminiscent to that of the Red Sea in the story of Moses, and a staircase appeared, leading down to the bottom of the lake.

"You've got to be kidding me! He lives at the bottom of a lake?" Ryoko gasped, gazing at the newly revealed staircase in disbelief. "You don't seriously expect me to go down there, do you?"

In response to the skeptical look on her son's face, Mimi put an arm around his shoulders and said cheerfully, "I felt the same way when I first came here years ago, but once you get used to the purple fog and the fish swimming around on either side of you, it's not so bad. It gets better once you actually get to Gennai's house."

"Come on, Ryoko, it'll be fun," Alopemon said innocently, beaming at his partner.

"Now you're starting to sound like Embermon."

"The sooner we get down there the sooner we can find out what it is Gennai wants to tell us," Mickey said quietly, moving past Izzy towards the gray stairs. "Let's go, everyone."

"Onward!" Celestimon cried, fluttering off ahead of Mickey with Halomon.

Sam quickly followed after Dai, and glancing at the exotic fish swimming within the violet water on either side of him, his sapphire eyes squinting through the purple mist down below, he had to admit it was a rather beautiful passage to Gennai's house.

"You know, this is my first time being here, too," Cody commented, giving him a warm smile. "And the same is true for Rosa, Ken, and Yolei."

"I like it. It's so mysterious," Rosa said cheerfully, beaming at the fish swimming by. "What do you think, Sam?"

"It's nice, I guess."

"It's pretty!" Glowmon cried enthusiastically.

"Makes me kind of hungry for sea food," Rosa joked.

Sam chanced a quick peek at his parents and though his mother was gazing at the fish with interest, his father appeared to be lost in thought, as if his mind was somewhere else.

"I bet Gomamon really liked it here," Gotsumon remarked, exchanging a smile with Armadillomon.

"It certainly appears to be his kind of place," Hawkmon agreed. " I quite like it myself."

"We're almost there. Take a look, guys!" Izzy called out, pointing up ahead.

Sam hasitly made his way down the last few steps, and gazing at the scene before him, he couldn't help but smile. The sky was a pink, purplish hue and in the centre of a small patch of grass stood two gray buildings that made up Gennai's residence. A sandy path led to the main house, and next to the buildings stood a small pink, purplish pond surrounded by a border of stones. There were several small trees of unknown origin occupying the property and a stone pathway that led to a small bridge, which connected to a small island located in the centre of the pond. Now that they were below the lake, the pale violet fog wasn't nearly as thick, but the same sort of mysterious atmosphere remained, creating a landscape that was so beautiful, Sam was sure Matty was regretting the fact that his digital camera probably wouldn't work very well in the Digital World. At least, compared to how it worked in the human world.

"Gennai!" Izzy called out to one of the three figures lounging on the small island in the centre of the pond.

Recognizing the other two, Sam raced across the bridge and skidded to a stop before the one resembling a pink powder puff could collide with his nose. "Piximon! Leomon! It's good to see you guys again."

"Greetings, Digidestined," Leomon said with a smile, bowing at the waist. "It's good to see you again, as well."

"It's been a long time," Izzy replied, beaming at the lion digimon. "It's good to see you again, Leomon."

"And you've all neglected your training, no doubt, since last I saw you on File Island," Piximon scolded, frowning at Izzy. "I think fifty laps around the pond should suffice, yup yup."

"My wife is _not_ doing fifty laps around the pond!" Matt shouted in outrage, glaring at the little pixie digimon. "You know very well she's going to have a baby."

"Relax, my friend, it's not going to hurt the child, as you very well know, but if you insist then you can do fifty laps in her place. A hundred laps altogether. Fifty for you and fifty for your wife. A fair exchange for having neglected your training."

Matt gaped at the small pixie digimon, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. "How is that fair?"

"You haven't changed a bit, Piximon," Mimi laughed, shaking her head in amusement.

"Welcome to my humble home," Gennai announced, motioning for all of them to take a seat on the grass. "Sorry about the delay with the light. There were a few things I needed to discuss with Piximon and Leomon before your arrival, but now that you're all here there is much we need to talk about, the first and most important topic of conversation being the Spirit Chip of Compassion. I did say I would explain its location in more detail once you arrived here, and it's time I kept that promise."

"It's somewhere here on Server, right?" Gabumon asked curiously, studying Gennai with interest. "That's what you said yesterday."

Gennai, who had remained standing, turned his back on the party, his gaze focusing on something unseen in the distance. "Yes, the Spirit Chip of Compassion is here on Server, but it will not be easy for you to reach it. Leomon and Piximon here can attest to that, which is why I am sending Leomon along with you to be your guide."

"Really? You're coming along with us, Leomon?" Embermon said enthusiastically, turning to the lion digimon for confirmation. "That's great! We could definitely use the help."

Leomon bowed his head in acknowledgement and smiled at the little rookie sitting next to him. "Indeed I am. As Gennai stated, the path is not an easy one. We had our fair share of problems just trying to get close enough to even _see_ which Spirit Chip it was."

"Also, we suspect we might have been spied upon while sharing information with Gennai upon returning here from where the Spirit Chip is hidden, so stay on your guard," Piximon warned.

"By DarkAngelicmon and his allies?" Cody asked, frowning in confusion. "That can't be. They were on Infinity Mountain yesterday trying to steal Dai's Spirit Chip."

"Not them, no," Leomon said slowly, as if hesitant to share his opinion, "but by someone. Who, we cannot say for sure, but more than likely they have some kind of connection to the Ruler of Darkness."

"Really? You think so?" Matty asked quietly, a slight frown on his face. "But...who else would the Ruler of Darkness get to spy on you guys?"

"The Ruler of Darkness has many servants," Gennai interrupted, his hands folding themselves neatly behind his back. "You have been inside his castle on Cyber. You've seen that for yourselves. Any one of them could have acted as a spy, therefore I must repeat myself. You need to be careful and you need to stay on your guard. Anything can happen during your quest to find the Spirit Chip of Compassion, and therefore you must take special care to remain aware of your surroundings at all times."

"We'll be careful," Izzy promised. "So, where exactly is the Spirit Chip?"

"It's located within a vast area of swampland to the north. Leomon will be able to lead you directly to the Spirit Chip."

"Well, that's good," Rosa sighed in relief, smiling slightly. "Can you imagine if we had to find it for ourselves? That might have taken us a few days, which would have used up our entire weekend."

"What a waste that would be," Dai snorted, making a face. "So...we have to make our way through a swamp, do we? Well then, what are we sitting around here for? Let's get this over with and find that Spirit Chip!"

"Before we go, I have a question for you, Gennai," Ken suddenly interrupted, causing Sam to glance at his father in surprise. "It concerns the crests."

"What is it you would like to know?"

"According to you, each of the Spirit Chips will eventually merge with one of the nine crests, correct? As you know, with regards to the Spirit Chip of Bravery, that has already happened. Tai no longer carries the Crest of Courage because it has now become a part of Dai's Spirit Chip. In time, five more crests will follow."

"Yes, if all of you can manage to recover the remaining five Spirit Chips then they, too, will eventually merge with a crest."

_What exactly is my dad trying to say? I don't get it..._

"You're probably wondering why I'm asking, but I have no doubt that you of all people know the answer," the former Emperor said slowly, his sapphire gaze studying Gennai's young face. "For those Digidestined who own one of the crests that was chosen to merge with one of the Spirit Chips, will their digimon still be able to digivolve to ultimate now that they will no longer have a crest?"

_Oh! I hadn't thought about that..._

Sam, who was sitting next to Mickey, about as far away from his father as he could get, glanced curiously at Gennai, wondering the answer to that question himself, and smiling at the hazy purple sky, his back still towards them, Gennai said, "Of course their digimon will still be able to digivolve to ultimate. Have you forgotten so quickly? The crests, and even Azulongmon's Digicores, merely act as tools to help in the digivolving process. Tai and his fellow Digidestined have already proved that as long as your hearts remain strong and free from the darkness then it is possible for digimon with human partners to digivolve without the help of a crest, Data Core, or even a Spirit Chip, but that's not an easy thing to do, and often it only happens when all of the hearts of the Digidestined are resonating as one. That is why we created the crests and the Spirit Chips, to help make the digivolving process easier on both you, the Digidestined, and your partner digimon."

"Makes sense," Izzy agreed, nodding his head in approval and clutching his laptop tightly to his chest.

"That's good to know," Ken murmured, looking a little relieved. "We need all the help we can get."

"You're also forgetting one thing," Gennai added, turning his head slightly to look at the former Emperor. "The Crest of Courage may have merged with the Spirit Chip of Bravery, but that doesn't mean it's gone. Its power still exists and that power is fueling the power of the Spirit Chip. I suppose it's best to say that the crest is merely being held for safekeeping by the Spirit Chip of Bravery and when that power is no longer needed, it will be returned to its original owner. That will be true for the other five crests that will eventually merge with the Spirit Chips, as well."

"That's great," Palmon shouted enthusiastically, beaming at her partner. "That means even if the Crest of Sincerity merges with a Spirit Chip, I can still become Lillymon, without the extra effort of not having a crest!"

"Amazing, isn't it?" Mimi laughed, smiling at the rookie digimon in amusement.

"I only just got the chance to become JewelBeemon. I would like the chance to do so again," Wormmon added, looking a little relieved himself. "It would be nice if the Crest of Kindness became one of the crests chosen to merge with a Spirit Chip. Don't you think so, Ken?"

In response to his partner's words, the former Emperor hung his head and refused to answer.

_And once again it's all because of me. If the Spirit Chip of Compassion really is mine, I wonder which crest will merge with it. I bet my dad hopes it's not his crest, all because of what I've done to him._

That thought brought tears to Sam's eyes, but before he could dwell on it too much, Gennai clapped his hands together and said, "Speaking of digivolving to ultimate, I have a request to make."

"W-what is it?" Ryoko managed to stutter, startled by the sudden change in subject.

"If you wouldn't mind passing on a message to Kari and Gatomon for me, the next time you all return to the Digital World, their presence is required. I would like to request the use of Gatomon's tail ring again. With regards to DNA digivolution, it will be a great help and it will make the digivolving process much easier."

"What exactly are you saying?" Dai demanded, frowning in confusion.

"There is no denying you have powerful enemies, and any advantage we can manage to aquire will be a great asset to us."

"So, in other words we need more ultimates and Imperialdramon," Matt said bluntly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Another mega will be a great help to you. And with the power of one of Azulongmon's Digicores and the ring, I'm sure Gatomon will agree with me."

"That means I'll be able to digivolve with Veemon again?" Wormmon asked hopefully, his large eyes lighting up with sudden excitement.

"That's exactly what it means. Be sure to pass on my message. We shall work out the details later, but you can be sure I'll meet up with all of you again once Kari and Gatomon are among you."

"Sounds good. Shall we get going then?" Izzy asked, expecting to be dismissed.

Apparently, Gennai had other plans, though, because instead of wishing them good luck on their journey, he said slowly, "There is one other thing before you go. Come with me into the house for a moment. There's...something I would like to show you."

"Is this the thing you mentioned the other day?" Matty asked eagerly, his amber eyes growing wide with curiosity.

"Indeed, it is."

"What is it?" Takara squealed, bouncing on the grass with excitement.

"Come with us and you will see, yup yup," Piximon said mysteriously, interrupting before Gennai could answer. "Leomon, if you could lead the way."

Sam quickly jumped to his feet, and sticking close to Mickey as they made their way back over the small bridge towards the house, he whispered in the golden-haired Digidestined's ear, "What do you think it is Gennai wants to show us?"

"I can't say for sure, but...I think it might have something to do with everything that's been happening to the Digital World lately. He wouldn't bother showing us if it wasn't relevant to what we're facing now, would he?"

"I guess not. Hey, Mickey...do you think it might have something to do with DarkAngelicmon?"

Mickey hesitated before saying, "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"I can't wait to see Imperialdramon," Dai said happily, coming up suddenly behind them with Ryoko. "That'll be so cool!"

"Same here," Ryoko agreed, glancing quickly at Dai before ducking his head in embarrassment. "I bet he's a really awesome digimon."

_Imperialdramon..._

His father's digimon.

Sam, glancing once again in the direction of his parents, was beginning to think his father could read his mind because when his gaze fell upon the former Emperor, he could see his father watching him from up ahead, the look of scrutiny on the man's face making his cheeks turn red. He couldn't deny his feelings, though. He felt every bit the same way as Dai and Ryoko, and the thought of seeing his father's digimon in the mega form with Veemon made his heart flutter with excitement.

_I bet they look amazing together..._

"This way," Leomon called out, motioning them through the front door.

Sam quickly followed the others into one of the back rooms, where he found himself gazing at what looked like a large, flat screen television hanging on the wall. "What's that?"

"It's the monitor for the surveillance system that records all activity in, or around, my house," Gennai explained, waving his hand at the screen with a flourish. "It also has other functions. For example, when gates to the Digital World started opening all over Earth after Tai's group became Digidestined, I knew we needed to devise a way to keep track of the gates leading to and from the Digital World. This surveillance system acts also as a computer would in your world, and it allows me to have easy access to the human world when trying to make contact, which was how I talked to you via the Motomiya's home computer last night. It's also connected to all the television screens acting as gateways here in the Digital World, which were set up not too long before the arrival of Davis and his team of Digidestined."

"And it works?" Izzy asked in astonishment. "Because anything electronic we bring from the human world always goes on the fritz here. My laptop does generally work fairly well here, but even it goes haywire occasionally and it's limited to what it can do."

"Yes. Electronic devices from the human world aren't very compatible with the Digital World, but like the televisions acting as gates, my surveillance system was not made in the human world. Both the televisions and my surveillance system came from this world, and therefore they are able to function in a satisfactory manner. With this new ability to connect to the televisions scattered throughout the Digital World, I now also have the ability to not only monitor the human world, but any activity close to the gates here in the Digital World all at once, from the very comfort of my own home, I might add."

"Very convenient," Izzy agreed, nodding his head to show he understood, even if no one else did. "But...why exactly did you want to show us your surveillance system?"

Gennai quickly stepped up to the monitor and standing off to one side of the screen, he said in a tone that was rather serious compared to his usually light-hearted personality, "Though this ability to connect with the television monitors here in the Digital World is more recent-"

"If you call over twenty-five years recent," Matt smirked.

"-I've had this surveillance system for much longer than all of you have been around," Gennai continued, acting for all the Digiworld as if he'd never been interrupted. "Maybe longer than you can comprehend due to the fact that time between the human world and the Digital World was not synchronized until after the appearance of Apocalymon. During that time before Tai's group came to the Digital World, my surveillance system recorded an interesting scene that I would like all of you to see."

"Really?" Takara gasped, staring at the screen as if it held some intriguing secret. "What is it?"

"I think it's best if you just watch it first and then I will explain it in more detail. Everyone gather around now."

Sam quickly took a seat between Mickey and Matty, Glowmon in his arms, and eyes glued to the screen, he spoke up for the sake of everyone in the room. "We're ready."

"I will not attempt to explain to you how many years ago this took place in the Digital World, but if we go by the same amount of time in the human world...it was thirty-three years ago that a group of young humans and their partner digimon came to visit me here at my residence. My surveillance system recorded that visit. This is a piece of it, which I think you will all find very interesting."

"You don't mean..." Dai gasped, staring at the screen in shock.

"Watch and listen," Gennai replied, going quiet as the screen flickered to life.

And there, sitting at a low table with an orange dinosaur digimon seated next to him, his blond hair and sparkling gray eyes shining under the bright lights overhead, was a boy Sam knew from Gennai's earlier description could only be the elusive leader of the first Digidestined.

Takahiro Kuroki.

"N-no way!" Ryoko faltered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"That orange dinosaur digimon of the dragon type with the red scales all over his body is Tal Kuroki's digimon partner, Kibomon."

"Look!" Halomon cried, fluttering right up to the screen and placing his small hands upon its surface. "It's him! Halomon! He's just like me!"

Halomon was right. There on the screen was another Halomon, who sat curled up against a boy with glossy black hair and intense, forest green eyes. The boy was sitting next to Tal, and once again Sam knew from Gennai's earlier description that he could only put one name to that boy.

Kenji Iwamoto.

"I wonder where that Halomon is now," Celestimon said thoughtfully, fluttering up next to Mickey's Halomon and placing his own hands on the screen. "He could be our friend!"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Halomon agreed, blushing shyly and quickly fluttering back into Mickey's arms.

"Who wouldn't want to be friends with you," Mickey murmured, cuddling his partner close.

At the head of the table, on the screen across from a young Gennai, who was at the other head, Tal on her right, sat a pretty girl with brown hair done up in bobby pins and deep brown eyes, a rookie bird digimon who resembled a hawk by her side. Judging by her appearance, she could only be Inca Sasaki.

"The bird digimon is her digimon partner, Aiwemon," Gennai explained.

That left only two people on either side of the table. The one across from Tal was a female with blond hair in pigtails and bright blue eyes. A feline digimon with a dark coat of fur sat beside her, though the tips of her ears, tail, and feet were white, and so was her face. Sam was surprised to see that the rookie digimon had magenta claws. The girl had to be Mai Nakinawa, and next to her, across from Kenji, was a small boy with brown eyes and brown hair who could only be Seta Sugiyama. Seta's digimon partner was a small rodent digimon with tiny ears and beady black eyes, and he appeared to be a little on the timid side.

"Velinemon there is Mai's partner and the rodent digimon is Seta's partner, Gessmon," Gennai informed them in response to the curious looks he was receiving.

"Unbelievable," Izzy muttered to himself, for once at a loss for words.

"Now watch and listen," Gennai repeated, waving his hand at the screen.

Immediately the figures on the screen came to life, and Kenji promptly turned to Tal, his green eyes flashing. "You can't be serious, Tal! You expect us to just walk right into enemy territory, regardless of what kind of danger awaits us, all just for the sake of one Data Core, especially since we don't know what they did with the other ones? That's crazy! That's, that's-"

"Calm down before you have a heart attack, Kenji," Mai snorted on the screen, rolling her deep blue eyes. "You really need to learn to lighten up a little, you know."

"Are you kidding me? You expect me to 'lighten up', as you put it, after that Parrotmon and Greymon ended up causing so much destruction on Earth earlier, on the _same_ day we got sucked into the Digital World, no less? What the heck is that even about?"

"As I've told you before, time here in the Digital World runs differently than time in the human world," the young Gennai on the screen said patiently, his tone indicating that they'd had this argument before. "You have seen it for yourselves. The barrier between the human world and the Digital World is weakening. Something must be done before it shatters completely, causing even more chaos and destruction than what you've witnessed already."

"But-"

"That Data Core could be yours, Kenji," Tal said quietly, gazing directly into the raven-haired Digidestined's eyes. "Do you really want it to remain in enemy hands?"

"It wouldn't be in enemy hands in the first place if Gennai and his stupid counterparts had just told us about their importance right from the very beginning! If they had, we would have been more careful with them and we might have been able to prevent them from getting stolen, but no, they wait until after they're stolen to tell us! All this time, all we knew was what they were called and it was some random digimon who told us that, not Gennai!"

"Kenji, calm down please," Inca interrupted on the screen, a sigh escaping her lips. "There's no sense in blaming Gennai and his counterparts. We're at fault just as much as they are. It isn't going to change things and it definitely isn't going to get us anywhere. They did the best they could and now we have to do the same."

"Inca's right," Aiwemon agreed, ruffling his brown feathers, the white tips of his wings and his bright yellow claws shining faintly from the lights overhead. "There's no sense in blaming anyone. Sometimes these things just happen."

Kenji ignored both Inca and her digimon partner, and once again turning to Tal, he said bitterly, "My Data Core, huh? Don't try to pull that garbage on me. The only Data Core you care about is your own, so quit trying to tell me how to act and what to do!"

"Hey! You take that back!" Kibomon shouted, glaring at Kenji.

"Oh no, this isn't going well at all," the Halomon on the screen moaned, covering his small face with his hands.

"That's not true and you know it," Tal said quietly, looking both stunned and hurt by Kenji's accusation. "And I'm not trying to tell you what to do. For your information, I'm just as worried as you are that someone might end up getting hurt. I know how you feel, even if you don't think I do."

For a moment, Kenji just stared at the goggle-headed leader in disbelief, and then his pale cheeks turned a deep shade of red. "What? I...that's not..."

"You can't fool me, Kenji," Tal shot back, refusing to back down. "Not anymore."

"Oh, really? Judging from your current record, you seem like the type who can be fooled fairly easily."

"Huh? What are you talking about? What are you trying to say?"

"You'd have to be a fool to hang out with Yosuke!" Kenji shot back, and then he clapped a hand over his mouth in horror when he realized what he had said.

For a moment, everyone on the screen remained silent and then staring at Kenji in shock, Tal managed to find his voice. "Wait...what? You...you know Yosuke?"

"Don't be stupid," Kenji managed to respond, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "You and I are in the same class with him at school. Of course I know who he is. That doesn't mean I _know _him, though."

"But then why did you mention his-"

"It's nothing. Forget it," Kenji muttered on the screen, avoiding the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes.

Watching events play out on Gennai's monitor, Sam could tell Kenji was lying, and he couldn't help wondering if, at the time, Tal had noticed as well. Clearly, Kenji had known this Yosuke a lot better than he'd been letting on to Tal.

_Who is Yosuke? And why does Kenji seem to hate him so much?_

"Guys, please don't fight." Seta pleaded, tears in his eyes. "I'm scared enough as it is already."

"Seta's right. We have enough enemies as it is. We shouldn't be fighting each other, too," Gessmon said sadly, his small ears twitching nervously above his head. Though it looked as if the small digimon normally perched on all four legs, at the moment he was standing on his hind legs, a better position for being able to see over the table.

"But...that digimon," Kenji whispered, hanging his head. "That one who came to us, who warned us about what would happen if we interfered..."

"Belphemon," Tal murmured, shaking his head in denial. "The Demon of Sloth, he called himself."

"And you heard what he said, Tal. There are more of them and they want to use our Data Cores for...how did he put it? To gather the rest of his comrades, which makes it sound like they want to increase their numbers. At the moment, we don't know know many there are, but does it really even matter? We can't fight them and win, not against megas like Belphemon, even with the Data Cores..."

Tal was quiet for a moment, and just when Sam thought the golden-haired Digidestined wouldn't answer, he suddenly reached out and placed his hands on Kenji's shoulders, his sparkling gray eyes willing for the raven-haired Digidestined to understand. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we can't win, but...we still have to try. If we give up and let Belphemon's master win, it won't just be the Digital World that ends up suffering. It'll be our world too and everybody we care about, including your mom, step-dad, and stepbrother."

"I don't-"

"You care," Tal said softly, refusing to lower his gaze. "I saw you with your stepbrother that night when we returned to Earth during the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon. Kensuke. I know, and you know it, too. Do you really want both humans and digimon to suffer?"

"Of course I don't!" Kenji snapped, unable to look at the goggle-headed leader. He seemed flustered at the mention of his stepbrother, and there was a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Well, if that's how you feel then you know we can't give up, Kenji. I know you don't trust me, despite everything I've done to make you see that you can count on me, but please, at least trust me on this. I don't know how, but we'll find a way. Somehow we'll save everyone and all of us will do it together."

The boys sat there in silence on the screen with their eyes locked, and the way they acted towards each other, the way they looked at each other, it was so reminiscent of the way Dai and Ryoko acted towards each other that Sam found himself looking at his two friends rather than at the two boys on the screen, and he wasn't the only one. The entire room seemed to be watching Dai and Ryoko, and in turn they were staring at each other, their eyes locked in some kind of silent communication.

Daichi's gaze was intense, and Ryoko's defences looked on the verge of crumbling right before Sam's very eyes.

Before either one of them could speak, though, the moment was shattered by Kenji's voice on the screen, the raven-haired Digidestined having finally found the courage to respond to Tal. "Don't you dare go back on your word. If you're lying to me..."

"I'm not lying," Tal said gently, giving Kenji's shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "I'll find a way, no matter what it takes."

Kenji looked like he wanted to respond, but he couldn't seem to find the right words, so instead of answering he merely leaned into Tal for a moment before pulling away, his face a mask of emotion.

"I'm never going to give up!" Velinemon announced, her green eyes flashing. "I'll take Belphemon and his master down no matter what it takes."

"I, too, will fight with everything I have," Aiwemon said mildly, rubbing his head gently against Inca's cheek, as if to reassure her of his words.

"Belphemon's scary and I bet his master's even more scary, but I'll help too!" Gessmon squeaked, looking frightened of his own words. "I-I mean, I'll try..."

"I won't let anyone get hurt," the Halomon on the screen said firmly, his small hands clenching into tight fists. "I'll protect everyone."

"No one's going to hurt anyone I care about!" Kibomon shouted, leaping onto the table and crossing his arms over the red scales decorating his chest, his tail twitching in excitement. "I'd like to see Belphemon and his master try! They're not going to get past me. We're going to get those Data Cores back, and when we do, we'll all become great ultimates, and someday I bet we'll even go all the way to mega!"

"That's the spirit!" Mai cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "Those bad guys don't stand a chance against us."

"Speaking of Belphemon's master, I wonder who he is," Inca said thoughtfully, propping her chin in her hands, her elbows resting on the table.

"Who indeed," the young Gennai on the screen murmured, bowing his head. "A digimon calling himself the Ruler of Darkness. Who indeed..."

And with that, the screen went blank, leaving Sam sitting there in stunned silence, his mouth hanging open.

Thirty-three years ago, the Digital World and the human world alike had been at the mercy of an evil force threatening to presumably plunge both worlds into darkness. All because of one digimon.

A digimon calling himself the Ruler of Darkness.


	214. The Child of Optimism

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, but if I did there would be no worries as I probably wouldn't have changed a thing. (Except the last episode of season two, which I would not have changed, I just would have cut it off at the scene where the butterflies go flying. Interpret your own couples, and everything else, as we do everyday on this lovely site!)

**A/N: I'm so excited! I'm so excited, I don't know if I can speak! Nope, can't. Mickey! You're the most responsible one, other than Kara, but since she's in la la land over Dai, you'd better take over from here. **

**Mickey: Oh! *blushes* Um...okay! I'll try! Well, Heather's really excited because she really loves this chapter and she's really happy to finally have a chance to share it with all of you! I really like it, too, so I hope all of you feel the same way. She always tries her hardest to write us to the best of her ability, while still keeping all of us and our story within the true spirit of Digimon. That spirit all of you love. So...I hope you all continue to read about us! There's some really interesting stuff in this chapter that took me and all my friends by surprise, so we hope you enjoy it! Um...is that okay, Heather?**

**Heather: Perfect! Only, you forgot one thing.**

**Mickey: *gasp* That's right! I almost forgot! Matty, why don't you take over?**

**Matty: Huh? Me? Well, if you're sure...Okay then, Heather would like to dedicate this chapter to her good friend RoyalKnightX, who was a big inspiration for this chapter as he was the one who put the idea in her head for...well, I can't tell you, it'll spoil the chapter, but the idea came from him a very long time ago and Heather really loved it, so she decided to use it. Thanks, RoyalKnightX, we owe you one!**

**Heather: Thanks, guys! *hugs Mickey and Matty* You two better get back to the gang now before, like, DarkAngelicmon tries to attack you or something.**

**Matty: Don't even joke!**

**Mickey: Bye, everyone!**

***Both twins hug Heather and scurry off through the nearest Digiworld gate to rejoin the gang on Server.*  
**

**Heather: I'd also like to say a big thank you to Miss. Anonymous hp for her many thoughts and ideas for this fic, and for putting up with all my long FTFOD rants over MSN all the time. She knows so much about this story now, she's like a plot spoiler all on her own! Both her and RoyalKnightX have inspired so many ideas into me from the early days of this story, so really it's every bit their story as much as it is mine. Love you guys to pieces! XOXO. Now, on with the chapter! Also, to Shire Folk, great minds think alike, right? You'll get what I mean if you read the chapter!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 214: The Child of Optimism

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

For a long moment, nobody said anything, and staring at the now blank screen with his mouth hanging open, much in the same fashion as the rest of his fellow Digidestined, Sam was finding it hard to believe what he had just heard, his mind unable to accept Gennai's words from the past, words that had been spoken long before he had ever existed.

The Ruler of Darkness. A digimon with no face and no name. Could he have truly come back from the past, despite the fact that Gennai had told them specifically that the digimon who had first come from behind the Wall of Fire had been defeated by Tal and his friends?

"It can't be. It just...it can't!" Takara gasped, shaking her head in denial. She was clutching Dai's arm in support, and Dai, in turn, was clinging to Takara's shoulders, unable to respond, which was extremely unusual for the current leader of the Digidestined, who always had something to say about everyone and everything.

The present day Gennai, who was standing off to the side of the huge television screen, merely smiled and said, "Did you all find this scene to be as interesting as I did?"

_Interesting? Well, I guess that's one way to put it...I can think of a few different words, though..._

Sam suddenly noticed his father shifting restlessly on the floor and glancing at the raven-haired Digidestined, he was surprised to find that the former Emperor was frowning at Gennai. "If you don't mind me asking, what was it that we just saw? The Ruler of Darkness...Were they really talking about what we think they were talking about? After all this time..."

"It can't be!" Yolei interrupted, throwing up her hands in defeat. "How can an evil digimon from the past who was defeated be causing all this trouble in the present? That was years and years ago. It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe not, but...don't forget, Yolei, Tai and his friends thought Myotismon was defeated and then...well, you know what happened after that," Cody reminded the female Digidestined, his green eyes growing dark and serious, despite the bright fluorescent lights in the room. "You just never know."

"But...that was only four years, not over thirty years!"

"We can't rule out anything, Yolei," Hawkmon scolded, glancing meaningfully at Armadillomon, who was seated beside him. "That's what usually gets us into trouble."

"A lot of trouble," Armadillomon agreed.

"Gennai, what happened back then?" Matt asked quietly. "I think you know something and I want to hear what it is you have to say."

"Tell us!" Ryoko demanded.

"Please?" Dovemon added, smiling apologetically at the robed figure for Ryoko's rudeness.

Gennai turned to gaze thoughtfully at the black screen for a moment, lost in his own memories, and without removing his attention from the monitor, he said, "Daichi, do you remember the long conversation I had with you and your friends back on File Island earlier?"

"Of course I do. You were telling us all about the Spirit Chips."

"And you also told us a bit about the history of the Digital World," Matty added.

"That's correct. If you recall, I also briefly mentioned Takahiro Kuroki and his friends at Tai's request to know a bit more about the first Digidestined."

"That's right. You also told Dai and the others a bit about Tal's involvement with the Highton View Terrace incident, and you mentioned the digimon that Tal's group defeated had come out from behind the Wall of Fire," Mimi said slowly, looking to Izzy for confirmation.

Izzy nodded in agreement and said, "You told us quite a bit that day, but there are still a few holes."

"Yes...Do you remember what I said when I mentioned the first digimon who had come out from behind the Wall of Fire? The one Tal's group defeated?"

Sam stared at Gennai for a moment, and thinking back on the robed figure's words, he let out a loud gasp, causing everyone in the room to look at him in surprise. "You said...it can't be the same digimon. That's what you said. It was like you were talking to yourself, like the rest of us weren't even there."

"Yes, I remember now! You said a few other things, too," Mickey interrupted, his amber eyes lighting up with sudden excitement. "You also said something about some kind of barrier, how it would have been broken if they were the same digimon, but it's still intact. You also mentioned something about...Data Cores, I think you called them. You mentioned them again just now before we saw the video. You also mentioned the name, the Ruler of Darkness."

"I must say, I'm quite impressed. You all have excellent memories. Yes, that is what I'd said and I think now is finally the time for me to explain to all of you what I was talking about, now that I've had some time to think."

"What are you waiting for? Let's hear it then," Rosa interrupted, her tendency to get a little impatient sometimes showing itself magnificently.

"As I mentioned to you earlier, thirty-three years ago a digimon of tremendous power came out from behind the Wall of Fire, causing a warp in space that threatened to swallow both the Digital World and the human world and plunge them into darkness. His mere existence held that kind of power, but it wasn't until he had managed to gather several powerful servants to aid him in his quest for power that his presence within the Digital World began to cause the warp to expand and become truly dangerous. It wasn't something that happened right away, as it might have sounded to Tai's group when I first mentioned the incident. It took careful planning and a lot of work."

"So...in other words, the warp in space remained in a sort of dormant state at the beginning and didn't become a threat until near the end, after he'd already been in the Digital World for a while, plotting and planning to submerge both worlds in darkness,"Alopemon said bluntly, exchanging at look with Ryoko.

"Exactly. He was a player in the game from the very moment Tal's team entered the Digital World, but it wasn't till closer to the end that we realized this digimon was what was causing the balance of power here in the Digital World to shift in favour of the darkness. We only discovered this after we found out his true origins."

"So...he must have come out from behind the Wall of Fire just before Tal's team was called to the Digital World," Celestimon said slowly, wrinkling his nose in concentration. "He was the reason why they were called to the Digital World in the first place."

"Precisely. He was a formidable opponent, and as you now know, he called himself the Ruler of Darkness."

"So...is he the same evil digimon we're dealing with now?" Embermon demanded, asking the one question everyone was dying to know the answer to.

"I wondered that myself, since the digimon we're dealing with right now calls himself by the same name, but after careful consideration, I've come to the conclusion that the answer is no. I do not believe they're the same digimon."

"Say what now?" Dai sputtered, staring at Gennai in disbelief. "But...but...if that's the case then why did you bother showing us this old footage in the first place?"

"Because...although I do not believe they are the same digimon, I do believe there is some sort of a connection between them. We cannot ignore the fact that they call themselves by the same name. That can't be a coincidence."

"So...what exactly are you trying to say?" Gotsumon asked, scratching the back of his rocky head in confusion.

"I don't get it," Glowmon complained.

"Let me explain. There is a reason why I don't think they're the same digimon. Thirty-three years ago, the digimon calling himself the Ruler of Darkness had another name, a name many digimon feared, with good reason, due to the fact that what he was attempting to do was related to a very dark prophecy that comes out of File Island and has existed since the dawn of the Digital World. This digimon's name was GranDracmon, and thanks to Tal and his friends, GranDracmon was never able to fulfill the prophecy. He was defeated before that could happen."

"He sounds mega evil," Matty mumbled, shuddering slightly and wrapping his arms around himself for warmth.

"He was and it was no easy task to defeat him. In order to prevent the spread of his darkness, Tal and his friends had to give up the power of their Data Cores, and to this day those Data Cores have a very important role. They act as a barrier of sorts, and because of that I know this digimon who is calling himself the Ruler of Darkness cannot be GranDracmon."

"What are the Data Cores?" Wormmon asked curiously, sounding a little confused.

"I assume they were some kind of tool to help with the digivolving process," Izzy explained, before Gennai could answer. "Kind of like the crests and the Spirit Chips."

"Valour, integrity, insight, spirit, and optimism. All admirable traits. Upon arriving here in the Digital World, I do not believe Tal and his friends realized they possessed these traits, but they learned, and I have faith that all of you will do the same with your Spirit Chips."

Sam blushed when he realized Gennai was looking in his direction, not by accident, he was sure, and avoiding the robed figure's eyes, he mumbled, "Could you tell us a bit more about this GranDracmon?"

"I could, but I'm not going to."

"Why not?" Ryoko shouted, glaring indignantly at the robed figure.

"Because I believe there are those who will be able to explain it a little bit better than I can. I think it would be best if you spoke with them instead."

"You don't mean...Tal and his friends?" Cody asked hesitantly, frowning slightly.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Dai snorted, rolling his eyes. "We don't know anything about them. Where they live now, or how to contact them, or-"

"You can start perhaps by asking the principal of your school. I'm quite sure he will be able to help you."

"Huh?" Takara replied, staring at Gennai in confusion.

The robed figure smiled. "Yes, your principal. Principal Sugiyama."

_No...way..._

"Wait, what?" Dai gasped, his dark eyes growing wide in utter disbelief. "Mr.S? Mr. Sugiyama? He..._him_?"

"No," Matty blurted out, looking just as shocked as Daichi. "_Our_ principal? Mr. S? It can't be..."

"Mr. Seta Sugiyama. Principal at Odaiba Elementary and a member of the Digidestined. Partner to Gessmon," Gennai said calmly, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. "He will be able to lead you to Tal and the others."

"You've got to be kidding me," Ryoko groaned, putting his face in his hands. "Our principal, Mr. Sugiyama, who sees Dai and Matty at least twice a week, is a _Digidestined?_ This is crazy! I mean, I knew his full name, but...Sugiyama, his last name, isn't really a rare last name, and I never even thought about his first name, even after hearing it mentioned. It's not really all that rare either. And with everything that's been going on lately, our principal was the last thing on my mind, which is understandable considering the circumstances, but still...I just...never made the connection. I never even thought..."

"Well, why would you?" Matty challenged, still shaking his head. "I didn't even know what his first name was, just that it started with an 'S' cause it says so on his door."

"Same here," Dai agreed.

"Figures," Takara muttered.

"That's because you two never pay attention to anything," Ryoko scolded, giving both boys a disapproving look.

"Maybe not, but none of us made the connection, not just them. Now that I think about it, though, it makes sense," Mickey said softly, smiling to himself. "Mr. Sugiyama has always been really nice towards Dai and Matty, despite how often Mrs. Hanari sends them to his office. He seems like the perfect candidate for being a Digidestined to me."

"But still, it's just so crazy," Takara said quietly, a sheepish look on her face. "All this time and we never knew..."

"Prodigious! This is excellent!" Izzy cried excitedly, beaming at Dai. "I'm sure Seta and his friends will be able to tell us a lot of useful information that might help us in figuring out what's going on here in the present. I have to say, I agree with Gennai. I don't think it's a coincidence that both GranDracmon and whoever this new digimon is both call themselves the Ruler of Darkness. There must be some kind of connection."

"A big one," Tentomon agreed.

"The next time you six are in school, you should probably speak with Seta, and the sooner the better. The more we know, the better chance we have of stopping DarkAngelicmon and his allies from doing...well, whatever it is they're trying to do for their master."

"Speaking of which, while all of you are searching for the Spirit Chip of Compassion, myself and a bunch of our allies, including Piximon here, will be looking for the location of the third Spirit Chip. If we find anything, I'll be sure to contact Izzy and let him know. Until then, I wish you well on your journey, and don't forget to pass on my message to Kari and Gatomon."

"We won't," Palmon promise, turning to glance at her partner. "Are we ready to go, then?"

"If Leomon says we are," Mimi replied, climbing slowly to her feet.

Leomon nodded in confirmation, and after a quick goodbye to Gennai and Piximon, they proceeded to make their way back up to the surface of the lake.

Sam was in shock.

Not only was he having issues with his father, but apparently the past wasn't entirely the past after all and his principal was a Digidestined. What else was going to happen considering all the crazy things that had happened already?

_Maybe I just don't want to know..._

"Come, Sam, you don't want to get left behind," his father said shortly, tugging lightly on his sleeve and startling him so badly he nearly tripped up the stairs. A deep blush stained his cheeks and peeking at his father, he didn't know what to say. Gennai's comment had been a direct hit on him, and both of them knew it.

"Don't say anything," the former Emperor replied, as if reading his mind.

"Then don't look at me like that! Don't you know this is hard enough as it is without you acting like that?"

"Sam-"

"Stop trying to make me feel guilty!"

His father stared at him, but before the former Emperor could say anything, Sam quickly raced up the stairs to join Mickey at the front, his heart growing heavy and a little voice in the back of his head telling him he was the one in the wrong, not his father.


	215. A Plan With a Twist

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: New chapter! So, I'm really excited about what's coming up in the story, though I won't tell you what it is, but just a hint, a future chapter of this story will directly relate to a future chapter of _Digimon Chronicles: The Demon Years._ That's all I'll say for now. Also, the next chapter coming up after this one is for all the Daikara fans. I think you'll all enjoy it. That's it for now!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 215: A Plan With a Twist

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

A twig snapped somewhere off to the left, and turning slightly DarkAngelicmon raised an eyebrow at the unmistakable sound of feet squelching through the mud, along with a snort of disgust.

_And yet another opportunity to indulge myself in my favorite pastime, annoying Vampiramon._

Unable to help himself, DarkAngelicmon smiled in amusement. "Now really, Vampiramon, is it necessary to make so much noise? Be grateful we are not the Digidestined. Even they would have been able to hear you coming from miles away."

"Keep quiet, you fool," Vampiramon snapped, appearing suddenly out of the trees with her hands on her hips, Ivymon and the group of Vilemon they'd left at the edge of the swamp following behind her. She looked annoyed, which wasn't exactly out of character for her, as it tended to double as her normal, everyday expression, and lifting her skirts free from the watery mess beneath her feet, she frowned at the marks staining the silky black and red fabric of her vampire outfit. "I have a headache already as it is. I don't need you making it worse."

"Any news?" BlackWidowmon demanded, impatient as usual.

"As a matter of fact, there is," Vampiramon replied, looking quite pleased with herself. "As we had anticipated, the Digidestined did indeed visit Gennai's humble home. They are on their way here to this disgusting ooze infested swamp even as we speak. Leomon is acting as their guide."

"And?" Spritemon asked sweetly, encouraging the vampire digimon to continue.

"And what?"

At this point, DarkAngelicmon felt he'd better step in. "There's something troubling you. What is it you're not telling us?"

_She didn't happen to run across my dear friend Lucemon, I hope. I know he is here on Server, spying on the Digidestined most likely, which means...he must have been close to Vampiramon. If she spotted him..._

"I'm not sure," Vampiramon said slowly, a slight frown marring her lovely pale features. "When they left Gennai's residence, the Digidestined were talking excitedly to one another, as if they'd just discovered something important. Unfortunately I couldn't get close enough to hear what they were saying without being caught, but there was a definite buzz in the atmosphere."

"Interesting. The fool wonders...What could Gennai have said or done to get them all excited?" Jestermon murmured, resting his chin in one of his mottled green hands. "Perhaps it was Leomon who caused the stir?"

_Lucemon...you were lucky this time to escape Vampiramon's keen sight, but you may not be so lucky next time. Foolish angel, are you trying to get yourself captured by my master? And after you tried so hard to flee from the darkness..._

"There's no way to know for sure unless we force it out of them," Spritemon snorted, shrugging her shoulders and gazing hopefully at Vampiramon. "Can we? It would be so much fun to torture them. Way more fun than just stealing the Spirit Chips."

"Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you be asking our leader?" Vampiramon said bitterly, her crimson eyes flashing.

DarkAngelicmon smirked at the vampire digimon before turning his attention to Spritemon. "Perhaps, if we have some time."

_Have the Digidestined finally found out about Lucemon? Is that perhaps why they're excited? Have Angelicmon and Gabrielmon finally revealed their secret?_

"Well, whatever it is they've discovered, it could be important," BlackWidowmon interrupted, tossing her long dark hair. "We must find out what it is. It could have something to do with the Spirit Chips, or...it may be important some other way. Regardless of whatever it is they're hiding, it could be of use to us. Better to extract from them whatever new knowledge they have before they can find a way to use it against us."

"The fool agrees," Jestermon cackled, leaping into one of his happy little dances. "I also like that idea of torture Spritemon mentioned earlier. Sounds fun."

"So, now that the Digidestined are on the move, what's the plan?" Spritemon asked curiously.

"You are coming with me," Vampiramon replied, giving the sprite digimon no chance to argue. "DarkAngelicmon will have to remain here due to his celestial nature. We can't have him ruining our plans. Jestermon and BlackWidowmon can keep him company."

"What? And miss all the fun?" Jestermon complained, shaking his head in disgust.

"We'll call you there when we have a use for you. Ivymon and the Vilemon will also be coming with me. We'll be tracking the Digidestined, and once we reach the Spirit Chip, that's where you three will come in."

At this, DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows and said pleasantly, "Pardon me, Vampiramon, but if I recall, didn't the Ruler of Darkness put _me _in charge?"

"Why yes, of course," Vampiramon agreed, giving him a nasty smile. "And since it's obvious you don't like my plan, what then would you have us do,_ leader?_"

"Who said anything about me not liking the plan? It sounds like an excellent plan. Carry on, please."

Vampiramon stared at him, her mouth hanging open and her right eye twitching. "You just said-"

"Indeed I did, and as the leader of this little operation, I only have one request."

"Which would be?"

"We'll go along with your little plan, but I'd like to add a bit of a twist to it."

"Go on."

DarkAngelicmon was silent for a moment, and lifting his face to the dreary sky above them, he said softly, "You must make sure Sam suffers."

"Excuse me?"

"Our plan to steal the Spirit Chip will not work if we cannot give Sam a reason to need his Spirit Chip. Everything depends on Ken Ichijouji. Without him, we're doomed to fail. Sam must suffer at the hands of the Emperor. Make it so. If you do not, I will not be pleased."

Vampiramon studied him curiously for a moment, and nodding slightly she smiled an unpleasant smile that was meant for the poor, unsuspecting Sam. "That can be arranged. In that regard, Ivymon and the Vilemon will come in useful. I'll see what I can do."

"That is all I require. Otherwise carry on with your plan as you see fit."

_And if you honestly believe I'm going to sit here waiting while you set the playing field then you are sadly mistaken. There are more important matters for me to attend to other than playing the waiting game. There is much to be done when it comes to Sam and the Emperor, and I intend to be a part of it. And then there's Lucemon...Somehow I must warn him..._

"Well, if we're ready to go then let's hurry up," Spritemon said impatiently, leaping into the air. "Can you lead us back to the Digidestined?"

"That won't be a problem," Vampiramon smirked, gesturing with her hand. "I took note of the direction they were heading in upon leaving Gennai's residence and followed them for a bit. By this time they should be approaching the edge of the swamp not far from us, which means you'd better get out of here, DarkAngelicmon."

"Of course."

"Easy prey," Ivymon laughed, the Vilemon all nodding vigorously to show their support.

"Let's go then."

DarkAngelicmon watched the group in charge of the Digidestined slip away through the trees, and bowing his head he smiled to himself. Once again his plans were being set smoothly into motion. Now all he needed was to figure out how to deal with Lucemon...

_Lucemon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Lurking in the tall grass, MarineAngemon by his side, Lucemon watched as the Digidestined, accompanied by Leomon, emerge from the lake chattering with excitement, and frowning, MarineAngemon whispered, "What do you think has them so excited?"

"I'm not sure, but perhaps we'll find out if we can get close enough to them without being spotted. It appears Angelicmon and Gabrielmon still have not mentioned my presence to the Digidestined. We're still as yet undiscovered, at least for the moment. How long that will last I cannot say. Best to make the most out of our obscurity while we still have a chance."

"Angelicmon, Gabrielmon, and even Angemon and Angewomon would never betray your secret."

"No. Not unless they have to, and I fear...that day may be coming soon."

"Then why not tell them now and be done with it?"

Lucemon smiled sadly.

_Many reasons, MarineAngemon, or perhaps none at all, except the one I refuse to admit to myself. I'm just not ready. Not ready for what I don't deserve..._

"It looks like they're heading towards the swamp," MarineAngemon said after a moment, resigning himself to changing the subject.

"That must be where the next Spirit Chip is. It does seem like a place where one would be hidden. The swamp here on Server isn't exactly easy to navigate, and the Spirit Chip would have a more likely chance of going undiscovered."

"That's for sure. And there goes Vampiramon. It looks like she's following them. What do we do now?"

"We follow them as well."

"And DarkAngelicmon?"

Lucemon frowned, his pale blue eyes falling closed as he searched for the presence of his old friend, something he had purposely been ignoring earlier so as not to distract himself.

"We know he's on Sever, but..."

"His presence seems to be coming from the general direction of the swamp, but I can't say where exactly for sure."

"So you think they already knew the Spirit Chip was there and they've been waiting for Vampiramon to confirm the location of the Digidestined?"

"I don't doubt that, MarineAngemon. The Ruler of Darkness and his spies are very sneaky. I know because I used to be one of those spies. They certainly know much more than we do and they're taking advantage of the knowledge they possess. We must be careful and we must make sure the Digidestined do not fall into any of their traps."

"Sure. I know we can do it if we try hard enough."

"Then let us depart. Be wary of Vampiramon. If she spots us then all will be lost and we will be in serious trouble."

"I'll be careful. Come on, Lucemon, let's go help our new friends."

_Friends...If only...How can I call them my friends when they have never met me? Especially with all that I am hiding..._

But MarineAngemon was like that. Everybody was a friend, as long as they proved themselves worthy of such an honourable title.

_I wonder...will they ever truly be able to call me a friend?_

Lucemon slowly followed the little mega hurrying along in front of him, and shaking his head at his own foolishness, he let out a soft sigh.

He didn't know if the Digidestined would ever consider him a friend, but there was one thing he did know. He would do whatever he could to help them, even if it cost him his life. He would make sure they saw DarkAngelicmon for who he really was, even if it killed him.

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ken was at a complete loss of what to do. They had been walking for almost two hours now, and he had hoped, but not really believed, he would be able to use the time it took for them to find the Spirit Chip to at least establish some kind of communication with his son, but considering the way Sam was attempting to avoid him even more enthusiastically then when had they first entered the Digital World, it didn't look as if he was going to have much luck in that regard. Sam was deliberately walking at the front of the group while he, Ken, was lagging near the back, but he knew if he attempted to make his way towards the front, Sam would immediately head to the back of the party.

_Is this how it's always going to be? Will I be forced to watch over my son from afar instead of being able to stand by his side when he needs me the most?_

"Hang in there, Ken," Wormmon pleaded, looking up at him with worried eyes.

"You have to believe me, Ken. It _won't _be like this forever. It won't be," Yolei insisted, though it sounded almost as if she were trying to convince herself as well as him.

_Yolei, Wormmon...I can't hide anything from them. They know me so well. I want to believe them, but it doesn't seem to matter what I say. Every word out of my mouth always ends up being the wrong thing to say. I just want to be able to talk with Sam, laugh with him, watch television with him, help him do his homework. All the things we used to do before everything got so complicated._

"Hey, Leomon, how did you guys find out that the Spirit Chip was in the swamp anyway?" Dai asked curiously, turning to the champion walking next to him.

"Do tell!" Embermon butted in, his crimson tail twitching in excitement.

"Well, we've spent a lot of time gathering information from all the digimon here in the Digital World. Rumours and stories, that sort of thing. You can thank them for most of what we've managed to find out."

"Nice to know there are so many digimon here on our side," Matty said happily, quickly occupying the space on Leomon's other side to listen in.

"That, you do. With regards to this particular Spirit Chip, we had help from the digimon who live in the city of Code, which lies several kilometres west of the swamp. Most of the information we received from them actually came from the digimon who live in the small village of Modem, which lies deep within the swamp. The digimon from Modem often visit Code on their travels, bringing news and rumours from the swamp."

"And I take it you heard a particularly interesting rumour in Code that must have come out of Modem?" Ryoko concluded, a slight smile on his face.

"Indeed. Apparently quite a few digimon from Modem had come across a rather strange purple light emitting from a small clearing about a half day's walk from the village, but none of the villagers have ever been brave enough to investigate the source of the light."

Ken suddenly froze, his heart almost coming to a dead stop, and edging closer to the front of the group, he swallowed a lump in his throat that was making it difficult for him to speak. "Wait a minute...a...did you say a purple light?"

Almost immediately, everyone turned to look at Sam, and blushing a deep shade of red, the raven-haired Digidestined proceeded to gaze uncertainly at his feet.

Out of all the new Digidestined, only Sam had a purple D-Coder to match the colour of the Spirit Chip.

"Yes, purple," Leomon confirmed, also glancing quickly at Sam before continuing on with his story. "The rumour sounded exactly like the kind of thing we were looking for, so we made the trip to hear the tale from the digimon there ourselves. They confirmed what the villagers of Code had already told us earlier, so we went to investigate."

"And that purple light turned out to be the Spirit Chip of Compassion," Alopemon finished.

"Exactly. It will take us a while to get to where it is, though."

"That's fine. I was anticipating we might have to stay the night anyways," Izzy said quickly, beaming at the champion. "We came prepared."

"That's good to hear," Leomon replied, nodding to show his approval. "It will probably take us two days to get there. The only reason we were able to find it so quickly the first time was because we got a ride from Azulongmon, who had come along to help out, though he remained discreet and spent most of his time in the clouds so as not to attract attention."

"So...if the Spirit Chip is purple then that means it has to belong to Sam, not me," Ryoko said slowly, looking both relieved and happy.

_He's happy for Sam because he believed right from the beginning that it wasn't his. He wants it to be Sam's because it suits Sam so perfectly. But...why relieved? Unless one of the other Spirit Chips has caught his interest and he thinks it might suit him better..._

"Don't get too excited," Sam grumbled, his tone bitter. "Just cause it looks like mine doesn't mean it'll want me."

"Sam, don't say things like that," Glowmon gasped, his transparent wings drooping slightly. "I believe in you..."

Sam didn't reply and Ken had to close his eyes at the look on his son's face. He still didn't know what to do. He was still lost and it scared him.

It scared him a lot.

_What if I can't find a way to reach Sam before it ends up being too late to save him? What will I do then?_


	216. Sinking Deeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Finally back with another chapter! More chapters to come in the near future. There's a small part in this chapter involving Mimi that's a bit of a tribute to my story called _My Best Friend's Girlfriend_, where a sort of similar conversation involving her foot attire takes place. Enjoy!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 216: Sinking Deeper

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sam glanced anxiously at his surroundings, his sapphire gaze wandering over first the moist earth beneath his feet and then at the surrounding trees, unsure of whether or not venturing into the swamp was, in fact, a very good idea after all, especially since the sky had grown noticeably darker and the clouds looked as if they were threatening to burst, no doubt causing a heavy downpour of rain.

They had only just entered the swamp, and as a result they were still not much further from the edge than when they had first arrived, as they had decided to take a short break from their trek across the rich and interesting landscape of Server before moving deeper into the gloomy atmosphere of the swamp. Already, though they hadn't come very far, Sam felt a deep urge to turn around and run straight back to Gennai's residence as fast as his legs could carry him, but unfortunately he didn't have the option of doing so, thanks to the rest of the Digidestined.

As Leomon had informed them earlier, the swamp did appear to be vast, and the environment could abruptly change in the blink of an eye if you were not watching your progress through the mud, dirt, and grime very carefully. One minute you could be walking through a thick expanse of trees, almost like a forest, where the squelching mud was sticky but bearable, and the next minute you could be walking through a huge plain, where the ground was so watery it felt like moving sluggishly through a fast moving stream. The surrounding foliage could hide you nicely from enemies on the ground, but not so well from any that might be stalking you from the air. Not only that, but the mud could become so sticky if felt almost like trudging through quicksand, and in some places the murky water had pooled together to form small ponds, which were so dirty they definitely weren't ideal for swimming or washing purposes. On top of the mud, the air was thick, moist, and very humid, and Sam had to admit as he brushed sticky strands of raven hair off his forehead, incredibly uncomfortable.

"This place is...disgusting," Takara commented, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're telling me! Look at my designer boots!" Mimi moaned, reluctantly pulling her left foot free from a particularly squelchy patch of mud. "They're probably ruined thanks to this stupid swamp."

At this sudden outburst, Matt raised his eyebrows, his lips twitching in amusement. "Some things never change, I see. What ever possessed you to wear those things in the first place? They're not exactly ideal for taking a stroll through a swamp."

"How was I supposed to know we were going to be trekking through a swamp? It would have been nice if Gennai had warned us ahead of time before we came to the Digital World."

"You know Gennai," Izzy replied absently, without looking at Mimi. "He's always had his own way of doing things. That's just how he is."

"Which way, Leomon?" Cody asked wearily, turning to the champion lounging next to him on a fallen tree branch.

"We'll keep heading north, and watch out for any sinkholes. If you disappear in one of those, there's little the rest of us can do to help if we don't manage to pull you out in time."

"Thanks, Leomon. Like we really needed to hear that," Mimi complained, rolling her eyes. "Yuck, look what the humidity is doing to my hair. If it wasn't for the Spirit Chip, I think I would have definitely sat this one out."

"Don't give up now, Mimi, we've only just started," Palmon encouraged, tugging lightly on her partner's short, pink skirt. "It'll be worth it once we find the Spirit Chip."

"For the sake of my hair, I'm not so sure I agree with you, Palmon."

"I don't know what you're complaining about," Matt snorted, giving his wife a rather exasperated look. "You're still incredibly gorgeous regardless of what your hair looks like. What's the big deal?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Matt. Though...I do appreciate the sentiment."

"Must be the hormones kicking in," Rosa joked, trying not to smile. "Goes along with the whole being pregnant thing."

"I don't know about that," Yolei teased, laughing softly. "If I recall, this is Mimi on a normal day. Give it another couple weeks and then we'll be running for cover!"

"Yeah, remember to duck when you see her coming, Matt," Rosa giggled. "I still haven't forgotten the last time she was pregnant!"

"You two are supposed to be on my side here," Mimi interrupted before her husband could answer. "And both of you should be spending more time worrying about your own hair than my attitude. The state of a woman's hair, especially when it comes to three attractive women like us, should not under any circumstances be taken lightly."

"Of course not," Rosa agreed, her voice solemn and her eyes dancing with amusement. "We're taking the state of our hair very seriously. Seriously."

Mimi, having missed the sarcasm in that last statement completely, turned to her son and said, "How are you holding up, Ryoko?"

"I'm fine, but I have to admit, this place is pretty gross."

"See? At least my son can sympathize with me," Mimi said dramatically, smiling fondly at Ryoko, who was busy fanning himself and tugging at his shirt, which was sticking to his chest from the humidity.

"I'm not cut out for this kind of weather," Alopemon grumbled. "It's making my fur itchy."

"What are you talking about? The weather feels great!" Embermon said cheerfully, bouncing down from the branches of a tall and rather wilted looking tree, where he had been keeping watch for any sign of their enemies.

"Maybe for you," Dai muttered, glaring indignantly at his partner. "Come on, guys, let's get going."

At Dai's words, Sam slowly stood up, giving his own fallen tree stump that he'd been using for a perch a wistful look, and falling into step beside Mickey, who looked a little on the wilted side himself, he glanced anxiously at his father, who was walking near the front of the group. The former Emperor looked exhausted, and Sam felt a small pang of sympathy somewhere deep inside his chest.

_It's not just from the heat and the weather. It's mostly because of me. Come on, Dad, you need to hang on at least until we reach the Spirit Chip..._

"If you're so worried you can always go over there and talk to him," Glowmon whispered quietly in his arms, a hopeful look resonating from within the little rookie's deep violet eyes.

Sam could feel himself blushing, and frowning at his partner, he shook his head in denial. "I get the feeling that probably wouldn't be a very good idea right now...especially after the way I acted at Gennai's house earlier."

"Why not?" Mickey interrupted, leaning close to ensure they wouldn't be overheard by the rest of the group.

"You're just being stubborn," Halomon added, looking quite proud of himself for having come to such an obvious conclusion.

Sam could only stare at Halomon and the older twin, shocked by their words. He hadn't thought they'd been paying any attention to either him or Glowmon, but apparently he was wrong in that regard. "You two shouldn't eavesdrop on other people. It's not very nice."

At this, Mickey raised his eyebrows and said quietly, "Sam, you're walking right next to me. I couldn't help overhearing you. And...do you want to know what I think?"

"Not really."

If he had said those words to Matty, the younger twin probably would have been slightly offended by what could have been considered a rather rude reply, but since this was Mickey and not Matty whom he was speaking to, instead of getting upset the older twin merely tilted his head to the side and said curiously, "Why do you say that?"

"Because...whatever you have to say, I probably don't want to hear it."

"Why not?"

Sam let out a soft sigh, a slight smile on his face. "Because you're always right and you always make me feel guilty, even when you're not trying to. And...you're going to tell me anyways, aren't you."

"I think you're just making excuses. You want to talk to your dad, I know you do."

_And here comes the guilt..._

"Mickey..."

"Stop trying to ignore the feelings in your heart," Mickey said quietly, reaching out to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I know you feel terrible for hurting your dad, but the truth is, as much as you've hurt him, you're hurting yourself even more, and I'm worried."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because...Sam, I don't know how much more of this you can take..."

Sam swallowed a hard lump in his throat, unable to look at his golden-haired friend. "I'm fine, and besides, I think you need to worry more about your brother than you do about me. I know something happened between you guys last night."

He thought his sudden outburst would surprise Mickey, but instead the older twin merely shook his head, a slight frown on his face. "One problem at a time, Sam. Let's just focus on you for now, since it's your Spirit Chip we're looking for, whether you want to admit it or not. We can worry about Matty later."

"But-"

"Quit trying to change the subject," Mickey scolded, cutting Sam off before he could argue.

"Halomon's right, you're just being stubborn," Glowmon added, ruffling his small transparent wings. "I thought Dai was supposed to be the stubborn one, but you've been a lot worse than him lately."

"Hey!"

"Well, it's true!"

Sam frowned at his partner, and turning to gaze at the tall figures of his parents up ahead, he let out another deep sigh, confused by the feelings in his heart. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"Are you going to tell your parents about your uncle and the dream you had?" Mickey whispered in his ear, glancing around quickly to make sure they were still alone at the back of the group.

"I want to, but..."

"Your dad, right?"

"I'm just not ready to tell him yet."

"I understand, but...don't forget, Sam. If you wait too long, the moment might pass you by without you even realizing it."

"I know. I...I'll be careful."

Mickey nodded, but he didn't look convinced. "I want to believe you, Sam, but you're not making it easy for me."

_Mickey, I'm sorry for being such a failure._

"Okay, that's it," Matt suddenly groaned, running a hand through his golden hair and startling Sam out of his thoughts. "I take back what I said about the hair. I almost wish it _would_ rain just so we can cool off a bit, even if I hate the thought of getting wet."

"I really don't like the thought of wet fur, but better that than the humidity," Gabumon sighed, agreeing wholeheartedly with his partner. The little rookie was shuffling along a lot slower than what was normal for him, and with a thick hide of fur covering his body, it was obvious he wasn't cut out for the heat and humidy of the swamp.

"My petals are wilting," Palmon complained, shaking her head in despair. "It's a good thing there's a lot of water here otherwise I'd be done for."

"I knew you'd all see it my way," Mimi teased, gazing meaningfully at her husband.

Ryoko made a face and glaring at his mother, he grumbled, "Give it a rest, Mom. You can gloat later. Right now we need to keep moving because if we stop, even for a few minutes, we might not have the motivation to keep going."

"Leomon?" Celestimon called out, fluttering around the large champion before settling himself comfortably on the lion digimon's shoulder.

Leomon frowned slightly, and hacking away at the stubborn foliage in their path with his sword, he said, "We'll probably have to camp out in the swamp tonight, and from there it'll be another day's walk to the town of Modem."

"You have got to be kidding me," Mimi moaned, slapping a hand against her forehead. "I'm going to have to sleep on the muddy ground?"

"What a shame," Takara murmured, her lips twitching into a small smile.

Glancing at Takara, Sam had to laugh. Though the female Digidestined had agreed with Mimi that the swamp was rather disgusting, he knew she didn't have a problem with sleeping on the muddy ground if she had to. Takara was definitely a tomboy, and though she did have excellent taste in fashion and enjoyed going shopping with her female friends from their class at school, she wasn't afraid to get dirty, and half the time she could be more daring than all her male friends combined.

It was no wonder she could sympathize with males and females alike, and it was plainly clear why she had undoubtedly captured Dai's attention.

For his part, Sam thought the swamp had a kind of mysterious beauty to it, and though he wasn't exactly fond of the weather or the sticky ground beneath his feet, he liked the fact that swamp was quiet and peaceful.

Well, when Mimi wasn't complaining, that is.

"It will only be for one night," Leomon assured the rosy-haired Digidestined, also looking as if he were trying not to smile. "We can spend the following night in Modem before moving on to the location of the Spirit Chip."

"Again, it's a good thing we came prepared and that it's the weekend," Izzy commented, clutching his laptop tightly to his chest. "This is going to take longer than even I thought it would."

"It wouldn't if you guys would just let me digivolve to Dragermon," Embermon complained, giving his partner a meaningful look.

"How many times do we have to tell you, we're trying to be discreet here," Matty snorted, rolling his eyes.

"As much as I agree with you, Embermon, Matty's right," Yolei sighed, lifting her long, lavender braid off her neck and fanning herself with her left hand. "I also agree with Mimi. If this humidity doesn't ease up soon, I think I'm gonna scream. Can you imagine if Joe were here? He'd probably be complaining about how the moist air is causing his allergies to act up or something."

Sam smiled, and he was relieved to see that even his father had managed to crack a faint smile at his mother's remark.

"This place is definitely not a vacation paradise, that's for sure," Tentomon agreed, buzzing along next to Izzy's shoulder. "Remind me never to recommend it to our digimon friends back on File Island."

"It's not so bad. The mud just slides right off my shell," Armadillomon said mildly.

Next to the little rookie, Cody pulled his foot free from the mud, and examining the bottom of his shoe, he muttered, "Lucky you."

"Izzy, next time you'd better make sure you get all the details from Gennai before we go to the Digital World or I'm stealing your laptop and you're never going to see it again!" Yolei ranted, her hands landing on her hips as she whirled around in mid step to glare at the computer expert.

Izzy looked properly frightened by Yolei's threat, clutching his laptop once more protectively to his chest, and the lavender-haired Digidestined smiled in satisfaction, pleased to see that Izzy was taking her threats seriously.

Sam had to admit, his mother could be very scary when she wanted to be.

"Yolei, please calm down," Hawkmon sighed, shaking his head at his partner.

"I will not calm down until we're out of this swamp!"

"It's going to be a while then," Gotsumon muttered.

Thankfully, Yolei didn't hear his words, and Sam let out a sigh of relief. Yes, his mother was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

His father, on the other hand...

A sudden screech split the air, making Sam jump in surprise, and pushing past the twins he wriggled his way to the front of the group to see what was going on. What he saw made his jaw drop open in surprise, and he had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

Apparently Takara had inadvertently stepped into one of the sinkholes Leomon had warned them about earlier, and it was like quicksand for the unfortunate Takara, who appeared to be sinking slowly into the mud.

"Kara!" Dovemon cried, latching onto the female Digidestined's shirt with her claws and trying desperately to pull her partner out, with no results.

"Kara!" Mimi shrieked, falling down onto her knees and reaching out a hand for the younger female to latch onto.

"Careful!" Matt snapped, grabbing his wife around the waist and pulling her back slightly from the edge. "Keep that up and you're going to end up in there with Kara."

"Kara, stop struggling or you're going to make yourself sink even faster!" Izzy cried, losing his head completely and beginning to panic, which was an extremely un-Izzy like thing to do. He even dropped his laptop, which fortunately (or unfortunately if you were Yolei or Mimi) missed landing in the mud and ended up falling into a clump of bushes nearby. As a general rule, Izzy was normally an expert at keeping his cool in dangerous situations, but not today it seemed.

"That's all you've got to say?" Takara wailed, glaring at Izzy. "How about trying to help?"

Leomon immediately leaped into action, but before he could reach Takara, Dai had already made it to the edge of the sinkhole, his fingers clutching Takara's hand in a firm grip.

"Hang on, I've got you!" the goggle-headed leader panted, pulling with all of his strength.

Before Sam could register what was happening, his father was suddenly kneeling next to Dai, a determined look on his face. Without a word, the former Emperor caught Takara's other hand, and together the two of them began to haul Takara towards the edge of the sinkhole, grunting and sweating from the effort to keep her from disappearing beneath the surface.

With Leomon's help, who had managed to catch the back of Takara's shirt, the female Digidestined was pulled free from the mud with a loud squelch, and she collapsed on top of Dai with a moan, her face burying itself against his chest.

"Kara, are you okay?" Dovemon cried, nuzzling the female Digidestined's side with her beak.

"She's fine, Dovemon, thank goodness," Mimi replied, sighing in relief. "That's more than we can say for her clothes though. Shame, I loved that outfit. Kara looks so pretty in it."

Ryoko, who was kneeling on the ground next to his mother, gave the rosy-haired Digidestined an incredulous look before slapping a hand against his forehead, and Matt burst into a fit of laughter, which immediately eased the tension in the air and brought smiles to all their faces.

"Kara, are you sure you're okay?" the former Emperor murmured, gently rubbing her back in a soothing gesture.

Sam almost jumped at the sound of his father's voice. It had been a while since the man had spoken even a single word, and it came as a bit of a shock to hear him now after such a long silence.

"No, I'm not!" Takara cried, her arms tightening around Dai's neck. "This is turning out to be the worst day ever!"

_Join the club, Kara..._

"I did say to be careful," Leomon pointed out, trying and failing miserably not to smile.

"For a moment there I thought we were gonna have to digivolve," Wormmon added, glancing meaningfully at his partner.

"Which you guys don't want us to do, seeing as how we're supposed to be saving our energy for when it really counts," Palmon butted in, completing Wormmon's unfinished thought.

"Um...Kara," Dai managed to stutter, his cheeks turning an interesting shade of red.

Takara didn't appear to notice, though, and hugging the goggle-headed leader even tighter, she said indignantly, "I'm going to murder Gennai for this!"

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Matty muttered, glancing warily at his cousin.

"Why couldn't the Spirit Chip be in a nice city, or a cute little valley, or even a forest? But no, it has to be in a...a..."

"A stinky, dirty bog?" Mimi supplied, giving the younger female a sympathetic look.

Takara let out a deep sigh, her hand coming up to rub a streak of mud off her right cheek. "Yeah, that."

"Oh, I'm sure the Spirit Chips are horrified at the thought of inconveniencing you two in any way," Matt said with a perfectly straight face, which was spoiled by the twitch of his lips and the sparkle in his eyes.

Takara glared at her 'uncle', and then turned her fierce expression on Ryoko, who was smirking at her expense.

"Men," Mimi snorted in disgust, dismissing her husband and son with a wave of her hand. "Ignore them, Kara. They just don't understand."

"Huh?" Ryoko replied.

"Say what now?" Matty asked curiously, glancing at his twin for an explanation.

"Forget it, boys," Matt interrupted, shaking his head in amusement. "We definitely lost this round."

Ryoko merely stared at his father before shrugging his shoulders and turning his attention back to Dai and Takara.

"Uh...Kara," Dai tried again, his cheeks now a brilliant shade bordering on purple.

Takara once again failed to notice, and spontaneously kissing the goggle-headed leader on the nose, she shrieked, "Dai, you saved my life! And after I said I'd only give you the one chance to do it!"

"Er..."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you," Takara moaned, kissing Dai's cheek and once again flinging her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

By this time, the female Digidestined was curled up comfortably in Dai's lap, and thanks to her earlier predicament, not only was she covered in mud, but she had managed to get it all over Dai as well, though the goggle-headed leader certainly wasn't complaining.

It was obvious he was incredibly embarrassed over Takara's sudden odd behaviour, but at the same time he also seemed pleased that she was paying so much attention to him.

_Gee, I wonder why..._

Somehow the goggle-headed leader managed to regain control of his composure enough to mumble, "It was nothing really, and besides, I did have some help."

"True," Takara agreed, giving the goggle-headed leader a warm smile. "Oh...I'm getting you all dirty, aren't I. Sorry about that."

Dai shrugged in response, and he blushed again as Takara attempted to clean off his shirt a bit. "It's no big deal. It's just a little mud."

"More like a lot."

"Kara..."

"What?"

The two of them stared at each other, or more accurately Kara was staring at Dai, who in turn was trying to avoid his friend's hazel eyes, and it was like a light bulb clicked on over the female Digidestined's head as she finally understood the message Dai was trying to get across.

Her arms circled tightly around his neck, Takara was still sprawled in the goggle-headed leader's lap, and their faces were inches apart, close enough that they each could feel the other's warm breath on their faces. Dai's arms had slipped around Takara's waist to prevent her from knocking them over backwards in her excitement, and realizing the position they were in, Takara's cheeks turned a shade of red that matched Dai's entire face before she managed to scramble out of the goggle-headed leader's embrace.

"I...oh...um...thank you, Ken. And you too, Leomon," Takara managed to stammer, turning to her other two rescuers, who were slowly picking themselves off the ground.

Sam watched his father smile softly, and pulling Takara into a gentle hug, ignoring the fact that she was getting mud all over him, the former Emperor said softly, "Any time, Kara. Next time, try to be a little more careful, though."

"It was our pleasure," Leomon added, bowing at the waist and placing a gentle hand on Takara's dark hair.

And that was when Sam felt it, deep inside his heart. It was something he hadn't quite experienced before with regards to his friends or even his siblings, but there was no denying the feeling as he watched his father hugging Takara as if she were his own, like Miya. It was fleeting, but it was still there. A tiny painful stab of jealously deep within his heart. As much as he wanted to deny it, he kenw there was no way for him to do so. He wanted to be right where Takara was now, where he belonged, but because of his own stupidity he could no longer indulge in such a privilage.

"Now that all the excitement is over, we should keep moving," Ryoko announced, smirking at both Dai and Takara, who immediately glared back at him. "It'll be best if we can cover enough ground as possible before nightfall."

"Agreed," Leomon replied, moving quickly to the front of the group. "Remember to keep your eyes peeled for the enemy."

"Yeah..." Halomon mumbled, looking a tad bit distracted as he turned to squint into the trees a ways back.

Celestimon also glanced in the same direction, and Sam frowned, slightly irritated by the way the two celestial rookies kept acting so mysteriously.

_What's up with them?_

He sighed and turned to glance back at his father, who no longer had his arms around Takara, and he jerked in surprise when he realized the former Emperor was gazing back at him.

He looked thoughtful, and Sam had an uneasy feeling that his father knew exactly what he'd been thinking earlier, making him blush in embarrassment.

_But...I can't lie to myself. I am jealous. I don't want to be on the outside anymore, but...how do you fix something that was your fault to begin with? Maybe...Mickey's right. Maybe...maybe I should do something soon because I don't know how much more of this I can take..._


	217. Reaching Sam's Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of its awesomeness. (Apparently that is actually a word!)

**A/N: New chapter! This one's kind of stupid, but they do get better. (How many of you actually believe me on that cause I keep saying it and then I go back on my words!) Anyways, good stuff to come, including more Sam being depressing and Daikara! And some very important background info and history. It is now after this chapter that the stage is pretty much set for upcoming events, so look forward to upcoming chapters!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter: 217: Reaching Sam's Heart

_Vampiramon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Oh, Vampiramon, I've got some news for you!"

That voice. How it irritated her. Not that her master's other servants didn't also get on her nerves, especially a certain fallen angel digimon, but considering the kind of mood she was in at the moment, her level of tolerance for general stupidity had almost reached its limit.

_It had better be good news because I am not going to waste my time putting up with fools and their idiotic nonsense today._

"Don't look so excited, Vampiramon. You're not killing the suspense at all," the same voice drawled, a smirk in her tone.

Vampiramon reluctantly turned to gaze at the sprite digimon fluttering towards her, a scowl on her pale, and slightly scary, face. "If you're wasting my time, I'm going to throw you into a sinkhole and watch with great pleasure as you cease to be an annoyance. I don't have any patience for your stupid games. Now, what is it you have to report?"

Spritemon rolled her deep brown eyes, her hands on her hips, and making a face, she said, "Just because you're in a bad mood today doesn't mean you have to take your anger out on me. I'm not the one the Ruler of Darkness favours, in case you didn't notice."

"Do not speak to me about that idiot fallen angel!"

"Jealous?" Spritemon smirked.

Vampiramon bared her teeth at Spritemon, instantly regretting having brought her along as a companion. Not that she'd had any choice. Out of all of them, Spritemon was their best scout, and with being so tiny and talented in the art of stealth, she almost never got caught spying, making her a valuable asset to the Ruler of Darkness. DarkAngelicmon was also an excellent scout, but due to his celestial nature, unfortunately his talents could not be put to good use this time around, and she'd had to settle for Spritemon.

And considering the way the sprite digimon was currently mocking her, she would almost have preferred DarkAngelicmon's company.

Almost.

"Well, spit it out already. What is it you're so anxious to tell me?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Spritemon teased, fluttering her small wings and clapping her hands together in delight.

"If you don't-"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Well, first of all, that annoying little brat Takara nearly sunk herself into an early grave," Spritemon snorted, a gleeful smile on her face. "Shame that stupid goggle-headed leader of theirs had to save her, though I suppose it's for the best. That means I still have a chance to finish her off myself, which I am most definitely looking forward to."

"That's all you have to say for yourself? Do I look like I care about your obsession with the Kamiya girl? I want real news, not useless gossip."

"You have absolutely no sense of humour at all, do you," Spritemon complained, tugging angrily on her silky brown locks. "And for your information I do have other news to report."

"Hurry up with it then. We don't have all day to fool around, and I'm sick of listening to you already."

"Pardon me, my ladies, but the Vilemon are getting anxious," Ivymon informed them, coming up suddenly behind Spritemon and bowing her head to show her respect. "They are growing tired of waiting, it seems."

"Well, they're going to have to wait a little bit longer, I think," Spritemon replied, smiling mischievously. "According to Leomon, the Spirit Chip is apparently located about half a day's walk from a small town called Modem that lies right here in the swamp. It's apparently going to take the Digidestined about two days to get there."

"Which gives us plenty of time to torment the Emperor's son," Ivymon murmured, glancing at the Spritemon for confirmation.

"Exactly. Now we just have to figure out how we're going to go about such an important task."

Vampiramon remained silent for a moment, thinking the matter over in her head, and reviewing what Ivymon had said about the Vilemon earlier, an evil smile came to her face. "Well...I'm not comfortable with allowing the Digidestined to become aware of our presence just yet, which means we'll need to be discreet."

"Makes sense," Spritemon agreed, nodding to show her approval.

"And...I think we may just have the means to torment Sam while still remaining virtually invisible."

"How so, your evilness?" Ivymon asked curiously, her words tinged with a spark of excitement.

"The Vilemon. We can use them to torture Sam. For one thing, there are a ton of Vilemon on Server, and on every other continent too, for that matter, as they are one of the more common species of digimon here in the Digital World. As a result, the Emperor's son won't immediately link the Vilemon to us if they can play their roles convincingly."

"You want them to act as if they're merely digimon who are native to Server. Or in other words, digimon who know the tale of the Digidestined," Spritemon finished, smiling in anticipation.

"Correct. Let them play with Sam for a while. They will enjoy torturing him about his father, I'm sure."

"You know, I think I'm starting to like this plan."

"The Digidestined...What are their plans for the next two days?"

"Walking mostly," Spritemon snorted, shrugging her shoulders. "According to Leomon, they're planning on spending their first night here in the swamp, and then they'll be spending the next night in Modem before making their way to the Spirit Chip."

Vampiramon smiled, pleased by the news Spritemon had just reported. "Excellent. We'll do it tonight then."

"My lady?" Ivymon replied, looking confused.

"The Vilemon. We'll send them to Sam tonight once they're settled, though preferably while the rest of the Digidestined are occupied with other tasks. It's best if the Vilemon get Sam alone. I don't want the other Digidestined interfering. Knowing Daichi and his friends, they'll try to convince the Ichijouji boy that the Vilemon are trying to trick him, which is exactly what we don't want them to do. If Sam is to suffer, the Vilemon must be able to convince him that his father's crimes are unforgivable. The further he falls into darkness, the better our chances are of gaining the Spirit Chip for ourselves."

"Or so DarkAngelicmon says," Spritemon shot back, a knowing look on her pretty face. "If the Icjijouji boy falls too far though, I don't see how we're going to get him to have need of his Spirit Chip."

"We must be careful. Just the right amount of darkness to prepare the Emperor's son for what is to come. Once we have him right where we want him, in the palm of our hands, then..."

"Then what?"

Vampiramon let out a sound of disgust, her fingers clenching tightly around the small knife that had appeared almost unconsciously in her hands. "I'm sure DarkAngelicmon already has plans for what comes after Sam has sufficiently submerged himself deep within the darkness of his own heart, and no doubt he'll enjoy revealing those plans to us once the time is right, but unitl then we must focus on performing _our_ part of the plan without making any mistakes."

"Of course," Spritemon muttered, shaking her head in disgust. "Well, in that case, let's start putting this plan into action."

"Agreed. Ivymon, gather the Vilemon and bring them here to me. I will inform them of exactly what it is I want them to do tonight, and you will direct them in secret, as the Digidestined may remember you from our castle on Cyber. Understand?"

"Yes, your evilness. I will gather them at once."

Ivymon gave a quick bow before disappearing into the trees, and turning her back on Spritemon, Vampiramon lifted her crimson red eyes to the heavy clouds hovering over Server, a nasty smile on her face.

Sam Ichijouji would suffer. She would make sure of that, and in doing so, she would prove to both DarkAngelicmon and the Ruler of Darkness just exactly who should be in charge of their missions, whether the fallen angel liked it or not.

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"We've been walking for hours! I feel like my feet are going to fall off," Daichi complained, kicking at the soggy ground and making a face.

Sam, who hadn't really been paying attention to the time, looked up in surprise to find that the sky had grown darker, indicating that the sun was most likely starting to set. He couldn't actually see the beginnings of a sunset, thanks to the heavy clouds still threatening to burst in the sky, but considering the air was also starting to get cooler, he figured that probably meant the afternoon was drawing to a close and night would soon be upon them.

"We _have_ been walking for quite a long time," Takara commented, glancing shyly at Daichi before ducking her head to hide the blush on her cheeks.

The female Digidestined had been unusually shy around Dai ever since the incident with the sinkhole, and watching her now, Sam was astonished to find that he had not yet lost his ability to smile, despite the fact that he wasn't in a particularly good mood at the moment and hadn't been since the discovery of the Emperor's true identity.

"There's something bothering me," Ryoko suddenly said slowly, a frown forming on his handsome face.

"What now?" Dai groaned, rolling his dark eyes. "There's always something bothering you."

Ryoko glared at Dai before deciding to just ignore the goggle-headed leader, his frown deepening into a scowl. "This swamp...there aren't any digimon in it."

"Actually, now that you mention it...well, it does feel kind of empty, doesn't it," Matty agreed, glancing curiously at his twin, who merely shrugged in response.

"No kidding. Other than that pack of Gizamon we saw about an hour ago, who kept going on about how great Leomon is, there hasn't been a single digimon in sight," Dai snorted, looking mildly indignant over the fact that those Gizamon had been more interested in praising Leomon than meeting a group of humans who just happened to be the Digidestined.

At least, that was what Sam suspected, though Dai would never admit it. They had met the Gizamon merely in passing and hadn't stopped long to chat, but now that Ryoko mentioned it, they hadn't seen a lot of digimon while traveling through the swamp, nor, Sam realized, had they seen many digimon in the Digital World as a general rule, even when they had first come to the Digital World.

_That is kind of strange..._

It was almost as if Mickey had read his mind because the older twin suddenly looked at Leomon and said, "Ryoko's right. There doesn't seem to be a lot of...life in this swamp. And it's not just the swamp. The whole Digital World appears to be...well, lacking in digimon."

"So you've noticed," Leomon replied, inclining his head to Mickey. "And why do you think that is so?"

"Um...well...I guess it goes back to what Luciamon told us on Cyber. The digimon there were afraid of being recruited by the Ruler of Darkness against their will, and even though she'd been hiding her true identity at the time, what she had said about the digimon was obviously true, and DarkAngelicmon had used the widespread fear on Cyber as a ploy to have Luciamon meet up with us. I guess...what was true for the digimon on Cyber is also true for the rest of the Digital World too, especially now that the Ruler of Darkness and his servants have been causing chaos within all four hemisphere's of the Digital World."

"Indeed," Leomon agreed, quite impressed by the accuracy in which Mickey had described the atmosphere in the Digital World. "The digimon of this world are afraid, especially now that news about the Ruler of Darkness and his servants has spread to all four corners of the Digital World. No digimon wants to live in fear of being brainwashed, nor do they want to be tortured into becoming a servant of the Ruler of Darkness. They do not want to live in fear of his wrath, and who can blame them?"

"So...in other words, the digimon in this world have taken to hiding and most of them are probably not planning to venture too far from their homes any time soon," Matt said slowly. "They're probably waiting and hoping that we, the Digidestined, will defeat the Ruler of Darkness so they can live without fear again."

"Most digimon think very highly of you and your partners. Now that news of your arrival here in the Digital World has spread, they're willing to do what they can to help you, even if it isn't much. And if you need them to fight by your side, they will do so without question. Not all digimon here in this world are fighters, though, and they don't have the privilege of fighting with a human partner, but they will do what they can to help too, even if it's from a distance."

"We have a lot of friends here," Gabumon said quietly, his expression serious. "Even if they aren't always visible, they're with us every step of the way."

"Though most digimon prefer to stay out of sight during dark times in our world, myself, Gennai, and our friends have met quite a few daring ones on our quest to locate the Spirit Chips, digimon who are still traveling despite the threat of the Ruler of Darkness, and there have also been many digimon who have come out of hiding to speak to us about anything out of the ordinary they might have seen to help us locate the Spirit Chips," Leomon informed them, glancing warily through the bushes up ahead, his sword at the ready. "It may not always seem so, but we are not alone in our fight to save the Digital World. Of that I have no doubts, and neither should all of you."

"I don't," Dai said easily, dismissing the thought with a wave of his hand. "I know the digimon in this world have our backs."

_We're not alone. I'm not alone..._

Sam glanced shyly at his father, who was merely standing there staring at nothing in particular, an unreadable expression his face, and frowning Sam shook his head, trying unsuccessfully to clear his thoughts.

_Dad...even though you hurt them, the digimon in this world still support you..._

"It's getting late and we've come a long way," Izzy suddenly interrupted, too caught up in his fascination with the Digital World to notice the sudden solemn change in the atmosphere. "We should probably find a good spot to spend the night before it gets dark. Any suggestions, Leomon?"

"Well...if I remember correctly, there's an old abandoned lodge in the swamp that lies somewhere between the city of Code, which lies outside the swamp, and the village of Modem here within the swamp. It used to serve as a rest stop for digimon traveling between the two towns, but ever since the Syakomon who used to run the lodge packed up and moved on to bigger and even wetter places, no one stops there any more. If I recall, the lodge plays host to a giant spring with pure, clean water, a good place for washing up and staying cool here in the swamp."

"Really?" Takara asked, gazing hopefully at the lion digimon. "Does that mean I can wash all this mud off?"

Leomon laughed before nodding his head in confirmation. "That's right. We shouldn't be too far from it now. The lodge will offer us at least some protection from our enemies, and it'll give us a chance to defend ourselves if we see them coming. Not as safe as it would be if we were in town, but it's still better than spending the night out in the open."

"You won't hear any arguments from me!" Mimi cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "I've been sweating to death all afternoon. A nice bath would do me wonders!"

"Why did I have a feeling you were going to say that?" Matt muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Since it seems we're all in agreement. Why don't we move on then and find this place?" Rosa suggested.

Cody nodded in agreement and said, "Lead the way, Leomon."

Sam let out a deep sigh, and mumbling to himself, he quickly fell in behind the rest of the group, his feet dragging on the muddy ground.

Despite the fact that the air had gotten cooler, he still felt hot and tired, and no matter how hard he tried to ignore the prickling sensation on the back of his neck, he still felt like they were being watched.

Not that he would mention his suspicions to the others. They would probably just accuse him of being paranoid if he did. Either that or they would say he was being difficult on purpose, just because of the situation with his father.

_Maybe I am being paranoid..._

"Try not to look so cheerful, would you?" a voice suddenly snorted softly in his ear, almost giving him a heart attack.

Clutching his chest, Sam turned to glare at the person walking beside him, and he stared stupidly at his companion when he realized it was Matty. "What do you want?"

"Nice talking to you, too," Matty shot back, giving him a dirty look.

Sam wearily rubbed his eyes, glancing uncertainly at Glowmon, who was fluttering in the air beside him, the little rookie's tiny belly flickering softly in the dim glow of twilight before turning back to his friend. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just..."

"If you would just talk to him you'd feel a lot better, you know," Matty interrupted, glancing meaningfully in the former Emperor's direction.

"Probably, but I could say the same thing about you. If you would just talk to Mickey, you would feel a lot better, too."

"Maybe..."

"What happened between the two of you last night? And don't try to deny it. I know something happened. Mickey's being weird, and so are you for that matter."

Matty frowned before saying slowly, "Nothing really...I don't know, it's hard to explain..."

"Try me."

"I think..."

"What? What is it, Matty?"

Matty glanced at his twin, who was chatting with Dai and Ryoko up ahead, an odd look on his face, as if he couldn't decide what it was he really wanted to believe. "I just think maybe Mickey and I need...a little time apart for a while, just to sort out our thoughts...because..."

Sam was confused. "Because why? I don't understand."

"Being apart from Mickey like this...it makes me realize just how important he is to me," Matty mumbled, unable to look at him. "I don't want to forget what that feels like. I...I don't want to forget what's important. Sometimes I think maybe we take each other for granted, but being apart, it makes me appreciate him all the more. Does that...make sense?"

Sam felt his heart clench painfully at Matty's words, and wrapping his arm around the younger twin's shoulders, he said softly, "It makes a lot of sense, Matty. And...if that's how you feel, take your time. You know Mickey will understand."

"I know."

"Hey, Matty...I think sometimes all of us expect a lot from Mickey. He understands all of us so well. We always rely on him to solve our problems for us. That's a lot of pressure, and it never ceases to amaze me how well he handles all of that pressure. But even so...Mickey can only handle so much."

Matty nodded, his hands clenching into tight fists. "I know, and that's why this time I want to be the one who's there for him, not the other way around. Mickey...he believes in all of us. The problem is..."

"We don't believe in ourselves."

Matty stared at him for a long moment, and Sam stared back at his golden-haired friend, confused by the sudden silence. Even Glowmon, who had been listening intently to their conversation, looked confused, and Sam was sure if Celestimon hadn't been cuddled in Mickey's arms at the moment, Halomon fluttering alongside the older twin, he too would have been confused.

"You're right," Matty said finally, his lips turning up in a faint smile. "Which brings us back to you."

"Matty..."

"Enough about me. You're the reason I came over here in the first place. Maybe there isn't much I can do, since I'm not so good with words, but...I can give you a push in the right direction."

"Hhh?"

Before Sam could come up with a more coherent reply, Matty gave him a hard push that sent him tumbling forward, nearly knocking him off balance. A pair of arms caught him before he could land on his stomach, and looking up he let out a gasp as he came face to face with his father. He hadn't realized the former Emperor had been walking just ahead of him, thanks to the whispered conversation he'd been having with Matty, but apparently the younger twin had noticed, and this was the result.

_Thanks a lot, Matty!_

Sam twisted his head around to glare at Matty, who merely smiled at him before racing ahead to join Takara and Rosa at the front of the group.

"Careful," his father murmured, without looking at him.

"Sam, are you okay?" Glowmon cried, hovering anxiously around the former Emperor's head.

"I'm fine."

Sam wiggled in his father's grip, trying to get free, and the former Emperor immediately let go of him, giving him some space. Sam made to step away, but before he could move, Wormmon nudged the backs of his legs, sending him stumbling back into his father's arms.

_It's like a conspiracy or something! Stupid, annoying...amazingly awesome friends..._

"If you want me to let go, I'll respect your wishes, but it'll be against my own will," his father said softly into his hair, holding him close. "Especially when every part of me is screaming not to let you slip away again."

Sam stood frozen for a moment, his arms slipping around his father's waist of their own accord and his face burying itself against the former Emperor's chest, unsure of what to do. He wanted to say something, but there were no words to describe how he was feeling inside.

_Why...when we're like this...Why don't I care about the Emperor anymore? Why doesn't it matter to me what he did? Why can I forgive him for...for not believing in me..._

"Sam..."

Sam slowly pulled away from his father and turning his back on the former Emperor, he said quietly, "I'm the one who's been pulling away, but...I never said I wanted _you_ to pull away."

And with that, he hurried off to catch up with Matt and Mimi, his father's silence echoing in the twilight behind him.


	218. Sharing the Fear

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: And finally back with another chapter! Now, I'm thinking the middle part is a load of sap, so I'll have to apologize in advance. I've gotten much better at putting just the right amount of sap (not too much, but not too little) in all my other stories, but for some reason with this particular story I just seem to fail miserably at that, even in the later chapters. *sigh* Something about this story just seems to bring out the worst in me. Anyways, thank you to all my reviewers for your kind words (that I don't deserve) and your always helpful criticism. I will make sure like usual to look back for any missed mistakes. (Because I always miss some after the first post, and usually the second and third too.)**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 218: Sharing the Fear

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Well, we're here," Leomon announced, nodding towards a medium-sized building nestled in a small clearing up ahead.

The area of the swamp where the lodge was locaated was thankfully surrounded by much more foilage than other areas they had recently passed through, and the ground was far less sticky, much to Ken's relief. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought this part of the swamp was actually a small forest, which was slightly deceiving due to the fact that the trees thinned out again about a kilometre to the north, the direction they were currently heading in to reach the town of Modem. Though the lodge was in good shape, it obviously hadn't been used in quite a while, as it was in need of a few minor repairs, but despite that Ken liked their temporary quarters for the night. The place had a nice, comforting feel to it, almost like it was welcoming them to stay the night.

"It's so pretty here!" Takara sighed, beaming at the quaint country lodge up ahead. It reminded Ken of the type of lodge you would see at a ski resort. It definitely looked like the kind of place to go after a fun filled round of skiing, snowboarding, or tubing.

"The springs are behind the lodge if you want to wash up," Leomon informed Takara. "You can reach them through the back entrance of the lodge."

"But before we take a dip in the springs, I think we should probably eat first," Rosa announced, ignoring Takara's attempts to protest. "It's been a long day, and I know all of you are hungry, even if you won't admit it. We did miss dinner, after all."

"But...but...Oh, fine," Takara groaned, making a face. "I _am _really hungry and it's not like all this mud is hurting me, even if it does feel uncomfortable."

"Poor girl," Mimi said sympathetically, giving the younger girl a quick kiss on the cheek rather than a hug to avoid getting dirty herself.

"As much as I feel uncomfortable myself, Rosa's right," Cody insisted, smiling at his wife. "Food has to be our number one priority. We need to keep up our strength and energy in case Vampiramon and the others come looking for us. It's especially important for our digimon to eat. We need them to be in top digivolving form at all times."

"You won't hear any complaints from me!" Embermon agreed wholeheartedly, nodding his head for emphasis.

"Also, it's best if we eat now before the storm starts," Rosa added, lifting her chin to gaze anxiously at the dark sky hovering above the swamp. Not a single star or the moon could be seen, which meant the sky was indeed very cloudy and threatening to burst. "We've been lucky so far, but our luck isn't going to last forever. It's definitely going to rain tonight, and I don't know about you guys, but I want something warm and nicely cooked to eat tonight. Best to get the fire going while we still have a chance."

"Which brings us to who's going to do what," Matt finished, his sapphire eyes scanning over the group, as if measuring their worth. "Dai, you'll be in charge of gathering wood for the fire with Mickey and Cody. It might be hard since the ground is still a bit wet, but try to find as many dry pieces as possible, or our fire will be non-existent. And don't stray too far from the clearing. Make sure your digimon are with you at all times, got it?"

"Easy," Dai replied, giving Matt a playful salute. "You can definitely count on us!"

Matt stared at the goggle-headed leader for a moment before turning to Cody with a slight smirk on his face. "Make sure you watch him especially."

"Hey! Thanks a lot, Matt!"

"Don't worry, Matt, we'll keep out partners safe," Halomon said firmly, beaming at the golden-haired Digidestined.

Celestimon, who was curled up against Mickey's thigh with Halomon, reluctantly fluttered back over to his own partner, settling himself in Matty's lap before whispering something softly in the younger twin's ear.

Ken secretly suspected that Matty had asked Celestimon to help Halomon watch over Mickey, but due to his own set of problems he hadn't found the time to mention it to the other adults yet. Obviously something had happened between Mickey and Matty earlier, but unfortunately Ken just didn't have the energy to figure out exactly what.

_Sam..._

"Matty, why don't you, Takara, Rosa, and Yolei get the cabin ready for us," Matt continued, gesturing to where the lodge was. "Ryoko, Mimi, Sam, and Ken can be in charge of the cooking. Izzy, you do what you have to do on your computer and I'll help Leomon stand watch until we're ready for supper. Sound good?"

Though the others were quick to agree with Matt, Ken wasn't so sure. After all, he was in the same group as Sam, which he secretly suspected Matt had done on purpose, and that could definitely lead to some problems, ones he did not want to face.

_Sam...if you would just talk to me..._

"Okay, everyone, the quicker we get this done the sooner we can eat!" Dai cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

"And after you've all had a bath in the springs, the six of you can spend some time getting your homework done," Yolei announced, looking quite satisfied with herself over what she clearly thought was a sudden stroke of brilliance.

The look on Dai's face was priceless. "W-what?"

"You all brought your backpacks with you, didn't you? I know you guys don't get a lot of homework, but you still need to get what you have done by Monday, and since it looks like we're going to be spending the entire weekend in the Digital World, it's not like you're all going to have time to do it at home. Best to get it done now before the fighting starts, don't you think?"

Since it appeared that Dai had been struck momentarily speechless, Matty answered for him. "You have got to be kidding me."

"We're trying to save the Digital World from being overrun by evil digimon and you're worried about homework?" Ryoko sputtered, staring at Yolei in disbelief.

"Just because you're saving the Digital World that doesn't mean it's going to stop Mrs. Hanari from giving you all detention if you don't get your homework done."

"And what's more scary, the Ruler of Darkness or Mrs. Hanari?" Rosa teased.

Dai, much to Ken's amusement, seemed to be seriously pondering the answer to Rosa's question. "You know...that's debatable, I think."

"Oh, Dai," Takara sighed, laughing at the goggle-headed leader's response.

"Then it's settled," Yolei announced, clearly pleased with herself. "After a bath, it's time for homework."

"But-"

"That's enough out of you, Daichi. Now stop talking back to me, and go get that wood so we can eat. The sooner you eat, the sooner you can get your homework done."

"Where does she get off yelling at me?" Dai grumbled to Mickey as they were getting ready to leave. "It's like having two annoying mothers instead of just one."

"I heard that!" Yolei shouted after the goggle-headed leader, rolling her eyes and smiling fondly at Dai's retreating back.

Ken watched the two boys leave with Cody and their digimon partners, and he let out a soft sigh before turning to gaze at Sam, who was staring moodily into the trees.

Though he and his wife only had three biological children, the fact that they had unofficially adopted well over ten others, if you included Sam's cousins, the new Digidestined team, and all of the siblings of the new Digidestined team, it wasn't easy being a parent, something Ken was finding out the hard way. Somehow, though, he was going to have to get through to Sam before the Ruler of Darkness and his minions got to his son first.

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"How does this piece look, Embermon? Think you can start a fire with this?"

At the sound of his name being called, Embermon quickly hurried over to examine the broken branch Dai held out for inspection, and giving the potential piece of kindling a critical look, he nodded his approval. "It should be fine. Better add it to the pile."

"This is turning out to be a harder job than I thought it would be, especially since you're so picky."

"A fire isn't something you just throw together to stay warm, or even for stuffing your face with food, much as I happen to enjoy both," Embermon scolded, a stern expression on his mini dragon-like face. "Building a fire is a work of art! In order to have the best fire, you need the best wood. End of story. Now, less talking and more searching, Dai."

Dai couldn't help rolling his eyes at his partner's obscene amount of enthusiasm for such a simple task as building a fire, and giving the little rookie a mock salute, he said sarcastically, "Yes sir. Right away, sir."

Embermon, for his part, simply ignored Dai and proceeded to search the ground for any more wood that would be sufficient enough to meet his satisfaction.

_Next time I think I'll help out with standing watch._

Though he would never admit it, he was definitely envying Matt right at that moment.

_Speaking of Matt, I wonder how all of the others are doing, especially Sam..._

Dai lifted his gaze from the murky ground to stare at Mickey, who was searching the damp earth a few feet away from him with Halomon, and shaking his head he frowned at the older twin's somewhat sad expression.

When Mickey was upset, it wasn't something you could just brush under the rug and simply forget about. As a general rule, Mickey was the kind of person who radiated a deep scene of peace and tranquility, and even though he wasn't the most vocal member of the group by any means, that didn't prevent his normally happy attitude from shining through his calm, more silent exterior. His serene smiles and vibrant amber eyes were always so thoughtful and full of understanding, which was why they were so effective at getting his peers to open up to him. It was quite literally impossible not to want to spill your soul to Mickey if it meant a chance to heal in the warm glow that always seemed to surround him.

Dai wasn't exactly sure how to put it into words, but Mickey seemed to glow with an inner light that wasn't exactly visible, as it wasn't really something you could see, but you could feel it, and it could be a powerful motivator if you were feeling sad and lonely. Matty had it, as well, but even though Mickey and Matty were identical twins, it was different in both of them and it showed itself in different ways. There was light and darkness inside of everyone, which anyone who was observant enough to notice it could often glimpse in the people around them, but in Mickey's case the light pulsing inside of him seemed to shine just a little more radiantly than it did in others, probably due mostly to the fact that Mickey was the kind of person who did not try to hide who he was on the inside, even if that did make him more vulnerable to the pain and suffering of others.

And because of that inner light Mickey put on display for all those around him to see and feel, when he was upset and the light inside of him was flickering in the darkness, people stood up and took notice.

It wasn't normal for Mickey's heart to be wavering in the darkness. It just wasn't Mickey, and the heavy cloud his sudden change of attitude had cast over the group was not something Daichi could ignore very easily.

Dai had to admit, he was worried. When Mickey wasn't acting like himself, all of them tended to suffer as a result, and considering they already had problems with Sam, for Mickey to be acting in such an unusual manner, it definitely wasn't good for team morale, especially when it came to Sam. Sam needed Mickey's strength if he was ever going to find the courage to forgive his father, but how much more could Mickey give up of himself before there was nothing left to give?

_I think sometimes maybe we expect too much from Mickey, but he never complains. How much longer can he keep selflessly putting all of his energy into helping us when the person he really needs to help the most is himself?_

It was a humbling thought, and it disturbed Dai so much, he let the stack of wood in his hands fall to the ground in a heap before he promptly turned on his heels and headed towards Mickey, a determined look on his face.

A little further ahead in the trees, Cody was searching for stray kindling with Armadillomon, close enough to remain in sight, but not close enough to hear what they were saying. It was the perfect opportunity to talk to Mickey, and Dai, of course, was going to take advantage of it.

"Hello, Dai!" Halomon called cheerfully, hugging a broken stick to his chest that was almost as big as his own body. "Have you come to help us look?"

"Sure, why not? It's not like Embermon needs my help, so I might as well help you guys. He's made that pretty plain, that's for sure."

"Oh...Um...I don't get it."

"Well, for one thing, he keeps criticizing every piece of wood I offer him, and he keeps rambling on about how I'm not putting enough effort into finding the right kind of pieces to use. If you want to know the truth, it's exhausting trying to work with him."

"Oh, I get it now!"

"Better than me, I hope."

Halomon glanced at the lage piece of wood in his small arms, and tilting his head to the side he frowned critically at the broken branch, his sapphire eyes silently debating its worthiness for a fiery death. "Do you think Embermon will like this piece?"

"Looks good enough to me. Then again, Embermon doesn't trust my judgment, so you might want to ask him yourself."

"Okay, I'll do that!"

Dai watched Halomon flutter off with the large piece of wood he'd been holding dangling in his hands, joining Embermon in the darkness, and turning to the older twin kneeling beside him, he gave a half sort of smile and proceeded to search the ground beneath his feet for some decent branches.

"Needed a break?" Mickey asked quietly, a slight smile on his face.

"From Embermon? Definitely. He was driving me nuts being so picky about _every_ piece I picked up. I don't know what the big deal is. We're just building a fire. It's not we're hurling flaming logs of bark at the Ruler of Darkness or something."

Mickey let out a soft laugh, and gazing at the small pile of branches he'd made with Halomon, he brushed a few stray strands of blond hair out of his eyes, his thoughts clearly focused on something other than the firewood they were collecting.

"You're worried about something. I don't like it."

The words had come out of Dai's mouth before he'd even had a chance to think about what he wanted to say, and turning to look at him, Mickey remained silent, his face half hidden in shadow.

"Mickey, I have doubts about myself just like everyone else. In fact, you witnessed that for yourself yesterday, but as a general rule, I don't get scared very easily. You being worried, though? That scares me. It scares me a lot."

In the darkness, Mickey turned his face away, but not before Dai caught the guilty look on the golden-haired Digidestined's face. When he spoke, Mickey's words were almost lost in the gloom of twilight. "Isn't it funny how everything can change in such a short amount of time? I hardly remember what it feels like not to be worried anymore."

"Mickey..."

"I'm sorry I've disappointed all of you," Mickey whispered, hanging his head in shame.

For some reason Mickey's actions felt like a knife to Dai's heart, and clenching his hands into fists he glared at the older twin, angry, not at Mickey, but at himself for allowing Mickey to end up in such a state of despair. "Don't be stupid. You have nothing to be sorry for. If anything, we should be apologizing to you. You're one person, Mickey. You can't expect to solve everything by yourself."

"But-"

"I know you're worried about Sam and I know there's something going on with you and Matty, but that doesn't mean you have to face it all by yourself. Sometimes..."

"Dai?"

Dai hesitated, unsure of how to put his thoughts into words before saying, "This is gonna sound weird coming from me, cause I'm not really good with this kind of thing, but...sometimes I think we expect too much of you, and because we rely on you more than we have a right to, I think we sometimes forget to help ourselves. It's not fair to you and it isn't fair to expect you to be perfect all the time either."

"But...I like helping you guys," Mickey said shyly, unable to make direct eye contact. "I _want _to help you guys."

"I know you do. I guess what I'm trying to say is...don't get so caught up in trying to solve everything for everyone that you end up forgetting to help the one person who's just as important as the rest of us and needs help every bit as much as we do."

"W-who would that be?"

Dai quickly put his hands on Mickey's shoulders, and rolling his dark eyes he gave the older twin a gentle shake. "You, Mickey. You. How do you expect to help everyone if you can't even help yourself first? We'd be lost without you, but...you'd be lost without us, too."

"Dai...I..."

"Just don't forget that you're not alone. We all want to help Sam, and we want you and Matty to fix whatever it is that's not right between the two of you. Maybe I don't fully understand, since I don't have a twin myself, but it's not right for you and Matty to be acting this way, that much I know for sure. You and Matty might be twins, but you have to remember that you're also two very different people, and you need to appreciate those differences and make use of them if you guys really want to be the best brothers to each other that you can be. Like I said before, don't try to do everything by yourself. That's what we're here for. We're here to be there for _you_ when you need us most of all."

"I'm scared, Dai."

Now that they were face to face, Dai could see Mickey's expression clearly, and he could tell the older twin was fighting back tears.

"I'm scared, too."

"But...but I'm not like you," Mickey whispered, closing his amber eyes to fight off the tears. "It isn't so easy for me to shake off my fear. I can't..."

Dai had to admit it, he hated seeing Mickey acting so helpless. It just wasn't Mickey. His friends were not just his friends. They were like family to him, and he couldn't imagine his life without them. He had known Mickey and the others since before he could walk and talk, and that wasn't something he could forget. The strong bond he had with them wasn't something he could throw away so easily.

No, they weren't just his friends, they were his brothers, and Takara...well, she was something else entirely, something he had yet to fully admit, even to himself.

"Mickey, if there's one thing my parents have taught me, it's never to give up on myself or on the people who are important to me. I haven't given up on Sam or Matty, and I'm definitely not giving up on you either."

"I-I...I'm not..."

"Listen to me," Dai insisted, hugging the older twin roughly around the neck. "Just stop trying to talk for a second and listen to me. If you don't feel like you have the courage to face this all alone, then you don't have to. That's what I'm here for. I'll lend you some of mine and we'll face it together."

Dai could feel Mickey clinging to him, the golden-haired Digidestined's pale face burying itself against his shoulder, and shaking his head he glared at the dark sky hanging above his head. He wasn't going to let this happen to his friends. They would find a way to fix everything. Somehow, some way, they would rise above the darkness threatening to overwhelm them. He wouldn't give the Ruler of Darkness the satisfaction of thinking he'd won.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Mickey managed to stop trembling, and when he lifted his head he appeared much calmer and more relaxed, his amber eyes looking slightly less haunted than they had before. "Thanks, Dai."

"That's what I'm here for, right? Just don't forget what I said. Don't forget about you, okay?"

"That's why you're our leader," Mickey replied, his smile finally reaching his bright amber eyes. "And that's why I would follow you anywhere, even if it might not seem like we're always on the right course."

Mickey's words were so similar to something Ryoko had said to him earlier that for a moment all Dai could do was stare at the older twin. "You...heard that?"

He had thought only Takara and their digimon had been listening at the time.

"My cousin never says anything he doesn't mean," Mickey informed him, pulling away and climbing slowly to his feet. "And for the record, I think you and Kara are perfect for each other."

_Wait...what?_

Dai gaped at Mickey, but before he could respond, they were joined by Cody and Armadillomon.

"I think this should be enough wood," Cody announced, a smile on his face. "Besides, it's getting pretty late. We should get back to the others."

"I could use a nap," Armadillomon agreed.

"We're leaving?" Embermon asked, coming up next to Cody with Halomon on his heels.

The celestial rookie immediately launched himself into Mickey's arms, and cuddling his face against the older twin's neck, he mumbled, "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Halomon."

"Are you sure?" Cody asked quietly, scrutinizing Mickey's face for any sign that the older twin was lying.

Apparently both Cody and Halomon had picked up on Mickey's odd behaviour, and Dai wouldn't have been surprised if both the rookie digimon and the older Digidestined had been watching the whole time.

"I'm fine," Mickey reassured them. "Let's head back."

Dai followed the group at a much slower pace, and shaking his head, he muttered to himself, "Really? Me and...Kara?"

_Lucemon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Lucemon, do you really think we should leave them for the night?" MarineAngemon asked quietly, glancing anxiously over his shoulder back the way they had come, an uncertain look on his face.

Lucemon glanced at the little mega floating alongside his shoulder in the darkness, and speaking more to convince himself than to convince MarineAngemon, he said slowly, "We know where they are staying for the night, and we now know where they're headed, as well. There's no need for us to watch over them all night. Besides, we need our rest every bit as much as the Digidestined do. Do not worry, MarineAngemon, we will rise early tomorrow morning and be back before Dai and his friends have left their temporary camp."

"But...I _am_ worried, Lucemon. What about DarkAngelicmon and his allies? We know they're here, too. We even saw Spritemon spying on the Digidestined earlier. What if she tries something at night while we're gone?"

Lucemon frowned, a thoughtful look on his face. "There's no denying that Spritemon is an excellent scout, but I am better and she will never catch me. Luciamon and I...When we were servants of the Ruler of Darkness, we were always used as spies. Us and...and _him_, but now it seems the Ruler of Darkness has greater plans for my old friend..."

"Lucemon?"

"I have no doubt that Spritemon has some kind of plan up her sleeve, but I do not think she intends to harm the Digidestined, at least not right now. Especially Sam, as they need him to get the Spirit Chip. No...you heard Spritemon muttering to herself. The Ruler of Darkness has placed DarkAngelicmon in charge, which means they'll have something much more crafty up their sleeves than an ambush."

"But...isn't that even more of a reason for us to stay close to the Digidestined?"

Lucemon paused for a moment, feeling a sudden need to stretch his wings. Although he hadn't flown all day since arriving on Server, his wings still felt tired and weak, as if he'd been flying all afternoon. "What you say is true, MarineAngemon, but we cannot risk it. I don't want Spritemon and her allies stumbling upon us while we're sleeping. They will try something with the Digidestined, I am sure of it. Unfortunately, though, we'll just have to deal with it tomorrow. As much as I want to help the Digidestined now, it isn't wise for us to stay. If we end up being taken captive by Spritemon and her allies then we will be of no use to the Digidestined at all. And as much as they're hurting now, I fear it is nothing compared to what awaits them in the future."

"I guess that makes sense, but I still don't like it."

"Neither do I, but we must be careful above all else if we want to be of use when the Digidestined truly need us."

"Says the digimon who wanted to avoid them to begin with."

By this time, they had moved quite a distance away from the camp where the Digidestined were staying for the night, and glancing at his small friend again, Lucemon had to smile. "Yes, safety must come first above all else, MarineAngemon, much as I do not like the idea any more than you do."

"Is that so," a quiet voice answered that most definitely did not belong to MarineAngemon. "If that is what you truly believe then why are you here in this swamp of all places, where the very heart of danger dwells, old friend?"

Lucemon let out a soft gasp, and whirling around, his pale blue eyes came to rest on the celestial figure leaning against the trunk of a tall, thin tree of questionable origin, whose face was hidden in shadow.

His friend, the fallen angel of darkness. DarkAngelicmon.


	219. A Chat Between Cousins

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

**A/N: Okay, well another chapter is here, and before I say anything else, I do want to inform you all that I don't have an idea of when the next chapter will be. As I mentioned on the FTFOD thread on my forum, lately I've been suffering from really bad panic and anxiety attacks, and it's been a difficult time for me. If you want to know the full story you can take a look at the forum. I'm doing what I can to solve the issue, but in the meantime I ask all of you for your patience. It's basically a day to day thing. When I feel good the updates will come, if not they'll be a little longer. I have not lost my passion or inspiration for writing, it just might take me a little longer to post. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter and send your prayers my way. Thank you to everyone for your support. I love you all and you've all been my inspiration to keep on going with this story. Enjoy and have fun reading! I will check the chapter again for missed mistakes.  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 219: A Chat Between Cousins

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Kneeling on the floor of the cabin, Matty frowned at the sleeping bag in his arms before rolling it out on the wooden planks next to the sleeping bag that belonged to Dai, his amber gaze drifting over to Takara, who was pulling all the curtains shut on the windows. She seemed a bit more quiet than usual, her mind on something other than the task of setting up their sleeping quarters, and considering the fact that she appeared to have lost some of her nerve ever since Dai had helped save her from that sinkhole earlier, he had a pretty good idea of what might be bothering her at the moment, even if it might not be the only thing on her mind, which he was sure it wasn't.

Yolei and Rosa had disappeared into the back rooms of the cabin, where the adults would be staying for the night, and because he, along with the rest of his friends, were sleeping in the front room, Matty had been given the task of putting out the sleeping bags they would be using for the night. Takara had been ordered to tidy up the front room to make it livable, and all of their digimon partners were helping out as well.

Though there was a bit of a kitchen in the cabin, which was sort of combined with the front room, none of the appliances seemed to be working, so it looked like Sam's group was going to have quite the job ahead of them. Matty just hoped it didn't start raining too badly to keep the fire going. Despite the fact that it was warm outside, Matty was in the mood for a hot supper, and having to eat cold food did not sound very appetizing to him, especially since he was both exhausted from all the walking and incredibly hungry.

_I wonder if maybe I should talk to her..._

Matty began to roll out Sam's sleeping bag next to his own, and glancing once again at the female Digidestined, who had her back to him, he couldn't help smiling in amusement. The mud still clinging to Takara's clothes had begun to dry, giving her a somewhat dirty and grimy appearance, and it was flaking off the bare skin on her arms and legs as she worked, leaving a trail of dirty dust in her wake. There was even mud drying onto the ends of her dark ponytail, though she didn't seem to notice.

Apparently she no longer cared about the mud covering her body, having become too lost within her own thoughts to notice the state of her appearance.

And everything else going on around her, too, by the looks of it.

"Hey, Kara?"

Takara jumped, her head whipping around to stare at him, a startled look on her face. "Oh, Matty! I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Matty watched Dovemon and Halomon, who were fluttering towards the back hallway with some spare blankets for Rosa and Yolei, for a moment before deciding to answer. "Why don't you come help me for a bit since it looks like you're almost done your job."

Takara hesitated before coming over to sit next to him, a slight smile on her face. "Considering the fact that Yolei and Rosa gave me a bigger job than the one they gave you, you should have been done a long time ago. What's the hold up?"

It was true. He hadn't been given a particularly difficult job, but because his brain kept constantly harassing him with thoughts and memories he didn't want to delve into, it had interrupted his task of setting out the sleeping bags more often than he would have liked to admit.

_Stupid brain..._

"Matty?" Takara questioned, raising her eyebrows.

Matty let out a deep sigh, and turning away from his cousin, he proceeded to dig through Mickey's personal belongings, the task of searching for his twin brother's rolled up sleeping bag giving him a chance to think about what he wanted to say.

"What's that?" Takara asked suddenly, pointing to Mickey's open backpack.

Matty glanced uninterestedly at his brother's backpack, his thoughts still focused on that dratted sleeping bag he couldn't seem to find. Where had it gone? Maybe it rolled under the sofa or one of the two arm chairs situated around a big fireplace located on the left-hand side of the room. That was always a possibility. "What's what?"

"This," Takara insisted, holding up something she had pulled out of Mickey's backpack, where it had been stashed between the older twin's school books.

Distracted, Matty frowned at the object in Takara's hands before finally realizing what it was. "Oh, that. It's Mickey's sketchbook. Or...I guess one of many, I should say."

Takara stared at him, an incredulous look on her face. "Seriously? I always knew he liked to doodle, but..."

Matty, having just spotted Mickey's sleeping bag where it lay squished underneath Dai's heavy backpack, barely heard his female friend's words. Instead of replying, he let out a cry of triumph and proceeded to roll out Mickey's sleeping bag next to Sam's.

_Ha, take that stupid sleeping bag! I knew you couldn't hide from me forever!_

Next to him, Takara suddenly let out a soft gasp of surprise, interrupting Matty's thoughts yet again, and turning to look at his cousin, he froze when he realized what Takara was staring at.

Mickey's sketchbook was lying open in the female Digidestined's lap, and she was staring at a drawing that even Matty had yet to see, though the drawing itself didn't surprise him. He had long been aware of Mickey's talent for drawing, even if the rest of their friends hadn't been quite as aware, which seemed to be the case judging by Takara's expression.

The drawing itself was a picture of Angelicmon and Gabrielmon, and standing with the two angels, Matty recognized the image of himself and his brother. Not only was the drawing both detailed and accurate, but it was so lifelike the figures in the drawing seemed almost to be alive themselves. Looking at the drawing of himself, Matty could see his own soul glimmering from the depths of his penciled on eyes, as if Mickey had captured not only his physical image perfectly, but also his heart and everything that existed beneath the surface of his physical form.

_Mickey..._

Unaware of the internal battle taking place within Matty, Takara turned the page, and a second gasp escaped her lips at the new image displayed before her eyes.

It was a drawing of all six of them with their rookie digimon partners, and Takara seemed unable to stop staring at the image of herself. Mickey had captured Takara's smile and her beauty with amazing accuracy. In the drawing she sat next to Dai, and even though it was only a drawing, somehow Mickey had managed to capture the chemistry between them, powerful yet subtle at the same time.

"Did...you know?" Takara whispered, turning to look at him, the sketchbook lying forgotten in her lap.

"About Mickey's talent for drawing? Of course I knew. I've known ever since he drew his first picture. I haven't seen any of his recent ones lately, what with us spending so much time in the Digital World, but usually he shows them to me when he finishes a new one."

"Oh. Why...why did he never..."

Matty smiled at his female cousin, his arm going around her shoulders in a quick hug. "You know Mickey. He's really self-conscious about his talent for drawing. Other than myself, I don't think anyone knows just how good he is, not even Rina and our parents. He doesn't think he's that good, despite the fact that I keep telling him he is."

"But..."

"He's probably afraid everyone will laugh at him."

"But...we would never laugh at him!"

"I know that and you know that, and even Mickey knows that deep down inside, but that doesn't make it any easier. Don't take it the wrong way, Kara. I know he'll show you guys and the rest of our families when he's ready to."

"What a goofball. Well, he better not wait too long," Takara grumbled, cheerfully ignoring Mickey's right for some privacy as she flipped through the rest of the sketchbook. "I wonder when he had the time to do all these ones with our digimon in them."

"Probably during class or at lunch when you guys thought he was doing homework or something. He usually finishes his work early in class so it's not like he doesn't have plenty of time to draw."

"True enough."

With a sigh, Takara shoved Mickey's sketchbook back into his backpack, and digging through their pile of personal belongings, she pulled out her own sleeping bag and proceeded to roll it out on the floor next to Mickey's in the spot Matty indicated. Staring at the spot, her eyebrows rose in surprise and she gave him a suspicious look. "Did you purposely put me next to Mickey?"

"Guilty. Since Mickey's your cousin and pretty much the perfect gentleman, I figured you'd be safest next to either him or myself. Wouldn't want someone like Dai to frisk you in your sleep or something."

"Matty!" Takara squealed, her cheeks turning a brilliant shade of red.

Matty let out a yelp as Takara launched herself at him, and she proceeded to punch every organ in his chest and belly that she could reach. Her reaction was priceless, and his protests quickly turned into laughter at the embarrassed look on her face.

"Hey, it's not like I think Dai, Ryoko, or Sam would really do something like that, but it's the principle of the thing, right?"

"Jerk," Takara grumbled, slumping against him. "I hate you Masato Takaishi."

"No, you don't. You love me and since both Taysuke and Ryoko aren't here, someone's got to act like the overprotective brother."

Takara laughed at that, and pulling back slightly, her forehead suddenly wrinkled into a frown.

"Hey, what's wrong, Kara?"

"Nothing. It's just...I guess you guys have all figured it out then, huh..."

"You mean about Dai? Well, it _is_ kind of obvious. Everyone knows. Well, everyoe except Dai that is."

"Figures," Takara groaned, putting her face in her hands.

Matty felt a spark of sympathy for his cousin, and reaching out he pulled her into a comforting hug, ignoring the dried mud flaking off onto his clothes. "Hey, come on, it's not the end of the world. You know what Dai's like. He's a smart guy, but sometimes he can be a little on the clueless side, especially when it comes to girls."

"You think so?" Takara asked, lifting her head to give him a hopeful look.

Matty shrugged his shoulders, feeling a little bit embarrassed. "Well, I'm not exactly an expert on girls either, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but I'm pretty sure Dai will come around eventually. It might take him a little longer to figure it out compared to someone like Ryoko, but in the end he'll get there."

"Maybe."

Matty could tell his female cousin was still a bit skeptical, but since Dai had yet to show Kara what Matty could tell were growing feelings for the female Digidestined, he couldn't really blame her.

"Listen, Kara...I'm not really good at this kind of thing. Maybe you should talk to Mickey or Ryoko..."

"Is that honestly what you think?"

Matty frowned at his cousin, unsure of what she was trying to say. "Well..."

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit sometimes. I think you give great advice. I know I feel a lot better now, thanks to you."

For a moment, Matty didn't know what to say, but then he smiled, feeling suddenly warm and happy inside. "Thanks, Kara."

"Matty, do you...really think that Dai might like me?"

Matty thought back to the earlier incident with the sinkhole, and he found himself nodding his head in answer to Takara's question. There had definitely been more going on there than just Dai's embarrassment at being tackled and kissed by a girl. The fear in his eyes for Takara's safety, the emotion when she had thrown her arms around him, holding him tightly against her body in a fierce hug. That wasn't something anyone could fake, and because of that Matty was pretty sure Dai felt the same way Takara did, even if he hadn't admitted it to himself yet.

"Matty?" Takara repeated, an anxious look on her face.

"Do I think Dai likes you? Of course, but it doesn't mean anything if _you_ don't believe it."

Takara was silent for a moment, and Matty frowned, sure that Dai wasn't the only thing on his female cousin's mind lately. "Hey, what else is bugging you?"

"Huh?" Takara stared at him in surprise, slightly taken aback by his words. "How did you..."

"Come on, you're my cousin and my friend. I've known you since we were born. Do you really think I can't tell when something's bugging you?"

"Well...it's just, with everything that's going on with Sam, and then there's you and Mickey, and also Dai and Ryoko, I feel like...maybe sometimes I don't always give out the best advice."

Matty was shocked, to say the least. "What do you mean by that?"

"With all these problems going on...I don't know, I just...I feel like I've failed you guys somehow. Like...maybe if I'd given you all better advice or been there to help you more..."

"Kara...Hey, none of this is your fault."

"I know that, but...I feel like I could have done more, you know? Mickey and I are the ones you guys usually come to for advice, and I feel like I've been leaving all the work to Mickey instead of helping as much as I can. And now look what's happened to Mickey...I feel like it's partly my fault..."

Scratch that, Matty wasn't just shocked. He was baffled beyond belief. Never had he ever pictured Takara to be the self-conscious type, and yet here she was, full of guilt and self doubt.

"It's not your fault. That's not true at all. Mickey and I...we're doing it to ourselves. It's not because of you."

"But...Dai and Ryoko, I know there's more I can do to help them, and even you and Dai. I just feel like I'm not trying hard enough. With Sam, too. I care about all of you guys, and I don't want anything bad to happen to any of you, especially if it's something I can help prevent. If I'm going to be honest, I guess I feel pretty useless at the moment."

"Just like me..."

Matty hated seeing his cousin so upset, and tugging on her ponytail, he gave her a warm smile. "You and Mickey have always been there to comfort me. I think maybe it's time I returned the favour."

"Huh?" Takara looked at him curiously, her head tilting to the side.

"Kara, you and Mickey both understand other people's feelings in a way I never can, and you always know what to do. You always have the answers, even if you might not realize it yourself. That kind of combination...being brave and using that courage to look deeply into other people's hearts...that's a pretty rare gift. You see things that even Ryoko can't always see, despite how perceptive he is. You can see what exists beneath the surface, but unlike Mickey, you always seem to know what to do about it. There's no hesitation or second guessing with you."

Instead of responding, Takara simply stared at him, and he felt his cheeks turn a deep shade of red. "What?"

"Nothing."

"O-okay, if you say so. Anyways, you can do what most of us can't do. We're always trying to look at things in terms of black and white, but you're always focusing on the shades of gray and what lies between what's actually on the surface. You always look at everything in terms of the heart, and if you ask me, I think that's pretty smart, even if you don't feel that way."

"And you said you weren't good at this kind of thing," Takara snorted, blushing at his praise.

"Huh?"

"Matty, listen to yourself."

Matty thought back to all of what he had said, and the blush on his face deepened by several shades. "Oh, um...well..."

"Not too bad, I would say," Takara said softly, giving him a warm smile.

Matty shrugged, his own face once again flushing in response to Takara's compliment. "Well, it's easier when I'm not thinking so much about what I'm saying."

"Maybe you should use that tactic on your brother then."

"Huh?"

Takara slowly stood up, and backing towards the hallway where they could hear Yolei and Rosa chatting with the digimon, she smiled at him and said quietly before disappearing around the corner, "Don't think about it, just act. Forget what your brain says. Just go with what you feel in your heart, and you'll find your answers."

And with that she left the room, leaving Matty staring after her in thoughtful silence.


	220. Without Compassion

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N #1: Okay, so...to start off, I'm thinking that most of you are probably going to hate Sam even more after this chapter, but aw well, it can't be helped. Although, I think some of you'll will also be a bit satisfied by how the chapter falls out at the end. Now, there is one thing I do want to address before I continue, and that's with one of the criticisms my story has received from several readers. This fanfic has gotten both lots of praise and lots of criticism, both of which are well deserved, and this is one I'd like to speak a bit on. Several have stated that they think the kids appear to be too wise considering how old they are. This, of course, is the fault of the writer (a.k.a me) not the characters, and though I do very much remember being thirteen (and what a great year that was) a lot of it stems from the fact that I am a twenty-seven year old writing this story, not a fifteen year old, or seventeen year old, or even a twenty-one year old, and obviously that's been influencing my writing without me much noticing. So, though it is a criticism with merit, in a way I kinda take it also as a compliment, since it's really my own views and the way I feel reflected in this story. Much of what is written in here is the way I felt at thirteen, which has grown stronger as I've gotten older, and everything is really influenced by my own childhood. These kids have known each other since they were babies, making them family really, and remember a lot of what they say they would not say to strangers or people they don't know well. It's things I myself never had a problem being blunt about with my own three siblings, and a lot of how they act is based off the relationship I had and still have with my brothers and sister. So, I do deserve the criticism, but again, in a way I'm kind of flattered, as it's also a compliment to my own way of thinking and living!**

**A/N #2: For those of you who have not visited the forum, this chapter, and really the whole story, is dedicated in the memory of fellow digimon fanfiction writer Hikari Motomiya Yagami, who passed away a few months ago from blood cancer. She was a friend of mine I met on this site, and she will be missed. I love you, girl. I hope my stories continue to being a smile to your face. For those of you who did not know, I myself am a cancer survivor, and this month marks my eighth year being cancer free. I was one of the lucky ones, and I'm thankful everyday I was given a second chance. There are those out there like my friend here who never got that chance, and it is for them that we must all keep on living for those who can't. **

**Life truly is a gift. Use it wisely.-Broken Angel01  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 220: Without Compassion

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ken sat quietly next to Mimi on a battered fallen tree branch, which Ryoko had helped him drag over to the newly constructed fire pit earlier, and gazing at his son, who sat several feet away from the unlit fire on a second log, for what felt like the millionth time that day his heart constricted painfully in his chest. Ever since the group had split up to perform their various tasks, Sam had been doing a fine job of ignoring him, which was doing nothing to boost his confidence. In fact, Sam's current behaviour was only making him even more nervous and desperate, and because of that he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand keeping his distance, especially when every nerve in his body was screaming at him to go to his son.

"Just go, Ken," Mimi suddenly said quietly in his ear, reaching out to give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You know you want to."

"But-"

"If you don't go, I'm going to drag you over there myself," Ryoko informed him, a stubborn look on the golden-haired Digidestined's handsome face.

Ken glanced at Ryoko, who was sitting by Mimi's feet, the two of them setting out the supplies they would need for making dinner, but before he could come up with a decent argument to counter the blond's request, Alopemon promptly decided to join in the conversation, a smug smirk flashing across his furry face. "Look at him, Ken. He's all alone over there. You'll never have a better opportunity to speak to him. If I were you, I'd make the most of the moment. You might not have many more chances in the future. Don't let this one pass you by because I know you'll regret it if you do."

"Alopemon's right," Palmon agreed, smiling from her seat on the damp earth next to Ryoko. "You never know. Sam might surprise you."

_Maybe, but I doubt it._

Kern frowned at his own pessimistic thoughts, and turning away from the hopeful faces staring back at him, he let his eyes wander over to Izzy, who was sitting by himself a little off to one side, his fingers tapping out a steady rhythm on the keyboard of his laptop. According to the computer expert, he was typing out a message to Taniko and the others back at the Motomiya residence, informing them about the days events. Matt, Gabumon, and Leomon were sitting next to a thick clump of drooping foliage, their gazes focused on the scenery stretching out all around them for miles on end, searching for any signs of any unwanted visitors. At the moment, Matt and Leomon were speaking softly to each other, but despite their conversation their eyes never once strayed from the important task Matt had set for them, safety above all else being the golden-haired Digidestined's utmost concern.

"Ken?" Wormmon called suddenly, speaking softly in the darkness.

The little rookie's voice was timid, and Ken winced at the sound. It always distressed him when his partner sounded like that. It reminded him too much of the Emperor days, when he had treated Wormmon like a useless piece of vermin instead of like the amazing, wonderful, loving partner that he was.

"Are you going, or not?" Ryoko demanded, his arms crossing defiantly over his chest.

Since it looked as if Ryoko really would go through with his threat, and probably succeed in doing so simply because Ken didn't have the strength or the heart to put up any kind of resistance, he decided to spare himself the humiliation and quickly stood up, a resigned look on his face.

Without a word to his beaming companions, he slowly made his way over to Sam's side, taking a seat on the log next to his son, Wormmon resting comfortably in his arms. He was careful not to sit too close, keeping some distance between them in case Sam didn't want him there, which was probably the case, and though Sam had flinched at his sudden approach, indicating the raven-haired boy was every bit aware of him as he was of his son, despite the way Sam had been ignoring him, his son didn't immediately run off, which Ken took as a good sign.

There had been very few of those lately, and because of that Ken was willing to take whatever he could get no matter how small and insignificant it might seem.

_Sam..._

Ken studied his son's face, which looked pale and ghostly in the darkness, and though he was sure Sam was aware of his gaze, the raven-haired boy did not acknowledge his presence. As they sat there in silence, thunder rumbled in the distance, but since there was no sign of any lightning yet and only the occasional drop of rain, he figured they still had some time before the heart of the storm hit them, enough to at least have their meal and to take a dip in the springs before it would become necessary to take refuge inside the cabin.

The night was warm, though it didn't come anywhere close to the heat they had suffered throughout the afternoon, thanks to the cool breeze and the drop in humidity, making the heat much more easy to endure. It was by no means cold, and yet for some reason Sam was shivering, and he looked downright miserable, to put it nicely.

"Cold?" Ken asked softly, desperate for a reply.

He didn't really expect an answer, but to his astonishment, Sam decided to respond, the words barely above a whisper. "A little."

Ken quickly set Wormmon in his lap, and reaching for one of the two backpacks Yolei had left outside, he pulled the one with the spare blankets Mina had packed in case it got cold and they needed to stay the night towards him, wanting more than anything to ease his son's suffering. Tons of scattered thoughts were racing through his head, but instead of voicing any of them he merely yanked out one of the blankets and dropped it around Sam's shoulders, satisfied that he could at least do _something_, even if that something was small and rather insignificant. Finished with that task, he leaned back on his hands, his deep blue gaze lifting to take in the dark, troubled sky. "Better?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders, but despite his lack of a reply, the raven-haired boy pulled the blanket closer around his body and proceeded to cuddle deeper into its folds, his sapphire gaze never wavering from the dark trees looming over the roof of the cabin.

Now that Sam looked more comfortable, Ken had run out of things to say, which was unheard of for him. When it came to his children, this kind of thing had never happened to him before. Yes, he was a bit on the quiet side, but it was a different kind of quiet. The silence was usually comfortable and filled with words that did not need to be said, but this time it was awkward, unnerving even, and he wished Sam would say something, _anything_ to ease the tension between them.

_He won't, though, and I don't blame him. I haven't exactly given him any reasons lately to want to speak to me..._

Which was, perhaps now, a good reason to possibly change that. Like Alopemon had indicated earlier, he was running out of chances, and he knew without being told that he needed to make the most of the ones he did have.

Like now.

"Sam?"

Sam didn't reply, and Ken hesitated before reaching out to place a gentle hand on his son's shoulder. Immediately, Sam jerked away from him before his hand could even make contact, and hugging a drowsy Glowmon tightly to his chest, he mumbled something Ken couldn't quite catch.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I said, leave me alone," Sam murmured quietly, turning his face away.

Ken quickly snatched his hand back, the sting of Sam's words cutting deeply into his heart, and staring at his knees, he pressed his hand against his heart as if it had been burned, though the pain was entirely emotional and had nothing to do with his physical well being. Physical pain, he could have handled. It was the emotional pain that was slowly killing him on the inside, making him wish Sam would just simply hit him instead of saying such horrible things.

"Sam, you shouldn't talk like that!" Glowmon scolded, frowning at his partner. "That wasn't a very nice thing to say."

Sam chose not to reply, earning himself a disapproving look from the little rookie.

_Sam..._

Ken could tell Glowmon wanted to protest, but before the little rookie could open his mouth, Wormmon sent him a warning look to keep him quiet. It was clear Wormmon felt it was best if they didn't try to interfere, and nodding to show he understood Glowmon reluctantly lapsed into silence, though it was obvious that was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Sam, I just want to talk. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I..."

Ken trailed off as Sam's eyes suddenly filled with what looked suspiciously like tears, and it took all of his willpower not to reach out and pull his son into a fierce hug. Sam needed him, there was no denying that, and yet here he was, so close and yet so far away. His son was hurting, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. Nothing at all. That was the part that hurt most of all. He was helpless to do anything because he was the reason why there was a problem to begin with.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Sam suddenly said in a quiet voice, speaking almost to himself. It was as if he hadn't even heard Ken's words.

Maybe he hadn't, which wouldn't really come as a surprise.

"I just...I don't get it," Sam continued, his voice trembling slightly, though he sounded surprisingly calm. "I don't understand any of this. I feel...so alone..."

Ken closed his eyes, unable to endure the pain and confusion flashing across Sam's young face. "You can't tell me you honestly believe that. You can't tell me for one minute that you believe your friends have abandoned you, that I've abandoned you. You're far from being alone, Sam. Trust me, I know what it feels like to truly be alone, which is why I would never leave you to face the darkness by yourself no matter how much you want to be rid of me. I'm always going to be here, and you're just going to have to put up with me, whether you want to or not."

"You don't-"

"What, Sam? What is it you think I don't understand? Do you think I don't know you're hurting because of me? Do you think I don't know that this is all my fault? Do you think I don't regret not telling you my past every single second of every single day since you found out the truth about the Emperor? What don't I understand, Sam? If I don't understand then I can't help you. I can't fix things if you don't let me."

For a moment Sam merely stared at him in stunned silence, and it was then that Ken realized he had spoken with an edge to his voice. He had never acted like this with Sam before, and though everything he had said was true, he regretted the words almost immediately. They'd been uttered out of hurt and anger, which surprised him. He hadn't thought he even had the capability to feel anything anymore, but apparently he was wrong.

"Do you expect me to feel sorry for you? I don't know if I can bring myself to feel that way," Sam replied, his words empty of emotion. "A part of me wants to, but it's not that easy. All this time, I thought you..."

The expression on Sam's face twisted into a look Ken was unable to decipher, though the intensity of it made him wince. He wasn't going to back down, though. Not this time.

"What exactly are you trying to accomplish, Sam? If you think being nasty to me is going to change the way I feel about you then you're sorely mistaken. It isn't going to work. Tell me you hate me, tell me I've betrayed you, tell me I don't deserve your love. Maybe you're right, but it won't change a thing. You can hurt me all you want, but you'll never change what's in my heart. Go ahead and try. Keep doing what you're doing, Sam, if you think it will make you happy. In the end, you'll only find yourself disappointed, because you and I both know this isn't what you want."

"Maybe I can't change what's inside your heart, but you can change what's inside of mine," Sam whispered, huddling deeper into his blanket.

And that was exactly what Ken was afraid of.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm sorry I've disappointed you, but I can't change my past, much as I would love to be able to do so. You might hate me now for everything I am and everything I've done, you might have lost all the respect you ever had for me, but even that won't stop me from loving you."

"Stop! Just stop!" Sam interrupted, a shrill, almost hysterical note marring the normally pleasant tone of his voice. "I don't want to hear what you have to say! You...you..."

Ken didn't know what came over him, but suddenly he found himself almost shouting in return, something he had also never done before with his children. Yolei had always been the loud one, never him. "Why do you insist I stop? Why is that so important to you? You don't want to hear about how much I love you? Would it be easier for you to hate me if I felt the same as you do? Is that what you want me to say, Sam? Is that what you're waiting for? Are you waiting for me to tell you that I no longer respect you? Are you waiting to hear that I don't love you anymore and that I can't stand to look at you for having refused to stand by my side the way Miya and Nao have done, simply to make it easier for you to hate me? Is that what you want to hear?"

Sam hit him then, and surprised by the sudden blow, Ken nearly feel backwards off his perch on the log. At the last minute he managed to catch himself and Sam hit him again, but this time the blow to his chest had less force behind it. Even so, both of their digimon leaped out of the way with cries of shock to avoid being caught in the middle.

"Don't," Sam choked out, lashing out with another feeble blow to his chest. "I don't...I can't..."

Ken grabbed both of his son's wrists to stem the weak blows, and throwing caution to the wind, he pulled Sam tightly against his chest, ignoring the raven-haired boy's attempts to wiggle free. "This isn't you, Sam. You and I both know it. Your mother and I raised you better than this. I might once have failed at being a Digidestined, but I've spent the last fifteen years of my life making sure I didn't make the same mistake raising my children. Please don't make me feel as if I've failed at that, as well. Try all you want, Sam. You will _never_ hear those kind of terrible accusations from me no matter how much you try to hurt me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm always going to be by your side no matter what happens."

In his arms, Sam took a deep, shuddering breath, but this time he didn't pull away, and Ken decided to take advantage of the moment, putting his whole heart and soul into the hug. He could feel Sam's heart beating rapidly against his own heart, and he could also feel the steady pulse of his son's wrists, which were curled against his chest. Sam felt so fragile, so breakable in his arms, and that scared him. How was Sam going to be able to fight off all the darkness around them in such a vulnerable state?

"Everything okay?" a voice demanded, and Ken glanced up to find Ryoko standing a few feet away, an uncertain look on his face as he gazed at Sam.

Mimi had half risen out of her seat, obviously concerned, and even Izzy had glanced up from his computer to gape at the scene before him. Both Matt and Leomon had come closer, the former musician's sapphire eyes focused on Sam, ready to restrain the boy if he continued to get violent, and all of the digimon looked confused and worried, clearly unsure of what to do when the fighting taking place was between their partners.

"Ken?" Matt called out quietly, his gaze remaining fixed on Sam's trembling form.

Ken took a deep breath, doing his best to collect himself before even attempting to respond. "I'm fine, Matt."

"No you're not," another voice responded, and this time Ken looked up to see Daichi, Mickey, Cody, and their digimon standing just inside the edge of the clearing.

Daichi was the one who had spoken, and he was glaring at Sam, clearly not impressed with the raven-haired Digidestined's current lack of manners. Obviously Dai's group had witnessed Sam's abusive behaviour, and Sam, recognizing this, promptly turned a deep shade of red.

"Sam," Mickey sighed, regretfully shaking his head before falling silent.

Unlike Mickey, Dai didn't seem content with merely uttering a few words of disapproval. Stalking towards them, he pointed his finger at Sam and said in a deathly calm voice, "You. Up, now."

Ken watched as the blood appeared to drain from Sam's face, and curious to know what Dai intended to do with his son, he reluctantly let go of Sam, who promptly scrambled to his feet and gave Dai a wary look.

Dai stared at Sam for a moment, and curling the fingers on his right hand into a fist, he promptly punched Sam in the face, sending the raven-haired Digidestined tumbling backwards onto the ground.

"Dai!" Mickey gasped, staring at the goggle-headed leader in shock.

Sam muttered something that sounded a lot like 'ouch', and rubbing his bruised cheek he stared incredulously at Dai, and expression of both anger and confusion contorting his handsome face.

"Tell me, Sam, when did you suddenly become such a brat?" Dai snapped, not looking the least bit sorry for his actions. "If I remember correctly, that's not the Sam I know, and if you want to know the truth, I'm getting a bit sick of this new Sam. Listen up because I'm not saying this again. You hit Ken again and there will be more where that came from! Every time you hit him or try to hurt him, I'll hit you back twice as hard until you finally get the message. If you don't want to end up black and blue by the time we reach the Spirit Chips then I suggest you keep your hands to yourself!"

"Who are you to yell at me about hitting people?" Sam said bitterly, leaping to his feet. "You hit Ryoko all the time, and if _I_ remember correctly, you were the one fighting with Matty when we were were looking for _your_ Spirit Chip!"

"That's different."

Sam gaped at the goggle-leaded leader, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he could utter his next words. "How is that any different?"

Dai glanced first at Ryoko and then at the cabin where Matty was helping out Yolei and Rosa, a small smile slipping across his face. "I only fight those who are willing to fight back. Your dad would never hurt you and you know it, and taking advantage of that is a poor way to treat someone who obviously loves you more than life itself. If you're going to be an idiot, fine, but a least show a little bit of respect."

"You can't-"

"Just shut it, Sam!" Dai shouted, poking the raven-haired Digidestined in the chest. "Get it through your head or do I need to teach you another lesson?"

"You can't tell me what to do!" Sam shouted back at the goggle-headed leader.

"Actually, he can, to a certain degree," Matt interrupted, clearly amused. "It comes with the territory, being the leader of the Digidestined and all. And in a situation like this, he leads, you follow. I suggest you quit arguing now because you know as well as I do that he means what he says."

Furious, Sam attempted to slip past Dai, but the goggle-headed leader suddenly stopped him in his tracks. "Where do you think you're going? Don't even think about trying to run off into the swamp somewhere. I'm not going to be chasing you all over Server just because you don't want to face up to your dad."

"Let me go," Sam snapped, trying to pull his wrist out of Dai's grip.

"Let him go, Dai," Mickey suddenly interrupted, coming closer and reaching out to place an arm around Sam's trembling shoulders. Sam immediately latched onto the older twin, and giving the raven-haired Digidestined a soothing pat on the back, Mickey said softly, "Why don't you get some rest in the cabin while we wait for the food to cook? I'll bring you some dinner and then you can join us in the springs to get cleaned up once you've had a chance to calm down a bit. How does that sound?"

Sam took a deep breath before nodding his head, and following Mickey, he headed towards the cabin, Glowmon once again settled in his arms. As soon as Sam was out of sight, the tension in the air immediately faded, and Ken slumped back in his seat, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Are you okay, Ken?" Wormmon asked quietly, leaping back into his lap and cuddling against his stomach.

"I'm fine, Wormmon."

Ken felt Dai sit down next to him, and putting an arm around the goggle-headed leader, he said, "Thank you."

"Daichi, was that really necessary?" Ryoko groaned, coming over to them with Alopemon and plopping down onto the ground in front of Dai.

"Of course it was," Embermon defended his partner, beaming at the goggle-headed leader.

"Relax, Ishida," Dai replied, smiling slightly. "He's only upset because he knows I'm right, and look on the bright side. He won't be hitting anyone else anytime soon after this."

"He's right, though. You are a hypocrite," Ryoko shot back, frowning at the goggle-headed leader.

Dai looked at Ryoko, his dark eyes taking on a much more serious expression, "No, I'm not. And maybe one day you'll finally get the message too."

And with that, Dai stepped over his golden-haired friend and proceeded to head towards the fire to help Mimi stack the wood, leaving Ryoko staring after him in surprise.

Ken, having watched the exchange, smiled before turning his attention to the cabin, and wincing at a sudden stab of emotional pain in his heart, he hugged Wormmon close to his chest, desperate to gain back the warmth and security that had left him when Sam had slipped out of his grasp. Sam's hurtful words and violent behaviour had been like a knife in his chest, but he wasn't going to give up. Somehow he would find a way.

_DarkAngelicmon, I know you're out there somewhere. You saved my son once, but this is far from being over. Please, help me. Help me bring my son back into the light..._


	221. The Myth of the Seven Demon Lords

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: I finally got another chapter done! Okay, so...at this point in the story I would highly suggest that you take the time to read two chapters from my story _Digimon Chronicles: The Demon Years_ entitled: _Kenji's_ _Angel_ and _Beneath the Light, the Shadow Awaits_ if you have not already done so, especially the latter of the two as it relates directly to this chapter. In other words, there is a direct reference made to it in this chapter. You can either read them before or you can read them after reading this chapter. Either will work as the order you read them in won't make much of a difference. Also, if you have the time, I would suggest reading the Chapter in _Digimon Chronicles_ called _The Power of the Digidestined_ just to refresh your memory on the Age of Light and the Dawn of Darkness, which are also referenced in this chapter. That's it for now. And if you're thinking of reviewing, honestly I would actually prefer you review the latest chapter of _Digimon_ C_hronicles: The Demon Years_ over this one as it is the one I would like some feedback on more so than this chapter. (So if you're only gonna review once, review that, not this!) Hope you all enjoy! I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible, though as many of you will know from spending years reading this story, this time of year is always a very busy time for me and my updates tend to slow down somewhat, but with that being said I will continue to do my best to post when I can.  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 221: The Myth of the Seven Demon Lords

_Lucemon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

At first Lucemon could not speak, the words he'd been longing to say for years to the celestial digimon standing before him having disappeared completely from his mind, but recovering nicely he managed to say in a relatively even voice, "DarkAngelicmon...I must admit, after our last encounter I did not expect you to visit me so soon. If at all..."

DarkAngelicmon chose not to respond, preferring instead to simply stand there like a dark shadow lurking in the night, and Lucemon quickly turned his face away, unable to stand the cold fire burning in his friend's hard, emerald gaze. He wanted to reach out to DarkAngelicmon, to reassure himself that their strong bond of friendship was still very much intact, especially now that his old friend was so close at hand, but he dared not, for he was uncertain of how the fallen angel would react to his sudden movement. He knew his mere presence was enough to cause DarkAngelicmon a great deal of pain, but it also worked the other way, for Lucemon too felt tremendous pain in the presence of such terrible darkness. It wasn't just because of their differing traits, though. It was mostly due to the shattered remains of their friendship and all that they had lost since that fateful day when everything had changed. That day he wanted so badly to forget...

"W-what are you doing here?" MarineAngemon stuttered, gazing wide-eyed at the fallen angel. Understandably there was a suspicious look on the little mega's face, and he restlessly fluttered his small wings, a sign that he was nervous.

"I was about to ask the two of you the same thing," DarkAngelicmon replied, his intense green gaze studying the little mega's uneasy expression. Stepping away from the trees, he slowly moved further into the clearing, and Lucemon shuddered at the powerful wave of emotions that seemed to be radiating from deep within the twilight of the fallen angel's shadowy heart. "If Vampiramon or Spritemon were to catch you here, they would not hesitate to drop you right into the hands of my master. You disappoint me, Lucemon. Did our last encounter teach you nothing?"

Lucemon was again finding it difficult to speak, his scattered thoughts beginning to twist horribly inside his head, forming into a terrible lump of heavy sadness and deep despair, but somehow he managed to find his voice, though he doubted the fallen angel would appreciate his next choice of words. "It seems you are the same. Does it not pain you to realize despite all that has taken place between us and all that we have been through, we have both learned nothing from our experiences? Does that not make you sad? Do you not feel what we have lost somewhere deep beneath the darkness in your heart?"

DarkAngelicmon's emerald eyes narrowed in anger, just as Lucemon had suspected would be the case, but surprisingly the fallen angel, who was fond of words, chose not to comment, preferring simply to wait and observe the dangers of what their unwanted conversation might lead to instead of bringing the conversation upon them himself.

"Lucemon...do you...would you like me to leave?" MarineAngemon asked quietly, glancing uncertainly at DarkAngelicmon. "Not too far of course, since I want to be close by if you need my help, but if you want some time alone with him..."

_Dear MarineAngemon...Always thinking of others before himself._

Lucemon quickly shook his head in reply, a sigh escaping his lips. "I appreciate the sentiment, but that will not be necessary, MarineAngemon."

"Well, if you're sure."

"Are you frightened of me, Lucemon?" DarkAngelicmon inquired, the dark spear he favoured in battle appearing suddenly in his hand. There was a slight smile on his face, but there was no humour in it, which would have been the case under normal circumstances. This time the gentle curve of his lips held a touch of bitterness and the heat in his gaze was tainted with hurt and betrayal.

"No, of course not," Lucemon replied softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I could never be frightened of you. I am frightened _for_ you. So much so, in fact, that even I cannot fully comprehend the depths of my fear."

"Is that so?"

Lucemon slowly lifted his pale blue gaze from the damp soil beneath his feet, and gazing directly into his old friend's bright emerald eyes, he murmured in slight confusion, "Why have you come to me like this? It is clear you cannot stand the sight of me, so...why do you torture yourself this way?"

"To give you a warning."

"A...warning?"

"Yes indeed, a warning. One I suggest you take to heart, my dear Lucemon. You poor, naive fool..."

"You seek to hurt me with your clever words, do you? That trick may work on most digimon, and even on the humans it seems, but you cannot blind me from the truth as you have done with so many others. I understand you too well to fall for your empty words. You seem to have forgotten that I know the heart within you better than I know my own. I cannot be deceived by the digimon you believe yourself to be."

"A fool indeed, if you truly believe the lies coming from your own mouth. Again, you disappoint me, Lucemon."

Lucemon refused to look at the fallen angel. There was just no way he could possibly stand to see that terrible gaze burning into his soul. "What is this warning you speak of? If that is all you came to say then please...do not keep me waiting."

DarkAngelicmon slowly moved closer to him, looking very much as if he wanted to step back and put some distance between them, indicating he was not in the mood for any kind of friendly contact, physical or otherwise, and twirling his spear, he said quietly, "Evil is stirring this night and the darkness is thick. I would advise you not to get involved in the plans we have for Sam. Not unless you want to be swallowed by the darkness yourself, that is."

"What is it exactly that you have planned for Sam, and for Ken? Please, tell me!"

"I cannot, but you can rest assured our plan has already been set into motion. It begins tonight, Lucemon. I know what you are thinking, but even if you did go back to the Digidestined you would be powerless to do anything to help them, especially when it comes to the young Sam Ichijouji."

"You are mistaken, my old friend. Despite your intentions to further aid the forces of darkness this evening, the thought did not cross my mind to turn back."

DarkAngelicmon looked properly surprised by this piece of news, but his curiosity faded almost immediately to be replaced by suspicion. "Why not?"

Lucemon finally raised his head again, and gazing directly into the fallen angel's emerald eyes, he said with conviction, "Because I trust you. No matter what it is you and your new allies are planning for Sam, I know you will not hurt him."

"You think too highly of me, Lucemon," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, his green gaze growing dark and shadowy. "I am not the digimon you seem to feel you once knew. Whoever that digimon might have been, as you very well know. After all, it is you who insists I have changed, not me. Are you having second thoughts now? How amusing, though I must say, I'm quite flattered by your praise."

Lucemon ignored the fallen angel's attempts to goad him, focusing only on what needed to be said. "You won't hurt Sam or Ken regardless of what you have planned for them tonight. And I know you will not let your allies harm them either. You and I both know this to be true. I will not let you sway my beliefs. Your tricks will not work on me. As I said before, unlike the Digidestined I know you too well. You will not convince me of your lies, whatever you say."

"Even if I were to agree with yours? If I were say...to turn over a new leaf, so to speak?" DarkAngelicmon replied savagely, a bitter tone once again entering into his words.

Lucmeon hung his head in shame, but he absolutely refused to be tricked into believing something that wasn't true. He would not give up so easily this time.

"Nothing to say in response?" DarkAngelicmon asked mildly, shaking his head in disappointment. "A shame really. I thought you'd be ecstatic that I've taken it upon myself to speak with you again. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Lucemon turned his back on the fallen angel, his hands clenching into tight fists. "Not like this. You have given me your warning. There is nothing left to be said. Now, if you'll excuse me I would like to be alone with my thoughts for a little while."

"And me too, of course," MarineAngemon butted in, gazing defiantly at the fallen angel.

Apparently DarkAngelicmon decided to ignore his request for solitude because the fallen angel spoke suddenly, and there was an edge to his voice. "Don't think you can dismiss me so easily, Lucemon. I could deliver you to the Ruler of Darkness at any time if it struck my fancy to do so. Watch your tone with me or I may have to take drastic measures."

_I never wanted any of this. I just want us to go home together. Back to the home we rebuilt. The dream we realized together...All this time we haven't been back there, not since we restored it. Always we were too busy traveling and helping other_ _digimon to recover from the effects of the darkness that often plagues our world. How much time has passed? Time was different then. It did not mirror the human world in those days. So many centuries away from home..._

Lucemon couldn't take it anymore. The pain, the sadness, the terrible hurt pulsing deep within his soul. It was just too much to bear, and all of a sudden his emotions came spilling out of him in a rush of words. "I do not ask you to leave my side because it is what I want! If I could have my way, you would never leave my side again and all of this darkness would be cast away, with only the light to guide our way. If I had my way, the balance between light and darkness would be restored! I merely ask because it is what _you_ want, and I cannot stand to see you flinching and shying away from my mere presence here! You say you have the power to deliver me to your master and I do not doubt you in that. You were always the stronger one out of the two of us. You were always much stronger than me...but if that's the case why have you not done so already? Deliver me to your master then and you will have succeeded in claiming revenge against the traitor you despise!"

"Lucemon!" MarineAngemon gasped, his mouth dropping open in shock.

DarkAngelicmon was silent for a moment, and Lucemon let out a soft sound of surprise as the fallen angel suddenly grabbed his chin, forcing their eyes to meet again. "You are indeed a traitor, both you and Luciamon, and that I cannot forgive, but rather than hand you over to the Ruler of Darkness right away I think I will wait a bit more and observe your pathetic attempts to help the Digidestined. I'm interested to see where this idea of yours to support them we'll lead you, though no good will come of it, I assure you."

Lucemon couldn't look away. He wanted to, but those emerald eyes would not free him from their intense gaze. "You don't mean that."

"Continue down this reckless path you've chosen and you will see exactly whether my words ring true or not."

"Angelicmon..."

"Why do you call me that?" DarkAngelicmon snapped, jerking his hand away as if he'd been burned and staring at it in disgust, as if the slight physical contact they had shared only moments ago both fascinated and revolted him. He looked shocked that he had been addressed in such a manner, which Lucemon did not find the least bit surprising. He was sure it had been a very long time since anyone had called him by that name. "Answer me! That's not my name!"

"It was once. A long time ago..."

"Do not patronize me, traitor! I am well aware of what my name is."

Lucemon felt his throat tighten, and throwing caution to the winds he touched the fallen angel's arm, trying to make sense of the painful and confusing rift between them. DarkAngelicmon, being the taller of the two, had to look down at him for their gazes to meet, and whereas Lucemon's appearance resembled that of a male human between the ages of twelve and fourteen, DarkAngelicmon's features closely resembled that of a male human around the age of seventeen or eighteen. Compared to Angemon and Angewomon, who more closely resembled humans in their mid twenties, they looked very young indeed, though both of them had been around longer than any human could ever comprehend. "Don't you remember anything? Anything at all?"

"Don't touch me," DarkAngelicmon snapped, jerking his arm away and turning so that his face was covered in shadow. "It burns."

"Please, tell me! You must remember something!"

DarkAngelicmon remained silent, his back turned towards his two fellow companions, but Lucemon wasn't going to be dissuaded so easily. Stepping up behind DarkAngelicmon, he placed a gentle hand on the fallen angel's back, his palm resting between his friend's dark wings, and speaking softly in the celestial champion's ear, he murmured, "The light would not burn so if you would let me back into your heart."

_Please..._

Lucemon expected DarkAngelicmon to pull away again, but to his surprise the fallen angel did no such thing. Turning slightly, DarkAngelicmon whispered a name that sent chills down his spine. "Daemon..."

"Oh!" MarineAngemon moaned, wincing at the mere mention of one of the fabled Demon Lords of legend.

"Daemon," Lucemon repeated, shivering inspite of the humid air still lingering on the slight breeze. "I do not understand...What happened to you after we defeated Daemon? You were weak and vulnerable yes, but...we should have been able to save you...We should have been able to bring you back, even after he somehow managed to bend you to his will. What did he do to you? And you know I don't mean Daemon..."

"I never should have let you come," DarkAngelicmon whispered, more to himself than to his two companions. "If you had not insisted on coming, he never would have been able to find you. He never would have been able to get his hands on you so easily..."

"I had to come. I couldn't stand back and watch while you and Luciamon threw yourselves into the very heart of darkness itself here in our world."

"No...you shouldn't have come. I failed to protect you, and look where it has led us."

Lucemon at first could not speak, having become temporarily paralyzed by the sound of his own heartbeat ringing in his ears, but at last he found the words, though they were uncertain and full of hesitation. "If you remember that much then why can't you..."

"Lucemon, tell me something. What do you know of Takahiro Kuroki and GranDracmon?" DarkAngelicmon suddenly asked quietly, catching Lucemon completely off guard. "That old abandoned fortress on File Island...You've been there, have you not?"

Lucemon paused before answering, uncertain of where their conversation was headed. "I have been there, yes. Several times, in fact. It is a quiet place and a peaceful spot for thinking, and the history of the Digital World seems to come alive all around you under its roof."

"You understand the ancient language of the Digital World as I do not. What is written upon those walls about Tal and GranDracmon? You do not seem surprised to discover that Tal and his friends had fought and won again the first digimon to have ever come out from behind the Wall of Fire."

"You...truly remember the stories about GranDracmon?"

"I remember Tal's group of Digidestined fought against him and won, but-"

"What else do you remember?"

DarkAngelicmon glanced suspiciously at him, a frown overtaking the fallen angel's handsome features. "GranDracmon...He was Daemon's master, was he not? Only...because of Tal his plans to rule both our world and the human world failed. If I remember correctly, he was banished to the World of Darkness and sealed away. Daemon wanted to resurrect his master, and his master's vision to claim both the human world and the Digital World, I believe. Daemon...his plan to...to..."

"Yes?"

DarkAngelicmon paused, trying to remember. "The ancient prophecy of File Island. The curse of the Seven Demon Lords. He wanted them, just like his master before him. He wanted you..."

"Angelicmon..."

_Could it be?_

Lucemon quickly stepped in front of his old friend, his arms reaching out to curl gently around the fallen angel's waist in a warm hug. He knew his pale blue eyes were pleading for a positive answer to his desperate words, but he did not allow himself to feel embarrassed.

"Was I...really trying to protect you?" DarkAngelicmon whispered, a faraway look in his bright green eyes.

"Yes, you were. And for that I will forever remain in your debt. If it wasn't for me this would not have happened. If it wasn't for me, you would still be you..."

For a long moment they merely stared at each other in silence, their gazes locked in some kind of silent communication, and just for a split second Lucemon thought he saw a flash of recognition in DarkAngelicmon's gaze, but it was gone before he could confirm whether he had really seen it or not. "Tell me about Tal and GranDracmon."

"I do not understand why it is important to you, but..."

"But what?"

Lucemon hugged his dearest and closest friend more tightly around the waist, and ignoring the fallen angel's wince, he whispered, "If it will help you remember the close bond we once shared, if it will help bring you back to me, then I will tell you whatever you want to know."

DarkAngelicmon shifted uncomfortably, obviously unsettled by the light coming from Lucemon's touch encircling his dark form, and gazing off into the trees, he said simply, "Proceed then, for I grow weary of waiting."

"You must understand, though, I do not know much more than what you used to remember about GranDracmon and the first Digidestined. I never had the opportunity to meet Takahiro Kuroki and his friends like you did..."

"I...what?" DarkAngelicmon gasped, pulling back slightly to stare at him in shock.

"Before Daichi and his friends, I had never even seen a human before, but you have. You don't remember obviously, but in some ways perhaps you know more than I ever did about Tal and his friends, and their adventure, despite what is written on the walls of the fortress and the things that I have read."

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

Lucemon sighed, a soft sort of smile appearing suddenly on his handsome face. "Do not trouble yourself about it. I have not lost hope that your past will come to you in time. Let us focus on the answers you seek for now and we shall visit the past another day once you've...thought about it a bit more."

"Lucemon...you..."

Lucemon could feel DarkAngelicmon trembling in his arms, and it gave him the courage to speak. "You must understand, you and I...we never met GranDracmon personally. All we know is what we heard from other digimon and from what I was able to discover on the walls of the fortress. There is much history written on those walls dating back to the very beginning, to the Age of Light and the Dawn of Darkness, which has led to the present day Digital World we are both familiar with."

"The Age of Light..." DarkAngelicmon murmured, looking lost in thought.

"As I told you, you never met GranDracmon and neither did I, but...we know he very much wanted to meet me..."

"What?" DarkAngelicmon asked sharply, his gaze immediately becoming focused again.

"You don't remember? Rumours reached us that the one calling himself the Ruler of Darkness, the one known as GranDracmon was searching for me, but thanks to help from both you and Luciamon he was never able to find me."

"I see..."

"The ancient prophecy of File Island. The words of Seermon..."

"The words of...Seermon?" DarkAngelicmon asked curiously, a slight frown overtaking his pale features.

"The world will become shrouded in darkness and the beings known as the Seven Great Demons Lords shall walk the land. In time, a digimon with immense power will appear out of that darkness, and he will have the power to unite the forces of evil. When the Seven Demon Lords gather under his command, the worlds of both digimon and humans will be at his mercy, and those under his reign will tremble with fear, for he is the source of evil that slumbers within the hearts of the guilty and the innocent."

"The worlds will become shrouded in darkness...You mean the Dawn of Darkness?" DarkAngelicmon asked slowly, shaking his head in denial of his own words.

"I believe so, yes. The Dawn of Darkness that ended the Age of Light. It was because of them. The Age of Light came to an end because the Seven Great Demon Lords began to walk the land. They were responsible for the Dawn of Darkness. Eventually, though no one knows how it came about, a digimon from behind the Wall of Fire caught wind of the prophecy, and breaking free from the World of Darkness he sought to unite the Seven Demon Lords under his command."

"GranDracmon..." DarkAngelicmon whispered, unable to look away. "And Daemon...he..."

"Sought to revive his master and to accomplish what GranDracmon had failed to do. Bring the Seven Great Demon Lords together. He believed by doing so he would earn himself a place of honour by his master's side, and now..."

"No," DarkAngelicmon snapped, pulling away from him. "No, it cannot be."

"You know it is true, even if you do not remember your past. Why else would he be trying to capture-"

"No!" DarkAngelicmon cried, struggling out of his arms and backing away from him. "If you are correct and I cannot remember my past then how do I know if what you say is true? How do I know you're not lying to me? How do I know you haven't betrayed me like Luciamon?"

"Angelicmon-"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Hey, there's no need to yell at him!" MarineAngemon shouted, frowning at the fallen angel.

There was a moment of tense silence and then DarkAngelicmon turned his back on them, his handsome face once again becoming neutral. "I believe I've learned all I need to know for now. It is time I returned to the others."

"The prophecy of the first Digidestined, the angels of hope and light and the hour of the beast, the myth of the Seven Great Demon Lords...The prophecies of File Island do not lie. Seermon and Sorcermon have always been truthful in their words of wisdom. You know this to be true as much as I do."

DarkAngelicmon chose not to respond, and desperate to reveal his true feelings to the fallen angel, Lucemon reached out to him, stopping his old friend before he could fly away. Taking DarkAngelicmon's face in his hands, he said sadly, "Please, let them help you. Let Makiya and Masato Takaishi into your heart. If you do, you will see the truth for yourself. If you cannot trust me then at least put your faith in them. They will show you the way back to the light you so desperately cling to. The light that always remains just out of reach."

_Let them show you the way back to me..._

At first Lucemon thought DarkAngelicmon was going to shove him away, but instead the fallen angel closed his eyes and whispered, "I...will try."

"Angelicmon..."

"A word of advice, Lucemon. I would advise you to stay out of sight for the remainder of your time spent here in this swamp, especially from the prying eyes of Vampiramon and the others whom you once worked with. I cannot guarantee your freedom if you do not heed my words of wisdom."

"I will be careful. I promise you that."

DarkAngelicmon nodded, and stepping back he leaped into the air and flew away into the trees, leaving Lucemon staring after him. He had not been able to tell his old friend everything he'd been wanting to say about GranDracmon, Tal, and the past in general, but there would be time for that another day.

At least, he hoped there would be.

Takahiro Kuroki and his friends may have been able to defeat GranDracmon, along with several of the Seven Great Demon Lords in the past, but Lucemon knew only too well that there were still several Demon Lords out there who currently walked the four hemispheres of the Digital World. The reason why was simple. He knew because he was one of them.


	222. Unseen Eyes

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: And onto another chapter! We're back to the kids again. Now with this part coming up you're going to see what's happening on both sides, and if you don't know what I mean by that you'll soon find out. We start off with the boys' side and next will be the girls' side.  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 222: Unseen Eyes

_Sam Ichijouji  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Sam?"

Sam slowly lifted his sapphire gaze from the deep red carpet stretching across the floor of the main room in the lodge, and his eyes came to rest on Mickey, who was standing hesitantly in the doorway. After bringing him some dinner, Mickey had left to join the other Digidestined outside by the fire, leaving Sam alone with only his dinner and his own depressing thoughts for company, which had suited him just fine.

Without having to say a word, Mickey had understood that he wanted to be left alone for the time being, and speaking with Matty and the others, who had still been inside the lodge during the confrontation Sam had had with his father, Mickey had asked them to join him outside, ignoring their obvious concerns. Mickey had done an excellent job of dodging questions, and the group had left without another word, the others trailing along behind Mickey in slight confusion.

Despite that, though, Sam hadn't failed to notice the way Matty and the others had been staring at him, but instead of commenting he had merely avoided their gazes, a slight blush staining his pale cheeks, one of which was slightly bruised thanks to a certain goggle-headed Digidestined leader, who in Sam's opinion could be a bit too free with his fists sometimes.

He knew Dai or one of the others would tell Matty's group what had happened before the night was over, but at the moment he didn't much care what they had to say about him. He knew without being told he was a terrible person, and curling himself deeper into one of the two sofas in the room, he stifled a soft cry of despair, his eyes squeezing shut to hide the pain glimmering beneath the surface of his empty gaze.

Deep within his heart Sam knew his father would never hurt him, but even though his mind kept telling him the former Emperor had only uttered those words in an attempt to reach through to him, trying desperately to understand the situation and to fix what was wrong between them, hearing his dad speak of such terrible things had still hurt him deeply, making him lash out in such a way that was entirely uncommon for him. Even now there were tears in his eyes and his hands and lips were trembling with all the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

His dad loved him, he knew that, but he was afraid one day if he continued to ignore what was in his heart, his father's words really would ring true, and if that happened Sam knew he would never be able to live with himself. Just the thought of his father hating him was enough to make him lose his appetite, hence the reason why his dinner still sat only half eaten on the end table beside him.

Even though he was the one who had the power to change the course of the future, he didn't know what to do. Every part of him was screaming at him to forgive his father, but there was still that one part of him that refused to let it go. As a result Sam had tried both physically and mentally to hurt his father, lashing out because he was confused, afraid, and uncertain of what it was he really even wanted anymore.

He didn't deserve forgiveness, but he knew his father would forgive him anyways, and that perhaps was the part that hurt the most.

"Sam?"

Sam had almost forgotten Mickey was there, and glancing again at his golden-haired friend he let out a soft sigh, reluctant to speak but knowing he didn't really have a choice. "What is it?"

"We're just going to go wash off in the spring now before the weather gets too nasty. Yolei wants all of us kids to go first. The adults are going to take their turn while we're doing our homework."

Sam frowned at his, though it was quickly replaced by a faint smile. "Seriously? My mom still hasn't given up on that idea?"

"Did you really think she would?" Mickey replied, laughing softly. "This is your mom we're talking about after all."

"True."

"Plus, it gives her an excuse to make sure we don't take too long in the bath, since the adults want to get in before the rain starts too."

"Mimi mostly, I bet."

Mickey nodded in agreement, a smile on his face, but it quickly faded to be replaced by a hesitant look. "Are you...going to come and join us?"

Truthfully Sam wasn't really in the mood, especially since Dai would be there, further reminding him of the earlier fiasco with his father, but he knew Mickey wouldn't take no for an answer, and he did still feel pretty sticky from the heat of the swamp. "I guess so."

Mickey's face instantly lit up, and stepping closer the older twin held out his hand, which Sam grabbed somewhat reluctantly, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

"Oh, and we needed someone to take over for Uncle Matt on watch duty," Mickey added, a sheepish look overtaking his handsome features. "Since Glowmon wasn't there the rest of our digimon partners kind of volunteered him for the job. I'm really sorry about that."

"Those meanies," Glowmon grumbled, fluttering his transparent wings in annoyance. "I wanted to go in the water too!"

Sam glanced at his partner, who was snuggled up beside him on the coach, an apologetic look instantly appearing on his face. "I'm guessing they didn't want to give up their chance at playing in the water, though I'm surprised Embermon didn't volunteer for watch duty. He hates water."

"He volunteered to watch the fire," Mickey replied, smiling slightly. "Uncle Matt thought it would be best to put the fire out completely so as not to attract our enemies, but Embermon refused, insisting all Vampiramon has to do is stroll by and she would know someone was staying here regardless of the fire. Personally I think it's mostly because Embermon went to so much trouble trying to find the right kind of wood that he doesn't want to see his masterpiece get snuffed out so quickly."

"Sounds like Embermon," Glowmon sighed, shaking his head in amusement. "I guess I'd better digivolve and join Leomon then."

"Just remember...save your energy and make sure you eat well tomorrow morning," Mickey warned, growing suddenly serious. "Dai doesn't want you wasting your energy unless you obviously have to. Hopefully we won't get attacked tonight, but you never know."

_Poor Glowmon, and it's because of me. If I hadn't gotten mad at my dad, I never would have left and he wouldn't have gotten stuck with watch duty._

Glowmon must have sensed what he was thinking because his digimon fluttered into his arms, giving his chest a reassuring nuzzle. "It's okay, Sam, I don't mind. I'm sure Leomon will have some great stories about his travels here in the Digital World. You go spend some time with your friends, I think it will be good for you."

"If you say so."

Sam could tell Mickey hadn't brought up the issue about Dai and his father because the older twin wanted to give him some time to collect his thoughts, but the matter would come up eventually, and when it did Sam had no idea what he would say. He knew he didn't deserve Mickey's sympathy, and he didn't even blame Dai for hitting him. They were both trying to help him in their own way, but he wished they wouldn't. His actions were inexcusable, and the more they tried to help him, the guiltier he felt.

"Come on," Mickey said softly, tugging lightly on his arm.

"In a minute. First I need to help Glowmon digivolve."

Mickey was about to respond when they heard a noise in the foyer. Apparently the rest of their friends and digimon, along with their parent's digimon, had come inside, and Sam waited until he heard them moving towards the back of the lodge before heading into the foyer himself with Glowmon. Stepping outside he spotted the adults sitting around the fire with Embermon, the low murmurs of their voices making it difficult for him to hear what they were saying. Leomon was still sitting watch, and holding out his D-Coder Sam quickly had Glowmon digivolve into Dracomon before the adults could spot him.

"Be careful."

"Sam, please...don't give up," Dracomon said quietly, reaching out to gently touch the side of his face. "I couldn't bear it if anything were to ever happen to you."

Sam quickly turned his face away, unable to look his partner in the eyes, and realizing all of the adults were beginning to turn in his direction, having spotted the light from his Digivice, he quickly scurried back into the lodge, leaving Dracomon to fend for himself. Mickey was standing just inside the door, an eyebrow raised, and Sam blushed a brilliant shade of red at the look on his friend's face. "Let's go."

Without waiting for a reply, Sam quickly dragged Mickey towards the back of the lodge, and realizing all of a sudden he didn't have a clue where he was going, he stopped and mumbled, "Uh...which way to the springs?"

"This way."

Mickey led him to one of two changing rooms at the back of the lodge, and stepping inside Sam took notice of the room's interior, liking what he saw. There was a huge shelving unit on the left-hand side of the room, where towels were stored, and the right side held two sinks and a large mirror, along with a small alcove that led to what appeared to be two bathroom stalls and several urinals. It always amused Sam that many of the structures and buildings in the Digital World were made to suit humans, but seeing as the Digital World was made up of data created from the human world it didn't really surprise him. The door to the actual springs was on the north wall and several benches occupied the centre of the room. It almost reminded Sam of the boys' locker room at his school, though it was lacking the showers to complete the image.

Currently Matty was the only person in the room, and Sam assumed all the digimon, including Mickey's partner, along with Dai and Ryoko, had already stepped outside into the springs, judging by the noise they were making through the half open sliding glass door.

"Where's Kara?" Mickey asked his brother, grabbing onto the hem of both his green t-shirt and the long-sleeved white shirt he wore underneath and pulling them over his head.

Matty, who already had his shirt and blue hoodie off and was currently in the process of removing his jeans, one leg sticking out while the other remained trapped within the material, forcing him to hop up and down on one foot, looked up in confusion, and spotting who had come into the room with his brother, he promptly fell over onto his backside, his legs sticking up into the air in the most comical fashion.

Well, that certainly answered Sam's question about whether or not someone had told Matty and the others who had still been in the house earlier about the fight he'd had with his father.

Not that he'd been expecting anything less.

"Sam!" Matty gasped, scrambling into a sitting position, his amber eyes growing to twice their size. "Um..."

"I'm fine," Sam mumbled in response, avoiding the younger twin's eyes and feeling very much ashamed of himself.

"Kara?" Mickey gently reminded his twin, sitting down on one of the benches to pull off his socks and shoes.

Matty quickly wiggled the rest of the way out of his jeans, and yanking off his socks he gave his brother a rather sheepish look, his earlier embarrassing actions having yet to be entirely forgotten. "Oh, right. She's in the other changing room. Luckily the springs are split up into two sections, one for girls and one for boys. That way none of us have to wait our turn."

"Planning to get off the floor anytime soon?" Mickey asked, favoring his twin with a teasing smile.

Matty glared at his brother, and yanking off his boxer briefs he promptly stomped out the sliding glass door in all his naked glory, a towel swinging angrily back and forth in his hand.

Sam shook his head at his friend's naked backside, and sitting down on the bench opposite Mickey, he proceeded to remove his own clothes, his thoughts once again becoming dark and dreary.

"You okay?" Mickey asked quietly, pausing in the middle of taking off his own jeans to glance over, a concerned look on his face.

Sam quickly pulled off the rest of his clothes, leaving them pooled in a heap on the floor, and running a hand through his dark hair, he let out a soft sigh. "I'm fine. I guess I'm just tired. It's been a long day."

"Sam..."

Mickey looked like he wanted to say more, but instead of saying what was on his mind he merely shut his mouth and proceeded to finish undressing in silence, a frown on his normally peaceful face.

_I know he's worried about me, but there's nothing I can do about it. No matter what I do, I just seem to end up hurting more people..._

It was a depressing thought, and growing angry with himself he quickly grabbed two towels from the shelf and handed one to Mickey, who had finished undressing.

Together the two of them headed outside to where the springs were located, and spotting them Ryoko sat up slightly in the water, his sapphire eyes narrowing into a deep frown. "There you guys are. We were beginning to think you weren't going to come."

"Sorry," Mickey replied, tossing his towel aside and stepping gingerly into the water. "We had to wait for Glowmon to digivolve."

"He agreed to take up watch then?"

"Yes, but not without complaining first."

Halomon, who was splashing around in the water with Celestimon, suddenly paused mid-splash, and leaning over to his fellow rookie, he whispered, "Glowmon's going to give us a big talking to later."

"Well, maybe he should have come outside then," Celestimon whispered back, a smug look on his small face.

Sam slowly let his towel fall to the rocks beneath his feet, the fluffy, wrinkled ball of cotton having slipped almost unconsciously from his hand, and glancing around the spring, he felt a small shiver race down his bare spine. For reasons he couldn't identify, he suddenly felt very much naked and vulnerable, exposed to unseen eyes, which was starting to make him extremely uncomfortable. It wasn't because of his friends, who had seen him naked on numerous occasions over the years and who could care less what he looked like, with or without clothes on, nor was it because of their digimon partners. He almost felt as if they were being watched, and not by something friendly either. The darkness didn't feel particularly strong, so he doubted it was anything horrendously evil, but even so he still felt very uneasy, making him wonder if he was just being paranoid or if he was going insane.

"Aren't you coming in?" Dai demanded, making Sam jump in surprise.

He looked up to find Daichi watching him from the opposite side of the medium-sized pool of water, and remembering what had happened between himself and the goggle-headed leader earlier, he felt his cheeks turn a deep shade of red, earning himself a raised eyebrow from Ryoko, who was lounging in the water next to Dai.

Unable to look at his friends, Sam quickly stepped into the pool and he sat down close to where Mickey and Matty were watching their partners playing together in the water, his sapphire eyes taking note of their peaceful surroundings. The spring itself was surrounded by rocks and the water was cool, allowing Sam to relax and to recover from the heat a bit. On the right was a tall screen that separated the girls' spring from the boys' spring, and on the left and to the north the spring was surrounded by thick trees, effectively cutting it off from a view of the swamp that surrounded the lodge. The south side was blocked by the lodge itself, connecting the spring to the lodge with the sliding glass door Sam had stepped through only moments ago, and arching his body to stretch the tired muscles in his back and shoulders he quickly settled back and closed his eyes, trying to get himself to relax.

Sitting on the rocks to the left, as they were determined not to get their fur wet, Sam cold hear Gabumon and Alopemon talking quietly to one another while Armadillomon and Tentomon had made themselves comfortable in the shallow water near the edge of the spring, their voices carrying as they attempted to duck the water flying their way, courtesy of Halomon and Celestimon.

The only other digimon present was Wormmon, who was sitting near the edge of the water close to Dai and Ryoko, and Sam, who still had his eyes closed, could feel the little rookie watching him intently, which was making him feel worse than he already did.

_He should hate me for what I did to his partner..._

"Wow, the water feels so nice!" Takara's voice suddenly called out from the other side of the screen, which was followed by a soft series of splashing sounds as she presumably suck into the water.

Sam slowly opened his eyes, and he watched as Dai made his way over to the edge of the spring near where the screen was, forcing Mickey and Matty to relocate to a different spot. Climbing half out of the water, his arms resting on the rocks and his chin resting on his arms, he called back, "What's it look like on your side?"_  
_

"Beautiful! I like it. It's really pretty," Takara replied, her voice sounding closer than it had been before. Judging from where her words had come from, Sam figured she was most likely sprawled close to the screen in a position similar to Dai's, the two of them facing each other on opposite sides of the barrier. "I'm guessing my side looks the same as yours, only reversed."

"You boys are very noisy over there," Palmon complained, a disapproving note to her voice.

"Let them have their fun, Palmon," Dovemon interrupted, clearly amused. "We might not have another chance to relax like this until after we get the Spirit Chip."

"Very true," Hawkmon added from Takara's side, his words quickly being backed by Gotsumon.

Hearing Hawkmon's and Gotsumon's voices Matty quickly made his way over to Dai's side, his arms flailing above his head in a rather amusing display of outrage. "Hey! How come those two are over on your side? They're boys like us!"

"They're _digimon_," Takara snorted in response, a hint of amusement in her tone. "They don't care about stuff like that."

"Stuff like what?" Celestimon interrupted, tugging on one of his long ears in an adorable display of confusion.

"See what I mean?" Takara said smugly, laughing softly to herself at Celestimon's cute response.

"That's not the point," Matty shot back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Help me out here, Mickey. No boys should be ogling our cousin, with or without clothes on."

Mickey, who looked like he was trying very hard to keep a straight face, merely shrugged his shoulders at Matty's indignant response, his amber eyes watching Dai, who was steadily turning red by the minute as the conversation continued to revolve around Takara's nakedness.

"Oh, Matty," Takara giggled, her laughter carrying into the trees. "You're such a sweetheart."

"I am not," Matty grumbled, making a face.

"Yes, you are. Always the overprotective one. Me, Rina, Ryoko, Mickey...I love that about you."

"Yeah well...someone has to watch out for you guys," Matty grumbled, ignoring the smirk Ryoko sent in his direction.

"Does that mean we can come over and visit you?" Halomon asked shyly, fluttering over to the screen and placing his fluffy ear against it to hear Takara's response.

"Of course you can! Celestimon too, if he wants to."

Halomon immediately dived over the screen, Celestimon following behind him, and there was a huge splash as they tumbled into the spring on Kara's side, sending water flying in all directions.

"Traitors!" Matty shouted after them, shaking his fist at the screen.

Sam, who was trying to relax, promptly gave up on what was obviously a wasted effort, and gazing miserably into the trees, he suddenly blinked in surprise, his sapphire eyes falling on something small and dark that seemed to be moving in the bushes.

_What's that?_

Sam quickly glanced at his friends, who minus Ryoko were still chatting with Kara, and moving slowly through the water he came to a stop near the edge of the spring by the trees, his eyes squinting deep into the foliage.

"Sam? Is something wrong?"

Sam jumped when he suddenly felt Ryoko's hand on his shoulder, and turning to face his friend he quickly shook his head in denial. "No, I just...It's nothing."

Sam could tell Ryoko didn't believe him, but instead of trying to convince the golden-haired Digidestined of something that obviously wasn't true, he turned his gaze back to the trees.

There was nothing there.

_I must be imaging things. It's all this talk about my Spirit Chip, the Emperor, and all this darkness...right? There can't really be anything in the trees, can there?_


	223. Peeping Tom

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Another chapter done. I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone for your nice comments and a special thank you to Devil of Fate for the many reviews! I've had a lot of fun reading them. Now, I just want to say that some of the credit for these scenes with the springs goes to Namco Bandai. Namco's Tales Series often features a hot spring, and the inspiration for these chapters is thanks mostly in part to them. If you've never played a Tales games I highly suggest you do as the Tales series is one of the best RPG franchises out there! (And you North Americans have plenty of opportunity. March 13th _Tales of Graces f_ for the PS3 and Feb 14th _Tales of the Abyss_ for the 3DS! (Which Europe already has.) I'm so excited! Er...yes. Back to Digimon...**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 223: Peeping Tom

_Takara 'Kara' Kamiya_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere,__ Digital World_

"Hey, you two enjoying yourselves?" Takara asked, smiling at her newest bathing companions.

Halomon replied by leaping into her arms with a splash, a wide smile lighting up his adorable face. "I like it here! It's so pretty, and playing in the water is so much fun!"

"Especially when you get to splash everyone!" Celestimon laughed, earning himself a look of disapproval from Hawkmon, who had just become Celestimon's latest victim.

Takara gave the little rookie in her arms a quick hug in return, ignoring the fact that he was making her even more wet, and setting him on the rocks at the edge of the water she shook out her hair, a sigh escaping her lips.

Now that her hair was no longer in a ponytail, Takara could feel the dried mud coating the ends of her dark tresses scratching uncomfortably against her spine, and sinking down into the pool she let her head fall back against the rocks, allowing the cool water to wash away the stiff mud tangled in the dark strands of her hair.

A glance at the screen, where she could hear the boys talking quietly to each other, made her blush, the memory of how Dai had saved her from a horrible fate still floating around in her mind, and covering her face with her hands she let out a soft groan.

_I can't believe I just jumped him like that. He probably thinks I've gone crazy or something. Then again...he didn't really complain about it. That has to be a good sign, right?_

Truthfully Takara didn't know either way, and as much as she wanted to take the time to sort out what had happened during the sinkhole incident inside her head, with Sam suffering so much she knew now was not the time to be worrying about her love life. As much as it disappointed her she knew her feelings for Dai were just going to have to wait. Helping Sam was going to have to come first, and rightfully so. She knew Sam needed her, and even if he didn't want her help, or the help of anyone else for that matter, that didn't mean she couldn't make herself useful.

Discreetly, of course.

_Poor Sam. I just don't know what to do, and Dai's pretty much had enough of his attitude. He made that painfully clear with the whole fist in the face fiasco. And then there's Mickey...He wants so badly to help Sam, and I can tell its killing him to have to watch Sam suffering..._

Takara promptly stood up in the water, and scrubbing vigorously at her arms to get the mud off she glanced at the trees, huffing slightly at the injustice of it all.

_Matty and Ryoko too...Everyone is suffering and I just...it makes me want to scream. Ugh...boys. Why can't they ever just talk things through sensibly? It's a nightmare..._

"Kara, are you okay?" Dovemon asked quietly, splashing next to her in the water, though her movements were a little less playful and vigorous compared to earlier.

"I'm fine, I'm just..."

"Worried?" Palmon finished, disappearing beneath the water before popping back up again, a contented look on her face. "We're all worried, Kara."

"I know."

"Just don't think about it too much," Gotsumon advised, his feet kicking up water from where he sat at the edge of the spring. "If you do, you'll only end up driving yourself crazy, and that's not going to help anything."

Takara sighed, and reaching up she wrapped her hands around her wet hair, wringing out as much of the water as she could. "I keep telling myself the same thing, but I still can't help worrying..."

"Kara?" Dai's voice suddenly called hesitantly from the other side of the cream-coloured screen separating the two springs.

Takara turned towards the screen, moving closer so she wouldn't have to speak so loudly to be heard, and spotting Dai's dark silhouette she blushed a bit in embarrassment, knowing he was every bit as naked as she was on the other side. Judging by the dark shape of his body, he seemed to be lying half out of the spring, his arms resting on the rocks. It was the same position he'd been in earlier, and Takara once again copied his position, which resulted in their faces ending up only about five feet apart. The screen stood halfway between their two pools of water, and Takara felt her cheeks turn a darker shade of red when she realized Dai could probably see her dark silhouette every bit as much as she could see his, thanks to the two outside lights shining on each of the two pools. "What is it, Dai?"

The goggle-headed leader's silhouette shifted slightly, indicating he wasn't quite sure how to reply. "You okay over there?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. You just...went a bit quiet over there all of a sudden, that's all. Maybe you should have asked Mimi or one of the other girls to come with you. I don't like the thought of you being over there by yourself."

Takara smiled at this, her heart fluttering happily in her chest. "I'm not alone. The digimon are here with me. I'll be fine."

"I know, but...it still makes me nervous."

Not caring suddenly one bit that she was naked, Takara pulled herself further out of the spring, water streaming down her bare back and chest, and reaching towards the screen she gently placed her hand against it, a soft smile beginning to turn up the corners of her mouth. A moment later she felt Dai's hand touch hers on the other side of the coarse material, their damp hands leaving a wet patch on the screen. Despite the thick cloth between them, Takara could feel the warmth of Dai's hand soaking into her palm, which sent a shock of electricity shooting up her arm and down her spine. "I'll be okay. Besides, if something does happen I know you guys are close by if I need some help."

"Well, if you're sure," Dai replied, though he didn't sound convinced.

"Hey!" Matty suddenly shouted in outrage, his voice carrying through the screen. "What are you doing, Dai? Back up a bit, would you? As much as I just love a nice view of your naked butt, you're too close to that screen for my taste."

"Would you give it a rest already?" Dai groaned in reply, sounding rather embarrassed. "I'm just talking!"

"Talk back a bit further then!"

"Matty," Mickey scolded, sounding as if he were trying very hard not to laugh. "Give Dai a break, would you?"

"Only if he stays in the water and quits exposing himself to Kara!"

"What!" Dai yelped, falling backwards with a splash. "I'm not exposing myself to anyone! I wasn't even _that_ far out of the water, and even if I was there's a screen between us!"

"That doesn't matter! I mean look at it! It's practically transparent!"

"N-no it's not!"

"You better not have seen any-"

Matty's rant came to an abrupt halt as Dai suddenly knocked him under the water, creating a large splash, and Takara, having heard the exchange, burst into giggles before falling back into her own pool, her heart feeling suddenly lighter at the playful banter taking place on the other side of the screen. "You guys."

"Ouch, that hurt," Matty grumbled, his dark silhouette moving to give Dai a push. "You don't have to be so rough."

"Quit making stuff up then!"

"Boys," Palmon muttered, shaking her head.

Takara smiled in response, and moving away from the screen she waded over to the trees on the north side of the spring, her hazel eyes scanning the deep darkness within.

She hadn't expected to come across anything lurking in the undergrowth, but to her surprise she thought she saw something shifting in the darkness, and it made her freeze, her hazel eyes narrowing in suspicion.

_What was that?_

Takara took a quick look over her shoulder at the digimon, none of whom were paying the slightest bit of attention to her as Halomon and Celestimon had begun splashing the others again, and climbing slowly out of the water she crept closer to the trees, trying valiantly to see through the darkness.

Now that she was out of the water the air suddenly felt chilly, and she wrapped her arms around her naked body, rubbing her arms to gain back some warmth.

For some reason she suddenly felt like she was being watched, which made her feel very exposed and vulnerable, and keeping her arms crossed over her naked chest she crouched at the edge of the trees, jumping when whatever she had seen earlier moved again, its small body shifting in the darkness.

Whatever it was, the thing must have sensed her presence because it turned suddenly and Takara found herself staring into a pair of eyes that were glowing softly in the darkness.

Staring back at the thing, Takara did the only thing that came to mind. She opened her mouth and let loose an echoing scream at the top of her lungs.

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sam watched with a raised eyebrow as Matty attempted to exact revenge on Dai by pulling the goggle-headed leader beneath the surface of the water, much in the same fashion as Dai had done to him mere moments ago, and shaking his head he wearily rubbed his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to block out the noise his friends were making.

What he really wanted to do was go inside and get some rest, but somehow he didn't think Mickey and the others would be very happy with him if he started acting antisocial again. But...if he left now, the others probably wouldn't even notice.

_They're too busy having fun to pay much attention to me. If I could just get away without Mickey noticing..._

"Will you two cut it out?" Ryoko complained, glaring at both Dai and Matty, who had inadvertently splashed him while trying to dunk each other.

Sam half rose out of the water, chancing a quick look at Mickey, who was busy watching Dai and Ryoko, but before he could climb out of the pool a shrill scream split the air, freezing him in his tracks.

A scream that sounded suspiciously like Takara.

_Kara!_

Immediately Dai and Matty quit splashing one other, and giving each other horrified looks they quickly clamoured out of the pool in a rush, both of them calling out Takara's name.

Ryoko and Mickey were quick to follow, and Sam, having finally come to his senses, climbed out as well, reaching swiftly for his towel and wrapping it securely around his waist.

Matty, Mickey, and Ryoko also dived for their towels, scrambling to cover themselves, but Dai, in a state of panic, forgot all about his towel and went racing towards the trees, ignoring Ryoko's shout of, "Daichi, wait! You forgot your-"

As soon as Dai reached the edge of the undergrowth he ducked around the gap between the trees and the screen to the other side, desperately calling their female friend's name. "Kara!"

There was another scream and a splash, along with a loud yelp from Dai, and still holding the goggle-headed leader's towel in his hands, Ryoko let out a sigh and said, "Towel."

Sam raised his eyebrows as Dai immediately came back around the corner, and clutching the side of his head he slumped onto the rocks, his face the colour of a tomato. With a groan escaping his lips, he muttered, "Right...towel...ouch."

"Smooth, Daichi," Ryoko smirked, crouching next to Dai and dropping the towel into his friend's lap to cover up the goggle-headed leader's nakedness. "You might want to put that on this time."

Dai glared at the golden-haired Digidestined, and muttering to himself he quickly wrapped the towel tightly around his waist before allowing Ryoko to take his hand and pull him to his feet.

"Daichi Motomiya, what were you thinking?" Takara screeched from the other side of the screen, her tone filled with obvious embarrassment.

"Well excuse me for wanting to help!" Dai shot back, sounding slightly irritated. "I thought you were in trouble!"

"Did you see anything?" Takara wailed, ignoring Dai's words completely. "If you saw anything..."

"No! You were already in the water when I came around! You saw way more of me than I saw of you!" Dai said hotly, his face turning an even deeper shade of red when he realized what he had just said.

There was a moment of embarrassed silence, and then Takara's voice called out meekly, "Dai?"

"What?" Dai grumbled, wincing as he rubbed the side of his head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"What did she do?" Ryoko asked nonchalantly, looking very amused.

"She threw a rock at my head! It really hurt too..."

"I didn't mean to!" Takara cried, sounding quite distressed. "You just took me by surprise."

"That doesn't mean you have to throw stuff at me!"

"Serves you right!" Matty scolded, glaring at the goggle-headed leader. "What do you think you're doing flashing my cousin like that?"

Dai gaped at the younger twin, his face turning a rather alarming shade of purple. "I wasn't trying to flash anyone! I was trying to help!"

Matty looked about to reply, but before he could open his mouth Mickey gently pushed his younger twin aside and reached out to place a sympathetic hand on Dai's shoulder. "It's okay, calm down. Accidents happen. I'm sure Kara didn't mean to hurt you."

"I didn't," Takara called back meekly from her side of the screen.

Dai tried to protest, but Mickey quickly cut him off, a smile beginning to form on the older twin's face. "She only reacted instinctively out of shock when she saw you. It wasn't personal."

"The rest of us probably would have gotten an even more violent reaction," Ryoko muttered, causing Dai to stare at him in confusion.

"What's all the fuss about?" Alopemon demanded, crossing his arms over his furry chest. "I don't get it."

Mickey smiled at the little rookie before turning back to the screen, and immediately his eyes narrowed into a deep frown. "Kara, why did you scream?"

"I...um..."

"Are you decent?" Mickey called softly to his cousin, concern in his voice. "Can we come over and see you now?"

There was a pause and then Takara called back, "Yes, I'm covered. You guys can come over now if you want."

_I wonder what's going on. Kara wouldn't scream for no reason..._

Sam glanced warily at the screen and making sure his towel was secure, since he most definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of a blunt object flying towards his head, he proceeded to follow the rest of his male friends and their digimon around the corner of the screen, his heart beating frantically in his chest.

Sam was sure he'd seen something in the trees earlier. Could Kara have seen the same thing?

Glancing around Ryoko's wet shoulder Sam spotted Kara huddling near the edge of the spring, a towel wrapped around her slim frame and her long dark hair dripping onto her shoulders, and blushing a bit he quickly averted his gaze to give her some privacy, becoming suddenly aware of the fact that he too was wearing practically nothing, his exposed chest falling victim to the cool breeze. He was only thirteen, and as a result he'd never been in the position to see a girl in a towel before, other than his mother and Miya, who were both family and didn't count, so naturally it was a bit embarrassing for him, though he tried not to show it.

Dai, who was trying _very_ hard not to stare, looked as if he wanted to make a break for the forest while Ryoko merely stood there looking unimpressed, as cool and calm as could be as his eyes flickered once towards Takara before returning to study the trees. Matty had taken it upon himself to jump in front of Takara, doing his best to hide her from view, and Mickey, kneeling next to the female Digidestined, put a comforting hand on her shoulder, his amber eyes growing cloudy as he gently encouraged her to speak. "Why did you scream, Kara? Did something happen?"

Takara blinked once, her hazel eyes finally focusing on Mickey's face, and latching onto his arm she pointed a shaky finger at the trees, her hand trembling with fear. "I...I thought I saw something. There, in the trees."

"What do you think it was?"

"I don't know, but...whatever it was I think it was watching me. I thought I could see its eyes..."

"What?" Dai shouted indignantly, glaring furiously at the trees. "There better not be somebody out there cause if there is they're gonna get a taste of my fist!"

"Give it up already, would you?" Ryoko snorted, dropping onto the rocks and lowering his head to look into the foliage beneath the trees. "I don't see anything."

"Did you guys see anything?" Matty asked, turning to Celestimon and Halomon.

Both rookies shook their heads, and exchanging a look with Gotsumon, Hawkmon said, "We didn't realize there was anything amiss until Takara screamed just now."

"I didn't see anything," Dovemon said quietly, glancing anxiously at her partner.

"Neither did I," Palmon added.

Takara let out a soft sound of distress, and Mickey gently rubbed her back in a soothing gesture, murmuring softly in her ear to get her to calm down a bit.

_I knew it! She must have seen the same thing I saw earlier, but...what could it have been? Who could it have been? The thing had eyes..._

Sam slowly made his way over to the trees, and crouching next to Ryoko he stared into the darkness, squinting to see through the trunks of the trees. There was nothing there, and feeling slightly uneasy Sam spoke without meaning to, the words slipping unconsciously from his mouth. "Maybe we should have some of our digimon take up watch back here just in case."

Both Ryoko and Dai stared at him, and frowning the goggle-headed leader said, "Why? With everything that's happened today I'm sure Kara was probably just seeing things. I think we've all gotten a little bit on the paranoid side lately. Besides, if Vampiramon and the others were trailing us they wouldn't have wanted to be seen, would they? And if they did want to be seen they would have shown themselves by now. They wouldn't be hiding out in the forest doing nothing, and I doubt they'd be careless enough to let us spot them if they were simply just spying on us."

"Maybe, but...we should still be careful. Just in case."

"Sam's right," Ryoko said calmly, climbing to his feet and reaching down to brush the stray twigs off his bare legs and ankles. "We should probably have a couple of our digimon stand watch back here for the night."

Dai shrugged, but he didn't disagree. Instead he turned to Kara, trying not to look at her, and mumbled, "You okay?"

Takara stared at him for a moment, her eyes wandering over his bare chest before she blushed and quickly looked away again, and getting to her feet, she said, "I'm fine. It's been a long day, and after almost dying in that sinkhole I have to admit I'm pretty tired. I was probably just seeing things."

_I don't think so, Kara. I saw it too..._

"We should probably all wash up and get back inside," Ryoko announced, brushing wet strands of golden hair out of his eyes. "I bet our parents are getting impatient by this time to have their turn. You'll be okay over here now, Kara?"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

"We'll have our digimon stay with you just in case and we'll meet you back inside, okay?"

Takara nodded, avoiding Ryoko's gaze, and throwing caution to the wind she lifted her chin and walked up to Dai, her arms going around his neck and her head coming to rest on his shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Dai. I never meant to hurt you. You just surprised me."

Dai, whose face had begun to resemble the burning red glow of a stoplight, hesitantly wrapped his arms around her to return the hug, his hands coming up to rest on her lower back. "Don't worry about it. It was my fault. I didn't think and...sorry."

Takara pulled back a bit, a soft smile on her face. "No, you were just worried about me, and I appreciate that."

Dai, acting every bit the gentleman, keeping his dark eyes fixed firmly on her face and not on the towel she wore, smiled in return, his hand coming up once again to rub the side of his head. "Next time just try not to aim for my head, okay?"

"What do you mean _next time?_" Matty shouted indignantly, grabbing onto his brother's wrist and stomping over to the goggle-headed leader, dragging a stumbling Mickey along behind him.

Dai, realizing what he'd said, went pink in the face again, and letting out a yelp he quickly ducked back around the screen, an outraged Matty chasing after him.

Takara watched them go with a smile on her face, and shaking his head Ryoko slowly followed after the two boys, Mickey trailing along behind him.

Sam, glancing once more at Takara with a frown on his face, reluctantly hurried after Mickey, relieved that Ryoko had told their digimon to stay behind.

There was something out there, and he had a feeling whatever it was it had something to do with him...


	224. Voices in the Night

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: New chapter! It's not long, I know, but I wanted to get back to Odaiba and let everyone know a bit about what's going on there now. Also, there was a poll up on my profile page to vote if you wanted to see a chapter focusing on the parents in the springs. Most people voted yes, so that will be the next chapter. After that, we'll really start getting into the story again with Sam and searching for his Spirit Chip!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 224: Voices in the Night

_Miya Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Miya carefully stepped over the bodies of her younger friends lying in sleeping bags on the floor, doing her best not to accidentally step on an arm or a leg, and sitting down on the edge of Ami's bed she stared blankly at her hands, her thoughts bordering on the edge of fear and confusion.

The room was dark, and moving her gaze to the younger children on the floor, excluding Rumi who was the same age and Rina who was in the bed, she allowed a small sigh to escape her lips. Almost all of the others were asleep, and the one who wasn't looked ready to nod off within the next couple of minutes.

Miya knew her cousin Rumi was watching her, but she chose to ignore the other female's gaze for the moment.

In the centre of the group snuggled up in their sleeping bags was Renmi, her soft snores filling the room, and surrounding her were Ema, Taniko, and Rumi. Both Ema and Taniko were asleep, and Miya just caught Rumi's sympathetic smile before her cousin rolled over to face Ren, her eyes drifting closed again.

Outside the half open door, Miya could hear the soft voices of Davis and Noriko as they paused in the hallway to enter the master bedroom across the hall, and dropping her head in her hands, this time she let out a soft sound of despair.

Earlier when they had received a message from Izzy explaining what had happened during their trip to the Digital World thus far, it sounded as if Sam wasn't getting any better. If anything, she was convinced he was only getting worse, and she was worried. Very worried.

_What if Sam can't get his Spirit Chip? What if it won't work for him? What if...what if he never forgives Dad?_

"Aren't you going to come to bed?" a voice suddenly asked softly in the darkness, interrupting her thoughts.

Miya jerked around in surprise, and spotting Ami's dark eyes watching her silently in the pale moonlight streaming through the open window, she blushed and quickly pulled off her glasses before handing them to her dark-haired friend. Ami set them gently on the nightstand to the right of the bed, where they wouldn't get damaged, and although she didn't say anything else, Miya could practically hear her friend's thoughts.

Ami was lying propped up on her side, and next to her in the middle of the bed, Rina was curled up in a little ball, her dark head just poking out of the sheets.

The left side of the bed was free for Miya herself, yet she still hesitated, knowing there was no way she would be able to sleep.

"Come on," Ami urged, giving her a sad smile. "I know it's hard, but you still have to get some rest."

Miya chose not to respond to her friend's gently scolding tone. Instead, she quietly slipped under the blankets, her head coming to rest on one of Ami's pillows and her amber eyes closing tightly to hide the fear in her shadowy gaze.

Next to her, she could feel the heat of Rina's small body against her side, and though it comforted her somewhat, she was still scared.

Not for herself, but for Sam.

"Miya?"

It was Ami's voice again drifting out of the darkness, and Miya felt a hand reach over Rina to touch her shoulder. It was a simple gesture, but the sincerity and obvious concern that the contact of Ami's hand conveyed affected Miya so deeply that something inside of her seemed to shatter into pieces. Before she even realized what was happening she was sobbing, the tears steaming down her face and soaking into the pillow she was hugging tightly against her chest. "I'm sorry, I can't..."

Without a word Ami carefully climbed over the sleeping Rina, and a moment later Miya felt the younger female's arms go around her in a tight hug. She wanted to finish what she'd been trying to say, but the words didn't seem to want to leave her throat. Realizing it was a lost cause, she simply buried her face against her friend's neck and hung on as tight as she could.

"I know you're scared," Ami whispered softly in her ear, gently rubbing her back, "but both your dad and Sam are strong people. Your dad proved that when he was able to break free from being the Digimon Emperor, and Sam isn't his son or your brother for nothing. I'm not going to lie to you, Miya. It's going to be a tough road, and things are probably going to get even worse before they get better again, but somehow I know they'll both pull through. I can't say for sure, but in the end I believe their bond will be even stronger because of all that's happened."

"I know that. I really do. My mind tells me the same thing, but..."

"I'm scared, too," Ami replied, speaking quietly so as not to wake the others. "You know as well as I do that Dai can be a bit reckless sometimes. I know I shouldn't worry, but I still do. There's nothing worse than knowing that the people we care about are in danger. Especially when we know there's really nothing we can do to help them..."

Miya pulled back slightly to gaze at her best friend, and for a long moment the two of them merely lay there facing each other in the darkness, their eyes locked in silent communication. Eventually Miya couldn't take the silence anymore, and lowering her head, she whispered, "I guess I am being a bit selfish. I know I'm not the only one who has reason to-"

"No, I wouldn't say you're being selfish. After all, you do have the biggest reason to worry out of all of us."

_Sam..._

Miya rubbed at the tears on her face, trying unsuccessfully to dry them off, and with a soft sigh she moved back towards her friend, taking comfort from the warmth Ami's slightly smaller form provided. "I feel like I'm going crazy."

"I don't blame you," Ami snorted, her darker eyes once again growing serious. "If I were you, I'd feel the exact same way. Just don't forget you're not alone. I'm always here with you, and so are all the others."

"I know."

"You have to be strong for Nao," Ami whispered in her ear, waving her hand for emphasis. "He needs you right now, and with the rest of your immediate family in the Digital World, someone has to be here to support him."

Miya knew Ami was right, but even so she still felt uneasy. She felt almost as if the darkness in the room was trying to tell her something. As if...it was giving her a warning of sorts.

_That's stupid. I'm just imagining things._ _Or...am I?_

"Ami, I know it sounds stupid, but I can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen. I'm worried it might...have something to do with Sam."

Ami paused for a moment, pondering her words, and then the brunette smiled, her dark eyes sparkling in the darkness. "You might be right, Miya. Maybe something bad will happen, but even if it does I know your dad, my brother, and everyone else will make things right again. Sam's not alone either, you know. Like you, he has friends who believe in him, and they're not going to let him down so easily. Even if I can't be certain about anything else, that much I do know for sure."

Miya smiled in response, and hugging Ami tightly around the shoulders she closed her eyes and let her mind drift, knowing the best thing she could do for herself now was to get some sleep. These days, it wasn't so easy to find someone you could truly call a friend, and Miya knew she was very lucky to have someone like Ami, just as Sam was lucky to have all of his friends. Like her brother Daichi, Ami was honest and loyal almost to a fault, and she was also the type of friend you just knew you could count on without fear of being tossed aside.

There were a lot of people out there who were very quick to proclaim what good friends they could be, but Ami truly defined those words. Plus, she didn't need to boast about it to convince those around her. That was why Miya loved her as both a friend and a sister, and that was why she hoped she had succeeded in returning the favour.

"Noah's really worried about you, you know," Ami suddenly whispered, a slight hint of amusement in her tone.

Miya felt herself blushing, and avoiding her friend's eyes, she mumbled, "I know."

"I'm...worried about him too, Miya. He is my cousin after all. Don't you think maybe it's time you...you know..."

_She's right. Like usual..._

Miya took a deep breath, and squeezing her eyes shut she nodded, knowing exactly what Ami wanted to hear. "Yeah, I think it is."

There was no denying she had feelings for Noah, and it was pretty obvious he cared about her, too. She knew she loved him, even if that sounded silly coming from someone her age, and maybe now was the time to tell him how she really felt. There might not be an opportunity to do so in the future, and she didn't want to let what could be her only chance to tell him pass her by. If Noah moved on to someone else, she knew she would never forgive herself for hesitating, and if there was one thing Sam had taught her since the Emperor's identity had been revealed, it was not to waste a single moment with loved ones or to let them slip away.

_Now if only you could see that for yourself, Sam..._

She wasn't going to let what had happened to Sam happen to her, and somehow she hoped her little brother would realize the same thing before it was too late.

"Come on, let's get some sleep," Ami murmured, returning the hug and settling back down against the pillows, Rina unconsciously curling up against her back for warmth.

Miya nodded, and keeping an arm around Ami she finally drifted off to sleep, the faces of Noah, Sam, and her dad keeping the darkness closing in around her at bay.

_Nao Ichijouji_

_Odaiba, Japan, Earth_

Though there were bodies sprawled all around him on the floor, Nao felt very cold and very alone. Due to this unpleasant feeling, he was quite sure there was no way he was going to get any sleep that night regardless of how tired he was.

He missed his dad and his mom, and most of all he missed his big brother. Normally it wouldn't be so bad, but with Miya acting so sad and scared he truly felt like he was all by himself, with no one to turn to for comfort.

_Even Rina isn't here to cheer me up..._

Nao let out a small whimper of despair, and cuddling closer to Taka, who was on his right, he buried his face in his pillow, his whole body shivering with fear. On his left, Taysuke was mumbling to himself in his sleep, and near his head Nao could see the lump that was Kenzo sleeping peacefully on his side.

They were all so close, but to Nao they seemed so far away from him. He tried to fight it, but that horrible sensation of feeling so cut off from everyone else brought tears to his eyes.

"Nao, come here," a voice called softly from the darkness, the gentle tone immediately capturing his attention.

Nao hesitantly poked his head out of his sleeping bag to glance at Dai's bed, and he spotted Noah's dark form beckoning him to come closer. Next to Noah, Makku had removed his glasses, and he was sprawled out under the sheets in a rather awkward position, his loud snores bringing a smile to Nao's face. It was a wonder Noah even had any room at all to sleep on the bed with Makku sprawled next to him, seeing as how the red-head was doing a spectacular job of taking up all the room and stealing the sheets in the process.

"Nao?" Noah urged, coaxing him forwards.

Without a second thought Nao scrambled out of his sleeping bag and threw himself onto the bed, nearly crushing Noah's legs by accident. He knew his sapphire eyes probably looked huge in the darkness, but at this point he was too upset to hide his fear. "I thought you were asleep."

"How could I fall asleep knowing how scared you are?" Noah scolded, settling back down onto his side and using his elbow to keep his chin propped up.

Nao quickly scrambled under the blankets, and climbing over Noah he cuddled himself between the two older boys for warmth. Beaming at the dark-haired teen, whose facial features strongly resembled Dai's, he said, "I didn't think anyone noticed."

"Worried about your brother?" Noah asked softly, placing an arm around his shoulders.

"Yes...but not just him. My dad, too. And Miya..."

"Miya?" Noah asked, raising his eyebrows. "What about her?"

Nao hesitated before answering. "She's so sad. I can tell she's really worried about Daddy and Sam, and it scares me."

"It scares me too. Nao...how do you feel about all of this? You know, the thing with your dad and Sam."

Nao paused to think about it for a moment, and smiling shyly at the older boy, he whispered, "I'm really scared for them, but both Sam and Daddy are really strong people. It'll probably be hard, but I think they'll be okay. They're way stronger than me, and I believe in them. That's why I want to be just like them when I grow up."

To his surprise Noah smiled back at him in the darkness, and he felt the older boy reach out to gently ruffle his lavender hair. "For being so young, you're pretty amazing, Nao. I wish...I wish Miya could share some of your optimism and the faith you have in your family."

Nao, being quite young, wasn't quite sure what to make of Noah's words, but it sounded like a compliment and it made him blush. "Mommy and Miya are really strong too, but...they're also grownups and grownups always make things harder than they have to be. I guess Daddy's like that too, and even Sam's been acting more like that lately. Why is it so hard for grownups not to worry about everything all the time?"

For some reason Noah started to laugh, and Nao happily allowed himself to be pulled into a hug. "You're absolutely right, Nao. Grownups do worry way too much. Sometimes things really are quite simple, but we make them out to be more complicated than they have to be. If we all thought like you, Nao, maybe then Sam wouldn't feel so sad and lonely."

"He'll get better though, right?"

Noah nodded, the fierce look in his eyes leaving no room for doubt. "Yes, he will. It might take a little time, but with friends like Mickey and family like you, there's no question he'll get better. We just have to be patient."

"But what about Miya? I'm scared she's worrying too much..."

Noah didn't answer right away, and Nao clung to his shirt, needing some reassurance.

_He doesn't think anything bad will happen to Miya, does he?_

"Noah?"

Noah finally glanced at him, and Nao was surprised to see how serious the older boy looked. "You said it yourself, Nao. Miya's a strong girl. With our help she'll pull through, just like Sam and your dad."

Nao wasn't quite convinced, and he bit his bottom lip to keep it from trembling with fear. "You'll help protect her, right?"

"Of course I will," Noah insisted, leaning close to whisper in his ear. The older boy paused before adding, "I love Miya. I would do anything to protect her, and I promise you I won't let anything bad happen to her."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I knew it!" Makku's voice suddenly interrupted, sounding extremely amused. "I _told_ you it was pretty obvious you have a thing for my cousin!"

Nao squirmed around to stare at the red-head in confusion, but not before he saw the curious blush on Noah's face.

"You were supposed to be asleep," Noah grumbled, sounding rather embarrassed.

Makku responded by giving the dark-haired teen a teasing smile. "Did I mention I'm in the drama club at school? It just so happens that I'm an excellent actor. Chill, Noah, I'm not going to say anything to Miya. That's _your_ job, remember? And you know I don't have a problem with you liking her, and our little Nao here doesn't seem to either. I say go get her! I'll be your cheerleader in the background. How does that sound? I'm sure there's a box of pom poms hanging around the drama club somewhere..."

Noah let out a soft groan at this enthusiastic suggestion, and covering his face with his hands he shook his head in defeat.

"That's the spirit!" Makku said cheerfully, leaning over to wrap an arm around Noah's shoulder. "You know...I really like you. Why did we never hang out before? Especially seeing as how we both have a connection to Miya?"

"Maybe because you're crazy?" Noah suggested, sounding amused.

Ignoring him, Makku said, "Well, you're stuck with me now. From this day forward you will no longer be able to get rid of me. We'll be best buddies, as you have officially just become my best friend."

Noah gaped at the other boy, a startled look on his face. "What?"

"You heard me," Makku said easily, shrugging his shoulders. "My old best friend moved to a different school last year and pretty much decided he wasn't going to waste time keeping in contact with me. I've been looking for someone to fill the position, and you're way cooler than he ever was. And in case you're wondering, you don't really have a choice, so you might as well just say yes and we'll wrap up this little chat for the night."

Noah continued to stare stupidly at the other boy, and scratching his dark head, he said, "Funny enough, I don't feel like objecting. Even if you _are_ crazy, I guess I kind of like you too."

"Of course you do," Makku agreed. "Now how about we get some sleep? You guys are keeping me up way past my bedtime."

Nao, feeling very confused, looked at Noah and said, "You...like Miya?"

"Um..."

Noah looked at a loss for words, but Nao brightened, realizing suddenly what the older teen meant. "Oh! Are you going to marry her someday?"

"W-what?" Noah squeaked in a very unmanly fashion, his face turning a deep shade of red.

"That would be a yes," Makku supplied, grinning in the darkness at his newly recruited best friend. "It'll be a grand affair, and being the amazing cousin to Miya that I am, I will totally trash the wedding for kicks. It'll be a blast."

Nao beamed at his cousin and turning to Noah, he said, "It's okay. I mean, if you wanna marry Miya. I really like you, and then you'd be like my brother, right? I'd like that a lot!"

"Nao, I...thanks," Noah said softly, reaching out once again to pull him into a hug and ruffle his hair. "That really means a lot to me."

"Well, Sam really likes you too, and you're already kind of part of the family. Mommy and Daddy love you so I bet they'd be really happy for you and Miya."

Noah didn't respond, but the intense look in his eyes made Nao feel happy inside.

"And you, Nao, had better not start worrying like Miya and the grownups," Makku scolded, shaking his finger for emphasis. "Your dad and Sam are going to be just fine, and so will your mom and sister. Us Inoues and the Ichijoujis are a tough bunch. Nothing keeps us down for long, and don't you forget it."

Nao nodded in agreement, and tackling his red-headed cousin in a hug, he said happily, "I won't forget. I'll be strong for all of them. I promise!"

"That's good to hear. Now get to bed you little runt," Makku teased, messing up his hair.

"Can I sleep here with you guys?"

"Of course you can," Noah agreed, smiling slightly. "Just watch out for Makku. He's already kicked me three times tonight and he's a major blanket hog."

"How dare you accuse me of such horrible sleeping habits!" Makku gasped, feigning a look of hurt. "I'll have you know I only kicked you twice, and both times I was awake."

Laughing, Noah hit the red-headed teen in the chest, nearly knocking him off the bed, and after a bit of playful fighting the trio finally settled down beneath the blankets, Nao curled happily in the middle.

No longer did he feel cold and lonely, and soaking up the warmth coming from the two teens lying on either side of him, he quickly fell asleep with hopes that his support would reach Sam through the darkness of the night.


	225. Love Conquers All

Disclaimer: I don't own the awesomeness that is Digimon.

**A/N: Well, to start off, a big apology to everyone for taking so long to post another chapter, but now that I'm getting Tales of Graces f and Abyss out of the way, I should have time to hopefully post more often again. This is the chapter you guys all got to vote on, so I hope you enjoy it. Didn't exactly turn out quite like I thought, but it fits great with the story, so I'm not complaining. A big thank you to my online friend Henry (Twilight Archangel) for his help with the Spanish. (I love you, Henry!)**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 225: Love Conquers All

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ken took his time removing his clothes, his gaze often returning to the door of the men's changing room. He had taken his time coming in from outside after Dai had stepped out to inform them that the springs were free for use, and now that he was alone all of his doubts and fears were beginning to creep into his mind again.

_Sam..._

Anger, fear, pain, and hopelessness. Those were the emotions that had clouded Sam's face during their intense argument earlier, and no matter how hard he tried to forget, Ken could not stop picturing his son's tormented expression in his mind. It was like a broken record or an old film replaying over and over again in his head, and despite his best efforts to banish the memory to the depths of his consciousness, he could not push the imagine away.

_I shouldn't have let myself get so caught up in my own pain and sadness. Now Sam is probably suffering even more because of me..._

A soft sigh escaped Ken's lips, and glancing towards the door again his dark eyebrows narrowed into a deep frown. As much as he didn't want to admit it, his main reason for taking his time about coming inside, as his earlier thoughts indicated quite clearly, was his own son.

After washing up in the springs, Sam and his friends had settled down in the main room of the cabin under the watchful eye of Yolei to do their homework, and after the last confrontation Ken had endured with his son, he was ashamed to admit that he'd been too afraid to come anywhere near the room, as he didn't want to upset Sam yet again. Instead, he had merely lurked by the doorway out of sight, watching his son for any signs of distress, until Yolei had finally come out to tell him in that no nonsense tone of hers to go and wash up.

As far as he knew, Matt and Cody were still talking to Leomon and Dracomon outside, and Izzy was still absorbed in his computer, thus the reason why Ken had been the first to arrive in the change room, despite the amount of time he had wasted debating whether or not he should show his face inside the cabin. And adding all the time he'd spent lurking by the door, his mind wavering back and forth as to whether he should talk to his son or not, he was surprised that Matt, Cody, and Izzy hasn't beaten him to the springs first.

_Izzy must still be in his own little world, and knowing Matt and Cody they're still concerned that Vampiramon and the others will ambush us before the night is over. I don't think that will be the case, though. It's not their style. So far their tactics have always been much more sneaky and subtle._

"Yolei! Ouch! Hey, be careful!"

Ken looked up at the sudden sound of a commotion outside the door, and a moment later Izzy was shoved through the entryway, the sound of Yolei's voice following behind him. "You'd better not come out of there until you look and smell half decent!"

Ken raised his eyebrows at this, and glancing at Izzy, he said, "What was that all about?"

"Uh...Yolei threatened to confiscate my laptop if I didn't take some time to wash up," Izzy explained, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

Ken quickly wrapped a towel around his waist, and sitting down on the nearest bench he managed a thin smile. "Can't say I blame her. Knowing you, you would get so caught up in what you were doing that you'd forget to wash up."

"I'm not that bad...am I?"

"Well, you...occasionally have your moments."

"But-"

"And if I were you, I wouldn't even think about trying to stay up all night on that laptop of yours or Yolei really _will_ steal it from you."

Izzy smiled at this, and quickly removing his clothes, he said, "I don't doubt that."

_Yolei...you never change, and that's what I love about you. Even when it feels like my whole life is falling apart, you give me a sense of comfort and stability._

Another sound at the door made him look up, and this time Matt and Cody came into the room, Gabumon and Armadillomon following behind them.

Seeing the two digimon suddenly made Ken realize that he had no idea where his own partner was, and glancing at Izzy he was quick to note that Tentomon also hadn't put in an appearance.

Apparently he had been so worried about his son, he had failed to notice that Wormmon hadn't come back from the springs with the younger Digidestined. Upon realizing this, he felt a small twinge of fear in his heart, and his handsome face twisted into a frown.

_I wonder what he's up to. I hope he's okay..._

"Still no sign of any movement out there," Matt announced, his voice slightly muffled by the shirt he was pulling over his head. "Aquilamon's going to take over for Leomon so he can get some rest. Eventually someone will also have to take over for Dracomon, too, but his spot can wait till later in the night. We don't want any of our digimon using up too much energy, which means all of them are going to have to take a turn."

"Right," Gabumon agreed.

"I can't say for sure, but...I don't think we're going to be attacked tonight," Cody said slowly, pausing to gaze thoughtfully at the ceiling. "It doesn't feel right somehow. It feels too soon for any kind of physical retaliation from them."

Surprisingly, Ken found himself replying before he could really think about what he was saying. "I agree. Vampiramon and the others have a lot of tricks up their sleeves. They're definitely planning something, but...I don't think they'll attack us outright just yet. At least not until we get closer to the Spirit Chip."

"Which in some ways is actually more of a disadvantage," Izzy muttered to himself.

Ken was startled by that response, and glancing at the computer expert, he said, "What do you mean?"

"Mind games," Cody interrupted before Izzy could answer. "You should understand that better than anyone, Ken. DarkAngelicmion especially seems to be a fan of that tactic. It makes it harder to predict what they're going to do, especially when they have a specific target in mind."

_Sam..._

Ken let out a soft gasp, but instead of voicing his fears he quickly ducked his head and proceeded to gaze miserably at his hands.

"Whether they attack or not, we still need to keep our guard up," Matt said shortly, grabbing his own towel and securing it tightly around his waist. "They might choose to come after us simply because they know we're not expecting them to."

There was truth in that, and standing up Ken proceeded to head towards the opposite door leading to the springs, Matt and the others following behind him.

Stepping out onto the rocks, he stopped short when he spotted Tentomon, Wormmon, and Alopemon sitting near the edge of the pool, a look of intense concentration on their faces. For some odd reason all of them appeared to be staring into the forest lining the north side of the springs.

"Oh, Tentomon! There you are. I was wondering what had happened to you," Izzy called out, throwing aside his towel and lowering himself into the pool. "What are you doing out here?"

Tentomon exchanged a look with the other two digimon, and stumbling over his words, he said, "I...i-it's nice out here, and you...uh...were taking too long to come."

Ken didn't believe the little rookie for a second, and removing his own towel he lowered himself into the spring next to Matt, he gaze fixing on Wormmon. "I was worried about you."

"I'm sorry, Ken," Wormmon replied, gazing calmly at him in return. "I didn't mean to disappear on you."

"What's really going on?" Matt asked suspiciously, frowning at the three digimon.

This time Gabumon and Armadillomon exchanged looks, and moving to join their digimon friend they fixed their gazes on Alopemon, who looked stubbornly determined not to be the one who had to speak up. Unfortunately, Wormmon and Tentomon were also looking at him now, and letting out a disgruntled sigh, he said reluctantly, "Kara thought she saw something in the woods earlier when she was bathing. It's probably nothing, but Daichi figured a few of us should keep watch back here just in case."

"He never mentioned anything about that to us," Matt said slowly, a frown marring his handsome features.

"With the way Yolei has been hounding him about his homework, it probably slipped his mind," Armadillomon said easily, smiling in amusement.

There was certainly some truth in that, and slipping into the water near Izzy, Cody nodded in agreement. "Yolei hasn't let up for a second on Dai. It's not like he's had much of a chance to tell us what's been going on."

"What exactly does Kara think she saw?" Izzy asked curiously.

Alopemon shrugged, a bored look on his face. "Thought she saw someone watching her. Ryoko and the others looked, but they didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She probably just spooked herself, being out here in the dark."

"Even so, I don't like it," Matt replied. "We'll have to have a few of you switching out and taking turns to watch back here as well."

"It won't hurt to be extra careful," Gabumon agreed.

Izzy was about to reply when there was sudden movement on the other side of the screen. A moment later the chattering voices of Mimi, Rosa, and Yolei filled the night air, and their laughter echoed in the trees to the north.

"Should we tell them?" Cody asked quietly, glancing towards the screen.

Matt looked at the screen as well, and shrugging, he said, "They've got enough to worry about right now. No need to add to their worries."

"The three of us have been splitting up to watch both sides, so there's no one over there right now," Alopemon explained. "I doubt they'll get suspicious. All of us only came over to this side all at once because we heard you guys coming out."

"So you were trying to hide what you were doing?" Matt shot back, giving the little rookie a disapproving look.

Alopemon gazed serenely back at the golden-haired Digidestined, his head held high. "No, we just didn't want you to worry unnecessarily."

"This feels amazing!" Mimi called out from the other side of the screen before Matt could make a retort. "How's the water on your side, Matt?"

"Great, though it'd be better if you were over here with me," the former musician replied, smiling slightly.

Mimi laughed at this, and moving closer to the screen, she said, "We'll have to save that for another time."

"How's Dai doing? Getting his homework done?" Cody called out, smiling in amusement.

"That boy. Honestly," Yolei replied from the other side of the screen, huffing indignantly. "You practically have to stand over his shoulder to get him to do anything school work related. I don't know how it doesn't drive Noriko crazy. He's just like Davis was when it comes to school."

"I take it it's not going well then?" Izzy laughed.

"Oh, he's almost done. That's the only reason I'm here now. If he'd just co-operate a little more I wouldn't have to bully him so much."

"I think he mostly does it just to get a reaction out of you," Matt smirked.

Yolei snorted in reply, the sound floating over the screen to reach them. "I'll believe that."

"And no doubt he's enjoying every minute of it," Rosa teased. "Though, he sure does pick his times. It's definitely going to start pouring rain soon, which means our dip in the springs will have to be cut short."

As the rest of the Digidestined continued to chatter easily, Ken moved off to join his partner, who was still watching him with sympathetic eyes. Pulling the rookie into his arms, Ken murmured, "How...was Sam?"

Wormmon took a moment to answer and when he did his tone was encouraging. "He was quiet and he looked a bit tired, but other than that he seemed fine. I think he's calmed down a bit, and he was getting along pretty well with Dai. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you."

"It's hard not to, but...I am glad to hear he seems to be okay. Did he...mention me?"

Wormmon regretfully shook his head. "No, although he didn't have much of a chance to with all the commotion concerning Kara."

Wormmon was right of course, but even so Ken couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Was his son thinking about him at all? Was Sam still hurt by his words even though they were said out of love and frustration?

_I only said what I did because I want you to understand..._

Ken jumped at the sudden feel of a wet hand on his shoulder, and jerking around he came face to face with Matt, who was watching him intently in the darkness.

The two of them made themselves comfortable at the edge of the pool, and gazing off into the night, Matt said quietly, "You know...Sam's behaviour reminds me a lot of how I used to act before I met Tai and the others."

Ken glanced sideways at his fellow Digidestined, wondering curiously what Matt was trying to tell him. "Yes, I remember the stories. You were troubled as a child and there was a lot of anger and resentment inside of you."

"Anger, sadness, regret, frustration...There was a lot I kept bottled up inside," Matt sighed, reaching up to run a hand through his golden hair. "My parent's failed marriage, being separated from T.K...I was angry and I felt like there was no one out there who could really understand how much I was hurting. It's never been easy for me to express my feelings, and most likely some of that is a result of what happened in my past, but...after meeting Tai and the others, after seeing the way it was so easy for them to express their feelings in a way that seemed impossible for me to do, I learned to let a lot of that go."

Ken found himself nodding in agreement, a smile coming to his face. "You've changed so much since then."

"I have, but...it wasn't something I could do on my own. I needed help to break away from the pain and misery I had surrounded myself with," Matt replied, the expression on his face hidden by the shadows lurking in the night. "Sam is rebelling much in the same way I did because it's hard for him to accept the truth of what happened, just as it was hard for me to accept my parents divorce and being separated from my brother. Reality can be cruel, and often we try to hide or rebel against it to protect ourselves from the truth. You know that every bit as well as I do. Maybe even more so."

Thinking back on his own brother and his past as the Emperor, Ken felt a sudden lump form in his throat. "Yes. Yes...I do."

"It's tough, but not impossible to overcome the changes in our lives that keep us shackled to the past," Matt continued, finally turning to look at him. "And it isn't something we need to do alone. For both of us, a lot of our pain sprung from the fact that we failed to see and understand that it wasn't something we had to face by ourselves. We couldn't see that there were others out there who cared and wanted to help us, and once we understand that we were able to move on with our lives."

"Yes, but-"

"Sam is the same way," Matt said simply. "Just like us, he has an amazing group of friends who aren't going to give up on him, and in time he will allow them to help him accept the truth. One day he'll understand just how much you care, and eventually he'll realize what is truly important. Give him time and allow Dai and the others to do their job."

"Matt, I...thank you."

"No need to thank me. I'm only telling you what you already know yourself."

There was a moment of silence, and leaning over to place a hand on his friend's shoulder, Ken said softly, "You've done an amazing job with Ryoko."

Matt stared at him in surprise, and no doubt thinking about Daichi, the golden-haired Digidestined smiled slightly and said, "Time will tell, I guess."

"I think it's pretty obvious now myself."

Matt simply nodded, choosing not to respond, and turning to leave, he said quietly, "Sam still loves you, just as I still love my parents, despite how much they hurt me in the past. Don't ever forget that."

_Matt..._

With those final words Matt left to join Izzy and Cody by the screen, and holding Wormmon close in his arms, Ken lifted his sapphire gaze to the dark sky and smiled.

_Yolei Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"Still nothing yet," Rosa teased, poking Mimi playfully in the stomach.

Laughing, Mimi glanced down at her bare belly and said, "It's still way too early to really tell yet."

"Give it a couple of months and she'll be complaining she can't see her feet," Matt snorted from the boys' spring.

Catching the shadow of her husband lounging close to the screen, Mimi rolled her towel up into a ball and tossed it over with enough force to send it bouncing off his head.

"You throw like a girl," Matt teased, plucking the towel off his head and tossing it aside.

"I throw better than you do!"

"Ouch," Rosa smirked, exchanging a smile with Gotsumon.

Yolei watched the others with a frown on her face, and thinking back on the troubled son she had left doing his homework, a sigh escaped her lips.

It wasn't loud, but Mimi must have sensed her mood because the rosy-haired Digidestined suddenly joined her and tugged lightly on her lavender braid to catch her attention. "Are you okay, Yolei?"

Yolei made a face and glanced anxiously at the screen, her thoughts once again turning to Sam and her husband. "Not really."

"Ken never did talk to Sam, did he," Rosa whispered, doing her best to keep their conversation hidden from the men.

"No. He kept hovering by the door and couldn't seem to make up his mind about what to do. I finally told him to just go and wash up."

"Well, maybe it's better they have a little time apart to think," Mimi suggested, tugging thoughtfully on her pink hair.

Even though Mimi was probably right, Yolei wasn't too sure on that herself. It was frustrating to watch the two run in circles around each other, and if there was one thing she hated, it was feeling helpless.

_Things can't go on like this. I can't just sit here watching while my family falls apart..._

"Yolei?" Hawkmon called from the edge of the pool, looking concerned.

Palmon, who had only been too happy to partake in a second dip in the springs, also looked worried, and a moment later Yolei felt Mimi's wet arm slide around her shoulder in a comforting embrace.

"It'll be okay," Mimi whispered in her ear. "Sam and Ken are going to get through this."

"El amor conquista todo," Rosa whispered.

Yolei, who wasn't familiar with the Spanish language, rested her head on Mimi's shoulder and glanced curiously at the younger woman.

Seeing her look, Rosa smiled softly and said, "Love conquers all."

_Love conquers all..._

Yolei pulled Rosa into their circle, and the three of them rested their foreheads together in a show of silent respect. They remained that way for a moment until several wet towels came sailing over the screen, and they found themselves being bombarded by an arsenal of cotton.

"Okay, now it's war!" Rosa cried, grabbing one of the makeshift bombs and getting ready to retaliate.

Laughing, Yolei allowed herself to join in the fight.

Rosa was right.

Love of all kinds was a powerful motivator, and sooner or later Sam and Ken would find their way back to each other.

At least, she hoped they would.


	226. Unforgiven

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Another new chapter! So, now we're getting back into the main story again, and there will be a lot of interesting stuff coming up!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 226: Unforgiven

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Sever, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

In the darkness of the cabin, Sam slowly opened his eyes and proceeded to sit up in his sleeping bag, waiting patiently for his sapphire eyes to adjust to the gloomy atmosphere of the night. On his left, Matty was snoring softly, and to his right Mickey slept undisturbed, as the older twin did not share Matty's nightly habit of making a lot of noise. Ryoko was sleeping soundly next to Matty, and on the end next to Mickey, Takara kept shifting restlessly from side to side in her sleep. It did not look particularly as if she were having a nightmare, but Sam was quite sure she was at least having an unpleasant dream. Dai was on the opposite end next to Ryoko, and occasionally the goggle-headed leader would mumble something in his sleep, though Sam couldn't make out any of the words he was saying.

_I wasn't seeing things, and neither was Kara. I'm sure of that now, but if we really were seeing something, what could it have been? I need to know. I'll never be able to fall asleep if I don't._

And that, of course, was the reason why he was awake in the middle of the night while his friends continued to explore the world of dreams and imagination.

_If only I could escape my pain so easily..._

The rain that had been threatening to fall earlier in the evening had finally come, and Sam could hear it pounding ominously against the roof of the cabin. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and occasionally a flash of lightning would light up the sleeping faces of his friends, making them appear pale and ghostly in the darkness. Sam shivered as he watched the heavy drops beat against the two glass windows decorating the front wall of the cabin's main room, but despite the unpleasant weather and how it would mostly likely leave him cold and drenched, he was determined to put his mind at ease.

_I have to know what's out there. _

Checking once more to make sure all of his friends were still asleep, Sam slowly climbed out of his sleeping bag and crept as silently as he could towards the front windows. He could see Dracomon and Ibismon keeping watch near the fire pit, and knowing they were getting all wet, he felt a strong stab of pity for them.

It didn't last long though because he was on a mission and due to become very wet himself.

_If I'm going to do this, I have to do it now before Gabrielmon relieves Dracomon from his shift._

Sam glanced at where the remaining rookies who weren't on watch duty were curled up on the sofa, and creeping down the hallway with extreme caution towards the back of the cabin, he passed by the first room where Matt and Mimi were curled up together on the bed, their arms around each other as they continued to dream without becoming aware of his presence. The second room revealed Izzy sprawled out with his laptop lying next to him on the bed, and in the third room Cody and Rosa were also sound asleep. He found his parents in the final room with Hawkmon and Wormmon curled up near their heads, and slipping in he slowly made his way over to the bed. His mother had an arm wrapped around his father, and she appeared to be sleeping peacefully, though there was a slight frown on her face. His father was asleep, as well, but unlike his mother, the former Emperor appeared to be caught in some sort of nightmare.

"Dad?"

Sam hesitantly sat down on the edge of the bed, and reaching out he placed a hand on his father's shoulder, instincts taking over for his brain. His father jerked at the touch, but he didn't wake up. Instead, Sam was sure he heard his father mumble his name. The name of the son who had hurt him deeply earlier in the evening.

_Is he dreaming about how terrible I was to him? That would explain why he'd be having a bad dream..._

Sam almost choked on the thought, and leaning over he hugged his father gently around the neck, displaying all of the affection that had been missing from him several hours ago.

"I'm sorry, Dad, I just need time."

Time he didn't have.

Fighting back tears, Sam quickly scrambled off the bed and quickly headed towards the door. He needed to hurry towards his next destination before Dracomon returned to him for the night, which didn't leave him much time for an investigation of sorts.

_Better hurry._

Tiptoeing away from the bed, Sam quietly headed back the way he had come towards the men's change room, and slipping inside he glanced warily at the door leading to the springs. He knew Embermon was out there keeping watch, and Armadillomon was on the other side surveying the woman's spring. Somehow he needed to slip past Embermon just long enough to make it into the trees on the other side of the springs. Once he managed that, he would be home free.

_I can do it. Embermon can get distracted pretty easily, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem._

In theory at least.

_Better get this over with._

Taking a deep breath, Sam slowly moved to the side of the sliding glass door, and peeking out he spotted Embermon sitting near the edge of the forest. It looked as if the little rookie was setting fire to a bunch of small branches that had fallen from the trees, and he appeared to be hurling them into the spring out of sheer boredom. He also seemed to be conversing with Armadillomon on the other side of the screen as he watched the branches fizzle out in the water.

_There's no way I'm going to get past him like this..._

A problem indeed, but luck must have been on his side that night because Embermon suddenly leaped up and started around to the other side of the screen in response to Armadillomon saying he might have spotted something.

_Perfect timing!_

Knowing he probably wouldn't have another chance, Sam quietly slid open the door and made a break for the forest, aware of the fact that Embermon could come back at any moment. Running as silently as he could, he dodged around the pool in his bare feet and slipped into the trees, miraculously without being seen despite having almost slipped on the rocks. Unfortunately there was still a chance that Embermon and Armadillomon might spot him from where he was standing, so he moved further into the underbrush and placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. The adrenaline running through his system and the fear he felt at possibly getting caught had left him gasping for breath, and thus he needed a moment to allow his heart rate to slow back down to a more normal pace.

The rain wasn't quite as heavy here in the forest, since the trees blocked a lot of the downpour, but even so Sam had still gotten soaked from his mad dash to the edge of the springs. Out here, the sound of thunder was much louder than in the cabin, and aware of the fact that he needed to be careful of lightning, Sam glanced anxiously through the canopy of leaves above him at the sky before straightening slowly to his full height. Thankfully, there appeared only to be sheet lightning and not forked lightning, which was much less of a threat to his safety in the forest.

_Now what?_

Sam frowned in slight confusion at his own thought, and shivering in the t-shirt and sleep pants he wore, he glanced uneasily at his surroundings. Minus the thunder, the forest was eerily quiet, and with the night sky being so dark it was hard to see much further than a few feet in front of him. The only noise in the forest was the sound of the rain pattering against the leaves on the trees, and not wanting to stray too far from the cabin, Sam made sure to keep the faint lights above the change room doors within sight. Luckily, he also had his Digivice with him, so if he did get lost he could use the signals of his friends' Digivices to make his way back to the cabin.

_Well, I can't just stand here all night. I guess it's time to go searching._

Taking a deep breath, Sam started forward into the trees, the voices of Embermon and Armadillomon fading behind him, and it wasn't long before he suddenly felt like he was being watched.

Coming to a stop, he lifted his head and said calmly into the night, "I know you're here."

At first there was only silence, and Sam suddenly realized it probably hadn't been a very smart idea to come wandering into the forest by himself, especially without a single digimon to help him fight, but before panic could set in he noticed several sets of eyes watching him from the trees. They were the same eyes he had seen staring at him in the springs earlier in the evening, and he froze in his tracks, unsure of what to do. "What do you want? Come out where I can see you."

More sets of eyes appeared, and then dark shapes began to materialize out of the undergrowth. The figures slowly moved towards him, and when they were close enough he realized they were a pack of Vilemon.

Sam had dealt with Vilemon in the past, and his experience with them had not been very pleasant, therefore it was understandable that he was a bit suspicious. "Well? Is anyone going to answer me?"

"You're a human," the Vilemon closest to him said in awe, inching hesitantly closer.

"You must be a Digidestined!" A second Vilemon gasped, a note of disbelief in his voice.

Sam frowned, unsure of what to make of this sudden development. "Yes, I am. Who are you guys?"

"We're Vilemon," a third one informed him, sounding excited and eager to speak. "This swamp is our home."

Sam blinked in surprise at this, and crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "Seriously? You guys live in a place like this?"

"Sure," the first Vilemon replied, coming right up to him and bouncing lightly on his feet. "The murky atmosphere of this place is just perfect for us."

"Huh...I guess I can see how that would be true."

"We've lived here on Server in this swamp all our lives," the second Vilemon added. "We even know the Syakomon who used to run this place."

"Wow! Really?"

"That's right," the third Vilemon said happily, beaming at him. "That was quite a long time ago, though."

Sam felt his shoulders relax a bit, and glancing around at the group he realized there were twelve Vilemon in all. Each one appeared eager to talk, and letting his guard down a bit, Sam decided to indulge them. "You were the ones watching us in the springs earlier, am I right?"

"Sure," the fourth Vilemon said. "That was us."

"We didn't mean to scare your friend," a fifth Vilemon said soberly, looking rather sheepish.

"You mean Kara?"

"If by Kara you mean the human girl, that's right," a sixth Vilemon confirmed.

"Don't worry about it. You just startled her, that's all. But...I do have a question for you guys. Why were you watching us anyways?"

A seventh Vilemon perked up at his, and nodding vigorously, he said, "We were just curious. It's been a long time since we've seen any humans..."

"And the last time it...it wasn't very fun for us," an eighth Vilemon said solemnly, shaking his head in regret. "You seem different though."

"Yes, you and your friends seem very nice," a ninth Vilemon said cheerfully, smiling at him. "You're here to help save our world from the Ruler of Darkness, right?"

Sam nodded quickly in agreement, his hands clenching into tight fists. "That's right. We're going to do whatever it takes to stop him so all of the digimon in this world don't have to live in fear of the darkness anymore."

"That's great!" the tenth Vilemon butted in. "News of the Ruler of Darkness has spread all over the Digital World, and digimon are afraid to come and go freely in their own lands without fear of being deleted or brainwashed."

"None of us want to be forced to fight...not like before," the eleventh Vilemon said sadly. "That's why it's great to have the Digidestined here helping us. It'll be nice to be able to trust humans again..."

_Huh?_

Sam frowned at this, feeling slightly uneasy. "What do you mean by that?"

The Vilemon all exchanged meaningful looks, and shifting closer, the twelfth Vilemon said, "We've all heard the stories about how our world was saved by the humans several times. From GranDracmon, Apocalymon, the Dark Masters, and even MaloMyotismon. They've done many wonderful things for us, but-"

"Wait, you know about GranDracmon?" Sam asked eagerly.

The first Vilemon regretfully shook his head, and sounding apologetic, he said, "No, not really. Just that he tried to take over the Digital World and was stopped by humans. We never came across him or anything like that."

"But...we did come across someone else during the time of MaloMyotismon," the second Vilemon said uneasily.

"Oh? Who?"

"Well...most of the Digidestined have been a benefit to our world, and without their help our world would have been lost long ago, but...there was one human during that time who wasn't so nice."

Sam felt his heart start to race, and hands beginning to tremble, he whispered, "The Digimon Emperor."

There was a long, terrible silence, and then the second Vilemon said quietly, "He used us for his experiments with the Dark Rings and Spirals. We were tortured endlessly, and even now I can still remember the screams of all the digimon who suffered because of him."

"We heard he changed his ways and joined the Digidestined in the end to defeat MaloMyotismon, but even so...you don't forget something like that so easily," the third Vilemon mumbled.

"He's with you, isn't he? We saw him earlier tonight," the fourth Vilemon said bitterly, turning his face away. "Humans grow up and get bigger, right? He looks a lot older, but we can still tell it's him. You don't forget a face like that."

It was a moment before Sam could bring himself to answer. "Yes. He...he's my father."

All of the Vilemon leaped back a few paces at this startling piece of news, and muttering amongst themselves they glanced fearfully in the direction of the cabin.

"What?" Sam managed to choke out. "What is it?"

The sixth Vilemon grew courageous enough to approach him again, and hesitantly, he said, "But...you...you're not like him, are you?"

"Of course I'm not! I...I would never hurt any innocent digimon like he did!"

The Vilemon all exchanged looks again before as one they circled him in the same fashion as earlier, and nodding, the eighth Vilemon said, "You do seem different from him."

"Well...there's my mom, too. My mother is the one with the glasses and lavender hair. At the time, she would have gone by the name of Yolei Inoue."

"As yes, she's one of the ones who fought against the Emperor and defeated him," the fourth Vilemon said in recognition. "That's right, humans get married in your world, and then their genes are carried on in their children. Gennai has told us a lot about humans. You must take after your mother. But...why would she marry a man who would hurt innocent digimon?"

Sam paused to ponder the question, and unable to come up with an answer, he felt the uneasiness grow inside his heart. "I...I don't know. I guess because he's changed since then."

"Has he?" the ninth Vilemon asked quietly. "It's not so easy to change when you become set in your ways."

"Of course he's changed! And besides, I thought all of the digimon here in the Digital World had forgiven the Emperor for his past."

"Is that what he told you?" the fifth Vilemon demanded. "Or maybe it was your mother who said it? Did you never stop to think that maybe they were only trying to protect you from the terrible truth?"

"It's not so easy to forgive when you've been hurt by someone you thought you could trust. Humans had helped us and our world in the past, earning our trust, and then he came along and destroyed that trust. It's hard to get past something like that," the tenth Vilemon said sadly.

"Don't get us wrong, we still believe in you humans and we trust you to save our world, but we can't forgive the Emperor," the seventh Vilemon said stubbornly, looking very unwilling to change his mind. "And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are many digimon who feel the same way as us. Digimon who were tortured by that human's hands."

"I wouldn't trust him too much either if I were you," the second Vilemon warned. "Even if he is your father. One day he may do something to betray _your_ trust as well, and you would do well to be prepared for when that time comes."

Sam could feel his heartbeat ringing in his ears, and shaking his head in denial, he whispered, "No. No, my father would never hurt me like that."

"We didn't think a human would hurt us either, but we were wrong," the eleventh Vilemon countered. "You seem more like the others. Like the ones who did much to help us. The same is true for your friends from what we've observed. We would hate to see anything bad happen to you guys."

"Don't let his lies deceive you," the third Vilemon cautioned. "You never know when the past might catch up to you."

Sam didn't want to admit it, but the Vilemon were right. It wasn't so easy for humans to change or to put the past behind them. Maybe his father had stopped torturing digimon for now, but if the darkness were to ever tempt him again, would he be able to turn away from its alluring pull without giving into temptation?

His mother and the others had made out as if all of the digimon in the Digital World had forgiven the Emperor for his crimes, but obviously that wasn't the case. Maybe none of them had been able to forgive him, and all this time they had been carrying bitter resentment within their hearts.

And if that were true, how could Sam himself find the strength inside his heart to forgive his father for the terrible things he had done?

_Do people ever really change?_

"You shouldn't be out here in this weather," the ninth Vilemon scolded, tugging lightly on his arm. "You should go back to your friends."

Sam blinked in surprise, and it was only now that he realized he was still standing in the rain, which had succeeded in chilling him to the bone without him noticing. Upon becoming aware of it, he realized he was shivering and that his teeth were chattering, though he didn't think that was due entirely to the cold. "I...I..."

"Just think about what we said, and be wary of your father," the first Vilemon warned. "Don't take your eyes off him."

"And please save us from the Ruler of Darkness," the twelfth Vilemon pleaded. "Help us regain our full trust in humans again."

"We believe in you," the fifth Vilemon added.

Before Sam could respond, the group of champions faded back into the shadows, their dark bodies disappearing into the night. He was left standing there all alone in the rain with only the sound of the leaves to comfort him, and blinking stray drops from his eyes, he ran a shaky hand across his wet forehead, his sapphire gaze revealing little to no emotion.

He felt numb all over, and though a flash of lightning lit up the night sky just then, the light failed to reach him.

It was a few minutes before he could bring himself to walk back to the cabin, and though he wasn't aware of it as he shuffled along, the shadows around him grew thicker and the darkness hovering at the edge of his vision grew more intense.

And emerging from the shadows behind him, the dark waters of an ocean pulsed with ominous intent before its presence was swallowed by the trees.


	227. Modem Hospitality

Disclaimer: I don't own the awesomeness that is Digimon.

**A/N: Now the story has started moving forward. Hope you all like this chapter as there are a lot more interesting things to come!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 227: Modem Hospitality

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Walking silently next to his twin brother, Mickey lifted his chin to gaze at the deep blue sky hovering high above the swamp, a sigh escaping his lips as he proceeded to brush a couple of stray strands of sweaty blond hair off his forehead. The rain had stopped falling by the early hours of the morning, and now that it was late afternoon and they were several hours into their journey to reach the village of Modem, even the clouds had cleared away, leaving the sky a brilliant blue. It was a welcomed sight, and Mickey was quick to note that it lifted his spirits somewhat, but at the same time the lack of rain came at a price. Because the sun was now shining and the air was humid, he felt unbelievably hot and sticky. In fact, he felt even worse than he had the day before, though unlike some of the other Digidestined he had refrained from complaining about the heat throughout the morning and afternoon.

So far, they had once again failed to encounter any of their enemies, and Mickey had to admit that the lack of a confrontation left him feeling slightly worried. It wasn't like DarkAngelicmon to remain inconspicuous for so long, and on top of that he was also worried about his digimon partner.

Who, once again, was acting strangely.

_Halomon and Celestimon are definitely hiding something, and the way they keep staring at the trees...I'm pretty sure they think we're being followed. But...if that's true, who could be following us? It can't be DarkAngelicmon. I'm sure Halomon and Celestimon would have definitely said something if he was. But if he's not then it would have to be another celestial digimon, since they seem to be sensing whoever is watching us more than seeing him. That doesn't make any sense either, though, because the only other celestial digimon we've come across is Luciamon, and she's gone..._

Mickey winced at that sudden thought, and watching his partner, who was flying up ahead with Celestimon, he shook his head before turning his attention to Sam. The raven-haired Digidestined was walking just ahead of him, and thinking back on the night before, his eyebrows narrowed into a deep frown.

Mickey couldn't deny that the fight between Sam and Ken had greatly unsettled him, and adding in the problems with Dai, Ryoko, and Matty, he wasn't sure how much more he could take.

Though they had placed guards to watch both the springs and the front of the cabin last night, none of whom had spotted anything unusual, deep down inside Mickey could not helping feeling as if they had missed something important. And even now, he still felt like they had overlooked a vital piece of information.

Sam was very quiet. Too quiet for Mickey's liking.

_He's acting even more unlike himself today. It's like staring at a complete stranger..._

There was no denying that Sam had been relatively silent throughout their journey so far, but today he seemed even more reclusive than usual, and something about the look on his face scared Mickey. The expression in Sam's eyes was mostly blank, but underneath that unreadable gaze there was something dark and stormy brewing like the murky waters of an angry cauldron ready to boil over. Something so intense Mickey couldn't quite describe it. That look had never been there before, even when Sam was fighting with his father, and not only that, but Sam had also not even glanced once at his father all day, let alone spoken to him, which also concerned Mickey. Yesterday Sam couldn't seem to stop looking at his father, and there had been times when he had even spoken to Ken, though more than once it had been against his own will.

But today, nothing. Not even a hint of awareness that his father was traveling with the group at all.

_It's like Ken doesn't even exist to him._

So far, Mickey was sure he was the only one who had noticed the change in Sam's demeanor, and he wasn't sure what to do about it, since he couldn't quite convince himself that it wasn't just his imagination.

He was sure it wasn't, but how to convince the others of that?

_Did something happen last night?_

Mickey scratched at his blond hair in confusion, but he couldn't think of anything that would have caused the subtle change in Sam's attitude. Sam had been fine in the springs and also when they had said goodnight to each other.

_Unless something happened after I fell asleep. But that can't be it. Considering all of the things that _could_ have happened, it turned out to be a pretty uneventful night._

And although that was true, there was no denying that Sam was acting even more oddly than usual, and the almost imperceptible change in his demeanor was very recent. Mickey couldn't really explain it, but there was something about the aura around Sam that was slightly off.

Something dark and unpleasant.

_So much...despair..._

Mickey shivered at the thought, the heat of the swamp failing to touch him this time, and wrapping his arms around himself he continued to gaze at Sam's profile.

He had wanted to confront Sam about his attitude this morning, but unfortunately he hadn't been able to work up the courage to do so. Normally, he found Sam's presence to be warm and comforting, but today it felt dark and disturbing, and it made him want to keep his distance.

_I've never felt this way before around Sam. It feels so...wrong, and I can't help feeling guilty._

And upon reflection, Mickey realized that even the day Sam had found himself pulled into the World of Darkness, it hadn't felt like this. It hadn't felt so overwhelmingly dark and powerful.

_Does that mean that Sam...No! No, that's not going to happen. I won't let it happen!_

"Mickey? Hey, are you okay?"

The sound of his brother's voice startled him, and turning to look at Matty, he managed to say, "Huh?"

Matty studied his face for a moment, and tilting his head to the side, he said, "You have a funny look on your face."

"Oh. Do I?"

Matty snorted, looking amused. "Come on, Mickey. I know you too well. Something is bugging you. I mean, _really_ bugging you. You've been thinking too much to be healthy all morning, and you look really serious. What's up?"

Mickey glanced at Sam, and shaking his head, he said slowly, "I'm not sure."

To his surprise, Matty also looked at Sam, and the strangest look came over the younger twin's face as he said, "What do you mean you're not sure?"

_Wait, does Matty maybe feel it too? He did feel the darkness when Sam got pulled into the World of Darkness that one time..._

Mickey shook his head, and avoiding his brother's eyes, he said, "It could just be my imagination. Let me think about it for a little while. If I can make sense of it, I'll let you know."

"Well, okay. I mean, if you're sure, but...I don't think it's your imagination."

_Matty, you always understand what I'm thinking. I love that about you. Everything is so easy with you, even when we're not getting along so well._

Smiling, Mickey gave his brother's shoulder a quick squeeze before turning his attention back to the rest of the Digidestined.

The rest of the group chatted easily as they moved through the dense brush and murky waters blocking their path, and with the exception of himself and possibly Matty, not one of the others was paying any attention to Sam.

Except perhaps for one other member of the group, now that Mickey had actually had a chance to study their faces. Whereas Ken had attempted to speak to Sam more than once the day before, today he had surprisingly kept his distance. He had not tried to approach Sam or talk with him, and though he was walking fairly close to Matty, he was looking straight up ahead.

At Sam.

_Wait...does that mean that Ken also feels it?_

Mickey glanced more closely at the former Emperor's face, and though Ken's expression was fairly neutral there was a hint of worry in his deep blue eyes.

_If Ken feels something too then it can't just be my imagination._

And if that were true then that meant he and possibly Matty weren't the only ones who thought there was something wrong with Sam.

_But what can we do?_

Ken must have felt a pair of eyes on him because he turned his head suddenly and Mickey found himself gazing into the former Emperor's sapphire eyes. Upon seeing his expression, Ken took a closer look at him, and a meaningful glance passed between the two of them before they both turned to look at Sam.

Mickey could tell Ken wanted to speak to him, and the former Emperor even made a move as if to step around Matty, but before he could get very far, Mimi's voice interrupted him.

"Are we almost there? I feel like we've been walking forever," the rosy-haired Digidestined complained.

Leomon, who was at the front of the group leading the way, paused to look back at Mimi, and smiling, he said, "It's not too far now. We should be coming upon the village in a few minutes."

"I can't wait to get there," Dai said enthusiastically. "It'll be cool to have a chance to speak with some of the digimon in this world who are just normal digimon. We haven't had a lot of chances to. Most of the digimon we've met have been digimon partners or digimon working for Gennai."

"The digimon in Modem are a cheerful and easygoing bunch," Leomon said, smiling in remembrance. "They live simple lives, and even their fear and curiosity of the purple light in the forest hasn't gotten their spirits down."

"That's good to hear," Takara said happily, beaming at Leomon. "There is something bothering me though. We _still _haven't seen Vampiramon or any of the others so far yet. It worries me. You would think they would have shown their faces by now."

Next to her, Izzy frowned, and squinting up ahead, he said slowly, "It is a bit odd for them, but that doesn't mean they won't confront us somewhere along the line. I'm sure they have something planned, and now that we're getting closer to the Spirit Chip, I'm sure they're going to put their plans into action very soon."

"I agree with Izzy. It's more important than ever now that we be careful," Leomon warned, glancing back over his shoulder as he spoke. "The village should be just past those trees up ahead. Come."

Sending one more worried look in Ken's direction, Mickey followed the rest of the group in silence, and ducking under some low hanging branches he made it through the trees without incident. On the other side of the mini forest, he spotted a tiny, sleepy looking town surrounded by both thick underbrush and the murky waters of the swamp. Trees also surrounded the small village, and Mickey could hear the voices of the digimon chattering happily on the wind.

"You know, this is actually a nice place, even if the village is surrounded by a swamp," Takara commented, exchanging a smile with Rosa.

"Do you think the digimon will be willing to tell us their stories themselves?" Cody asked curiously, turning to Leomon for an answer.

In response, Leomon nodded his head and said, "Digimon tend to be curious by nature. I'm sure they will be very happy to tell you everything they know, especially if it means you'll be able to solve the mystery of the purple light."

"Hearing the story for ourselves probably would be a good idea," Izzy agreed, smiling at Leomon. "Shall we all head inside then?"

"Let's go!" Embermon cheered. "The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can start looking for the Spirit Chip."

"No way!" Celestimon pouted. "That's a job for tomorrow. I'm tired, and Izzy says we need our rest."

"Plus, we want to explore the town!" Halomon called out, fluttering around Embermon's head with a smile on his face.

Ignoring the smirk Alopemon sent in his direction, Embermon turned his back on the two celestial digimon and muttered, "You guys are no fun."

"I suggest we go see the village elder first," Leomon suggested, once again taking the lead and motioning for everyone to follow him. "He would be the best digimon to ask about the purple light in the woods. After that you can explore the town a bit and speak with the other digimon if you desire to do so."

"That sounds like a good idea," Matt agreed, giving Ken, who was lost in thought, a gentle nudge to get him moving. "The digimon won't mind if we stay the night here?"

"Not at all," Leomon quickly reassured the former musician, hacking away at the underbrush for easy passage. "In fact, many of them will most likely offer you dinner and a place to sleep in their homes."

"Now this sounds like my kind of place!" Dai said happily, beaming at the small buildings up ahead.

"Anything to satisfy your stomach," Ryoko muttered.

That comment earned a snort from Matty, but Mickey was quick to note that Sam didn't even seem to notice the friendly jibe as he otherwise would have. Instead, the raven-haired Digidestined continued to stare blankly out at the trees, his sapphire gaze clouded by a touch of darkness that Mickey was unable to define clearly. He was pretty sure Sam hadn't even seen the village, and the raven-haired Digidestined's lack of interest, not only with regards to the town but with his surroundings as a whole, was starting to make Mickey feel extremely nervous.

_Sam, what is wrong with you? Why do you seem so distant from us?_

"Here we are," Leomon announced, motioning them through the trees that led to the main path into town. "The village elder's house is the third one on the left. I'm sure he'll be quite happy to see you."

Mickey followed his twin down the narrow dirt path, and emerging on the other side of the trees, he smiled at the sight of the town lying out before him. The village of Modem was mostly made up of dirt paths and tiny huts, but even though the town was primitive, it looked like a lively place. There seemed to be quite a lot of digimon outside who were chatting easily with one another and going about their business. The village elder's hut was fairly easy to pick out, since it was clearly the largest and fanciest house in town, and making his way towards it, Leomon would pause occasionally to smile at the residents and to say hello. And upon seeing him, many of the digimon would wave or call out a greeting in return.

As they made their way down the road, the chattering amongst the digimon grew to a low murmur as word began to spread that there were humans in town, and as they passed the digimon looked at them with open curiosity and excitement. They were obviously surprised to see humans traveling this far out in the swamp, and Mickey made sure to smile warmly at them as he passed.

"If my suspicions are correct, the village elder should be inside," Leomon informed them, reaching out to knock on the door.

A moment later the door was opened by a digimon who resembled a shriveled old woman, and peering at them from the shadows inside the hut, she said in a gravelly voice, "Back again are you, Leomon?"

"I apologize for the interruption, but I've brought some friends along whom I would like you and the elder to meet."

"Humans, huh?" the old digimon said, studying them closely. At least, Mickey thought she was studying them, though he couldn't say for sure since her eyes were hidden by a fringe of grey hair. "Well, this certainly makes for an interesting turn of events. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. At my age my life could use a little bit of excitement."

"I thought digimon didn't age," Matty muttered, earning himself a sharp poke in the ribs from Ryoko.

"Is the elder home then?" Leomon asked politely, bowing in respect.

"Yes, yes of course he is. You know that as well as I do. The fool never ventures outside unless I personally drag him out the door. Well, don't just stand there. Come on in. I'm sure he'll be most happy to see you again, Leomon."

Leomon was quick to follow her orders, and exchanging an amused look with Matty, Mickey followed the lion digimon inside.

The interior was fairly gloomy, and leading them into a room at the back of the house that resembled a sitting room, Mickey found himself gazing at a digimon who looked remarkably like a rugged old man. He was sitting in a rocking chair by the window, his blind gaze focusing on something outside in the village, and pointing to the large braided rug covering most of the floor, the old female digimon said, "Sit. All of you must be tried from your journey. I will provide you with food and water."

For reasons Mickey could not explain, he found himself quickly moving to obey her commands, and as she left the room the elder turned in his chair to face them, his hidden gaze coming to rest on Leomon. "Welcome back, my young friend. I figured I would be seeing you again soon."

"I am sorry for interrupting again, but I've brought some good friends with me who would very much like to hear the story about the light in the woods."

"I see. In that case I will do my best to tell it with as much accuracy as possible. Welcome, Digidestined, to the humble village of Modem. It is a pleasure to have an opportinity to meet you all in person. I am the village elder, Jijimon, and that old crone ordering you around is my wife, Babamon."

"A digimon married couple?" Yolei said curiously, raising her eyebrows. "I've never heard of such a thing before."

"Eh, it happens," Jijimon replied, shrugging his shoulders. "So you want to hear the story about the light in the woods for yourselves, do you? It's based on the observations of several digimon in the village who came across it, myself included."

"Wait, you saw it for yourself?" Alopemon demanded, looking skeptical.

"The old crone forced me outside to investigate the incident after we received several reports about its existence in the forest. She's a slave driver, I tell you. Anyways, there's not really much to tell. About half a day's walk from our village there seems to be a strange purple light emitting from a small clearing to the east. Quite a few digimon from my village have come across it, though none have yet dared to get close enough to investigate the source, myself included. No sense in asking for trouble, as I always say. I figured it was a matter best left to Gennai and his counterparts. And wouldn't you know it, Leomon and his friends showed up to hear the tale. I take it you have investigated the incident and that you have discovered the mystery behind the purple light?"

"Indeed, and that is the very reason why I have brought the Digidestined here with me today," Leomon replied. "That purple light is emitting from a small object Gennai and his counterparts call a Spirit Chip. It is a tool to help the humans and their partners with the digivolving process."

"I see. So you have come to retrieve it then?" Jijimon asked, brandishing his staff at Leomon.

"That is our intention, yes. If it is alright with you, since the Spirit Chip lies in your territory."

"By all means take it. We certainly have no use for it," Jijimon said, waving the matter aside. "It belongs to the Digidestined after all, does it not?"

"Thank you, Jijimon. We are in your debt," Ken said softly, humbly bowing his head. "It will be a great help to us on our journey."

"Speaking of our journey, you haven't by any chance seen any suspicious characters prowling around your village lately, have you?" Izzy asked slowly, clutching his laptop tightly against his chest.

"My eyes might not be the sharpest, but nothing in or around this village happens without me being aware of it," Jijimon said proudly, his tone leaving no doubt he believed every word that had come out of his mouth. "Gotten yourselves into a bit of trouble, have you?"

"Well..."

Before Izzy could give a proper reply, Babamon returned with the food, and passing it around everyone took a moment to fill their empty stomachs and to quench their thirst. Matty proceeded to make a comment about Jijimon under his breath, which implied that maybe the old digimon's eyes would be sharper if he didn't have so much hair on his face, and hearing the whispered words to Dai, Jijimon promptly whacked Matty over the head with his staff. Babamon took the empty rocking chair next to Jijimon, and folding her hands over the broom in her lap, she eyed them and said, "Your enemies hunt you."

"How did you know?" Rosa asked, glancing at the old female digimon in surprise.

"The Ruler of Darkness and his companions," Jijimon snorted, growing thoughtful. "The rumours have reached even so far as our humble village. Best to be on your guard. They appear to be a tricky lot."

"No kidding," Matty grumbled, making a face.

"This Spirit Chip you speak of. It glows persistently, as if eager to meet its user," Babamon said, her hidden gaze coming to rest on Sam.

_No way. How does she..._

Mickey turned his gaze to Sam as well, and staring at something unseen, Sam murmured, "It feels so far away. I can't see it. I can't see anything..."

It was such an odd thing to say, and Mickey wasn't surprised to see both Ken and Yolei glance at their son with concern in their eyes.

"Eat, my friends, and take your time visiting our village and its occupants. I'm sure they are eager to meet you. You are more than welcome to stay here for the night, as it appears you will have a difficult journey ahead of you tomorrow."

"Are you sure it's okay?" Yolei asked, frowning. "We wouldn't want to put your village in danger if the Ruler of Darkness and his allies decide to make their move on us."

"That's the last thing we want to do," Mimi added.

"Don't worry about us," Babamon cackled, waving off their concerns. "We don't live out in the middle of nowhere for nothing. The digimon in this village know how to defend themselves."

"Besides, it is our duty to help the Digidestined," Jijimon added. "Unlike this Vampiramon spoken of in the rumours, we have not forgotten our duty."

"Thank you," Matt said, his tone ringing with sincerity. "And in return we will do whatever we can to keep your village and your people safe. Not only from Vampiramon and her allies, but also from the darkness threatening your world."

"Sounds like a fair exchange to me," Babamon said. "Now eat up. You have a busy evening ahead of you. Our people will be anxious to meet you."

Mickey quickly finished his dinner of fish, fruit, and vegetables, while Leomon introduced them and told the old couple much about their journey as the Digidestined, and once everybody had emptied their plates they all headed towards the door with a promise to return at night, since the married couple had been gracious enough to offer their home as a sleeping quarters.

Mickey was the last one to leave the house with Ken, but before either one of them could slip through the door, Jijimon stopped them, a grave look on his face. "The darkness hunts him and seeks to enter into his heart. You must not allow him to succumb to the cloak of shadow he as wrapped himself in."

"What? You mean...Sam?" Ken asked quietly, glancing warily towards the door.

The others were out on the street and couldn't possibly have heard anything, but even so Mickey kept his voice low. "Sam's in trouble. I can feel the darkness."

"So can I," Ken replied, turning to look at him and saying what Mickey was sure he had wanted to say before.

"He is teetering on a thin rope between the forces of light and darkness, and soon he will lose his balance," Jijimon said simply, turning his back on them. "Do not let him topple off the wrong way."

And with that the old digimon disappeared into the gloom of his hut, leaving Ken and Mickey staring after him in somber silence.


	228. Chance Encounter

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Well, after a terribly long wait, the newest chapter is finally here! (Feel free to blame me. I was on vacation for two weeks, but before that even though I was busy, my only real excuse was trying to get motivated. And that motivation is back!) So, now things are getting interesting again! This story is gonna be moving right along now with the main plot, so I hope you all like this chapter!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 228: Chance Encounter

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Sever, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

"We're back!" Spritemon called out, appearing suddenly out of the trees and landing gracefully next to a startled Jestermon. In response to her sudden appearance, the fool inadvertently dropped the glowing spheres he had been juggling, but despite his huff of irritation he made no attempt to pick them up.

With a sigh, DarkAngelicmon turned his gaze away from the forest in the distance that bordered the town of Modem, his brilliant green eyes coming to rest on the small sprite digimon who had just emerged from the trees into the clearing.

A moment later Vampiramoin came into view, and stepping up next to BlackWidowmon, she gave Spritemon an annoyed look before turning her attention to the group as a whole. "The Vilemon weren't lying. It seems our efforts to break Sam have proved to be successful so far."

"What do you mean exactly?" BlackWidowmon asked, her hands coming up to rest upon her hips. "And where are Ivymon and the Vilemon?"

"I've left them stationed a little bit closer to town, in case we need to move quickly. I wasn't all that inclined to put too much faith in them, you know what Vilemon are like, but the report they gave us last night was surprisingly accurate. The Emperor's son is not himself, and that of course bodes well for us."

"Indeed," DarkAngelicmon murmured to himself, his emerald gaze once again turning to the forest in the distance. He could feel Lucemon's presence shining like a beacon through the trees, and there was no doubt the rookie angel was also watching the town of Modem. Vampiramon and Spritemon had just returned from the very same forest, and though their close proximity to Lucemon had somewhat concerned him, he could tell by the serene feel of Lucemon's presence that his old friend had not inadvertently encountered the two female megas. That at least was a relief, but even so DarkAngelicmon still felt on edge, and he could not seem to stop thinking about the conversation he had shared with Lucemon the night before.

_Takahiro Kuroki...Why can't I remember?_

When the Vilemon had returned to camp the previous evening, they had given a full report on their encounter with Sam, but Vampiramon had been skeptical of their words. Wanting to see the results for herself, she had taken Ivymon, Spritemon, and the Vilemon with her to spy on the Digidestined, and they had remained only long enough to see the Digidestined reach the village before Vampiramon had apparently left Ivymon and the Vilemon behind before making her way back to their temporary camp.

And here they were now, discussing what had happened and plotting the downfall of the Emperor's son.

_Sam..._

"Hey, angel boy. You with us, or what?"

At the sound of Jestermon's dry tone, DarkAngelicmon reluctantly dragged his gaze away from the forest, and focusing his attention on the four megas who were gazing impatiently at him, he smiled and said, "Pardon me, I needed a moment to savor our victory and my obvious brilliance. You were saying?"

Spritemon snorted loudly at this, and poking him in the chest, she said, "The only thing you have going for you is a ridiculous amount of luck, not brains. Pay attention or we'll send you packing back to the Ruler of Darkness."

"And watch as the entire mission fails without my guiding expertise? Please. Is this your attempt at humour, Spritemon?"

The little pixie promptly smacked him upside the head, and glaring at the two of them, Vampiramon snapped, "Quiet, you fools. I would prefer to give my report in peace, thank you."

"Fighting is counter productive!" Jestermon sang out, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"That's rich coming from you of all digimon," Spritemon retorted.

Jestermon sent her a reproachful look before bending to retrieve his fallen orbs, and realizing he could just summon them again without physically needing to pick them up, he stopped and gave himself a shake before summoning the orbs into his hands again and resuming his juggling.

"Go on, Vampiramon. Explain to us why the Vilemons' mission was a success," BlackWidowmon urged.

Vampiramon was silent for a moment, and lifting her face to the sky, she said slowly, "The Emperor's son is not himself. He teeters on the brink of darkness, for he recognizes there is some truth in the Vilemons' words, even if he did not fully trust them. Apparently the Vilemon were rather convincing according to Ivymon, and for that they will be rewarded."

"So we have the little Emperor right where we want him," Jestermon cackled, the bells on his hat jingling in time with the bobbing of his head. "He doesn't trust his father, and the darkness is drawing ever closer."

"Tell us the whole story," BlackWidowmon demanded, her crimson eyes burning with an intense fire.

Vampiramon nodded, and giving them an account of the Digidestineds' journey through the swamp, she ended with their arrival in the town of Modem.

Apparently the village elder and the old crone he called a wife were like hawks when it came to watching the village, so Vampiramon and her companions hadn't tried to get too close. Instead, they had merely stayed long enough to see the Digidestined entering the trees leading into the village before slipping away and trudging back to camp while Ivymon maintained a lookout post halfway between.

"So, the Digidestined have reached the village," Jestermon muttered, tossing aside his glowing orbs and plopping down onto his backside. Crossing his legs and resting his wrinkled green hands on his knobbly ankles, he shook his head and said, "That means they should reach the Spirit Chip by midday tomorrow."

"It's almost time for us to make our grand entrance," BlackWidowmon smirked. "We'll need to be ready, and this time there will be no holding back."

"We'll need to be careful, though," Vampiramon warned, a slight frown on her face. "The Emperor and those Takaishi twins have become wary of the change in Sam's demeanor. I could tell just from the way they were looking at him. They're suspicious and they can tell there's something going on. We'll have to watch them."

"Yeah, we can't have them interfering in our plans for the Emperor's son," Spritemon agreed.

DarkAngelicmon smiled to himself, and crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "That was to be expected. I already anticipated this would be the case, since the Emperor and the Takaishi boys have a unique ability to feel the Powers of Darkness. As long as we keep that in mind, I don't think they will be a problem."

"They will be if they get to the little Emperor too early," Jestermon pointed out.

"That won't happen. I shall see to that personally myself."

"What are you planning?" Vampiramon asked, looking at him suspiciously.

DarkAngelicmon glanced at her, and without blinking, he said, "Have you forgotten the Ruler of Darkness put me in charge? I am not going to let the Emperor or a bunch of children spoil my plans."

"But-"

"Keep Ivymon and the Vilemon stationed where they are. Spritemon, you are to join them again for the night. We'll be moving out tomorrow as soon as you and your group spot the Digidestined leaving Modem."

_At least that's when all of you will be leaving. I shall be leaving tonight much sooner than that._

"So, I'm to come back here and tell you guys as soon as the Digidestined have left the forest?" Spritemon asked.

"Exactly. Regardless of what happens between now and then, all of you must stick to the plan. You move out as soon as you see the Digidestined. Understand?"

"You really are planning something, aren't you," Vampiramon demanded, her cold gaze studying him closely.

Turning his back on the group, he said quietly, "You will do as I say. That's all you need to know."

And with that he slipped away into the trees, his mind once again traveling back into the past. And in his wake he left four mega digimon staring after him in stunned silence.

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World  
_

Mickey sat quietly upon the grass with Halomon curled up in his lap, his amber gaze focusing on the central square that made up the centre of Modem. The square was where most of the town's business and leisure took place, so calling it the town's source for entertainment wasn't what one would call a bad description. It was a circular patch of greenery that sort of sat smack in the middle of town, and it was the place where all the dirt roads leading into Modem connected to form a circle. There were shops and stands set up along the circular road surrounding the green patch in the middle, and sitting upon that grassy surface was Daichi Motomiya, who was currently surrounded by a large group of excited rookie digimon.

Dai and Embermon were in the middle of telling the digimon a story about their journey as the Digidestined so far, and they were no doubt embellishing and exaggerating parts of it here and there. Thanks to his charismatic personality and talent for storytelling, Daichi had the group of digimon completely enthralled with his tale.

On the other side of the circle, Matty, Ryoko, Alopemon, and Celestimon were helping a group of Woodmon set up a vegetable stand, and in a small field off to the left between a series of small huts, Takara and Dovemon were playing a game of soccer with what looked like the entire population of baby digimon in the town.

As far as Mickey knew, Jijimon was still hiding out in his hut, but further down the street he could see Babamon sitting out on the front lawn in a wicker rocking chair, her unseen eyes keeping careful watch over the town.

Leomon, the adult Digidestined, and their partner digimon were all chatting with a bunch of champion digimon in front of a small hut belonging to a Pumpkinmon nearby, and sitting all by himself beneath the shadow of a large tree down the street with only Glowmon for company was Sam, his shadowy gaze fixed on something only he could see.

Mickey was still very much concerned about his raven-haired friend, even more so now after what Jijimon had said, but unfortunately he didn't think there was anything he could do about it right now.

It was clear Sam wanted to be left alone for the moment, and Mickey had reluctantly decided to honour his friend's wishes, even if he didn't think it was a very good idea.

_What can I do? I feel so helpless..._

"Mickey, you look so sad," Halomon said in a somber tone, reaching up to touch his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Halomon. I'm just...worried about Sam."

Halomon glanced at Sam, and ears drooping, he said wistfully, "Poor Sam."

"Yeah..."

"We'll help him, Mickey. We'll find a way," Halomon insisted. "Cheer up."

"But the darkness...Can you feel it, too?"

Halomon nodded slowly, concern on his face. "The darkness coming from Sam is strong. We have to do something."

"I know...but what can we do?"

Mickey wasn't surprised to discover that Halomon could feel the darkness from Sam, and most likely Celestimon could feel it too. Which meant Celestimon was bound to say something to Matty, whom Mickey suspected already knew. Because of that Celestimon would only be confirming what he already believed, if the little rookie did decide to say something in the end.

"Mickey, why don't we go take a walk?" Halomon suggested, giving him a warm smile.

Mickey was reluctant to let Sam out of his sight, but he couldn't deny that getting a chance to clear his head a bit would probably do him some good. "Okay. Why don't we take a walk around town?"

Halomon agreed, and getting to his feet Mickey made his way across the square past Dai, Halomon fluttering along beside him. Celestimon saw them approaching, and fluttering over, he said curiously, "Where are you two going?"

"We're going for a walk!" Halomon said happily, fluttering around Celestimon and beaming at his fellow angel. "Did you want to come with us?"

"Can I?" Celestimon asked eagerly, his green eyes growing wide.

Mickey laughed, and reaching out to scratch Celestimon behind the ears, he said, "Of course you can."

Celestimon quickly hurried back over to Matty, and tugging on his partner's hoodie, he said, "Matty, I'm going for a walk with Mickey and Halomon. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay," Matty replied, turning to regard his partner. "You don't need to ask me."

"Okay!"

Mickey held out his arms as Celestimon fluttered back over to him, and looking up, Matty said in amusement, "Keep him out of trouble for me. Okay, Mickey?"

"I will."

"Although...I think I should be more worried about you."

Mickey laughed at this, and giving his brother an affectionate smile he turned and headed off further into the village.

"Matty's worried about you," Clestimon said softly, cuddling in his arms and exchanging a meaningful look with Halomon.

"Of course he is..."

"Come on, Mickey, there's a small field of flowers behind those huts over there. Let's go and visit!" Halomon said, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.

Mickey shrugged in response, and following Halomon he proceeded to head towards the group of huts nearby. Slipping between them with Celestimon still in his arms, he let Halomon flutter on ahead.

Halomon had almost reached the opening between two of the huts when something small suddenly fluttered around the corner heading towards them. It was going so fast it didn't see Halomon in time, thus Halomon didn't have time to get out of the way. As a result, the thing flew right into the little rookie. Halomon let out a gasp of surprise as the two of them ended up tumbling through the air together, and with a thump they landed on the dirt path in a tangled heap, with Halomon being the unfortunate one who had landed on the bottom.

At least, Mickey thought his partner was on the bottom as he watched the other digimon slowly sit up and give itself a small shake. He couldn't be sure, though, because to his astonishment he discovered the thing that had run into Halomon was in fact actually another Halomon.


	229. Past Meets Present

Disclaimer: I don't own the awesomeness that is Digimon.

**A/N: I love this chapter. I hope you all do too!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 229: Past Meets Present

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Mickey let out a soft cry of sympathy at the unexpected collision that his partner and the other Halomon had just endured, and rushing over to the two fallen rookies with Celestimon held securely in his arms, he knelt and held out a hand to steady the one that was still sprawled on top of the pile. "Oh! Are you okay?"

The Halomon he had reached out to slowly looked up at him, and upon discovering who the voice that had spoken to him belonged to, he let out a gasp of shock and tumbled backwards onto the ground. Due to his sudden movement, he ended up rolling several feet away before coming to a stop on his back in the grass. This left the Halomon on the bottom free to maneuver himself into a sitting position, and rubbing the back of his head he let out a soft groan, which earned him a sympathetic look from Celestimon.

"Halomon?" Mickey asked the one still rubbing his head, studying the little rookie closely. He set Celestimon on the ground next to him, and reaching out he gently stroked the fallen rookie's fluffy ears.

In response, the Halomon he was speaking to looked up at him before quickly turning to look at the other Halomon. It was then that the little rookie apparently came to the realization that the digimon who had run into him was the same type as he was because he let out a squeak of surprise and proceeded to hide behind Celestimon with obvious shyness and a slight hint of embarrassment.

"Are you my Halomon?" Mickey asked the rookie hiding behind Celestimon.

The Halomon he was speaking to shyly nodded before hiding his face between Celestimon's shoulder blades, and gazing at the newcomer, Celestimon said happily, "Oh! A new friend!"

_Friend..._

Mickey smiled at the thought, and having figured out which of the two digimon was actually his partner, he turned to give his full attention to the mysterious little rookie who had inadvertently flown right into their path. "Hello there, Halomon!"

The newcomer slowly sat up again, and scratching one of his fluffy ears he glanced at Celestimon and his shy counterpart with obvious curiosity before once again turning his attention to the owner of the voice who had spoken to him. "You...You're a human."

The words were spoken softly, and there was a hint of recognition and a sense of hope in his tone. Mickey immediately recognized the significance of what that meant, but instead of commenting on it right away he chose to ignore it for the moment and instead proceeded to concentrate on the conversation at hand. "Yes, I am. My name is Makiya Takaishi, but you can call me Mickey. That's what most people call me. I have to say, this is the first time I've ever come across another Halomon before in the Digital World. Other than my own partner here, of course."

"We're not as common as say Vilemon or Floramon," the little rookie replied, studying him closely. "Celestial digimon are one of the more rare types here in the Digital World."

"You don't say...I find that surprising since I seem to keep running into plenty myself."

The strange Halomon chose not to respond. Instead, he merely shrugged his shoulders and continued to stare with obvious interest, his big blue eyes sparkling with intense emotion.

By this time Mickey was sure he knew exactly who this Halomon was, and feeling his heart start to race, he pulled out his D-Coder and held it out to the little rookie so he could see it clearly. "You've seen humans before, haven't you."

The newcomer slowly came towards him, and reaching out to touch the Digivice, he said quietly, "It looks different from the ones I'm used to."

"Your partner. His name is Kenji Iwamoto, isn't it?"

The little rookie gasped in surprise, and jerking his hand back, he stammered, "How did you know?"

"Gennai."

Kenji's Halomon smiled at this, and immediately his shoulders relaxed and his ears began to sway happily in the slight breeze. "Of course. Gennai would know."

"So I'm right then?"

"Yes," Halomon replied, smiling at him. "I'm Kenji's digimon partner. It's been a long time since I've seen him though..."

"I'm guessing you probably haven't seen him since all of the Digidestined joined together to defeat MaloMyotismon about twenty-five years ago."

"That's right," Halomon agreed, his ears drooping slightly. "I really miss him."

Mickey smiled in sympathy, and reaching out he gently stroked the little rookie's fluffy ears. "I bet you do."

"Do you know Kenji?" Halomon asked eagerly, accepting the gesture of affection with obvious familiarity.

"I've never met him personally, but I've heard a lot about him."

"Oh."

Kenji's partner looked a little disappointed, and wanting to reassure him, Mickey said, "I would very much like to meet him someday, though, and if all goes well maybe I'll have that chance in the near future."

"What do you mean?"

Mickey hesitated before saying, "Where I go to school, your friend Seta Sugiyama is my principal. We're planning on meeting with him when we get back to the human world, so if we see him...maybe..."

"Oh! If you see him will you take me with you?" Halomon cried, leaping into his lap and tugging anxiously on his shirt.

Mickey hugged the little rookie to calm him down a bit, and smiling, he said, "I can't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do. I'll have to talk with my friends about it and see what the leader of my team thinks."

"Okay! Is your leader like Tal?" Halomon asked curiously.

Mickey thought about that for a moment before giving his answer. "The two aren't really a lot alike, at least that's how it seems to me from what I know of Tal, but their hearts are definitely in the same place."

Halomon seemed to understand exactly what he meant because the little rookie gave him a knowing look before saying, "I see."

"Can I ask you something, Halomon?"

"Of course!"

"Are you here all by yourself?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Not at all. Kibomon and the others are here with me. They're over in the flower field. I was just coming to tell Jijimon that we were planning on heading out tonight."

"Oh, you're leaving?"

"Well, we only arrived here the night before from the north," Halomon explained, gesturing adamantly with his hands. "My friends and I were having fun exploring some ruins up there when we came across a group of Gizamon who told us about this purple light in the woods near Modem. We were curious so we came here to talk to Babamon and Jijimon about it. A lot of the digimon here are afraid to get too close to it, so we offered to go check it out for them. We were planning to leave tonight to go take a look at it."

"I see...but if Jijimon and Babamon knew that there were digimon with human partners here in town, why didn't they tell us?"

"Knowing Jijimon, it probably slipped his mind," Halomon snorted, smiling fondly in remembrance of the old mega. "And Babamon...Well, knowing her she didn't tell you on purpose."

"Huh? Why?"

Halomon paused before saying, "Knowing now who you are and taking in the fact that you're all Digidestined, I have a feeling she was hoping you would meet us for yourselves."

Mickey thought about that a bit before he found himself nodding in agreement. "You're probably right."

"Is that why you're here, too? To investigate the purple light?" Halomon asked eagerly.

"As a matter of fact that is exactly the reason why we're here. Not only are we looking for it, but we're also planning to take it with us."

Halomon jumped at this, and gazing at him with wide eyes, the little rookie said, "You mean you know what it is?"

"Actually, we do know what it is, but before I go into detail about it, if you don't mind I'd like to take you to meet my friends. That way we can all go visit Kibomon and the others together."

"Are we going to share stories?" Halomon asked in excitement.

"That's right. I think...we might be able to help each other out."

"I'd like that!" Halomon said happily before leaping out of his arms and hopping back onto the ground again.

"I thought I felt something when I first came here, but it was faint so I figured it was probably just some celestial digimon who was passing by or was somewhere out there further away for us," Celestimon suddenly spoke up, a hint of excitement in his tone. "That happens every once in a while, so I didn't think anything of it, but it was you this whole time."

"Yes, I thought I felt something as well, but I too didn't think much of it," Kenji's Halomon agreed, his deep blue eyes coming to rest on Celestimon. "We have only just come across each other, so it's understandable that we do not yet feel the presence of one another on a more intimate level."

"True," Celestimon agreed, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"But...what is this other presence I also feel?" Kenji's Halomon said slowly, his eyes turning to gaze at the forest to the north of Modem. "I don't think it's someone I know, and yet it is quite strong..."

_Huh?_

Mickey frowned at this, and turning to Kenji's partner, he said, "You feel something?"

"Not DarkAngelicmon," Celestimon interrupted, his expression becoming suddenly guarded. "You don't have to worry, Mickey."

"Dark...Angelicmon?" Kenji's Halomon asked slowly. "Who's that?"

Mickey let out a sigh before saying, "We'll tell you all about him later, but for now this presence you feel..."

"It doesn't feel dark at all," Kenji's Halomon reassured him.

"But then what are you feeling?"

The little rookie was about to answer when Celestimon gave him a sharp look that caught his attention. Something meaningful seemed to pass between the two digimon as they stared at one another, and breaking eye contact, Kenji's Halomon said quickly, "It's nothing. I could just be imagining things."

_Or there's something you and the other celestial rookies know that you're not telling me._

Mickey was sure now that they were being followed by another celestial digimon, but who it might be he had no idea.

_Will they ever tell me or do they even know themselves who it is?_

Mickey was sure they had their reasons for keeping silent, and though he respected their privacy it still concerned him. His only hope was that Halomon would eventually tell him when the little rookie was ready to. Until then, he knew interrogating them wouldn't get him any further ahead, thus he set the matter aside for the moment and decided to concentrate on the situation at hand instead. "Shall we get going to see the others then?"

Kenji's Halomon ignored him, and turning to look at his counterpart, who was still cowering behind Celestimon, he said curiously, "Why are you hiding?"

Halomon slowly peeked out from around Celestimon's shoulder, and blushing he quickly ducked his head without answering before dropping out of sight again.

"Don't mind him, he's just shy," Celestimon said cheerfully, beaming at Kenji's Halomon.

"Really?"

This seemed to amuse the newcomer, and sidestepping around Celestimon, he leaned in close and said, "I'm sorry for flying into you. I really should be more careful. Just don't tell Kibomon that, okay?"

Halomon let out a squeak in response, and leaping away from his counterpart, he grabbed onto Celestimon and hid his face against the other rookie's chest.

Kenji's Halomon tilted his head to the side at this odd behaviour, and sliding up close again, he said playfully, "Aren't you at least going to say hello?"

Halomon finally lifted his head, and gazing shyly at his counterpart, he said softly, "Hello."

"That's better," Kenji's Halomon replied, nodding in satisfaction. "I'm not that scary, am I?"

"Of course not!" Celestimon snorted, a giggle escaping his mouth. "You're our new friend. It's nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you guys, too!" Kenji's Halomon said with a smile, his expression lighting up at being called a new friend.

Celestimon and the newcomer happily fluttered around each other in the air as they proceeded to get to know each other better, while Halomon continued to gaze shyly at them from the ground. Smiling fondly at the three digimon, Mickey said, "Come on, guys, let's go see Dai and the others. We'll bring them back with us to the flower field to meet Kibomon and the rest of the old team."

"Come on!" Kenji's Halomon called out, grabbing onto his counterpart's hand and pulling the little rookie into the air with himself and Celestimon.

Together the four of them made their way back to the centre square, and keeping Kenji's partner hidden behind him, Mickey called out to his leader, "Dai! Dai, we need to talk!"

Dai looked up in the middle of his story, and seeing the look on his face, the goggle-headed leader quickly stood up and motioned for the rest of the rookies gathered around him to do the same. "That's it for today, guys. I'll have to tell you the rest of the story tomorrow, okay?"

Several groans followed his statement, and holding up a clawed hand to stall them, Embermon said, "Look on the bright side. We should have plenty to add to the story after tomorrow's events."

Many of the rookies perked up at this, and chattering happily to one another they proceeded to go their separate ways.

Once the rookies had cleared out, Mickey raced up to Dai and came to a stop with Kenji's partner still hidden behind his legs. "Get the others. We need to talk."

Dai didn't even question him. Instead, the leader of the Digidestined shouted out so the whole square could hear, "Matty, Ishida! Get Kara and come over here! Mickey wants to talk! Sam, you too. Izzy, all of you guys get your butts over here now!"

Mickey blushed as everyone, even Sam and Glowmon, obeyed Dai's orders without question or hesitation, and soon Mickey found himself gazing at an audience of humans and digimon gathered in front of him. All of them, except for Sam, were gazing expectantly at him, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Babamon rise from her chair. There was no doubt the old digimon was watching them intently, and it was then that Mickey knew Kenji's partner had been right about her.

It didn't look as if she intended to join the conversation, but Mickey could tell she was watching events unfold with obvious amusement.

"Is something the matter, Mickey?" Leomon asked with obvious concern.

The lion digimon was glancing between him and the two celestial rookies hovering in the air on either side of him, and smiling, he said, "Not exactly."

"Then...what's up?" Matty asked curiously, frowning in confusion.

Mickey motioned for Kenji's partner to step out from behind him, and gesturing at the small rookie, he said, "This is Halomon. Kenji Iwamoto's digimon partner."


	230. Something Wicked This Way Comes

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Kibomon, Aiwemon, Velinemon, or Gessmon, who were created by RoyalKnightX, Shire Folk, Silver Kitsune Lunara, and Miss Anonymous hp respectively.

**A/N: Another chapter is here! Good news! After this chapter...well, let's just say that's when the real fun starts! A little bit of new info for you guys to take in as you continue trying to connect the dots between the past, present, and what will come in the future!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 230: Something Wicked This Way Comes

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Matty simply stared at the celestial rookie, who was now standing on the ground between Halomon and Celestimon, and raising his eyebrows, he said, "You're really Kenji Iwamoto's partner?"

"That's right!" the new Halomon responded, studying him curiously. "You look exactly like Mickey! That's common for digimon, but I've never seen two humans look the same before."

Matty smiled at this, and crouching in front of Kenji's partner, he said, "I'm Masato Takaishi, but you can call me Matty. I'm Mickey's brother. In the human world two siblings who are the same age and look exactly the same are referred to as identical twins. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does the result you get is what you see here with myself and my brother."

"I'm not sure I get it," Kenji's Halomon replied, scratching his head in confusion.

"It's like this," Mickey explained, smiling slightly. "When digimon are born, they come from an egg, right? Well, humans do too, only the egg doesn't hatch. It grows inside the mother and forms into a human baby. Sometimes though, the egg can split and separate into two eggs, which grow into two babies instead of just one. That's what happened with myself and Matty. Since we originally came from the same egg, our human DNA is very similar, and that's why we look the same."

"Oh, I see! So...it's like how your Halomon and I look the same, though we came from different eggs, but even though you guys look similar you and Matty are really different from each other!"

"That's right," Mickey agreed, his smile growing wider.

Matty chanced a quick glance at his brother, and realizing Mickey had turned to regard him with a soft smile, he sheepishly scratched his head and smiled hesitantly in return before turning his attention back to Kenji's partner.

Matty knew he should probably feel at least a little bit of surprise at this unexpected turn of events, but strangely enough it didn't even really faze him to come across what was clearly a link to the Digital World's past. It seemed the more they continued to pursue the Spirit Chips, the more he was beginning to realize that some of the events occurring now had to be directly linked to the past somehow. DarkAngelicmon, the Ruler of Darkness, GranDracmon, Luciamon, Lucemon, the original Digidestined, and now Kenji's digimon partner. It couldn't all be a coincidence. Matty was sure all of the answers were right there in front of his eyes, if he could only put the pieces of the puzzle together. Unfortunately, though, he had a feeling there were still some pieces missing, but once those missing parts finally fell into place, Matty was sure the answer would be so obvious they would feel embarrassed not to have recognized the truth a lot sooner.

_Everything is all somehow related, and now it's coming back full circle. There must be a reason, and somewhere along the line there must be an end to it..._

"Halomon, what are you doing here?" Takara asked gently, her expression portraying her obvious shock and astonishment.

"And why are you here all by yourself?" Izzy added, frowning in confusion.

Kenji's Halomon turned to smile at Izzy, and fluttering his ears, he said, "I'm not alone! Kibomon and all of my other friends are here, too. Mickey said we're going to share stories, but we should wait until all of you meet the others."

Izzy glanced at Mickey, and giving the older twin an approving nod, he said, "That sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Would you be so kind as to take us to your friends?"

"Sure!" Kenji's Halomon said happily, beaming at Izzy. "They're over in the flower field!"

"Lead the way then," Tentomon encouraged, his wings buzzing as he took flight.

Now that everyone appeared to have gotten over their surprise at coming across a digimon from the past, it seemed they were eager to follow Kenji's partner and meet the rest of the original crew. Reaching out to his two celestial friends, Kenji's Halomon was quick to take the lead, and together the three angel digimon took off in the direction of the flower field. Hurrying after them with Mickey and his uncle Matt following on either side, Matty shook his head and muttered, "Crazy..."

"But not really unexpected," Matt murmured in response, overhearing him and making him jump in surprise.

"Uncle, you think so too?"

Matt returned his gaze, and shrugging, the former musician said, "When you think about it, it was bound to happen sometime."

"This isn't just a coincidence," Rosa spoke up from behind them. "Everything in the Digital World happens for a reason, and I don't see why that would be any different this time."

"Now we just need to figure out what that reason is," Yolei sighed, making a face.

Matty glanced back to look at Sam, and he was shocked to see that the raven-haired Digidestined's skin had turned quite pale. Not only that, but Sam's sapphire eyes were empty, and the expression on his face was completely blank. It was like looking at a manikin or a robot.

Something that lived without a soul.

Apparently, on top of looking like an empty shell, Sam was also having trouble concentrating because he hadn't even moved when Kenji's Halomon had shouted for all of them to come visit the flower field. Ryoko actually had to grab his hand and pull him along just to get him walking, and that did not bode well for Sam's mental state of mind. Even now, Ryoko was _still_ holding the raven-haired Digidestined's hand and leading him along like a small child who had lost his way.

_Sam wasn't like this yesterday. Something must have happened since then, but what? He's been with us the whole time and I don't remember anything happening to upset him. But something obviously has, and he's closing himself off from the rest of us to hide from the pain and the truth he doesn't want to face._

Matty shivered at the thought, and unable to do anything about Sam at the moment he proceeded to hurry after the three celestial digimon in miserable silence.

Making their way through a gap in the buildings, Kenji's Halomon came to a stop at the edge of a beautiful field full of strange white flowers, a type Matty had never before seen in the human world.

And there, chattering adamantly to one another in the centre of the flower field, were four digimon, who by the look of them could only be Kibomon, Aiwemon, Velinemon, and Gessmon.

"This...is just so awesome," Dai said, staring at the digimon with his mouth hanging open, a slightly awed look on his face.

"Come on!" Kenji's Halomon said happily, beckoning them forward while he fluttered on ahead.

As they slowly made their approach, Matty could hear the four digimon arguing with one another, and sounding impatient, Kibomon said, "Where did he go? It shouldn't take this long to tell Jijimon and the old crone we're leaving tonight."

Unfortunately for Kibomon, Halomon overheard his complaint, and puffing himself up the little rookie fluttered over to his outspoken friend and promptly bopped Kibomon over the head with his small fist.

"Ouch! What was that for!?" Kibomon shouted, turning to glare at his fellow rookie.

"You shouldn't talk about Babamon like that. It's rude!"

"But Jijimon himself does it!"

"That's different," Halomon sniffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "And for your information I got stopped along the way by Mickey."

"Who?" Kibomon asked, scratching his head in confusion.

It was then that Halomon's friends finally became aware of the group of humans and digimon approaching them, and fluttering into the air for a better look, Aiwemon said, "Now there's a sight you don't see everyday."

"Huh?" Kibomon turned to see what his friends were looking at, and catching sight of the group, he leaped back in surprise and said, "Whoa, humans!"

"Humans!" Velinemon echoed in excitement.

"Humans!" Gessmon squeaked, growing shy and quickly hiding himself behind Velinemon.

It reminded Matty of his brother's partner, and unable to stop himself he smiled in amusement.

"Hey there!" Dai called out with a smile, coming to a stop in front of the small group of digimon.

Matty placed himself next to Dai, and as the others gathered around, Kibomon gave Embermon the once over, sizing him up, before turning his attention to the goggle-headed leader who had greeted them. "Who are you?"

Matty was pretty sure Kibomon already knew the answer to that question, since his gaze had settled on Dai's goggles, and though Dai seemed to be aware of this as well, he ignored it and said, "My name is Daichi Motomiya. Dai, for short. I'm the current leader of the Digidestined."

There were gasps from Velinemon and Gessmon, but Aiwemon stayed silent and Kibomon's sharp gaze never wavered. In fact, Kibomon once again glanced at Embermon, this time with a knowing look, before simply saying, "You already know who I am."

"Yeah, I do," Dai agreed, plopping down into the flowers and making himself comfortable. "You're Kibomon. You're Tal Kuroki's digimon partner."

"Did Halomon tell you that?" Kibomon demanded.

"No," Izzy replied, also taking a seat. "And even if he had, it wouldn't have been news to us. Gennai himself was the one who originally told us."

At the mention of Gennai, Kibomon seemed to relax slightly, his expression immediately becoming much more friendly and less suspicious. "If you guys are here then..."

"The Digital World is in quite a bit of trouble right now," Izzy explained, gazing intently at Kibomon. "And if you're willing we could probably use your help."

"We would be honoured to help the Digidestined," Aiwemon said without hesitation, settling himself next to Kibomon. "May I ask you your names?"

Izzy quickly made introductions, and once everyone was settled, Celestimon said to Kibomon, "Your Halomon told us a bit about what you guys are up to. He said you're planning to leave tonight to investigate the source of the purple light in the woods outside of Modem?"

"That's right!" Kibomon said proudly, his gaze somewhat distracted as his brilliant eyes shifted to glance at Mickey's partner. "Another Halomon? One was already more than enough."

This comment earned him another whack over the head from Kenji's Halomon, and smiling shyly, Gessmon said, "I've never seen a Celestimon before. You look a lot like the Halomon species of digimon."

Celestimon shrugged, and beaming at the two Halomons sitting on either side of him, he said, "I don't mind."

"I bet you guys know what that purple light is, don't you," Velinemon said, giving them a knowing look.

Izzy nodded and said, "That purple light is one of six Spirit Chips that were created by Gennai and his counterparts, with help from the entity that watches over the Digital World, of course. Each one belongs to one of the six new members of the Digidestined team, and they are used to help with the digivolving process. They are designed to help Embermon, Dovemon, Alopemon, Glowmon, Celestimon, and Halomon digivolve to the ultimate level."

"So...they work like the Data Cores," Aiwemon responded, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Data Cores..." Mimi said slowly, glancing meaningfully at her husband. "Gennai mentioned them before."

"That's right," Matt agreed, frowning slightly. "He's mentioned them twice now."

"He said they were also a tool to help in the digivolving process," Izzy added. "Valour, integrity, insight, spirit, and optimism. They helped the five of you to digivolve into ultimates."

"That's right," Kenji's Halomon confirmed, smiling at Izzy.

"Gennai said that the Data Cores are currently acting as a barrier of sorts," Cody said slowly, watching Kibomon and his friends closely. "What did he mean by that?"

"Oh that," Velinemon snorted, waving her paw in a dismissive sort of gesture. "It means exactly what he said. Mai and the others had to give up the power of their Data Cores in order to seal away GranDracmon's data. You know, to stop him from ever trying to come back. Basically to prevent him from being given the opportunity to be reconfigured."

"But...if he's never given the chance to be reconfigured then...he won't ever have the opportunity to redeem himself!" Mickey protested, obviously upset over this current piece of news.

"Myotismon had the chance, and look what happened with him," Kenji's Halomon said softly, his deep blue gaze sparkling with emotion. "GranDracmon is the same. You don't know what it was like back then. He was evil, pure evil. Worse even than MaloMyotismon. If he were to come back, no good would come of it. He said as much himself."

"We had no choice," Aiwemon said simply, shaking his head with regret. "He refused to give us one."

Matty thought about that for a moment, and running a hand through his blond hair, he said, "So...if you guys sealed him away with the Data Cores then...where is he now?"

"His data is sealed away beneath the castle he made for himself in the World of Darkness," Velinemon said with a shrug.

This statement was greeted with stunned silence, and somehow managing to find her voice, Takara said, "W-what?"

"That's the reason we can't use the power of the Data Cores to digivolve to ultimate anymore," Aiwemon explained. "It's because that power is being used to seal away GranDracmon in the World of Darkness."

"And that's the reason why Gennai is sure that the Ruler of Darkness we're dealing with now can't be GranDracmon!" Izzy interrupted, his face lighting up with excitement. "It's because of the Data Cores! If GranDracmon were free again, the Data Cores would have been returned to the Digital World."

"And they haven't been," Ken said softly. "Which means the seal around GranDracmon hasn't been broken."

"Um...what are you guys talking about?" Kibomon asked, looking rather lost.

Izzy straightened his shoulders, and turning to the six partners of the original Digidestined, he began to tell them the entire story of what had happened since he himself had become a Digidestined, right up to the present and their current mission to find the Spirit Chip of Compassion.

The six digimon listened with obvious interest, and when Izzy was done they sat for a moment in silence, trying their best to absorb everything they had taken in.

Once they were able to wrap their heads around the situation, Aiwemon said, "So...this new Ruler of Darkness is emulating GranDracmon. He must have either known GranDracmon personally or he admires GranDracmon for his vision."

"Whatever the case there's definitely a connection there," Kenji's Halomon agreed.

"That's what Gennai seemed to think as well," Rosa added. "We don't know exactly what's going on, but it's becoming more obvious every day that the past and present are somehow connected."

"And because of that this is where you five come in," Matt said quietly, watching the group of original digimon intently. "Now that you've heard our story, would you allow us to hear yours? The more we know about the past, the more we may be able to figure out about the present."

There was a moment of silence where the five digimon exchanged meaningful looks, and speaking quietly, Aiwemon said, "We would be happy to tell you our story, but...we think it would be better if you guys heard the story from Tal and the others yourselves. I think they would be able to explain much better than we can."

"What? That's not fair!" Embermon protested. "We told you our story!"

Kenji's Halomon gave Embermon a sympathetic look, and turning to Mickey, he said softly, "I'm sorry, Mickey. I know we said we would exchange stories, but I agree with Aiwemon. I think it would make more sense if Kenji and the others told you."

"It's okay," Mickey said gently, giving the little rookie's ears an affectionate scratch. "I get what you're saying, and I understand where you're coming from. I guess this just means we'll have to ask Kenji and his friends ourselves, right?"

"You know Tal and the others?" Kibomon asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up with sudden interest.

"We know of them," Alopemon corrected. "We've never met them in person. At least, not yet."

"But apparently Gessmon's partner Seta is the principal at Odaiba Elementary, where Daichi and his friends go to school," Hawkmon added helpfully. "We were thinking of paying him a visit once we get back to the human world. And if we're lucky we'll meet the others too."

"Oh!" Gessmon gasped, his beady eyes lighting up with excitement. "You're going to go visit Seta? And maybe even the others? Will you take us with you?"

"Please?" Aiwemon asked politely.

"Pretty please?" Velinemon begged.

Matty raised his eyebrows at this, and glancing at his twin, he said, "You knew this was coming I bet."

"Actually, that's one of the things Kenji's partner wanted me to ask you guys," Mickey replied, smiling sheepishly. "They haven't seen their partners since the day MaloMyotismon was defeated. It's only natural they would want to see them again. That was something I wanted to ask Dai."

"Well, I don't see why we can't take them with us," Dai replied, turning to Izzy. "What do you think?"

Izzy was silent for a moment before saying, "It may actually do us some good to take them with us. I think our chances of meeting Kenji and the others through Seta will improve if we have their digimon with us to back up our story. And as Mickey said, it has been a _long_ while since they've seen their partners. I don't see any harm in taking them with us."

"So that means we can go back with you to the human world to see our partners?" Kenji's Halomon asked eagerly.

"Of course," Izzy replied, smiling at the little rookie. "But in turn would you guys mind doing something for us?"

"Whatever you want," Kibomon said without hesitation. "Name your price."

"Since all of you were planning to investigate the Spirit Chip on your own to begin with, would you mind holding off on going there tonight and joining forces with us instead? I think if we're all working together our chances of retrieving the Spirit Chip before Vampiramon and her allies get their hands on it will greatly increase."

"I agree," Aiwemon replied. "If we all stick together the mission will have a greater chance of success."

"Then it's settled," Dai said, making a fist. "Tomorrow morning we'll head out to find the Spirit Chip!"

There was a general chorus of assent, and once everyone had quieted down a bit, Velinemon said thoughtfully, "This DarkAngelicmon you guys talked about. He seems...I don't know, different from the other bad guys you mentioned."

"I thought so too," Kenji's Halomon agreed. "It's like...he can't decide whether he's supposed to be a bad guy or a good guy."

Matty glanced quickly at his brother, whose expression was carefully neutral, and speaking quietly, he said, "Maybe like us he's still trying to figure things out."

"Poor Luciamon," Gessmon said sadly, shaking his head. "And poor Lucemon, too. He must be so lonely now that his friends have all left him."

At Gessmon's words, Celestimon and Mickey's Halomon suddenly glanced towards the trees in the distance, and watching them Matty frowned in confusion.

_What was that all about?_

"I wonder if we'll ever meet Lucemon," Glowmon said sadly, his face a mask of sorrow. "Where is he? And what is he doing now? I bet he could answer a lot of our questions."

"It's almost like he doesn't want to be found," Gabumon said slowly.

"Maybe he's taking a long nap," Armadillomon suggested.

"Or maybe he's afraid to meet us," Gotsumon piped up.

"Why would he be afraid of us?" Palmon asked skeptically. "That's just silly."

"He probably doesn't have any idea we're even here," Dovemon said reasonably.

Wormmon shook his head at that, and glancing at his partner, he said, "I'm pretty sure he knows we're here. A lot of digimon in the Digital World seem to know what's going on. News travels fast here. We've seen that for ourselves. He must have heard by now, wherever he is."

"It doesn't matter," Mickey's Halomon said quietly, his blue eyes shining with emotion. "None of that matters. The only thing that does is finding Lucemon. We can't forget Luciamon's words to Mickey. 'Find Lucemon.' That's what she said. He knows the truth about DarkAngelicmon. That's what Luciamon was trying to tell us. For her sake, and our own, we have to find Lucemon."

Everyone was silent for a moment, and reaching down to place his hand on the little rookie's head, Matty said, "You're right. We haven't forgotten, Halomon. During our search for the Spirit Chips, we'll keep our eyes out for him. I promise you."

"And he'll watch over us in return," Halomon said softly, his gaze once again returning to the forest.

Matty wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but before he could come up with a reply, Sam spoke, his words sounding eerie and unnatural in the sunshine. "The World of Darkness. He's there in the World of Darkness."

"Sam?" Ken asked uncertainly, reaching out to place a hand on his son's shoulder.

Sam didn't even flinch like he would have just a day ago, though Ken did at the contact. Instead, he continued to gaze at nothing, his mind lost in some unseen world.

"Sam?" Yolei pressed a little more urgently.

"GranDracmon, the darkness, DarkAngelicmon, the Emperor, Uncle...all there in the World of Darkness. All there. I can't see. I can't see anything..."

"What?" Ken said sharply, leaning closer so he could hear better. "What was that about your uncle?"

"All there," Sam whispered, his face expressionless. "Uncle, father, where am I? Father, Uncle...Sam..."

"I think maybe it's time we all headed back to Jijimon's house," Ryoko interrupted, his expression daring anyone to argue with him. "It's getting towards evening now. We should probably eat and get some rest."

"Going to bed early sounds like a good idea," Takara agreed, glancing fearfully at Sam.

Ryoko turned back to Sam, and reaching out to take his friend's hand again, he said quietly, "Come on, Sam, let's go back."

Sam followed meekly without comment, his grip loose in Ryoko's hand, and the rest of the group followed without comment. Matty could tell Ken and Yolei were extremely worried, and Glowmon looked positively terrified for his partner.

But they weren't the only ones who were worried. He, like Ken, could feel the darkness emanating from Sam. That was the reason Ken had flinched just from touching Sam, and Matty knew without a doubt that Mickey could feel the darkness as well. Something was seriously wrong with Sam, and if they didn't find a way to help soon, Matty was afraid they might lose him permanently to the darkness.

_No! We can't let that happen. I won't let it happen!_

Walking quietly near the back of the group, Matty saw Kenji's Halomon reach out and hesitantly touch Sam's shoulder, and letting out a small gasp, the little rookie jerked back and quickly fluttered away out of reach. He looked a little confused for a moment, and then realizing he was being watched, he quickly fluttered away from Sam. Matty didn't resist as the little rookie quickly flew into the safety of his arms, and cuddling him close, he whispered, "What's wrong?"

"The darkness," Kenji's Halomon mumbled, hiding his face. "I feel the darkness. It's strong inside of him. Something bad is going to happen, Matty. Something very bad."


	231. A Touch of Evil

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Kibomon, Aiwemon, Velinemon, or Gessmon, who were created by RoyalKnightX, Shire Folk, Silver Kitsune Lunara, and Miss Anonymous hp.

**A/N: I know it has taken me a while, but I do have another chapter done finally! This is unfortunately the busy time of year for me, but I will do what I can to get chapters out as soon as possible. Hope you all enjoy!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 231: A Touch of Evil

_Sam Ichijouji  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Sam woke with a start, and lying in the darkness of the large hut that belonged to Jijimon and Babamon he took a moment to catch his breath, his heart still thumping wildly from the bad dream he knew he had experienced but unfortunately could not remember in the slightest.

On his right Mickey was sleeping quietly, though there was a pained look on the golden-haired Digidestined's face, as if he too were having a bad dream. Matty was sprawled on his other side, and though normally the younger twin would be snoring comfortably in his sleep, tonight he lay rigid and not a single sound escaped his mouth. Instead, like Mickey, there was an unsettling expression on his face, and Sam was quite sure Matty was experiencing a terrible dream, much like the one Mickey appeared to be engrossed in.

_It's coming. It's coming for me._

Though it was no longer raining and the night was hot and humid, it was pitch black outside and the light of the moon did not seem to penetrate through the windows of Jijimon's hut as they had earlier in the evening.

_There's no light, but I can still see the shadows. The shadows are everywhere._

Something was terribly wrong. Sam could feel it in the air. The night was not what it appeared to be, and something waited for him in the darkness.

_The air feels evil. I can't see anything. Only the darkness..._

A quick glance at the rest of the sleeping Digidestined and their digimon partners made it seem as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Except for the twins, all of the others appeared to be sleeping peacefully, including Kibomon and his digimon friends who had joined them for the night. The only other members of the group who did not seem to be sleeping soundly were the three angel digimon who were curled up together on the floor above Mickey's head. Though all three of them looked as if they were sound asleep, every so often their fluffy ears would twitch nervously and one of them would let out a soft whimper of fear.

_They feel the darkness. They feel the evil that lurks all around us..._

Sam quickly rubbed his sapphire eyes to clear his vision, which did not really help much, and climbing out of his sleeping bag he went to one of the two front windows to glance outside at the sleeping town of Modem.

What he saw made him gasp in surprise.

Off in the distance he could just make out the dark waters of an ocean between the tall line of trees in the distance, and continuing to stare at the horizon he felt a small shiver race down his spine. There was no ocean anywhere near Modem or the swamp, but there was no mistaking what he was seeing in the distance.

The World of Darkness.

_It's with me wherever I go. I can't escape it. I can't fight it. It wants me. It's coming for me..._

The soft sound of sudden movement behind him caught his attention, and turning away from the window he glanced around in confusion, trying unsuccessfully to discover the source of the noise. At first glance nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, and all of his friends, both human and digimon, were still sleeping soundly. Upon closer inspection Sam immediately realized that the faint shadows lurking in the corners of the room were shifting when they shouldn't be, and as he stood there watching them passively without expression they began to take shape. As the black shadows materialized into vaguely human forms, Sam went rigid and began to slowly back up towards the window, the back of his head hitting the glass behind him. Curiously he did not feel afraid, and instead of crying out for help he merely studied the shadows with mild curiosity, as if resigned to his fate.

He had known from the start, since the very first time he had been pulled into the World of Darkness, that it was only a matter of time before the shadows found him again, and now that they had he didn't see any use in fighting the inevitable. They were the ones who had been calling to him, and even though a small part of him recognized the fact that he was in danger, for some reason he could not bring himself to care.

He couldn't think straight. He couldn't see past the darkness. It was a part of him now, and he was at its mercy.

_They don't forgive him. They can't forget what he did. The Emperor has forever tainted him, and he will never escape the past. Am I tainted, too? By a past that isn't even my own?_

As Sam watched in painful silence, the dark shapes glided closer to him, and as they came to a stop only about a foot away from him, he took a step towards them.

On the floor Mickey shivered and proceeded to cry out in his sleep, but luckily the shadows were ignoring his friends for the moment. The adults were sleeping in one of the back rooms, and Sam wondered if his father could feel the darkness. Even Jijimon and Babamon hadn't come out of their room to investigate, and that disturbed him.

_They want me. They want the Emperor. They want to feed on the darkness of the past..._

These shadows were just like the figures that had attacked him when he had found himself stuck in the World of Darkness with DarkAngelicmon and Dracomon not so long ago. Like last time they were staring at him with their strange purple eyes, and as before there was a hungry look about them and a need to feed upon the darkness of the heart.

_Manifestations of darkness._

_**"Your heart has turned as black as my wings, Sam. You should have listened to Mickey while you still had the chance..."**  
_

The shadows were also reminiscent of the one that had been in the castle belonging to the Ruler of Darkness, just like the dark forms from the World of Darkness had been.

_They're hunting me. They have been all along, even before I found out about the Emperor. It's almost like they knew what was coming..._

Last time the shadows had looked almost angry with him, and their fury had washed over him like a tidal wave. This time, though, they did not appear to be angry. Instead they were gazing at him with eager anticipation, and as he watched the six that had materialized in the room, the one closest to him beckoned with a long shadowy arm.

_I can hear you. I can hear your call._

Sam couldn't help himself, even though a tiny part of his brain was screaming at him to run. To run away and to never look back. He was mesmerized by those strange purple eyes, and moving almost as if he were in a dream he took another step towards the shadows. In a sense he recognized the fact that he should have been shocked to see the shadows lurking in the darkness, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to question it. As he had noted before, it was almost as if he had been expecting their appearance, and now that they had shown themselves he seemed unable or unwilling to put up a fight against them.

_Uncle, are you out there? Are you waiting for me somewhere out there in the darkness?_

He watched the shadows slip around him, their fluid bodies moving towards the door, and unable to pull his eyes away from them he was unable to ignore the one in the lead who was still beckoning him to follow.

Thinking back on the Vilemon earlier, a surge of anger stirred within him.

_They still blame him. He hurt them, and now they find it hard to trust humans. How many digimon are like that in the Digital World? How many more feel the same way as the Vilemon? How many more blame the Emperor for their suffering? How many more can't bring themselves to trust humans again because of him..._

The shadow in the lead continued to gesture to him, and unable to ignore its alluring pull Sam found himself moving towards the door.

_Has he really changed? Or is he still the same, just like the digimon in this world are afraid he is? Am I really so different from him? Or am I just the same? Vulnerable to the evil that lurks inside me..._

_**"It's not so easy to forgive when you've been hurt by someone you thought you could** **trust..."**_

The shadows did not speak, but their message was clear. They wanted him to follow them into the darkness. They wanted him to come to the ocean. Why, he did not know, but for reasons he could not explain he felt compelled to answer their call, and he did so without even one glancing back at his friends. The darkness was calling him. He needed to answer the call. He needed to escape from the pain and sorrow lurking deep within him.

**_"We can't forgive the__ Emperor..."_**

By this time Sam had reached the front door, and stepping out into the darkness, the villagers and the town sleeping all around him, he stared for a moment at the Dark Ocean whispering in the distance.

Was he the same as the Vilemon? Could he ever truly forgive the Emperor? Or was he the same as his father, willing to torture innocent digimon for his own personal gain?

_I can't see. The darkness is so thick. Where is everybody? Mom, Uncle, Nao, Miya, Mickey, Glowmon, somebody... anybody...help me. Dad...Father...Please, save me..._

His brain stopped working. He couldn't concentrate anymore, and leaving his digimon partner behind he followed the shadows out of town towards the ocean.

_Lucemon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World  
_

The town of Modem was calm and quiet, and deep within the darkness not a single digimon stirred. On the surface, the village looked serene and peaceful, but underneath the deceiving cloak of tranquility that hovered over the town, the darkness lurked dangerously in and around the buildings, biding its time and waiting for the moment when it could swallow the hearts of the innocent.

"What's happening?" MarineAngemon whispered, a hint of fear in his voice.

Since everyone was asleep, Lucemon had managed to make his way into town without being detected, and standing only a mere twenty feet away from Jijimon's hut he turned to gaze sadly at the Dark Ocean pulsing with life in the distance.

Sam was faltering, there was no question about it. What could have happened to make the young raven-haired Digidestined fall so deeply into darkness?

_Is this your work, Angelicmon?_

Though his old friend was certainly a part of what was going on, Lucemon did not think it was entirely DarkAngelicmon's work. Something else had come into play, and he needed to find out what that was.

_A result of your plan no doubt, my friend. I will not deny you have succeeded in part. There is no question Sam will be able to get his Spirit Chip now, but only if he can come back from the darkness. And that's the real question, isn't it? Will he be able to find himself again, or has he fallen so deeply into darkness that he can no longer be saved?  
_

Lucemon had not been lying when confronting his old friend the night before. He trusted DarkAngelicmon and he knew his friend would not hurt Sam.

Which meant DarkAngelicmon must have some kind of plan in mind to bring Sam back from the darkness that was threatening him. The only question was what that plan might be.

"Lucemon?"

Lucemon turned to his small friend, and letting out a deep sigh, he murmured, "I am sorry, MarineAngemon. You are only here because I have inadvertently dragged you into this terrible place, and for that I apologize."

"I don't understand," MarineAngemon replied, shaking his head in confusion. "What's going on and where did that ocean come from? What's happening? Where are we? We're still in Modem, but this doesn't look like the swamp anymore."

"The World of Darkness."

"W-what?" MarineAngemon gasped.

"This is the World of Darkness. I am here because the darkness wants me. It has hunted me for a long time. You are only here because you are my companion. Upon being dragged into this world, you were inadvertently dragged in along with me."

"But why?"

"You know my history, MarineAngemon. The darkness wants me every bit as much as it wants Sam and my old friend. There is evil lurking this night, the darkness within our own hearts, and it has come to claim us all."

"It can try, but I'm not going to let that happen," MarineAngemon snorted, fluttering closer to him and settling down on his shoulder. "I'll protect you, don't worry."

Lucemon smiled, and giving his friend a gentle pat on the head, he said, "I know, and for that I am in your debt."

"Is that why you boldly flew into town despite my protests? Was it because of the darkness?"

Lucemon nodded, and blue gaze lingering on the ocean, he said quietly, "The darkness has been growing all day. DarkAngelicmon warned us that something was going to happen last night, and whatever it was that took place seems to have been what triggered the darkness here tonight."

"Maybe we should have gone back last night then."

Lucemon shook his head, another sigh escaping his lips. "Even if we had, I doubt the outcome would have changed."

"Then you were wrong, Lucemon! You said he wasn't going to hurt Sam!"

"He _won't_ hurt Sam," Lucemon said firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "If we lose Sam to the darkness it will be his own undoing. Regardless, though, with the darkness growing I couldn't stay away anymore. I needed to see what was happening for myself."

"What should we do?"

Lucemon was about to answer when the door to Jijimon's hut suddenly flew open, and he let out a gasp as a group of dark shadows with glowing purple eyes began to pour out onto the front lawn, their hungry gaze taking in the view of the ocean. They had not spotted him yet, but Lucemon knew if they did they would make him their next target.

_I am putting myself at terrible risk, but I cannot turn back. Sam needs me..._

"What are those things?" MarineAngemon gasped, looking absolutely horrified.

"I believe they are manifestations of the darkness in Sam's heart. They have come for him."

Luckily the shadows were so fixated on the ocean that his presence continued to go unnoticed, but unfortunately Sam wasn't so lucky.

Only about six shadows had come from the house, but more were beginning to materialize on the front lawn, their violet eyes shifting from the hut to the ocean and back again. The reason why immediately became clear. Less than a minute after the shadows had burst through the open door, another figure appeared on the lawn, and he was moving almost as if he were in a dream. From his height, stature, and dark hair, Lucemon knew immediately the figure was Sam Ichijouji, and breath catching in his throat he felt himself start to tremble.

Sam.

The boy stood only twenty feet away from him, and yet even though he was standing in plain sight Sam gave no indication that he had noticed the presence of another figure standing in the darkness. This was the closest Lucemon had ever been to a human before, and even though his fear and uncertainty had convinced him to stay hidden in the past, seeing Sam now so close and in such a state caused his heart to twist painfully in his chest. He wanted desperately for the boy to look at him. He wanted Sam to see him through the darkness that clouded his vision.

"It's like we're not even here," MarineAngemon said sadly.

Lucemon felt the pain of that as well, and wanting so badly for Sam to notice him, he said, "The others lay sleeping, completely unaware of what is going on. Even Glowmon has been left behind. We cannot allow Sam to journey to the Dark Ocean alone."

"So we're going to completely ignore DarkAngelicmon's warning about not getting involved?"

"Exactly."

This time it was MarineAngemon's turn to sigh, and shaking his head, he said, "Why did I have a feeling you were going to say that? Where is DarkAngelicmon anyway?"

"He's...extremely close by, and he's not very happy with us, but unfortunately there is nothing I can do about that right now. Sam's safety is the only thing that matters at this point in time."

"But-"

"I will still honour his wishes and stay out of Vampiramon's sight. You don't need to worry about that, but I cannot let Sam face the darkness alone."

"I know. Neither can I. Come on, let's get going before Sam gets too far ahead of us."

Lucemon nodded in agreement, and following Sam's dark form they proceeded to head for the ocean.

_DarkAngelicmon_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World  
_

DarkAngelicmon stood just inside the shadow of a small building across the street from Jijimon's hut, his green eyes narrowing as he watched Sam hurry after the legion of shadows beckoning him to follow them to the ocean. A moment later a flash of white indicated that Lucemon was on the raven-haired Digidestined's heels, which annoyed the fallen angel but at the same time it did not at all surprise him. A moment later the flash of white wings disappeared into the trees, and crossing his arms over his chest, DarkAnglicmon shook his head and said softly, "And so it begins..."


	232. Living a Nightmare

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Kibomon, Aiwemon, Velinemon, or Gessmon, who were created by RoyalKnightX, Shire Folk, Silver Kitsune Lunara, and Miss Anonymous hp respectively.

**A/N: I've got another chapter done! Not much to say here as the chapter sort of speaks for itself with what's going on. As usual, enjoy!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 232: Living a Nightmare

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World  
_

_Feathers._

_There were feathers everywhere, drifting gently on the wind. As they floated to the earth, they gathered in a fluffy pool at his feet, caressing his skin as they made contact with is body, and reaching out his hand, several came to rest softly in his open palm.  
_

_Black and white feathers. They contrasted sharply with one another, and yet they didn't seem out of place falling side by side. It seemed right somehow to see them mingling together.  
_

_High in the sky the sun was shining, and the ocean in the distance sparkled a deep blue. It looked warm and welcoming, and he closed his eyes to relish the feel of the warm rays of light touching his skin and the soft feathers brushing against his cheeks as they continued to float down from the brilliant blue atmosphere hovering above him.  
_

_It was a wonderful feeling, and for a moment he lost himself in the sound of the wind and the smell of the ocean.  
_

It's so peaceful here. I haven't been this peaceful in a long time. At least, that's what it feels like to me...

_The soft sound of unexpected footsteps suddenly startled him, and opening his amber eyes he felt his breath catch in his throat. An angel digimon stood only a few feet away from him, and the celestial being was staring intently at him, as if waiting for him to speak.  
_

_"Angelicmon?"  
_

_The angel digimon did not answer, and immediately he knew this digimon was not Matty's partner, though they looked exactly the same. There was just something about his demeanor and the look in his eyes that convinced the young blond this was not the same Angelicmon.  
_

And yet...he seems so familiar...

_Wanting to strike up a conversation, he took a step forward and said, "You seem a little lost. Are you looking for someone?"  
_

_Once again the angel digimon chose not to answer him, and all of a sudden the wind picked up, causing the feathers at his feet to swirl into the air around him in a whirl of black and white. As the feathers continued to beat against him, they no longer felt soft and gentle as they brushed against his skin. Instead they began to sting as they beat angrily against his body, taking on the form of an aggressive tornado.  
_

_"Ouch!"  
_

_He quickly covered his face and hunched his back to protect himself against the sharp feathers that felt more like pointy needles than actual feathers, and peeking between his fingers he noticed that all of the feathers had turned pitched black.  
_

What's going on?

_Letting out a cry of dismay, he stumbled forward and landed on his knees at the celestial digimon's feet.  
_

_For some reason the angel did not appear to be affected by the swirling tornado, and as he watched in shock, the angel's gold and white wings turned pitch black, along with his hair and the outfit he wore. Though his green eyes remained the same, they no longer looked calm and serene, a hint of amusement sparkling deep within them. Instead they were filled with pain and sadness, and there was a sense of desperation in his gaze, as if he was silently pleading for someone to help him.  
_

_He knew this digimon, and almost unconsciously the name escaped his lips in a whisper. "DarkAngelicmon?"  
_

_The angel never had a chance to reply. The black feathers that had been tormenting the young blond suddenly engulfed both of them, and spitting a couple feathers out of his mouth the golden-haired Digidestined grabbed the fallen angel's ankle and held on as tight as he could.  
_

_He couldn't breath. The black feathers were threatening to suffocate them both, and catching a glimpse of what lay beyond the feathery storm, he felt his heart skip a beat.  
_

_There were black shadows everywhere, rising from the ground, their hungry violet eyes searching eagerly for prey, and in the distance the ocean turned black, the dark waters calling out to him to become one with the darkness...  
_

**xXx**_  
_

Mickey woke with a strangled gasp, and jerking into a sitting position he struggled to breath deeply, his heart hammering painfully in his chest.

_What...was that?_

All around him the room was still dark, and checking the time on the glowing screen of his Digivice, he discovered that it was just after four in the morning.

Darkness at this time of the night was natural, and yet something didn't feel right. The blackness seemed too thick and suffocating, and as Mickey rubbed his eyes to clear his vision he felt an unpleasant shiver race down his spine.

His hands were shaking, and running them nervously though his sweat tangled blond hair, he took a moment to study the room a little more closely.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and there was nothing out of place, but even so Mickey could tell something was very wrong. That undeniable taint of darkness and a touch of evil that lingered in the air. It made his skin crawl and it was so strong he could almost smell and taste it.

_It's the same feeling like last time. It's here. It's close. The World of Darkness..._

Mickey gagged on the foul taste in his mouth, and climbing out of his sleeping bag he reached out a hand to Takara who was on his left, wanting to reassure himself that he wasn't alone. His fingers immediately came in contact with her shoulder, which felt warm and thankfully very much alive and safe, and turning slightly to his right he did the same thing for Sam.

Only this time his hand fell through empty air and landed on the other boy's sleeping bag with a soft thump.

"...Sam?"

Frowning, Mickey shifted closer, and reaching out both hands he felt the top of Sam's sleeping bag for any signs of life, but the bag was empty.

Sam was gone.

_No. No, no, no, no..._

Pulling back the top layer, Mickey frantically searched the inside of the sleeping bag, but it was a wasted effort. The bag was definitely empty, and sitting back on his heels, he stared stupidly at it for a moment, his brain unable to comprehend what was happening.

There could be a simple explanation for Sam's disappearance. Perhaps he had been hungry and had decided to make himself a late night snack. Maybe he had needed to use the bathroom and would return momentarily. Perhaps, like Mickey himself, the raven-haired Digidestined had experienced a bad dream and had gone to take a walk to clear his head before returning to bed. Maybe he was sleepwalking and would return shortly after getting his fill of the town.

Except Sam had never shown a tendency to sleepwalk before.

_I'm dreaming again. I must be dreaming. This can't be happening. Not to Sam. Please..._

There were so may simple explanations as to where Sam might have wandered off to, but Mickey knew in his heart that none of those applied tonight. Sam had been retreating into himself more and more all day, and the taint of darkness in the room was a clear indication that something more sinister had taken place inside Jijimon's hut.

The darkness had come for Sam at last, and judging by his current state he had been unable to resist its pull.

_No!_

A surge of panic that was so powerful it almost made him gag again shot through his body, and snapping out of his almost zombie-like trance he threw himself at his twin brother in terror and began to shake Matty roughly by the shoulders.

At first Matty refused to wake up, as he seemed to be caught up in some sort of nightmare of his own, and shaking him harder, Mickey whispered fiercely, "Matty, come on. Wake up!"

Matty's amber eyes suddenly popped open, and letting out an anguished cry he collapsed against Mickey, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Matty?"

"I'm drowning," Matty mumbled sleepily into his shoulder. "The black feathers are going to kill me."

"Huh?"

Mickey froze, and pushing Matty slightly away from him he squinted at his brother's face in the darkness, not liking one bit what he saw.

_Could we have been having the same dream?_

"Mickey?" Matty mumbled, reaching up to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

Mickey blinked at his brother, having become momentarily distracted by the younger twin's obvious nightmare, and remembering why he had even bothered to wake Matty in the first place he felt another surge of panic shoot through his body. "Matty, wake up. You need to wake up."

"Why? What's going on?" Matty groaned, trying to focus on his face.

"It's Sam, Matty. He's gone."

"Huh?" Matty turned to gaze stupidly at his friend's sleeping bag, a frown on his face. "What are you talking about? He probably just had to pee or something."

Mickey took a deep breath to calm himself, and shaking his brother gently by the shoulders, he said quietly, "Look around you, Matty. I know you can feel it every bit as much as I do."

Matty paused to glance around the room, and almost immediately his amber eyes grew to twice their size. Mickey felt the younger twin tense beneath his hands, and for a moment they merely stared at each other, a deep sense of fear and understanding passing between them.

Matty didn't need to be told twice, and he didn't ask questions that would have done nothing but waste even more time. Mickey knew his brother understood completely, and scrambling out of his sleeping bag, Matty said simply, "Dai."

Mickey nodded, and pausing only to switch on a lamp the two of them tackled the goggle-headed leader, shaking him energetically to wake him up.

"What? What? Are we being attacked?" Dai mumbled, sitting up and wincing at the sudden light in his dark eyes.

"Sam's gone," Mickey said quickly, Matty echoing his exact words at the same time.

"Huh? Are you sure-"

"No, he didn't go to relieve himself and he's not after food," Matty interrupted, sounding impatient. "Get up."

To his credit Dai didn't try to argue with the younger twin. Though there was a hint of worry in his eyes, his expression was calm and his demeanor was that of someone who was determined to handle the situation in a timely manner. "Better wake up the others. It doesn't look like we're going to get any more sleep tonight."

Mickey had to admit he was impressed, and Dai's attitude immediately calmed him somewhat. Considering the circumstances that wasn't exactly an easy thing to do, and giving the goggle-headed leader an admiring look he went over to wake Takara while Matty proceeded to wake Ryoko.

"What's going on?" Takara asked, rubbing her eyes and giving him a curious look.

"Let's wake our partners first before we explain," Mickey said gently, giving her a sympathetic look. "And someone hand me Glowmon."

Dai took it upon himself to wake the digimon, and once everyone was alert and paying attention, Ryoko said, "What's wrong?"

"Where's Sam?" Glowmon asked, glancing anxiously around the room, as if expecting his partner to appear suddenly out of thin air.

"Sam's gone," Matty mumbled, unable to look at Glowmon.

For a moment there was silence, punctuated only by a small gasp of despair by Glowmon, and then Ryoko shot to his feet, his blue eyes flashing with obvious frustration. "I knew it. I knew something like this was going to happen."

"You mean because of the way he was acting earlier," Dai replied, also getting to his feet.

"Are you sure he isn't still around here somewhere?" Takara asked tentatively, a hopeful look on her face.

Ryoko glanced at her, and shaking his head, he said, "If you want to look for him around here be my guest, but you're going to find yourself coming up empty-handed."

Takara's face fell, and even though she looked like she wanted to argue with the golden-haired Digidestined, it was clear from her expression that she knew he was right.

Sam wasn't in the town of Modem anymore, and he wasn't going to be coming back any time soon unless they went looking for him.

_Has he really drifted so far away from us that he didn't think to at least ask for help?_

Mickey turned his attention to the small trembling digimon in his arms that Matty had place there only moments ago, and hugging Glowmon tightly to his chest, he murmured, "I'm sorry, Glowmon. I'm so sorry."

"Why wouldn't he at least take me with him?" Glowmon whimpered. "Why would he go without me when he needs me so much?"

Mickey didn't have an answer for that and the room fell into an uncomfortable silence.

When it became unbearable, Embermon took it upon himself to speak. "If Sam's not here anymore then where did he go?"

"I feel the darkness," Kenji's Halomon spoke up, his ears twitching. "The air is thick with it. There was something here, and whatever it was must have caught Sam's attention."

"The World of Darkness," Celestimon said slowly, looking to his partner for confirmation. "It feels like that time when Sam first got pulled into the World of Darkness."

"Yes, when he first found out the true identity of the Digimon Emperor," Mickey's own Halomon said sadly.

"So...is that where Sam is now?" Kibomon asked curiously. "In the World of Darkness?"

"If he isn't yet, I don't doubt that he will be soon enough," Alopemon said shortly, his expression mirroring that of his partner. "Come on. We need to wake Ken and the others."

"Alopemon's right. We've already wasted enough time," Aiwemon said simply, fluttering into the air. "We need to find Sam as soon as possible."

"But how are we going to find him if he's in the World of Darkness?" Velinemon countered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We'll find a way, somehow," Dovemon said firmly, joining Aiwemon in the air. "Come on!"

The thought of telling Ken that his son had wandered off made Mickey's heart ache, but it needed to be done.

He saw Dai look in his direction, and taking a deep breath Mickey climbed to his feet, Glowmon wrapped securely in his arms. The little digimon was obviousloy hurt and very frightened at the moment, and doing his best to support Glowmon Mickey led the way to the back of the hut, the others following along reluctantly behind him.

All of the adults were sleeping in one of the back rooms, and entering through the door Mickey paused to gaze upon the sleeping adults and their digimon partners. The room was set up with several raised sleeping pallets, and on the one cloest to the door lay Ken and Yolei, their arms wrapped aorund each other and their digimon partners sleeping above their heads. Matt and Mimi were in the one beside them, and across from them were Cody and Rosa. Izzy and Tentomon had the final one across from Ken and Yolei, and by the looks of it everyone was sleeping soundly.

Which unfortunately was about to change.

Mickey didn't fail to notice the way all the others remained crowded around the door, leaving him to confront Ken, and coming up beside Sam's father he gave the raven-haired Digidestined's shoulder a firm shake.

Like Matty, and Mickey was quite sure he could add himself to the equation, Ken looked quite troubled in his sleep, and he woke quickly at the touch of a hand on his shoulder, his sapphire eyes searching for the source of what had awoken him.

"Mickey?" Ken murmured, shifting slightly to focus on him, his gaze clouded with sleep. "What are you doing out of bed at this time of the night?"

"Ken..."

Mickey wasn't quite sure how to tell him, and sitting up, Ken said, "What's wrong?"

_I just...I don't have the heart to tell him. I can't..._

Ken must have sensed his uneasiness because the former Emperor's eyes cleared and he glanced critically around the room, his sapphire gaze narrowing in the darkness.

Mickey was still struggling with how to tell him when he heard a sharp intake of breath from the former Emperor, a sign that the darkness had caught Ken's attention. He didn't have to say anything. In the next moment Ken looked at him again, and voice trembling, the former Emperor said in a tone barely above a whisper, "Sam's gone, isn't he."

Mickey nodded, his hand reaching out unconsciously to give Ken's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You feel it too, don't you. The darkness is all around us."

Ken nodded, and Mickey winced at the terrible look in the raven-haired Digidestined's eyes. On the surface Ken seemed quite calm and in control of his emotions, but Mickey knew the former Emperor was on the verge of breaking down. He did not doubt that it was taking every ounce of inner strength that Ken possessed to remain composed. "We need to find him."

Mickey nodded in agreement, a sense of determination overtaking him. "You wake Yolei. We'll wake the others."

At his words the others quickly crowded into the room and began to wake up the rest of the adults and digimon, and Ken took it upon himself to wake Yolei.

"What's going on?" Matt demanded, having just been awakened by his son.

"Is there something wrong?" Mimi asked uneasily, her tone subdued.

"We aren't being attacked or anything like that, are we?" Gotsumon inquired, exchanging a look with Rosa.

It was Ken who answered, and as he did so he kept his gaze focused on Yolei and his hands on her shoulders. "Sam's gone missing, Yolei."

"What?" the lavender-haired Digidestined asked sharply, clearly unable or unwilling to grasp what Ken was saying.

"He's gone. Left sometime during the night."

"We think he might have gotten pulled into the World of Darkness," Matty mumbled, avoiding Yolei's gaze.

"No," Yolei replied, shaking her head in denial. "No, that can't be. He can't be gone. He can't be. He can't!"

"I'm sorry," Ken whispered, pulling her close and hugging her tightly against his chest. "I'm sorry there wasn't more I could do. I...I'm so sorry."

Yolei, who had always been a strong and stable presence in their lives, did not reply. Instead, she did something they had rarely ever seen her do. She sagged against Ken and burst into tears.

"Do you have any idea when Sam might have left?" Cody asked, climbing quickly out of bed with Rosa and moving to gather his possessions together.

"I was still awake around two-thirty, and he was here then," Takara said meekly, though there was a hopeful look on her face. "It's just after four now, so he's only been gone for about an hour and a half. If we make use of Dragermon we should be able to catch up to him pretty easily."

"The question is...will we be able to reach him?" Izzy interrupted, scrambling to get his things together.

"What do you mean?" Tentomon asked his partner.

"If Sam really is in the World of Darkness it's not going to be easy to reach him."

"We'll find a way," Armadillomon insisted. "T.K. was able to get there to rescue Kari. We know it can be done."

Mickey glanced at his D-Coder, and what he saw made him jump in surprise. Sam's glowing not was shining on his screen, though the signal was weak, and from the looks of it he was heading in the direction of the Spirit Chip.

"What is it, Mickey?" Gessmon asked, his beady eyes twinkling curiously.

Mickey held out his D-Coder, a sigh of relief escaping his mouth. "It's Sam. His signal is still showing up on the Digivices, and from the looks of it he's heading towards the Spirit Chip."

"The same thing happened the last time Sam got stuck in the World of Darkness," Matty reminded them. "We were still able to follow his signal. I wonder why. You would think being stuck in the World of Darkness would make his signal disappear from the Digivices."

"Are you sure he's in the World of Darkness?" Velinemon countered.

"No doubt about it," Ken said quietly. "I can feel it in my heart. And like Mickey said, last time Sam's signal still appeared on the Digivices, and we know for sure he was in the World of Darkness then."

"What do you think, Izzy?" Gabumon asked.

Izzy sighed, a frown on his face. "I have a few theories, but now isn't the time for them. We need to focus on reaching Sam. We know approximately where he is thanks to the Digivices, and that's as good a place to start as any."

"Right, let's get moving," Rosa insisted.

Once the adults had gathered their stuff together they all made their way back to the main room to pick up the rest of their belongings.

As Mickey was gathering his things together, Leomon, (who had the smallest room in the hut to himself) Jijimon, and Babamon suddenly appeared in the room, the commotion most likely having woken them.

_Or maybe Jijimon and Babamon somehow know already. I wouldn't put it past them._

"Sam's gone. We need to find him," Mickey explained.

Jijimon nodded, and Mickey wasn't surprised to see that he did not look at all shocked by the news. "The old crone insisted it was going to happen. It's tough on an old digimon when his wife is always right."

"Go, Digidestined," Babamon said simply, gesturing towards the door. "Bring Sam back from the darkness. Only you can save him now."

"What happened?" Leomon asked, clearly confused.

"We'll fill you in on the way," Dai replied, sounding impatient. "Let's go!"

Mickey quickly followed the others outside, and pausing on the lawn he turned back to Jijimon and Babamon, who were waiting just inside the door. "We will. I promise!"

Outside the night was dark, and holding Glowmon tightly in his arms Mickey waited impatiently for Embermon to digivolve into Dragermon.

He wasn't going to let Sam get away with this. Somehow, he was going to bring his friend back into the light.


	233. Before the Light of Dawn

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: I'm finally back with a new chapter! I know it's an extremely short one, but this is the last group of people/digimon who are involved in what's going on in the story and we need to get them caught up with the rest. After this we'll be getting into the actual heart of going for the newest Spirit Chip. Happy New Year everyone!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 233: Before the Light of Dawn

_Vampiramon_

_Sever, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Vampiramon paced angrily across the forest floor, and glaring at Jestermon, who was sprawled out on his back juggling his orbs, she was unable to resist the edge in her tone as she questioned him. "Where did he go?"

Jestermon didn't even bother to look at her. Instead he merely continued to juggle and said in a bored voice, "For the fifty-seventh time, I don't know."

"He didn't say where he was going?"

"No," BlackWidowmon interrupted, sounding impatient. "He muttered something about the darkness, and then he just up and left while you went to check on Spritemon. Unnecessarily, I might add."

"I told you not to go," Jestermon pointed out, cheerfully backing up BlackWidowmon's admonishment. "Angel boy did say to wait until Spritemon came for us. She isn't going anywhere until the Digidestined leave Modem."

"Spritemon might whine a lot, but she's not the type to disobey orders, even from DarkAngelicmon," BlackWidowmon said smoothly, her husky voice strong and clear in the darkness. "I don't blame you for not trusting her to screw up, but you really shouldn't have left. It was the opportunity DarkAngelicmon was waiting for. That's why he didn't protest when you insisted someone should be checking on Spritemon."

Vampiramon glared at her fellow megas, a scowl on her face. "Why didn't you fools stop him?"

"And how exactly where we supposed to that?" Jestermon smirked, sitting up and giving her a look. "Angel boy just up and flew off without any kind of warning whatsoever. In case you've forgotten, neither the fool or BlackWidowmon have wings. It's not like we could have followed him even if we'd wanted to."

_Curse you, DarkAngelicmon!_

Vampiramon stamped her foot in frustration, and turning her back on the other two digimon she glared off into the trees, a look of murderous rage on her face. She should have known he would try something as soon as she was out of the picture, not that she would ever admit such a thing to Jestermon or BlackWidowmon. It was just like him to spite her at the first available opportunity, and needless to say she was not impressed.

_This must be what he meant when he told us that we had to stick to the plan of following the Digidestined 'regardless of what happens between now and then.'_

Why had she not understood his words sooner?

Angry with herself, Vampiramon crossed her arms over her chest and said shortly, "He's definitely planning something. If that idiot messes up our chance to steal the Spirit Chip I'm going to send him back to the Ruler of Darkness in pieces!"

BlackWidowmon, who was sitting elegantly on the forest floor next to Jestermon, exchanged a look with the fool before saying slowly, "I have no doubt this was DarkAngelicmon's plan all along. I see that now upon reflection of the little speech he gave us earlier."

"Angel boy has always been a bit secretive," Jestermon added.

_A little too secretive if you ask me._

Vampiramon frowned at her own disturbing thoughts, and glaring at the other two she was unable to resist the sudden edge to her tone. "So he said nothing about where he was going?"

"We told you already," BlackWidowmon snapped in return, growing impatient. "He said nothing of where he was going or what he was intending to do once he got there. For the longest time all he did was stare off into the trees, and then all of a sudden he said something to himself about the darkness. After that he just up and left without so much as glancing at us. He gave us no warning whatsoever."

"Whatever he's up to your guess is as good as ours," Jestermon cackled.

The fool seemed to be enjoying her humiliation just a little too much for her liking, and giving him a swift kick to the kneecaps, she snapped, "What exactly did he say about the darkness?"

It was BlackWidowmon who decided to answer, and judging by the subdued tone of her voice she was hesitant to speak. "He said something about the darkness having arrived, and then he said something about all of us being at its mercy."

"What in the Digital World is that supposed to mean?"

"No idea," Jestermon sang out, gingerly rubbing both of his injured kneecaps. "Everything is a guessing game with angel boy."

Vampiramon glared at him, her crimson eyes blazing in the darkness. "You think this is funny?"

"What?" Jestermon smirked, the bells on his hat dancing in the night air. "You don't want to play the game?"

Vampiramon hit him again, this time in the head, and once more turning her back on the two megas she resumed her pacing across the forest floor, her black and crimson skirts fluttering around her ankles.

_DarkAngelicmon. When I find out what you've done..._

A sudden rustle in the trees caught her attention, and turning towards the sound she was startled to see Spritemon entering the clearing, Ivymon and the group of Vilemon following behind.

"Well, well, looks like things just got interesting," Jestermon cackled, leaping to his feet in anticipation of what was to come.

For a moment Vampiramon merely stared at Spritemon, and growing indignant, she snapped, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be watching the town!"

"No need to anymore," Spritemon replied, a scowl on her face. "The Digidestined have already left Modem. They're on the move, and it looks like they're heading straight towards the Spirit Chip even as we speak."

"This early in the morning?" BlackWidowmon asked, sounding confused.

"Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are," Spritemon snorted, waving her hands for emphasis. "We were doing routine checks on the town every so often during the night to make sure things were still in order, and on her last round Ivymon spotted Leomon and the Digidestined leaving on Dragermon. They were heading east, which is in the direction of the Spirit Chip. At least, that's what I overheard when they were talking about it being a half day's walk from Modem, back on the first day after the Digidestined entered the swamp."

Vampiramon frowned at this, unsure of what to make of the situation. "If they were using Dragermon then that means they're not even trying to be secretive about where they're going or what they're doing. They're practically telling us their plans and intentions. Making use of Dragermon means they need to be somewhere quickly, and that somewhere is apparently the Spirit Chip."

"So the question remains...Why are they suddenly in such a hurry to reach the Spirit Chip?" Jestermon murmured to himself, a thoughtful look on his wrinkled green face.

Spritemon turned to Ivymon, and nudging the other female digimon, she said, "Tell them what else you observed."

"There's more?" BlackWidowmon demanded.

Ivymon nodded, her gaze expressionless. "As I watched them board Dragermon I noticed a discrepancy. All of the Digidestined and their digimon partners were accounted for, except for the Emperor's son."

"The little Emperor was missing?" Jestermon asked, looking surprised.

"Yes, my lord. He was the only one not accounted for. Even Leomon and the little Emperor's digimon partner were present, but not the little Emperor himself."

"Where in the Digiworld could he have gone?" BlackWidowmon wondered, also getting to her feet. "I can't see him remaining behind back at Jijimon's hut, especially since it's his Spirit Chip the Digidestined are after."

_Where indeed?__ Could the Emperor's son's whereabouts have something to do with DarkAngelicmon's sudden disappearance? And if so, what does that entail?_

"I do not understand," Vampiramon said coldly, trying to make sense of Ivymon's words. "Everything was in order when I stopped by to check up on you."

"This happened after you left to come back here," Spritemon explained.

"So in the time it took me to come back here everything has gone amiss."

"Looks that way," Spritemon agreed, making a face. "And you didn't need to check up on us! I know what I'm doing!"

"That's debatable."

Spritemon was about to make a retort, but before she could open her mouth Ivymon stepped forward, her forehead wrinkling into a frown. "Lady Vampiramon...If you don't mind me asking, what has become of Lord Angelicmon?"

"Gone," Jestermon interrupted, a smirk on his face. "He left well over two hours ago. Haven't seen him since."

"I knew it!" Spritemon said triumphantly, bouncing on her feet. "I knew that stupid angel was up to something! Do you think he might have something to do with the little Emperor's disappearance?"

Vampiramon narrowed her crimson eyes, her hands coming up to rest on her hips. "Only one way to find out."

"What are you planning?" BlackWidowmon asked suspiciously.

"You heard what DarkAngelicmon said. He told us to move out as soon as we spotted the Digidestined leaving Modem. We don't want to disappoint him, now do we?"

"There's only one problem," Jestermon countered, hopping up and down in place. "The Digidestined are using Dragermon. There's no way we're going to be able to catch up to them on foot before they reach the Spirit Chip."

Vampiramon nodded in agreement, a smirk on her face. "Without the Emperor's son with them they can't do anything with the Spirit Chip, even if they do get there before us. It will make our current situation more of a minor inconvenience than anything else, but just in case he shows up we need to be prepared."

"So...what's the plan?" Spritemon asked.

"You and I will fly on ahead. Being both small and agile, and then being megas on top of it, we should be able to catch up with Dragermon fairly easily. If luck is with us we may even be able to surpass him and get to the Spirit Chip just ahead of the Digidestined. The rest of you will follow behind on foot. We may be able to surround them and prevent them from escaping if they try to leave with the Spirit Chip."

"This plan might actually work out for the better then," Jestermon cackled, doing a little dance.

"What about DarkAngelicmon?" BlackWidowmon asked.

Vampiramon felt her blood boil at the mere mention of the fallen angel's name, and scowling, she said, "There's nothing we can do about that fool angel now since we don't even know where he is. We'll just have to wait until he decides to grace us with his presence again."

"I don't know if I like that idea," Spritemon complained.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but we don't exactly have a choice at the moment. Now come. We're wasting time and allowing the Digidestined to get even further ahead of us."

"Right, let's go."

Spritemon quickly fluttered into the air, and turning into her bat form Vampiramon quickly followed behind, leaving Jestermon and the others to follow on foot.

Whatever DarkAngelicmon was doing, Vampiramon would make sure it didn't hinder their plans.

Because if it did, this time she was going to make sure the Ruler of Darkness held him accountable for his actions.


	234. Divine Intervention

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: We're finally getting into the heart of this Spirit Chip arc! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you all like it!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 234: Divine Intervention

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Sever, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

_There's something there. That's why they want me to follow them. There's something at the ocean they want me to see..._

Sam Ichijouji could not tell you how long he had been walking through the forest, following the path of the dark shadows leading the way, but regardless he continued to track their movements from a relatively safe distance. It could have been minutes, hours, or even days for all he knew, but despite the potential dangers that may lie ahead he could not bring himself to care. Time held no meaning for him.

Nothing did. Not anymore.

_It's so dark. I can't see the way. Where is the light waiting for me on the horizon? Has it betrayed me too, just like my father? Has it abandoned me?_

Sam blinked as images of his uncle flashed across his vision and memory, but he chose to ignore them. His uncle couldn't save him. His uncle was dead. Nobody could save him now.

_I'm all alone. All alone here in the darkness, where nobody can reach me..._

Up ahead the shadows appeared to murmur excitedly to one another in strange low hisses as they continued towards the ocean, their violet eyes glowing eerily in the darkness.

_The ocean. I need to reach the ocean._

Sam picked up his pace a little bit, and sensing the sudden change in his mood the shadows responded in turn, their long legs allowing them to move easily through the underbrush. The trees, which had been so dense earlier, were starting to thin out a bit, a sign that they were getting closer to the beach.

At this point Sam was vaguely aware that he was almost running to reach the ocean, and that tiny part of him that was whispering urgently to turn back was also making him wonder just exactly what he was running from.

_There are so many things. So many things I don't want to face._

The Digimon Emperor and the man behind the mask, the truth of the Vilemon and the reality of the Digital World, the friends and the partner he had left behind, the kindness and compassion in his heart that he had forsaken.

_No! No, I don't want to think about it! I don't want to deal with it anymore. I just want to be alone. I just want all of it to go away!_

There were so many digimon who resented the boy genius who had used his brilliant mind for evil. So many digimon who could not bring themselves to forgive the child who had tortured them. So many digimon who couldn't bring themselves to fully trust humans because of Ken Ichijouji. The Digimon Emperor.

_How can I forgive him when even the digimon in this world can't bring themselves to trust him? How can I let the past go when the past still haunts the digimon of this world?_

A mournful cry echoed through the trees, and it was only after he wiped the tears from his eyes that Sam realized the cry had come from himself.

As expected, the shadows responded eagerly to his sorrow, their bodies quivering with excitement. They were feeding on the darkness, and though Sam did not want to admit it a small part of him knew they were responding to the darkness that was coming from his own heart.

_Is this what I am? Is this what I've become? Am I just like the Digimon Emperor now? Destined to follow the path of darkness?_

Sam was startled when the broken trees branches and scattered leaves beneath his feet began to disappear, and looking down he discovered a thick layer of sand stretching out towards the beach. He was almost there.

The Dark Ocean.

_It's just like my dream from earlier. Are you waiting for me, uncle, or am I really all alone?_

Sam quickly hurried the rest of the way through the trees, and stepping out onto the beach he paused to study his surroundings. He could feel the dark waters of the ocean calling to him, but unfortunately the beach was deserted._  
_

There wasn't even a lighthouse, just like he had assumed the last time he'd been in the World of Darkness when he had seen a glimpse of the ocean between the trees. There hadn't been one in his dream either, most likely due to it having been destroyed twenty-five years ago. Instead, he had only the water and the dark shadows milling around on the sand for company.

_He's not here. I should have known. I really am all alone..._

A sudden wave of exhaustion overwhelmed him, and sinking to his knees in the sand he gazed dully out at the ocean, his sapphire eyes growing empty of all emotion.

There wasn't even a faint light on the horizon to guide his way back. He had nothing and no one.

He was empty.

_That dream was a lie. Why? Why would you lie to me, Uncle?_

Sam sensed movement close by, and slowly lifting his head he discovered that the shadows had moved to form a circle around him, their violet eyes burning hungrily in the darkness.

"What is it?" he asked dully, unable to summon even the faintest hint of emotion. "What is it you wanted to show me?"

The shadows beckoned him forward, and getting to his feet Sam slowly made his way to the edge of the water. The shadows continued to wave him on further, and stepping directly into the water Sam winced as it flooded his shoes and soaked his pants, though he did not turn back.

The water was cold and murky, and even though he wasn't completely submerged it made his teeth chatter. It also felt dirty and gritty against his skin, and wrapping his arms around himself he crouched down for a better look, soaking himself even more. "I don't understand. What do you want me to see?"

The shadows didn't respond. Instead, they merely waited on the sand, their long bodies tight with anticipation.

_There's something about the ocean..._

Ignoring the shadows, Sam continued to gaze into the water, a frown on his face.

At first he couldn't see anything, since the water was so dark and murky, but slowly it began to clear and an image began to form beneath the waves.

As the image became even more defined Sam realized he was staring at a reflection of himself in the water, only there was something odd about it. It looked exactly like him, no question about it, but the Sam reflected in the water wasn't wearing the same clothes he was currently wearing. Instead, the Sam in the ocean was wearing the outfit that used to belong to the Digimon Emperor.

_No!_

Sam barely registered the cry that came from his own mouth, and scrambling to his feet with a splash he stumbled back towards the beach, nearly falling several times as he tried to escape the water.

On the sand Sam could hear the shadows giggling madly to one another, their violet eyes glowing triumphantly with glee and excitement.

"No!" Sam heard himself shrieking as he stumbled back onto the sand. "No, I'm not like that! I'm not like him. That's not me!"

In response the shadows moved to circle around him again, and through they didn't react on their instincts Sam could sense a change in their attitude. The hunger was back in their gazes, and they began to stalk around him, their hands reaching for him.

_They're going to hurt me. They're going to take what's left of me and feed it to the darkness. Maybe if I let them I'll become one of them..._

Sam didn't have the strength to fight, and just as the first shadow reached for his shoulder there was a pause. As one the shadows froze in place, and turning to gaze back in the direction of the trees they began to hiss angrily amongst themselves, their violet eyes locked on something Sam could not see.

_Huh?_

Sam squinted in the same direction, and as he watched a different kind of shadow stepped out of the trees and began to move towards them, though the person or perhaps digimon was hard to see as the darkness was so thick around the figure.

_There's someone else here in the darkness. Am I...not really alone? Is that you, Uncle?_

Sam held his breath as the figure came closer, but it escaped him as a soft sound of despair when he realized the figure had wings. And since this particular digimon blended in so well with the darkness, Sam had a sinking feeling he knew exactly who it was.

_DarkAngelicmon._

And sure enough that's exactly who it was. As DarkAngelicmon approached the shadows warily stepped back a bit, their hungry eyes following his every move. Sam, for his part, gazed bitterly at the fallen angel and said, "Oh, it's you."

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows at this less than enthusiastic response, and coming to a stop on the sand he shook his head in amusement. "Were you expecting someone else?"

"What do you want?"

"Me? Nothing," DarkAngelicmon said softly, his gaze shifting to the shadows. "But is this really what you want?"

Sam chose to ignore the fallen angel's words, and letting out an almost hysterical laugh, he said, "Liar. You want my Spirit Chip. That's why you're here."

"Your Spirit Chip, yes, I cannot deny that, but there is nothing I want from this world," DarkAngelicmon replied, gazing at the ocean with contempt.

The shadows hissed in reply, but the fallen angel ignored them, as did Sam.

"Leave me alone."

"That wasn't very polite, Sam."

"I said go away!"

"And leave you to your fate?"

Sam glared at the fallen angel, his hands clenching into tight fists. "What would you know about it? I don't need you or anyone else!"

DarkAngelicmon looked closely at him, and to his surprise the fallen angel gave him an answer he had not been anticipating. "We all need somebody, Sam. The more we surround ourselves with others the stronger we become."

"Why...are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" DarkAngelicmon snorted, his emerald eyes glittering in the darkness like the eyes of a watchful cat. "I came out here all this way to save you, and this is the thanks I get?"

Sam let out a sob, and shaking his head he covered his face with his hands. "You can't save me. No one can save me now."

DarkAngelicmon was silent for a moment, and summoning his spear to dissuade the shadows from attacking them, he said quietly, "All those who are lost can be saved if those who love them have the strength to cleave their way through the darkness."

_...What?_

Sam gaped at the fallen angel in utter disbelief, ignoring the fact that he probably looked rather comical in the darkness. "Are you mocking me? You don't care about me! You're part of the reason why I'm here in the first place!"

"Is that what you believe?"

"You're doing this because of Mickey, aren't you! You're trying to get back at me for saying he hates you!"

"I care not for your trivial words," DarkAngelicmon snapped, thrusting out his spear for emphasis. "You seek to blame others for being stuck here in this world. That is the coward's way out, Sam. You have only yourself to blame for ending up in a place like this."

"What do you mean?"

"You are here because you weren't strong enough to fight against the darkness in your own heart. The fault lies entirely with you."

"Then what about you?" Sam shot back.

DarkAngelicmon hesitated before saying, "Perhaps there is some truth in that for me as well. But there are others ways to breach the walls of this wretched ocean."

Sam thought back to the story about T.K. and Kari, the part that he knew anyways, and swallowing a lump in his throat, he whispered, "Like helping a friend in need."

"Indeed," DarkAngelicmon murmured. "I will not deny the darkness wants me as well, but...there are other reasons this place draws me in here today."

"I saw myself in the ocean. I was wearing the Emperor's outfit."

_I _was_ the Emperor..._

Sam did not know why he was telling DarkAngelicmon about what he saw, but the words came spilling out of him before he could stop himself.

"Did you now."

"The ocean...Does it reflect what is truly within our hearts?"

DarkAngelicmon suddenly knelt in front of him, and placing a hand under his chin the fallen angel looked directly into his eyes and said, "No, Sam. If I took it upon myself to gaze into the depths of the ocean the way you did, my wings would still be as black as they are now."

"What...is that supposed to mean?"

DarkAngelicmon was about to answer when the shadows started to hiss again, their violet eyes focusing angrily on the fallen angel. To his credit DarkAngelicmon merely gazed calmly at them in return, his spear held at the ready. "Darkness exists inside of all our hearts, and we are all at its mercy, but only if we allow it to consume us. This place...no one is immune to it. It represents the darkness that hides in all of us. The darkness that hunts us all."

Sam chose to ignore DarkAngelicmon's words, and jerking away from the fallen angel's touch, he snapped, "How do I know you're not lying to me? How can I trust you when I can't even trust my own father?"

The shadows suddenly crooned eagerly in response to his words, and leaping to his feet, DarkAngelicmon said quickly, "You do not want to take this path, Sam."

"How do you know what I want? You don't know me!"

"Your words will only cause us unnecessary trouble."

Sam could not explain why, but all of a sudden his heart swelled with anger and resentment, not only for his father but for DarkAngelicmon as well. Even for his uncle who had abandoned him and the friends who had left him to the mercy of the darkness threatening to consume his soul. "You've been trying to hurt me ever since we met! This is your fault. You and your master, and the stupid Emperor!"

The shadows crooned again, and this time they began to move closer, the circle closing in around them. DarkAngelicmon was watching them warily, and swinging his spear at them in a threatening manner, he said, "You must stop this line of thinking, Sam. Do you not see what is happening here?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me. You love telling me your lies even when I don't want to hear them!"

DarkAngelicmon ignored his words and proceeded to speak regardless of the jibe, just as Sam had predicted. "The shadows are responding to the darkness in your heart. They're feeding off your anger, fear, and resentment. The further you sink into darkness the more inclined they'll be to attack us. I thought perhaps there was hope for you yet, as the shadows were merely surveying us before, but if you continue down this road they will-"

"I don't care!" Sam suddenly heard himself screaming, covering his ears so he wouldn't have to listen to the fallen angel's words. "It's all lies! You're full of nothing but lies!"

"You must stop, Sam," DarkAngelicmon said with authority, swinging his spear at the closest shadow that was reaching for him. "If they attack us I do not think I have the strength to...to do what I did last time."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! I don't want to hear it anymore! I don't want to deal with this! All of this is your fault. All of it! I hate you! I hate what you've done to me!"

As soon as the words left his mouth the shadows proceeded to attack. Sam screamed and quickly scrambled to his feet as they converged on him, and moving to stand in front of him, DarkAngelicmon snapped, "Now you've done it! Twilight Spear!"

Sam watched in fear as DarkAngelicmon's spear connected with the first shadow to reach them, and though the blow did not appear to affect it very much, it did stagger it and give DarkAngelicmon a chance to get into the air.

_It's just like last time. Only this time Dracomon isn't here to help us..._

"Wrath of Hades!" DarkAngelicmon shouted, holding out his arms.

The fallen angel's giant orb of violet energy careened into the shadows to their right and sent them staggering, the shock of the blast sending out a wave of purple energy, and before Sam could grasp what was going on DarkAngelicmon sent another orb of energy flying at the shadows to their left.

Those shadows also staggered, but other than that it did not appear to affect them at all. Instead of disappearing, the shadows continued to converge on them, just like last time.

"It's not working!" Sam cried, screaming again as a shadow grabbed onto his arm and tried to drag him closer.

"Of course it's not working!" DarkAngelicmon said in exasperation, landing beside him. "You cannot fight darkness with darkness and expect to win very easily. I'm no Daemon."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Later. Right now we have more important things to worry about."

"Do that thing! What you did last time!" Sam cried desperately as another shadow latched onto him. "Angelicmon's attack! Do that!"

"Were you not listening to me earlier?" DarkAngelicmon replied, once again sounding exasperated as he too tried to free himself from the shadows. "After all that has happened lately and after dealing with Lucemon, I do not have the strength to perform such a task. We are at the mercy of the shadows, and you only have yourself to blame for it. Although I must say, at least you've got some life in you again. I was starting to dislike the mindless doll act you've apparently been pulling recently."

"No! It's you! You're here, too! You're doing this!"

_It's not me! It's not!_

Sam shrieked as the shadows succeeded in knocking him down, and he moaned in terror as they fell on top of him, their dark hands clutching at him as they attempted to reach for his heart. He could feel himself fading, his spirit slipping away, and next to him on the sand DarkAngelicmon was in a similar state.

_Are we dying? Is this the end for us? Mom, Dad, Uncle, Miya, Nao...My friends, my family, Glowmon...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..._

"Sam," DarkAngelicmon managed to gasp, his face contorted in pain as waves of darkness began to seep out of his body. "The ocean may not reflect the truth of your heart, but it can and will reflect reality if you choose to allow the darkness to take possession of your soul. You must fight it. You must let go of the past and the darkness of the Digimon Emperor. You must be...more...like...your father. You must...for us to...break free..."

They weren't going to survive this. Sam knew it in his heart. Soon the darkness would consume them both and they would be lost. He could feel the darkness taking possession of his heart, and soon they would be nothing more than shadows themselves, mere fragments of who they used to be.

_But if DarkAngelicmon was already lost to the darkness then...the shadows shouldn't be affecting him like this, right? Not according to his logic anyways. Does that mean there's still...some good left in him? Dad...I don't have the strength to fight. I'm sorry I've failed you..._

Unable to keep his eyes open anymore, his strength having been stolen from him, he let his eyelids fall closed. He knew in his heart that he had already given up and was merely waiting for the end, allowing the darkness to take hold of him. And unlike DarkAngelicmon, he wasn't even going to at least get the chance to be reconfigured.

This truly was the end for him. It was all over.

_Dad..._

Just when he thought his time had finally come a burst of bright light suddenly shone behind his eyelids, and a pleasant, almost ethereal, voice shouted, "Grand Cross!"

Sam jerked as the shadows quickly let go of him and the darkness suddenly lifted from his heart. Opening his eyes, he blinked and looked up just in time to see ten spheres of light that were arranged in some kind of pattern resembling a crucifix slam into them, causing them to dissolve immediately on impact. A second attack slammed into the shadows that had been holding DarkAngelicmon as they attempted to retreat, and they too dissolved in a burst of light.

Though the majority of the shadows were hit, some still remained, and the ones that had survived quickly scattered in all directions. They did not leave entirely, though. Instead, they merely continued to watch the scene from a distance, their eager gazes focused on something that had come from the trees.

_What...happened?_

Sam slowly sat up, and glancing in the direction that the light had come from he felt his heart leap into his throat at the sight that awaited him.

Hovering in the air above the sand was a figure Sam had never expected to see, and since the digimon's body was glowing softly in the gloom and his feathers were white, he was hard to miss in the darkness. Sam wasn't quite sure what he thought he would see when he had opened his eyes, but he certainly hadn't expected his gaze to land on what was unmistakably a celestial digimon who looked barely older than himself.

As their eyes met, Sam could see the terrible pain and sorrow glittering in the angel's pale blue eyes.

_Is it...really him?_

Sam had never seen this digimon before, but even so he knew instantly who is was. And he would have known even if the digimon hadn't looked like a male version of Luciamon.

After having heard so many mysterious stories about him, he had finally come face to face with the elusive angel from the past. A past that had existed well before his own time.

The friend and 'traitor' they had promised Luciamon they would find. The celestial digimon of lore.

Lucemon.


	235. Gateway to Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Sorry it took me a little longer to get this chapter posted! Had a couple of setbacks, but here it is finally!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 235: Gateway to Darkness

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi  
_

_Sever, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Mickey quickly explained the events of what had happened earlier during the night to Leomon as they continued to make their way towards the Spirit Chip on Dragermon, and glancing at his D-Coder he was surprised to see that Sam's signal had ceased to continue moving on the screen. From the looks of it that must have happened a little while ago, and since then Sam had pretty much been standing relatively within the same area. According to the D-Coder, Sam must have finally reached his desired destination, and as a result Mickey was worried about what might have become of his troubled friend.

_I wonder what he's doing now. Please be careful, Sam. Please stay safe until we can reach you._

"What are you up to, Izzy?" Kara asked, gazing curiously at the computer expert as he continued to type furiously on his laptop.

"I'm sending Taniko and the others an email about what happened earlier. They'll be worried, but we need to keep them updated on the situation in case we require some assistance."

"Poor Miya and Nao. They're going to be so upset," Rosa sighed, making a face.

"I know, but it needed to be done," Izzy replied, a sober expression marring his normally calm features. "I only sent them a brief email last night informing them that we had arrived safely in Modem, so I'll need to update them on having met the partners of the original Digidestined as well."

"Well, that's at least one piece of good news we can give them," Mimi said, making a face. "How are we doing, Ryoko? My crest is getting pretty bright."

Ryoko glanced at his glowing D-Coder, which was reacting to the Spirit Chip, and a sigh of relief escaped his throat. "We're almost there. It should be just up ahead."

"Considering how brightly the three crests and your D-Coder are glowing we had better almost be there," Matt grumbled, glaring indignantly at the small gadget shining brilliantly in his son's hands.

"Do you think Sam will be there?" Glowmon asked hopefully, the tone of his voice filled with obvious fear for his partner.

Mickey glanced at the little rookie in his arms, and hugging Glowmon tightly, he said, "I don't think so, Glowmon. I'm pretty sure he's stuck somewhere in the World of Darkness. He'll be there, but somewhere on the other side. We won't be able to see him, and somehow I don't think we're going to be able to reach him very easily either."

"We'll find him," Yolei said firmly, her eyes sparkling with fierce determination. "We're going to rescue him no matter what it takes."

_Yolei..._

Mickey glanced at the female Digidestined, and witnessing what he knew was her obvious determination to save her son he reached out to give her hand a quick squeeze. Yolei smiled in response, and returning the gesture she gave him a firm nod, an indication that she was refusing to allow the fear she felt for her son's safety to overwhelm her.

Though initially she had been extremely upset, Yolei had bounced back quickly, and Mickey was relieved to see that stubborn look in her eyes that made it quite clear there was no way she was going to give up so easily on her son. Yolei had always been a strong woman, ever since Mickey could remember, and watching her now it was inspiring to see just how strong of a person she really was.

_I need to be more like her. I can't give up on Sam so easily. He would never give up on me, so it's only fair that I return the favour._

He could still remember the old Sam. Kind and sympathetic, and always so calm and easygoing. Mickey wanted the old Sam back, and he was going to make sure that happened no matter what it took.

"It should be just up ahead through those trees," Ryoko informed them, squinting up ahead.

"Dai, I think it would be best if we landed here and walked the last part of the way," Leomon suddenly spoke up, a serious look on his face.

"How come?" Dai asked, glancing curiously at the lion digimon.

"As anxious as I am to reach Sam, we have no way of knowing what's waiting for us up ahead. I think it would be best if we approached the Spirit Chip with caution."

"Leomon's right," Izzy agreed, finishing his email and hitting the send button. "Sam might be our main priority, and rightfully so, but we can't forget about Vampiramon and her allies. We have no idea where they are right now, nor do we have any idea what they're doing. They could come upon us at any time. We'll need to be careful."

"We haven't seen them at all since we came to the Digital World," Matt added, a frown marring his handsome features. "I don't know about you guys, but that seems just a little bit suspicious to me."

"Which is why we need to be extra careful," Cody agreed, keeping his gaze focused on the forest up ahead.

"Once we land, make sure you all keep your eyes peeled for signs of any unwanted visitors," Leomon warned as Dragermon proceeded to head towards the ground.

_Where could they be?_

Mickey hesitantly turned his gaze on Ken, and he winced at the sight that greeted him.

Unlike Yolei, the former Emperor hadn't bounced back quite so easily. Ken's face was even more pale than usual, and though he too was gazing in the direction of the Spirit Chip, his sapphire eyes were focused on the trees. He appeared to be lost in his own thoughts, his mind trapped in a nightmare that he could not escape.

In his arms Wormmon looked absolutely miserable, not that Mickey could blame him. The little rookie was looking up at his partner, and Mickey could tell he was extremely worried about Ken.

_I wish there was something I could do..._

"Prepare for landing!" Dai called out as Dragermon landed with a jarring thump and a strong gust of air from his wings.

Mickey smiled in thanks at his Uncle Matt, who gave him a helping hand to reach the ground, and gathering the three celestial digimon around him, he said, "Do any of you guys feel DarkAngelicmon close by?"

"I don't feel anything, but then again I haven't met this DarkAngelicmon of yours yet," Kenji's Halomon said soberly, giving him an apologetic look.

"Don't feel bad," Celestimon replied, glancing sympathetically at his fellow angel. "I don't feel anything either."

"That's odd. I was sure he would have come after us by now," Matty said slowly, frowning at the tall trees looming all around them.

"It is odd," Izzy agreed, sounding unusually hesitant. "I can't see him missing a golden opportunity to steal one of the Spirit Chips from us. In the past, they've always been there to try and thwart us every time out. I don't see why this time should be any different."

"That's true," Embermon said slowly, exchanging a look with Kibomon. "Somehow they've always managed to figure out what we were planning before. Why would that suddenly change now?"

"Something is definitely up with them," Alopemon said firmly, glaring at the trees. "Don't let your guard down now."

"We should hurry," Aiwemon spoke up. "Sam could be in serious danger."

Aiwemon was right of course, and moving quickly the group began to make its way through the trees.

Walking next to Ken, Mickey put his arm around the raven-haired Digidestined and whispered softly, "We'll find him, Ken. Just give us a little bit more time."

Ken looked at him, and Mickey could see the haunted look in the raven-haired Digidestined's sapphire eyes. "I've failed him, Mickey. I've failed my own son. How could I have let it come to this?"

"That's not true!" Wormmon protested, shaking his head in denial.

Mickey nodded in agreement, and speaking softly, he said, "You haven't failed anyone, Ken. You and I both know what Sam is like. I just can't believe he's lost himself completely to the darkness. I know we can find a way to bring him back to us. I refuse to believe anything else. We can't give up on him. Not when I know deep down inside he's fighting as hard as we are."

"If we lose Sam, I... I don't know what I'll do," Ken whispered back, the look in his eyes making Mickey wince in pain. "Sam, Miya, and Nao. They're everything to me. I can't bear to lose any of them. How will I be able to live with myself knowing how terribly I failed my son? How will I be able to keep going if I lose something so precious to me?"

Mickey stopped, and tugging Ken around to face him, he said firmly, "I can't answer that for you, but even if I can't there is something I can do. You say you don't know what you'll do if we lose Sam? Well, we're all going to make sure you never have to find out."

"He's right, Ken," Dai spoke up as the group stopped to look back at them. "We're going to save Sam no matter what."

"We won't lose our son without a fight," Yolei insisted, reaching out to take Ken's hand.

The former Emperor accepted it, and glancing at each of them in turn, his sapphire eyes sparkling with tears, he whispered, "I know. Thank you, all of you."

"The Spirit Chip is just up ahead," Velinemon called out, coming back from where she had been scouting the trees up ahead with Leomon and Gotsumon.

"It's just through these trees," Leomon confirmed.

Mickey could see streams of purple light shining through the leaves up ahead, and tugging Ken along with him he quickly followed after the others, who were almost running now to reach the Spirit Chip.

The group burst through the trees, almost tripping over each other, and stumbling to a stop they found themselves huddling together in a large clearing, their gazes immediately going to the pedestal standing watch over the forest at the end furthest away from them. The Spirit Chip itself appeared to be surrounded by a glowing orb of purple and green light, and gazing at it Mickey felt a sense of awe beginning to build inside his chest.

"Kindness, knowledge, and sincerity," Mimi said softly, pulling out her glowing crest. "Myself, Ken, and Izzy will have to break the first seal."

"I think we'll wait on doing that until we find Sam," Izzy said, glancing curiously at his own glowing crest. "We don't want to put the Spirit Chip at any kind of risk."

Ken was holding his own glowing crest tightly in his hand, and moving across the clearing he let his fingers wander over the encrypted message that represented the second seal, which could only be broken by Sam's D-Coder. As he stared at the little trinket, a frown appeared on his face, and it was obvious to Mickey that his mind was focused on something else entirely. Once again the seal representing the crests glowed almost like a mist, and following after Ken, Mickey stared down at the little chip resting on the pedestal in awe.

It was purple, and a symbol of a half moon was etched onto its surface. To Mickey it was every bit as beautiful as Dai's, and gazing at it he still couldn't believe that such power could come from such a tiny trinket.

"Sam's not here," Glowmon whimpered, tears in his eyes.

"Just like we thought," Matty sighed, frowning at his D-Coder. "According to Sam's signal we should be almost on top of him, but he's nowhere to be seen, which means..."

"The World of Darkness," Ken said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "There's no other explanation. The World of Darkness exists alongside the human world and the Digital World, along with many other possible worlds, such as the World of Dreams. Sam is here, but not here. He's trapped on the other side all alone..."

"Then we need to find a way to get there," Embermon insisted, having de-digivolved to his rookie form.

"But how?" Gessmon squeaked.

"Well, how did T.K. get there?" Takara asked hesitantly, glancing at each of the adults in turn. "I mean...how exactly did he find a way to get there to rescue Kari?"

"We're not really sure," Yolei replied, clearly frustrated. "I don't think even T.K. himself knows exactly how he managed to do it. Even Izzy never really found a clear explanation as to why a portal suddenly opened for him, allowing him to get through."

"Kari was calling to him, and somehow her voice managed to reach him," Hawkmon said slowly, thinking the matter over in his head. "Somehow his overwhelming desire to find Kari helped him to break the barrier between worlds. We're just not exactly sure how."

"Or maybe it was Kari's desire to be saved that caused a rift in the barrier?" Rosa suggested. "Who knows."

"But it's happened that way before," Matt interrupted, a meaningful look on his face. "When I was trapped in that cave, Joe and T.K. were able to help me get out, and in turn we were able to rescue Sora. Maybe it's a little of both. Maybe it's a combination of the one who is trapped and their true desire not to be alone, and the strong will of those who want to rescue those who are suffering in the darkness."

"So combined those feelings have the power to breach the barrier?" Tentomon asked.

"It's a theory anyways," Izzy agreed.

"The only problem is we don't have time for theories," Alopemon said bluntly, a determined look on his furry face. "We need to get Sam out of there as soon as possible."

"Any suggestions?" Cody asked, glancing at each of them in turn.

There was a moment of silence, and then Ken suddenly spoke up, his face turning even more pale than it was before. "What if we open a portal to the World of Darkness ourselves without waiting for it to respond to our needs?"

"What do you mean?" Matty asked, frowning in confusion.

"Most likely due to my past experiences, including the time I spent as the Digimon Emperor, I have the ability to open a portal to the World of Darkness at will," Ken explained, avoiding their eyes. "If you remember from the stories you were told, I did exactly that in order to send Daemon to the Dark Ocean. I can do so here again, only...I know I won't be strong enough to open it on my own, especially this time. I will need help from all of you in order to make it work."

"Ken, are you sure?" Yolei asked, pulling him into her arms. "I know how you're feeling about Sam. Are you sure you'll be strong enough to do this?"

"We have no choice," Ken replied, his hands trembling as his arms went around her waist. "We need to reach Sam quickly."

Mickey was more frightened than he could have ever imagined at the thought of entering the World of Darkness, but he knew they didn't have a choice. They needed to be strong for Sam.

_I can do this. For Sam._

Taking a deep breath, Mickey stepped forward, and gazing at the frightened couple, he said firmly, "What do you need us to do?"

Ken jerked his head up in surprise, and as their eyes met the former Emperor was actually able to manage a small smile. "Mickey...Thank you."

"I knew you were going to say that, Mickey," Matty groaned, slapping a hand against his forehead. "Fine then. Ken, how can we help?"

"Just say the word," Dai added, making a fist.

The look of gratitude on Ken's face spoke more than words ever could, and holding out his hand, his D-3 facing the sky, he said, "I need all of you to believe in me and to focus on reaching Sam."

Yolei quickly put her hand over Ken's, and Mickey quickly stepped up to place his own over the lavender-haired Digidestined's. Matty's hand followed, and then Daichi, Takara, and Ryoko were quick to add theirs. Izzy, Cody, Rosa, Matt, and Mimi joined in as well, and concentrating on Sam, while putting all of their faith in Ken, they waited in anticipation.

Responding to their feelings, Ken's D-3 suddenly exploded with light, and a stream of purple energy shot into the sky. As Mickey watched in fascination a portal slowly began to open, showing a glimpse of a dark sky and the waters of a murky ocean.

The Dark Ocean.

"Hang on, Sam! We're coming!" Dai called out.

The portal quickly grew large enough to allow their digimon to fly through, and sweating from the effort Ken finally let his hand drop. He was about to speak when a nasty female voice said, "And just where do you think you're all going?"

_Vampiramon!_

Mickey whirled around, and sure enough he spotted Vampiramon and Spritemon standing at the edge of the trees.

_Right on cue..._

"There you guys are. We were wondering when you were finally going to show up," Matt snorted, glaring at the two female megas. "What took you so long?"

"A minor setback," Spritemon shot back, sticking her nose into the air. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Spying on Gennai and his friends again, were you?" Palmon demanded.

"If you know that much then you should know exactly what we came here to do," Vampiramon hissed, her crimson eyes flashing.

"As if we couldn't figure it out," Ryoko muttered, rolling his eyes.

Ignoring Ryoko, Spritemon said, "We actually got here just before you fools, but we wanted to get a sense of what you were up to before we announced ourselves. Planning to sneak into the World of Darkness, are you? That doesn't sound like a very smart thing to do."

"What's it to you?" Gotsumon asked.

"Do you really think we're just going let you out of our sight that easily?" Vampiramon said calmly, moving elegantly into the clearing. "Jestermon and BlackWidowmon are on their way here even as we speak, accompanied by Ivymon and a group of Vilemon who are eager to do our bidding. They should be arriving soon. Four megas, an ultimate, and several champions to fight. Are you so ignorant to think you can defeat us all?"

"Are you willing to test your chances?" Spritemon smirked.

Mickey added the total up in his head, and processing their words, he said slowly, "Where's DarkAngelicmon?"

His question must have struck a nerve because Vampiramon glared at him, her crimson eyes sparkling with rage. "Your guess is a good as ours, fool boy."

"Aw, darn. We were hoping you guys had seen him," Spritemon pouted, making a face.

_So they don't know where DarkAngelicmon is either. Could he really be with...Sam?_

Mickey let out a gasp, and exchanging a meaningful look with his fellow Digidestined, he whispered, "We need to reach Sam now!"

Dai nodded, and turning back to Vampiramon, he said, "So what if your buddies are going to be here soon? In case you didn't notice, Sam's not here with us. Attacking us isn't going to do you any good. It isn't going to get you Sam's Spirit Chip."

"Perhaps not, but we can worry about the little Emperor later. I assume, judging by this portal you created, that the fool wandered into the World of Darkness?" Vampiramon said coldly, her small knife appearing suddenly in her hand. "No matter. If my instincts are correct then DarkAngelicmon has probably gone after him. He can deal with the Ichijouji boy for now while I deal with all of you."

"What do you mean?" Matt asked suspiciously.

"Let's see," Vampiramon said slowly, motioning for Spritemon to join her. "What does my master desire the most? The Spirit Chips, of course. It's all well and good to want to steal the little Emperor's Spirit Chip, but at the moment that isn't an option. So while I wait for that foolish angel to return to me with our prize, it would make more sense for me to take advantage of our other options."

"Other options?" Armadillomon responded, frowning in confusion.

"What's even better than trying to steal a Spirit Chip stuck in a pedestal?" Vampiramon mocked, a nasty smile on her face. "What would please my master and help me to redeem myself in his eyes? Why, stealing a fully functional Spirit Chip, of course."

"Oh! Good idea!" Spritemon squealed, hopping up and down in excitement. "Sometimes even I have to admit you can be a total genius, Vampiramon."

"Huh?" Dai replied, scratching his head in bafflement.

"You, Daichi Motomiya," Vampiramon hissed, pointing a finger at him. "While I wait for DarkAngelicmon and the little Emperor to return, I'll just steal your Spirit Chip!"

"Then once we get our hands on the Ichijouji boy's Spirit Chip we'll have two of them to bring back to our master!" Spritemon said excitedly.

Dai, who was at the front of the group, took a step back, and glancing back at them over his shoulder, he muttered, "Everyone, digivolve now. Ken, you take Yolei, Matty, Mickey, and Glowmon with you, and go rescue Sam."

"I'm going with them, too!" Kenji's Halomon cried.

"Alright," Dai agreed. "You can go with. The rest of us will stay here and keep Vampiramon busy."

"But-"

"Don't argue," Dai interrupted, frowning at Ken, who had just tried to protest. "If they want my Spirit Chip let them try to steal it. It'll keep them busy and out of the way while you guys try to rescue Sam. And don't give me any flack about us being in danger. You guys will be in just as much danger traveling to the World of Darkness. Maybe even more so since you guys will have no idea what you're getting yourselves into."

"Fine, but you guys had better be careful!" Matty complained, pulling out his Digivice.

"Nothing to say to that?" Vampiramon mocked, gazing triumphantly at the goggle-headed leader.

Dai let out a snort, and holding out his Digivice, he said, "You want my Spirit Chip? Come and get it! Everyone, digivolve now!"

The clearing lit up with flashes of light as all of their partners digivolved into their highest forms, and holding Glowmon tightly in his arms, Mickey said to his partner, "Take me to Sam."

Matty took it upon himself to carry Kenji's Halomon, and the two of them were lifted into the sky by Angelicmon. Yolei quickly mounted Aquilamon, and JewelBeemon took Ken. Mickey clung tightly to Gabrielmon, Glowmon held tightly against his chest, and together the group made a break for the portal.

"Hey, get back here!" Spritemon squealed.

The little pixie and Vampiramon made an attempt to stop them, but the two megas were blocked from doing so by FireDragermon and MetalGarurumon just as they burst through the portal into the World of Darkness, much to Mickey's relief.

_Hold on, Sam! We're coming for you!_

Hugging Glowmon as tightly as he could, Mickey glanced over Gabrielmon's shoulder just in time to see the portal closing ominously shut behind them.


	236. The Light Inside

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Sorry about the wait! Here's another chapter for you guys! I hope you all like it. I had quite a lot of fun writing this one.  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 236: The Light Inside

_Sam Ichijouji  
_

_Sever, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

For a long moment Sam could do nothing but stare at the celestial digimon hovering before him, and then before he could open his mouth another digimon suddenly appeared out of the trees, the small newcomer's breath coming in short bursts as he struggled to keep up with Lucemon.

"Don't run off on me like that!" the little digimon complained, giving his celestial friend a rather disgruntled look.

Sam, who had finally managed to find his voice, stared at the little newcomer and said stupidly, "Who are you?"

Upon reflection, seeing Lucemon really wasn't all that big of a surprise. After all, Sam had always expected they would eventually run into the celestial rookie at some point, whether it was them who found him first or he found them. That being said, he certainly hadn't counted on the tiny digimon who appeared to be Lucemon's little sidekick. Neither Luciamon or DarkAngelicmon had ever mentioned the little guy before.

So who was he, and where had he come from?

"Oh, me?" the little digimon asked, faltering slightly in the air at being addressed so suddenly. "I'm Lucemon's friend. My name is MarineAngemon. You...you're Sam Ichijouji."

Sam nodded in return, not the least bit surprised that this MarineAngemon knew his name, and clearing his parched throat, he said, "You...you're really tiny."

"Do not let his size fool you," Lucemon said softly, landing gracefully onto the sand. "He is a mega."

Sam's mouth fell open at this astonishing piece of news, and forgetting for a moment that he was stuck in the World of Darkness, a bemused smile suddenly turned up the corners of his mouth. "Well, that's surprising. And you...you're a rookie. You're Lucemon."

Lucemon nodded, his young face a mask of sorrow. "Indeed, I am. My friends speak too highly of me...Sam Ichijouji, it pains me to witness you in such a terrible state. To think that your situation has come to this..."

Lucemon's soft words and gentle tone affected Sam deeply, and all of a sudden his fear and sorrow came crashing down upon him again. He fell to his knees in the sand, and the shadows that were left stirred, reacting to his mood. More shadows were beginning to appear out of the ocean, their long legs carrying them across the beach, and a group of them were spilling out of the cave to Sam's left. It was clear that Lucemon's Grand Cross attack had only delayed them. There was still too much darkness to feed on, and there was still enough light for them to covet. There was no way they would be able to ignore what was happening on the beach. Sam knew deep inside that they would not stop coming until he learned to control the darkness in his heart. They would continue to hunt him until he learned how to fight back with the light inside.

And not only that, but he also suspected all of the shadows weren't just connected to him anymore, nor was he certain that the new batch were all manifestations of the darkness in his own heart.

Especially considering the way they were gazing so hungrily at Lucemon and DarkAngelicmon.

"Sam, I'm sure my old friend has told you, but if you cannot bring yourself to listen to him, then please at least listen to me," Lucemon said urgently, moving hesitantly closer. "You must leave this place at once before the shadows feed on the darkness in your heart. They are trying to steal the light inside of you that's hidden away so deeply within your soul. If you do not arm yourself against them and fight the darkness trying to consume you, they will succeed."

"But...what about you?"

The words came out of Sam in a whisper, and reaching up a trembling hand he let his fingers trail across the gold bracelet circling Lucemon's left wrist. The rookie angel was standing directly in front of him now, and gazing down at him, the angel said sadly, "You are not the only one who is floundering in the darkness."

"W-what do you mean?"

Lucemon reached out to place a hand upon his dark head, and Sam could feel the warmth of his gentle touch. "The darkness is within me as well as within my old friend. The shadows want to feed on us every bit as much as they want to feed on you."

"But...why?"

Lucemon looked at him then, and there was a flash of fear in his pale blue eyes. "It isn't the darkness they truly seek. The real prize is what lies underneath. What they truly want is the light inside of us. The light that hides beneath the darkness that threatens to consume us."

"That's true even for me?"

"Indeed, Sam. They are not just here to feed on the darkness, which allows them to become stronger. They both despise and hunger for the light within, and they will stop at nothing until they take it from us."

"So what they really want...is our light."

Lucemon gave a barely perceptible nod, and both of them turned to gaze at DarkAngelicmon, who was slowly picking himself up off the sand.

The fallen angel must have sensed that he was being watched because at that moment he looked up, and Sam found himself gazing into the dark champion's emerald green eyes. "Lucemon, if the shadows really want to steal the light inside then that means there's something sill left inside of me...right?"

Sam wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but he needed to ask. He needed to know the truth.

"You are beginning to see the truth of my words."

Sam was trembling again, and getting to his feet, he whispered, "Then the same would be true for everyone else here too, right?"

There was silence, and Sam turned to look at Lucemon.

The celestial champion was smiling.

_DarkAngelicmon! So then...he's been telling me the truth this whole time? And underneath that darkness...there's still hope?_

"If the light remains strong within you, the shadows can be defeated for good," Lucemon said softly.

"But they'll still attack me, too."

"They will be more wary, like they were earlier, before you lashed out at my old friend."

"Why?"

Lucemon gazed at him, his blue eyes full of emotion. "Because when you stand strong they know you have the power to defeat them."

_I can...survive this?_

"Lucemon, you must leave at once!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, coming towards them as the shadows began to gather around again. "They know your past, and their focus has shifted. You give them much to feed on, my friend."

Sam was confused, but at the moment the two angels seemed to have forgotten all about him. They were now gazing at each other, their expressions strained.

"The same is true for you," Lucemon whispered. "We both put Sam at risk. And though he has calmed down somewhat, his heart is not yet free. Please, Angelicmon, you must help him."

_...Angelicmon?_

Before Sam could process the meaning behind Lucemon's plea, the shadows attacked, and though they were clearly still interested in him, Sam could tell their main focus had shifted to Lucemon.

_They want to steal his light and get him out of the way. They want to get rid of him so they can come for me._

Sam screamed and ducked as a shadow suddenly leaped over him with cat-like grace, and immediately jumping into action, Lucemon sent them flying with another blast of light.

"I'll help!" MarineAngemon cried, looking a little sheepish. "Though I don't know how much help I'll be...Kahuna Waves!"

For a moment the shadows seemed a bit confused, and they stood there as if they had lost the will to fight, and then DarkAngelicmon was stepping in to protect Lucemon, his face a mask of anger and his spear flying. "You cannot hope to defeat all of these shadows on your own!"

"Then help me," Lucemon said calmly, his concentration focused on the shadows. "Reach inside yourself and find the past you have forgotten."

DarkAngelicmon let out an impatient sound, and closing his eyes, his spear held at the ready, he seemed to withdraw inside himself. Sam gasped as a spark of light erupted from the fallen angel's hand, and swinging his spear, DarkAngelicmon shouted, "Litany Spear!"

DarkAngelicmon's spear rammed straight through the heart of the closest shadow, and it disappeared in a burst of light. Lucemon's Grand Cross attack took out a whole contingent of shadows on the left, and then DarkAngelicmon was hovering back to back with him in the air, his concentration focused on the shadows to the right.

Sam just stood there beneath them in a state of awe as bursts of light attacks flew in every direction, dissolving the shadows on impact.

_I can't believe I'm really seeing this._

Lucemon and DarkAngelicmon weaved through the air with incredible speed, darting around each other and taking out shadows as if they were participating in a dance rather than a fight. They were well coordinated, and despite how close they came to one another there was never a collision and they did not once get in each other's way. There was never a moment when they would impede one another's movements, and as a result they moved almost as if they were one being. It was such a wonderful display of teamwork, and it gave Sam the impression that they had done this sort of thing many times before, both in practice and in real battles. It was clear they knew each other very well, and though they were concentrating on the shadows, Sam could tell they were also watching each other in case one of them got into trouble and needed help.

_Luciamon, if you could see your friends now..._

"Celestial Star!" DarkAngelicmon shouted, taking out a shadow that had leaped at Lucemon from behind.

"The bulk of them do not seem to be slowing down!" Lucemon gasped, landing on the sand and stepping back to give MarineAngemon a chance to use his attack again.

It was helpful in slowing the shadows down, giving Lucemon and DarkAngelicmon and chance to destroy large quantities of them at once.

"You need to leave now," DarkAngelicmon commanded, landing next to Lucemon and kicking at a shadow that had tired to grab his ankle. "They hunger desperately for you."

"But-"

"I thank you for earlier, but it would be wise if you left now," DarkAngelicmon said stiffly, leaping into the air again. "Zenith Point!"

Seven rays of light exploded onto the beach, sending grains of sand flying in all directions, and the main bulk of shadows disappeared in an explosion of light.

Remembering what had happened the last time DarkAngelicmon had performed such a feat, Sam held his breath, but the fallen angel did not falter. Lucemon's presence must have somehow given him extra strength because he did not faint. Instead, he once again landed next to Lucemon, his body glowing from the force of his attack. "Go now!"

Lucemon looked like he wanted to protest, but before he could there was a sudden blast of purple light in the sky that immediately caught their attention. Even the shadows that were still streaming out of the water paused to anticipate whatever this possible new threat might be.

As Sam watched in shock, the sky appeared to split open, and he could glimpse what looked like a forest on the other side.

_Is that the...Digital World?_

"They come," Lucemon said softly, sounding relieved.

"It appears the Emperor has finally arrived," DarkAngelicmon murmured, his lips turning up in a pleased smile.

Sam had no idea what they were talking about, and frowning, he said, "What's going on?"

Lucemon came to him, and reaching out to touch his shoulder, the rookie angel said, "Your friends have come for you, Sam. Please, I beg you. When the time comes do not ignore their words. Do not be deceived by the darkness."

"What do you mean?"

"Let your friends into your heart, Sam," Lucemon said sadly, his eyes bright and his words clear. "Give your father a chance to make things right again."

"But I-"

"Trust in yourself. Trust in your friends," Lucemon whispered, pulling away to face DarkAngelicmon.

"You are a fool to believe in me," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, shaking his head.

"And you are a fool not to believe in yourself," Lucemon replied, though the words were spoken with kindness and there was a fond smile on his face.

DarkAngelicmon actually laughed, and he bowed to Lucemon, a smile playing across his lips. "Go on. Get out of here, my friend."

"I leave the rest in your capable hands," Lucemon said softly, leaping into the air. "Good luck, old friend. Till we meet again."

And then Lucemon was gone, his wings carrying him back through the trees. MarineAngemon hurried after him, leaving Sam with only DarkAngelicmon for company. He wasn't worried that Lucemon would remain stuck in the World of Darkness. He knew the celestial rookie would somehow find his own way out.

_And as for me..._

The shadows shrieked and wailed at Lucemon's departure, but because of the ominous portal in the sky they did not dare give chase.

Both Sam and DarkAngelicmon stared after Lucemon in silence for a long moment, and somewhere in the back of Sam's mind his brain wondered if it might not be a good idea to try for the portal. At the same time, though, it scared him. He had no way of knowing if that really was the Digital World or not. Perhaps it was only a trick or an illusion of some kind, like his reflection in the waters of the Dark Ocean. And then there was the fact that DarkAngelicmon was making no move to use the portal. Perhaps it was dangerous. Perhaps it would lead him to an even worse fate. And what about the shadows? Why did they seem so wary of the portal?

_And I can't reach it unless DarkAngelicmon carries me..._

As Sam continued to weigh the pros and cons of the portal, a sudden sound from the other side caught his attention, causing both himself and DarkAngelicmon to look up in surprise.

As Sam watched in shock, a group of digimon came bursting through the portal, which closed regretfully behind them, and the shadows quickly backed up a bit to watch with angry, violent eyes. As the group of digimon and humans landed, Sam froze, his gaze immediately focusing on the tall, dark-haired man who was at the head of the group.

Ken Ichijouji. His father. The Digimon Emperor.


	237. A Message of Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Been a busy few weeks, but I finally have another chapter out! After this we shall get back to Sam and the World of Darkness!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 237: A Message of Hope

_Taniko Izumi  
_

_Odiaba, Japan, Earth  
_

Taniko sat alone at the computer, her dark eyes gazing at the email her father had sent her earlier during the night, and although she could clearly read the typed words on the screen, her brain was having trouble processing the information.

It was still fairly early in the morning, and though the room was peaceful and quiet at the moment, Taniko knew that was soon going to change.

_Miya...How can I bring myself to tell you the news?_

Taniko had been able to fall asleep quickly enough, but as the night had continued on she'd been plagued by nightmares about all of the things that could possibly go wrong during the mission her family and friends had undertaken in the Digital World. As a result she had been unable to sleep straight through the night.

After waking for the fifth time from an unpleasant nightmare, she had decided that even though it was still quite early in the morning for the average person to be getting out of bed, enough was enough.

She had been careful not to wake the other girls, especially Miya who definitely needed her sleep, and creeping downstairs she had gone to the kitchen for a glass of orange juice before heading back up the stairs to the room Davis and Noriko used for an office.

And that was where she was now, all alone and thinking in retrospect that she might have been better off staying in bed.

_I've always hated having to be the bearer of bad news..._

The fifth time she had been jerked out of a restless sleep from a nightmare, she had barely been awake for ten minutes when she had suddenly felt strangely as if the computer was calling to her. That was when she had decided it was time to get up.

It had been a silly thought, since Daichi and the others would probably still be asleep at this time in the Digital World. Knowing that, she had been aware of the fact that she would be unlikely to receive another email from her father until later in the morning, but despite all logic and reason she had felt compelled to check the computer regardless of how pointless it might seem.

Taniko had never been the type to ignore her instincts, and acting on a hunch she had given in to her urge to check her email.

And she was sorry now that she had done so.

To her surprise there had been an email waiting for her, and the sight of it had caused her to tense up with fear. Her father would not have emailed her that early in the morning unless it was urgent, and upon seeing the message in her inbox she had been unable to find the courage to open it at first. It had taken her another fifteen minutes to work up the nerve to read it, and after forcing herself to do so, she was dismayed to find that her hunch had been right.

As she had suspected the email did not contain good news, and the thought of telling Miya and Nao what the message said made her feel sick to her stomach.

_How will I bring myself to tell them the terrible news? How will I be able to stand the looks on their faces when they find out what has happened to Sam?_

She didn't know if she would be able to stand it, but somehow she was going to have to find a way to remain calm and composed. She needed to be strong for Miya and Nao. She needed to keep a clear head and to remain focused.

_That's what Dad would do if he was here._

And now it was time to make her father proud and prove that she could do it too.

_At least the news isn't all bad._

The part about meeting the partners of the first Digidestined was actually pretty exciting. Maybe she would start with the good news. Everybody always liked to hear some good news.

_Somehow I think this is going to be a long day..._

"Taniko?"

At the sound of her name, Taniko glanced over her shoulder at the door to see who had interrupted her unpleasant thoughts. She immediately spotted T.K., Kari, Gatomon, and Patamon, and upon seeing their familiar faces she smiled in relief. T.K. was the one who had spoken, and judging by the worried look on his face he could tell that something was wrong.

"You guys came. I wasn't sure if you would get my message this early in the morning."

"Neither one of us could sleep very well last night," Kari said softly, coming into the room with Gatomon in her arms and taking a seat on the chair next to her. "We were already awake when your email came through to T.K.'s D-Terminal."

"Gatomon and I couldn't sleep either," Patamon added, shaking his head in dismay from where he sat perched atop T.K.'s head.

"I take it there's been some bad news?" T.K. sighed, taking the chair on her other side.

Both T.K. and Kari looked tired, and Taniko could tell the couple was still extremely worried about their sons. And if they were worried about Mickey and Matty then Taniko couldn't even imagine how Ken and Yolei must be feeling at the moment.

"Taniko?" Kari pressed, nudging her gently in the ribs.

Taniko gave herself a mental shake, and giving in to the inevitable, she said, "Let's wait until the others arrive. I only want to have to say this once."

"That bad?" Gatomon said dryly, exchanging a look with her partner.

"Bad enough, though to be fair there's some good news, too."

Kari was about to respond when Tai and Sora suddenly burst into the room with their digimon partners, and catching the look on her face, Tai immediately demanded to know what was going on. Sora, Biyomon, and Agumon were no less insistent, but before Taniko even had a chance to respond Joe, Gomamon, June, Mina, and Candlemon came crowding into the room behind the Kamiya couple, which caused a bit of a traffic jam.

Taniko had sent messages out to her mother and the three couples after reading her father's email, informing them that they needed to come as soon as possible once they were awake, but she certainly hadn't been expecting all of them to respond this early.

"Okay, who's in trouble now?" June demanded, her dark eyes flashing. "It's Dai, isn't it? I swear it's always that nephew of mine. If he's gotten himself into-"

"Has someone been injured?" Joe asked, interrupting his wife's tirade. "If they need my assistance I'm more than happy to help."

"We'll all help!" Gomamon offered.

Taniko stared at the seven adults, who were all staring back at her with apprehensive looks on their faces, and crossing her arms over her chest, she said dryly, "Did any of you sleep? And now that I think about it...how did all of you get inside the house?"

"The door was unlocked," Tai replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Somebody must have forgotten to lock it last night."

"I bet it was Davis," Gomamon smirked.

"And no, we didn't get much sleep," Sora said quietly, looking at the floor.

"Not even us digimon, and we always sleep well," Candlemon added, his tone filled with regret.

There was a moment of tense silence, and then Mina said quietly, "We should probably wake the others."

"I'll wake the girls," Sora said quickly, turning towards the door with Biyomon. "Joe and Gomamon can wake the boys. And, Tai..."

"I'll wake Davis and Noriko," Tai replied, catching his wife's hint and following her out the door with Agumon on his heels.

Joe was quick to follow after the married couple, and taking a seat next to her, June said quietly, "Who?"

Taniko felt her eyes fill with tears, and impatiently brushing them aside, she managed to whisper, "Sam."

To her credit, June didn't reply. Instead she merely let out a soft sound of dismay, and Taniko felt the older woman give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Her mother and Candlemon also came to her in silence, and feeling the comfort of her mom's arms around her Taniko was able to hold back the tears.

_I can do this! For Miya and Nao..._

All too soon the house was filled with the sound of voices, and one by one the rest of the group came wandering into the room. Most of the kids were yawning and rubbing their eyes, but that wasn't the case with Davis and Noriko. Nor was it the case with their digimon partners either, though Shadow looked as happy and ready to play as any puppy of his nature should be. Taniko could tell by the looks on the faces of Davis, Noriko, Penguinmon, and DemiVeemon that they knew something was wrong, and unfortunately for her she was going to have to be the messenger of despair.

_Definitely the good news first._

"Hey, Taniko! What are you doing up so early?" Renmi asked, covering her mouth to hide a huge yawn.

"And what are you guys doing here at this time of the day?" Ami asked, glancing back and forth between the seven adults who had just arrived.

It was T.K. who answered, and he was careful to keep his voice neutral. "Taniko has some news for us."

"Really?" Taka asked, pausing in mid-yawn to glance curiously at her. "What's up?"

Taniko took a deep breath to steady her nerves, and managing a smile, she said, "My dad sent me an email this morning. He's got some news for us."

"Well, what did it say?" Ema asked eagerly, exchanging an excited glance with Taysuke.

"I don't know if you can call it a coincidence or not, but Dai and the others ran into the partners of the first Digidestined in Modem last night."

There was a pause, and then suddenly everybody started talking at once.

"Are you serious?" Makku laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "That's awesome!"

"More digimon friends!" Rina giggled, tugging excitedly on Nao's shirt.

"Huh, can't say I was expecting that," Tai said, smiling despite the wary look in his dark eyes. "I bet they're an interesting group."

Taniko smiled in agreement. "My dad seems to think so. And it looks like they're a group of digimon we can count on to help Dai and the others locate the Spirit Chip."

"That's great!" Noah said enthusiastically, a smile on his face. "More help is always welcome!"

"I wish we could meet them," Nao said shyly.

Taniko smiled at the young boy, wanting to reassure him. "You'll get your chance. Dai has agreed to bring them back to the human world."

"How come?" Kenzo asked, frowning in confusion.

"They'll be a great help in contacting the original Digidestined, who might be able to give us some useful information about what happened in the past. They might be able to tell us something that will connect what is happening now to the past."

"You mean because of what your dad told us before in his last email about his conversation with Gennai, Piximon, and Leomon earlier," Noriko interrupted. "There's that whole issue with GranDracmon and the Ruler of Darkness, and how they connect to one another."

Taniko nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Do you remember what my dad told us about Seta Sugiyama being the principal of Odaiba Elementary?"

"Yeah, I'm still trying to get over that one," Taysuke said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Who would have thought our principal was a Digidestined."

"He's the type to be one with the way he's always letting Dai off the hook," Davis joked, earning himself a playful slap from Noriko.

That bit of information had caused quite a stir two days ago, and there had been a buzz of excitement ever since, despite their fear for Sam.

"What about it?" Rumi asked politely, trying to keep the conversation on track.

Taniko was happy to reply. "Having Seta's partner with us will make talking to Mr. Sugiyama a lot easier, and it will help our chances in hopefully meeting Tal and the other original Digidestined as well."

"True," Kari agreed, giving her a smile.

Taniko quickly explained everything that was in the email, minus the parts about Sam, and when she was done she gave the others a moment to chat amongst themselves about the good news.

Everybody seemed eager to talk.

Everybody except Miya.

The raven-haired girl was the only one who wasn't talking about the good news, and her face was very pale. Gazing at the other female, Taniko wasn't surprised to find that Miya was staring back at her. In fact, she had been expecting it.

And the look in the raven-haired girl's eyes made it clear what she was thinking. Taniko knew she wasn't fooling Miya at all, and that meant only one thing. The time had come for the bad news, whether any of them liked it or not.

_What do I say? How do I even start?_

She never got the chance to decide because Miya spoke first.

"What's the bad news then, Taniko?" the raven-haired girl asked quietly, her voice catching. "It's about Sam, isn't it."

She hadn't spoken very loud, but the room went deadly quiet.

Noah quickly moved to sit beside Miya, and staring at her, he said, "What are you talking about?"

"Izzy wouldn't have sent an email this early in the morning unless there was something wrong," Miya said dully, looking resigned to the terrible truth. "I'm not stupid, Noah. I know."

"But-"

"Hold my hand, please?" Miya whispered, her eyes beginning to sparkle with tears.

Noah quickly snapped his mouth shut, and reaching out he took her hand in both of his, squeezing it tightly. Her message had been loud and clear.

_Lend me your strength._

"What's going on?" Nao cried, his small face tightening with fear. "Is Sam in trouble?"

Taniko turned back to the computer, and pulling up a map of the Eastern Hemisphere she focused in on the continent of Server. Their signals were all there, including Sam's, but there was no denying that his was very weak compared to the others.

"Sam left the house in Modem during the middle of the night without informing the others about where he was going, and he's been missing ever since. My dad and the others believe he may have been drawn into the World of Darkness."

Nao promptly burst into tears at this piece of news, and Rina quickly flung her arms around her friend to comfort him. Miya's reaction wasn't quite as noisy, but it had the same impact. The raven-haired girl seemed to lose what little strength she had, and collapsing against Noah she buried her face in his chest, unable to speak. All of Sam's cousins appeared to be in various states of shock, but at the same time their eyes were filled with determination.

"I'm not giving up on him yet!" Taka insisted, the look on his face daring anyone to disagree with him. "Sam will pull through this. I know he will!"

"Sam's a fighter," Makku agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "He's not going to give up that easily."

"Dai and the others will get him through this," Renmi agreed, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Right, Rumi?"

Rumi nodded, and bowing her head, she said softly, "Sam couldn't ask for a better group of friends. They'll get him through this."

"Poor Ken and Yolei," Sora murmured. "I can't even imagine how they must be feeling right now."

"I knew," Miya whispered, lifting her head. "I knew something like this was going to happen. Why? Why can't Sam just accept Dad for who he is?"

"Because Sam needs to come to terms with who he is before he can come to understand Ken," a much older and wiser Davis replied, speaking almost without thinking. "Sam needs to know he can trust himself before he can trust his dad again."

There was no reply. Everybody simply stared at the former leader, and looking suddenly embarrassed, Davis said, "What? Did I say something stupid?"

"No," T.K. replied, a sudden smile lighting up his face. "No, not at all. Davis, you're right! It's all about trust! Sam might not trust his father anymore for keeping such a huge secret from him, but it's more than that. He doesn't trust himself anymore either, and therefore he _can't_ bring himself to trust Ken anymore than he can trust himself."

"He thinks because Ken was the Emperor it means there's a chance he could become another Emperor if he gives in to the darkness in his heart," Kari said softly, shaking her head. "Why? Because he knows he's a lot like his father, and that was always something he was proud of in the past. He wants to be like his dad, but he's conflicted because the Emperor did terrible things. It made him realize that all humans are capable of evil, even the best of us. Even someone who is as kind and sweet as Ken. And that includes himself. And I don't think it's so much the fact that his dad was the Emperor that bothers Sam. It's the fact that Ken didn't tell him about it. It's like Sam feels as if Ken didn't trust him enough to tell him. In Sam's eyes Ken didn't trust his son enough to believe he would be forgiven."

"And thus Sam won't forgive Ken for failing to believe in his own son," Mina finished, shaking her head in despair.

"Don't you see, Davis? Sam has lost his faith not only in everyone around him, but also in himself. He blames his father not so much for being the Emperor, but for his lack of trust in those who are most precious to him," T.K. insisted, beaming at the former leader. "And that might be the key to reaching Sam's heart!"

"Oh," Davis replied, looking a bit sheepish. "Well that's good then, right?"

T.K. laughed, and putting an arm around Davis, he said, "Yes, it is."

"It's all well and good for us to know that, but how do we convince Sam to understand his anger?" Taka said, making a face.

"That's something Dai and the others will have to figure out," Joe sighed.

"But how?" Nao wailed, choking the words out between sobs.

"Not exactly an easy thing to do," Biyomon sighed.

"It's simple really," T.K. said, picking up Nao and holding the young boy securely in his arms. "Sam feels like he can no longer trust anyone or anything around him again. The key to reaching his heart is to restore that sense of being able to trust those who are most important to him. Sam has lost his faith in humanity. If it can be restored, there's still a chance for him."

"But how?" Miya whispered, gazing at the golden-haired Digidestined with tearful eyes.

T.K. headed towards the door with Nao in his arms, presumably to head downstairs with the intent of starting breakfast, and glancing back over his shoulder at Miya, his blue eyes sparkling, he said without a hint of worry in his tone, "They have Matty. Sam will be fine."

And with that he left the room, leaving the rest of the group to stare after him with their mouths hanging open.

_Matty..._

Taniko glanced back at the computer, and it was then that she realized that all of the Digivice signals were all together on the screen in one area. And to her surprise one group of signals was weaker than the other group, which could mean only one thing. The group had split up. And the group with the weaker signal, the group that contained Matty, had reached Sam presumably in the World of Darkness.

_**"They have Matty. Sam will be**** fine****."**_

Taniko quickly pulled up her email, and typing out a quick message she sent it to Yolei's D-Terminal, but not to Yolei herself. Of the group that had gone after Sam, only Ken and Yolei had D-Terminals, so she had been forced to send the message to one of those two. And although it had been sent to Yolei, the message itself had been specifically addressed to Matty. She knew Yolei would understand and pass her D-Terminal over to the one the message was intended for.

Matty.

Handsome, friendly, sweet, and always so warm and easy to talk to. And also their last hope. Taniko had understood T.K.'s words, even if the others had not.

The Spirit Chip of Faith.

The message she had sent Matty was only two words, but she knew he would somehow get what it meant, even if he didn't understand completely as of yet.

Two words that might make all the difference in the world.

Two words that might just save Sam's life.

_"Have faith."_


	238. Tough Love

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait! I got pretty busy these last couple of weeks! Hope you guys all like the new chapter. I'll try to start the next one as soon as possible.  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 238: Tough Love

_Masato 'Matty' Takaishi  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World  
_

Glancing around at the drab scenery, his amber gaze focusing on the murky waters of the ocean, Matty wasn't exactly shocked by the rather depressing appearance of the Dark Ocean, but it still somewhat surprised him. The sky hanging over their heads was dull and grey, and even the sand looked a bit off colour. The entire beach looked a little bit off, to say the least, and that was putting it nicely.

_So this is the World of Darkness._

Matty wasn't quite sure what to think, but he suspected that was partly due to the atmosphere of the Dark Ocean. It was a lonely place, and standing on the sand with his friends, Matty could feel the darkness trying to drain his energy.

But it wasn't the scenery that was the most interesting thing about the World of Darkness. No indeed, as Matty was quick to discover. The most shocking thing about the World of Darkness was its current occupants and the bizarre scene that appeared to be playing out on the beach.

Sam was near the water, gazing warily at his father, and standing a little apart from Sam, his emerald eyes staring off into the trees, stood DarkAngelicmon. And all around them there were shadows like the one that had been in DarkAngelicmon's castle. Their strange violet eyes were filled with hate and malice, and they seemed to be waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. Matty didn't like the look of things one little bit, and holding Kenji's Halomon tightly in his arms he moved closer to Mickey, his amber eyes watching his brother's face closely.

Mickey was also taking in the scenery and the atmosphere of the World of Darkness, and Matty could tell it greatly disturbed his twin. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"This place is filled with anger and sadness," Mickey said softly, shivering slightly. "So much darkness and despair. We have to find a way to help Sam break free from all of this."

Matty nodded in agreement, his amber eyes narrowing in determination.

_You're not going to get rid of us that easily, Sam._

"Sam!" Glowmon cried, zooming into his partner's arms, nearly knocking the raven-haired Digidestined off his feet.

For a moment Sam didn't seem to recognize his own partner, but then his eyes cleared and he hugged the little digimon fiercely against his chest, his sapphire gaze filling with tears. "Glowmon! You're here! It's really you!"

"Why?" Glowmon wailed, snuggling against Sam's chest. "Why would you leave me behind like that? I can't protect you if you don't at least take me with you!"

"I'm sorry," Sam mumbled, hugging his partner even more tightly. "I'm so sorry."

Ken was standing at the head of the group with Yolei, but Matty could tell he was reluctant to approach Sam. And not only that, but Ken was also watching the shadows with a rather critical eye.

_I wonder what he's thinking..._

All around them the shadows were stirring, and Matty had a bad feeling that sooner rather than later they were going to attack. And since nobody was moving or making any effort to get the situation resolved, Matty took it upon himself to step forward. Ignoring the sudden gasp from his brother, he stepped towards Sam, and coming to a stop he settled his gaze on DarkAngelicmon, who turned to regard him with interest. "So you really are here. Just like we thought you would be."

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows, and crossing his arms over his chest, he said dryly, "You're late."

"Here you are in what looks like a rather compromising position, and yet you don't believe you are the one who lured Sam here," Angelicmon said quietly, his sudden words startling Matty.

Matty hadn't realized his partner had followed him, but sensing Angelicmon's strong presence at his shoulder he felt suddenly much more confident about approaching Sam and the fallen angel.

DarkAngelicmon shook his head, confirming Angelicmon's suspicions, and catching sight of the little rookie Matty was holding, his emerald eyes narrowed into a frown. "Who is this rookie and where did he come from? Gabrielmon is with your brother. This digimon is an outsider."

"Hey, who are you calling an outsider?" Kenji's Halomon shouted, looking indignant. "I'm part of the Digidestined too!"

"Explain please," DarkAngelicmon said stiffly, watching the newcomer warily.

Matty gave the little digimon in his arms a comforting hug, and keeping his gaze focused on DarkAngelicmon, he said calmly, "This is Halomon. He is the digimon partner that belongs to Kenji Iwamoto, who was a member of the first Digidestined."

"What?" Sam gasped, taking interest for the first time in the sudden appearance of a second Halomon.

DarkAngelicmon did not reply, but watching him closely, Matty thought he saw a flash of recognition in the fallen angel's eyes.

"You..." Kenji's Halomon said softly, gazing curiously at DarkAngelicmon. "Do I know you?"

"You must have me mistaken for someone else," DarkAngelicmon said stiffly, avoiding the little rookie's eyes.

Kenji's Halomon shook his head, and Matty gasped as the little rookie suddenly leaped out of his arms and fluttered over to the fallen angel.

Reaching out, the little rookie placed his small hand against DarkAngelicmon's cheek, his expression showing a mixture of both curiosity and a sense of familiarity. "No, you feel familiar to me. I've sensed your presence before. I know you. I don't know how, but I've felt you before..."

DarkAngelicmon quickly jerked his head away, and swatting at the little rookie Kenji's Halomon tumbled to the ground with a startled yelp. He wasn't hurt, but at the same time Matty could tell he also wasn't at all impressed either.

"Keep your hands to yourself, rookie," DarkAngelicmon snapped. "It isn't polite to treat strangers in such a manner. I do not know you, nor do I care to get to know you."

Kenji's Halomon did not reply. Instead he merely sat up and glared at the fallen angel, causing Matty to smile in amusement.

DarkAngelicmon was lying.

Matty could tell by the look in the fallen angel's eyes that Kenji's Halomon felt familiar to him as well, and it clearly confused him. It was definitely an interesting tidbit of information to investigate, but unfortunately Matty didn't have the time to think about it now. He needed to focus on Sam, so he filed the information away for later, for a time when he could analyze it and discuss it with the rest of his fellow Digidestined in a more appropriate setting.

"What do they want?" Matty demanded, nodding at the shadows, who were gazing at him with hungry eyes.

In truth he was absolutely terrified of those manifestations of darkness, but he wasn't about to let it show. He had to be strong for Sam, and he wasn't going to show any weakness to DarkAngelicmon, who had grown more distant from him in the last little while.

_Why? What changed?_

"They want your light," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, meeting his gaze.

"You mean like you do?"

It was a challenge. DarkAngelicmon had never said it right out in those exact words, but Matty knew instinctively that the fallen angel wanted something from him. And he was sure that something was the light he held within himself. The light that DarkAngelicmon envied.

For a long moment the two of them merely stared each other down, neither of their gazes wavering in the slightest. By this time the others had caught up with them, and Matty felt his brother's comforting hand come to rest on his shoulder.

"You okay?" Mickey asked quietly in his ear.

Matty nodded without looking at his twin. "I'm fine. Worry about Sam, not me."

"Sam," Ken whispered, taking a step towards his son.

Sam quickly scrambled back a bit, and glaring at his father, he snapped, "You shouldn't have come here! Those shadows are going to get you! They're going to want you even more than they want me!"

Ken paused and warily turned his attention back to the shadows that were slowly beginning to creep towards him. They were converging in a circle, closing off any chance of an escape.

Sam was right.

_Why? Why won't they just leave Ken alone?_

All of the shadows were gazing at Ken, every last one of them, and their hungry eyes were burning with desire.

_They want to steal Ken's light. If they can do that, Ken might lose his way and become the Digimon Emperor again. _

Or at least that's what the shadows seemed to think. Matty, on the other hand, didn't believe that for a minute.

_Ken won't ever become the Digimon Emperor again. He's a smart man, and he learned a lot from his bad experiences in the past. More than likely they'll end up with an empty shell of a man rather than another actual Digimon Emperor._

"Get out of here!" Sam snapped, glancing frantically at the shadows. "Get out of here before they get you!"

"Prepare yourselves," DarkAngelicmon warned, summoning his spear. "A battle is close at hand. Protect the Digidestined, and do not let the shadows touch them."

None of the digimon even thought to disagree with their supposed enemy. Angelicmon immediately summoned his own spear and Gabrielmon summoned his sceptre. Kenji's Halomon was already glowing as he perched on Angelicmon's shoulder, and Aquilamon and JewelBeemon positioned themselves appropriately in the air.

Only Glowmon hadn't readied himself for battle, and that was only because Sam didn't seem to have the strength to help him digivolve.

"I'm not going anywhere without you," Ken said quietly, his sapphire gaze not once flicking away from his son's pale face.

"You don't trust me on this either?" Sam shouted back, hands clenching into tight fists. "Mom, make him go back!"

"I can't do that, Sam," Yolei shot back, shaking her head. "He was the one who brought us here at great risk to himself. I've seen the look in his eyes when he's been forced to open a portal to the World of Darkness before. It's not a pleasant experience. We came here for you, and we're not leaving without you!"

"Dad...you opened the portal?" Sam asked quietly.

"Yes, just like he did when he sent Daemon to the Dark Ocean," Mickey confirmed. "This time he did it to find you, and we helped him do it."

"You helped him?" Sam gasped, whirling on Mickey. "Why would you do something so stupid? You know he's vulnerable here!"

"Because leaving you to be swallowed by the darkness isn't a stupid thing to do either," Matty said sarcastically, feeling his anger starting to boil. "Have you completely lost all your common sense now?"

"We're all vulnerable here, Sam," Mickey said softly. "Not just your dad. Not even just you. Myself and Matty, we're no more safe here than you two are. Even your mom and all of our digimon are at risk here."

"Then you shouldn't have come!" Sam wailed. "I saw myself in that ocean. It was me! I was the Emperor! That's why the shadows want me. I'm weak! I'm not like you, Mickey, or like Matty! I'm not that strong!"

At this point Matty had had quite enough. Usually this was more the role Dai played in the group, but since Dai wasn't there somebody was going to have to play the part in his place.

And Matty knew that somebody was going to have to be him.

Tough love. That's what Sam needed.

Mickey was too passive and gentle for that sort of thing, and so was Ken, and this was the sort of job that needed to be taken on by a friend, not by a parent like Yolei.

That left him.

Bracing himself for the inevitable, Matty stepped forward and pointed an accusing finger at Sam. "You're not weak! You're just stupid! So what if you saw yourself as the Emperor in the ocean? A reflection, I'm going to assume? This is the World of Darkness! Of course it's going to show you something unnerving, something you fear! What did you think it was going to show you, huh? Sunshine and rainbows?"

"You can't believe everything you see, Sam," Mickey gently scolded, shaking his head in despair. "You know the history. This place has a way of trying to manipulate you. Why would it be any different now in your case?"

"How would you know?" Sam challenged, his eyes flashing and his tone growing bitter. "You two always act like you know everything, but you don't know any more than I do! You can't help me! None of you can. Now get out of here before you end up like me!"

"Well now, this isn't going quite as well as I'd hoped," DarkAngelicmon lamented, glancing over his shoulder.

"Oh would you just shut up for once!" Sam cried, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows at this, but instead of responding he merely smiled in amusement and turned his attention back to the shadows.

Mickey hadn't reacted to Sam's insults, but Matty was beyond indignant. He hadn't risked his life to come to the World of Darkness only to end up getting attacked by one of his closest friends. This was not Sam, and he was going to get Sam back no matter how stupid the raven-haired Digidestined was acting.

"Sam, don't," Glowmon whimpered.

"I'm not worth it," Sam replied, his voice shaking. "I'm not worth all this."

"Is that what you believe?" Ken replied, his expression fierce as he took another step towards his son. "Have you really lost sight of what is most important to me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sam shot back, his sapphire eyes flashing with anger.

Ken let his own eyes fall closed, and speaking softly, he said, "You keep telling me to leave, but I can't do that. I can't do that for the same reason you want me to leave. I would rather they take me instead of you, and if that's what it takes to save you...then let them come and get me!"

Ken's words must have been the signal the shadows had been waiting for. Almost before the former Emperor had finished speaking the dark shapes lurking on the beach attacked. Matty cried out and quickly pulled Sam towards him, and he gasped as all around them the beach went from relatively peaceful to complete, utter chaos in mere seconds.

There were shadows everywhere, surging all around them, and it was plainly clear their target was Ken.

"Stop them!" DarkAngelicmon commanded, his spear whirling to meet an oncoming onslaught of shadows.

Sam was screaming, and Matty quickly shoved him onto the ground to get him out of the way. All around them their digimon were trying to fend off the shadows, but Matty knew it was only a matter of time before some of them slipped through the circle and managed to reach Ken.

_Great, just great! Now what?_

There were bursts of light flying in all directions, some of which, to Matty's complete shock, were actually coming from DarkAngelicmon, but the battle was so fierce and there were so many shadows that he could barely tell what was going on.

In the end he simply stopped trying to figure in out and decided to join up with the others.

Attacking on instinct he shouted for his brother, and the two of them dragged a screaming Sam over to the middle of the battlefield where Yolei was hovering over Ken, who had fallen to his knees in the sand and was gazing sorrowfully at his son.

"What did you do?" Sam wailed in despair. "Why would you do that?"

Ken shook his head, and Matty was shocked to see that there were tears streaming down the former Emperor's face. "Sam, you believe I don't trust you, but you couldn't be more wrong from the truth. I was afraid, yes. Afraid of how you would feel about me once you found out about the Emperor, but it was more than that. That wasn't the deciding factor on why I chose to keep my past a secret."

"Why else would you keep the Emperor a secret?" Sam snapped. "What other reason could there possibly be?"

"I wanted to protect you," Ken whispered, glancing away from his son. "This life as a Digidestined...I never wanted this for you. I wanted you to live a normal, happy life. I wanted you to have a happy childhood, full of warmth, and love, and laughter. Something I never had when I was a child. Why? Because I didn't want you to suffer the way I had."

Sam stared at his father and then he started to cry. "You could have told me! You could have said something!"

"Your mother and I believed that if we kept the Digital World a secret you would somehow escape it," Ken said dully, his sapphire eyes growing dark and stormy. "It was merely wishful thinking on our part. Deep down inside I always knew it would be a part of your life. That it would find its way to you. I spent years trying to deny it, but I think I always knew it was inevitable. A digimon partner is a wonderful thing, but the responsibility, the danger, the truth of what it really means to be a Digidestined...I didn't want that for you. None of us who are Digidestined wanted any of that for our children."

"Ken," Mickey said sadly, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

Ken bowed his head for a moment, and looking up to gaze once more at his son, he whispered, "I didn't want you to put your life in danger. I didn't want to lose you."

Sam could barely speak because he was crying so hard, but he managed to choke out, "I'm not like you at all. I am weak. I haven't been able to let go of the past the way you did. I can't escape what's happening to me!"

"No," Ken countered, his voice shaking. "You're stronger than me. You have your mother's genes as well as mine, and even if you didn't you would still be stronger than I am. How can you fail to see the strength you possess inside yourself?"

Matty was wondering the same thing. Sam was an intelligent kid. He was smarter than this and he should have been well aware of his own strength. It frustrated Matty, and it made him want to knock some sense into the young raven-haired Digidestined.

But there was something else happening that he also found strange.

Although he had yelled at Sam, Mickey hadn't scolded him or tried to stop him, which had been the case in the past when someone had gotten aggressive with the raven-haired Digidestined. In fact, Mickey wasn't saying much of anything at all despite the battle going on around them and the need to get through to Sam.

Instead of trying to help Mickey was sitting back and letting him do all the talking, which was unusual in a situation like this, though normal in standard conversations. Why was that?

Matty glanced at his brother, and to his surprise he found Mickey staring back at him. There was a curious look on the older twin's face, as if he was waiting for something to happen.

But what?

"Sam, you need to let go of your fear," Yolei said gently to her son.

"Fear is all I feel," Sam said dully. "You think it's so easy to give up the past, but you should know better than anyone how hard it is when there's so much working against you. How do you trust yourself? How do you forgive when no one else is willing to forgive?"

"What do you mean?" Glowmon whimpered.

Sam was about to reply when a sudden beep shattered the silence, and everyone looked around to discover the source of the noise admits the chaos and violence raging around them.

"A message," Yolei said, pulling out her D-Terminal to take a look.

"What does it say?" Ken asked quietly, without looking away from his son.

Yolei shook her head and held out her D-Terminal. "I don't know. It's not for me. It's for Matty."

Matty jumped in surprise, and staring at the offered D-Terminal he reluctantly took it from Yolei's hand.

_Who could it be and why would they be sending me a message?_

Matty glanced at the screen, and frowning he realized it was from Taniko. It was also addressed to him.

Opening it, his eyes widened at the simple message:

_**"Have faith."**_

What did it mean and why was it addressed to him?

_Sam needs to read this message more than I do. He's the one who's lost any faith he ever had in his dad, and in the rest of us too. That includes himself. He doesn't have faith in anything anymore. It's no wonder he can't forgive his dad or get over the whole Emperor thing. No wonder he thinks he's weak. If he would just believe in us and let us help him..._

Wait. That was it!

Sam had lost his ability to believe in himself and in all those who were important to him. That was the reason he was so vulnerable to the darkness. His lack of faith was making him an easy target, and it was causing the light within him to waver. If he allowed his defences to fail, the shadows would easily he able to steal the light that was flickering inside of him.

And if that was the source of the problem then there was only one way to save Sam from himself. They needed to somehow restore his faith in all of them, including his father. And even more importantly they needed to restore the faith Sam used to have in himself.

_I think I get it now!_

Mickey was still watching him, and Matty met his brother's amber gaze with wide eyes. Mickey was trying to tell him something, and glancing at Taniko's message again the words seem to jump out at him.

Have faith.

_Don't give up. Don't give in. And if you can't find the strength to fight, take heart from someone who does._

Someone who has strength enough for two.

_Someone like me._

Thinking back on all the compliments he had received from Mickey, Takara, Ryoko, Dai, and even Sam himself, suddenly Matty understood.

And he knew exactly what to do.


	239. The Bonds of Family

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: We're starting to get through Sam's Spirit Chip arc now, so I hope you all enjoy this new chapter! I had quite a lot of fun writing it!**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 239: The Bonds of Family

_Sam Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World  
_

Sam could barely see through the veil of tears clouding his eyes, but even though his vision was slightly obscured he knew he didn't have much time left. The shadows were rapidly closing in on them, and though Angelicmon and the other digimon were putting up a good fight it was only a matter of time before the residents of the Dark Ocean would eventually overwhelm them. It wasn't that the digimon weren't defeating any of the shadows, as far as Sam was able to tell. A ton of dark forms had already succumbed to the blasts of light that had engulfed them, so it wasn't an issue of not being able to defeat the enemy. The real problem was the fact that more and more of the shadows kept coming out of the water and streaming out of the cave on the beach. It looked like a never ending barrage of darkness, and it scared Sam more than he was willing to admit.

There was no way Angelicmon and the other digimon could keep fighting the shadows off forever. Sooner or later they would use up all of their energy and revert back to their rookie forms, and when that happened the shadows would descend upon both human and digimon alike.

And he would lose his father to the darkness.

_I want to forgive him! I want to let go! But how? How can I be expected to forget the past when even the digimon of this world can't forget the Digimon Emperor? If none of the digimon here trust him how am I supposed to trust him? How do I trust myself? How do you break free from the darkness when it's trying so hard to cling to you?_

"Sam, please," his father said gently, the former Emperor's voice cutting through the fear in his heart. "Don't do this to yourself."

Ignoring his father, Sam quickly glanced around at his surroundings, wincing at the blasts of energy that were erupting closer and closer to where he was standing. The protective circle of digimon around them was growing smaller and smaller, and the light from their attacks hurt his eyes. He needed to get his dad out of there, but how? How was he going to protect his father when he couldn't even protect himself?

_What do I do?_

"The shadows are going to get us soon," Matty said calmly, throwing Yolei's D-Terminal back to her, which she caught smoothly in the air. "You could stop them if you really wanted to."

Sam was more than willing to respond with a rather nasty retort, but movement at the corner of his eye suddenly caught his attention. He let out a yelp as JewelBeemon suddenly dived over his head out of nowhere to attack a shadow that had almost reached his mother, and clapping his hands over his ears, he said instead, "I don't understand. I don't know what you mean!"

"Those shadows first appeared because of you!" Matty shot back, pointing an accusing finger at him. "They're manifestations of darkness that came from your own heart. If you want them gone then make them go away yourself!"

Sam blinked at the golden-haired Digidestined in surprise, feeling suddenly hurt inside. Why was Matty being so mean to him all of a sudden? The younger twin had been attacking him ever since coming to the World of Darkness. Why? What did Matty hope to gain from it?

_Why is he being so rude to me? Doesn't he...like me anymore?_

"There's not much time left," Angelicmon warned, landing next to Matty and giving his partner a meaningful look.

"You must hurry," DarkAngelicmon insisted, breathing heavily as he landed beside Angelicmon.

Matty stared at the fallen angel in shock, and sputtering to get the words out, he stammered, "How did you..."

DarkAngelicmon didn't answer. He simply touched Matty's heart, completely ignoring the D-Coder that was visible in the younger twin's hand before leaping back into the air to assist Gabrielmon with an oncoming onslaught of shadows. Angelicmon didn't say anything at all. He simply followed the fallen angel, a thoughtful look on his handsome face.

_What was that all about? What's going on?_

"You keep telling us to leave," Matty said, his voice tight with anger as his attention drifted back to the problem at hand. "This is all your fault, and you know it! You just don't want to face the truth!"

Sam stumbled backwards, shocked by Matty's words. The younger twin had never spoken to him like that before, and the words stung him more sharply than he had been prepared for. Fresh tears sprung in his eyes, and gazing at the golden-haired Digidestined, he whispered, "Do you hate me now?"

"No," Matty said bluntly, snorting at the very idea. "You hate yourself. That's the real problem here. If you believe so strongly that this is all your fault then do something about it! Fix it before we all end up dead or lost to the darkness forever!"

Sam could feel his shoulders shaking, and he was now sobbing so hard he could barely catch his breath. It was all he could do to hang onto Glowmon, who was gazing sympathetically at him. Deep down inside he knew the younger twin was right, but knowing and acting upon his feelings were two different things. He could barely see Matty through his tears, and though he wanted to speak his voice came out in a whisper. "I don't know how."

"You're making excuses!" Matty snapped, holding out his yellow D-Coder. "If you would just believe in yourself then all of this would go away. It's as simple as that, Sam!"

"But-"

"If I can do it then so can you!" Matty shouted, the fire in his amber eyes flashing with an intensity that Sam had never seen before.

He was about to protest when the D-Coder in Matty's hand suddenly erupted with light.

_W-what's happening?_

The brilliant glow proceeded to envelop Matty's whole body, and then it began to spread out away from him in a large, glowing circle. The rays of light coming from his D-Coder somehow disintegrated the closest shadows as soon as it touched them, and they disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Almost immediately the screams from the shadows began to fill the air, and all of their Digimon quickly backed up to watch what was happening. The light didn't kill all the shadows, but it got a huge bulk of them, giving their digimon time to regroup.

"Matty!" Mickey gasped, catching his brother as Matty swayed slightly, his knees giving out on him. "What did you do?"

"I'm not...exactly sure," Matty mumbled, leaning against his twin as Mickey helped him into a sitting position. "Sorry, I'm a bit dizzy."

Matty's body was still glowing faintly with light, and as soon as Mickey had touched him it seemed to also seep into the older twin. Mickey was staring at his hands as the light proceeded to travel up through his arms, and the expression on his face changed to a look that was filled with both shock and amazement. "I can feel it!"

Matty smiled briefly at his twin before turning his gaze to DarkAngelicmon, who was holding his head and wincing in pain nearby. "Sorry about that."

The fallen angel lifted his head to gaze at Matty, and giving a brief nod, he said, "It's fine. I am not harmed."

"But it hurt, didn't it," Matty replied, watching the fallen angel closely.

"It only touched me briefly. I was able to back away in time to avoid the worst of it."

"You didn't want to, though."

DarkAngelicmon turned his back on the younger twin, and leaping into the air, he said, "Your heart is strong, Masato Takaishi, and the strength you possess is indeed impressive. Use it well, and use it wisely."

Matty did not respond, and gazing at the younger twin in awe, Sam managed to choke out, "H-how did you do that?"

_The light was so strong and bright. Where did he get that kind of power?_

"You can do it too," Matty said simply.

Sam glanced back at his father, who was still watching him, and all of a sudden the words he had wanted to say so many times before came spilling out of him in a rush of jumbled phrases. "You have no idea how much I want to believe you. You have no idea how much I'd love to trust you again! But...how can I, Dad? How can I put any kind of faith in you anymore when the ones you hurt refuse to forgive you?"

"You said something similar to that before," his father replied, studying him closely. "What exactly do you mean? Please, help me to understand."

"The shadows are growing stronger again!" Gabrielmon warned, blasting a group of them with his sceptre.

"Please, Sam," his father insisted, his voice gentle. "We don't have much time."

Sam hugged Glowmon tightly to his chest, unable to stop the tears from falling. "You hurt so many digimon here. They trusted us, the humans. They trusted the Digidestined. They trusted us, and you hurt them. Even now, so many years later, they haven't forgotten. They remember what you did to them, and because of that they'll never be able to fully trust you. There's always going to be doubt now when there are humans involved in their business. You ruined something that was precious! How can I forgive you when the past still haunts them? How can I let go when they can't let go? How could I betray them like that? How do I forgive you when they can't forgive you? How do I break free from all of this?"

His father was silent for a moment, and bowing his head, the former Emperor murmured, "I will not deny that many digimon suffered at my hands. Why do you think I've spent the rest of my life trying to make up for it? You're right, Sam. Perhaps there are digimon out there who cannot forgive me for what I did. In fact, I'm sure there are, which is why I will continue to fight for them and keep them safe. I can't change the past, and maybe I can never make up for what I did, but I have to try. I can't give up, and neither can you."

"But what if I do end up like you? What then?"

_What if I do lose my heart to the darkness?_

His father's sapphire eyes were fierce as he spoke. "You won't, and even if you did do you think for one second I would let you suffer the same fate I did? I would do anything for you, Sam. I would fight to bring you back to us even at the cost of my own life. I would never let the darkness take you. I would never let you carry the burden of watching digimon suffer at your own hands. I would die before I would ever let the path of the Emperor be your destiny!"

"Sam, you also have to remember that there are millions of digimon in this world, most of whom have never even had a chance to meet your father in person," his mother insisted, coming closer to crouch in front of him. "It's easy to see why they might not trust your father if they've never had a chance to meet him. But for all of the digimon who _have_ had a chance to get to know your father since he gave up being the Emperor...they have come to trust him. Think of all the digimon you've met. Our partners, Leomon, Piximon, Ogremon, Centarumon, Whamon, and the list goes on and on. All of them trust your father and would be willing to give their lives for him. Do you not understand what that means, Sam?"

"I...I..."

"It means the longer your father travels the Digital World, his chances of meeting more of its occupants increases. And the more digimon your father meets, the more they will come to trust him. You have to remember, Sam, most of those digimon don't know your father the way you and your friends do."'

"And tell us, Sam. How have you always seen your dad?" Matty demanded, getting to his feet.

Sam watched his father through his tears, the words slipping out of him in a choked whisper. "Kind, loving, caring, and always understanding. He's always willing to lend an ear to listen, and he always helps us when we're in trouble. He's always there when I need him, even when I don't deserve it."

The former Emperor's expression changed to one that was so powerful and full of emotion that Sam had to look away. It made his heart ache, and it was making it hard for him to cling to all of his uncertainties.

"Then you know what you have to do," Matty said, tugging him roughly to his feet. "If you can still say things like that, even if it's against your own will, then stand up and face your father and tell him how you really feel!"

"But I-"

"No excuses!" Matty snapped. "You know your dad better than anyone, and he needs your help to show the digimon of this world how much he's changed. They need to see the Ken Ichijouji we all know. The real Ken! If we can make them see the loving father and awesome person that we see everyday, then the digimon of this world will come to trust him."

"And if meeting as many digimon in this world as I can is what it takes to make up for the past then I'll travel as long as I have to," his father said quietly. "I will meet as many as I can and show them what a difference it makes to have friends and family who love and support you."

Sam glanced widely at Matty, and tugging on his friend's arm, he cried, "But what about me?"

_Can the digimon of this world trust me?_

"You heard your parents," Matty snorted, completely unsympathetic. "You're not the Emperor! You're not your father! You're you! You're Sam! Or at least you were. The Sam I'm looking at now? That's not the Sam I know! The Sam I knew was kind and compassionate. The Sam I knew had a decent backbone. The Sam I knew trusted his friends and family! The Sam I knew wasn't a coward or a whiner! What happened to him, huh? What happened to the Sam I admire? What happened to the Sam who was one of my best friends? What happened to the Sam who trusted me and cared about me?"

"Matty-"

"The Sam I see now isn't any of those things!" Matty shouted, his face turning red with anger. "The Sam I see now deserves a good fist in the face!"

Sam stared at Matty with his mouth hanging open, and growing angry himself, he cried, "You have no idea what it's like! Those Vilemon-"

"What Vilemon?" Matty interrupted, frowning at him. "You mean the ones that were with Vampiramon?"

Sam stared at the golden-haired Digidestined, completely baffled. "What?"

"What are you talking about?" Matty asked.

"What are _you_ talking about?" Sam countered, growing uneasy.

"I'm talking about the group of Vilemon that showed up with Vampiramon and her buddies just before we came to the World of Darkness," Matty explained, raising his eyebrows. "There was like maybe twelve of them, I think? A whole group."

_No. No way. It can't be..._

Sam sank to his knees again, and speaking slowly, he said dully, "Do you remember when Kara said she thought she saw something watching her in the woods the night we stayed at the old cabin?"

"I remember," Matty said softly, his tone growing more gentle. "What about it?"

"She wasn't imagining things. It was a group of Vilemon that had been watching her. A group of twelve Vilemon. I snuck out of bed and met with them that night. They told me they knew my father and that they couldn't bring themselves to forgive him. They said that many digimon in the Digital World were unable to trust him."

"Sam," his father whispered, his sapphire eyes sparkling with sorrow.

Sam didn't need anyone to say it. He understood completely. He had been tricked. All that time those Vilemon had been working for Vampiramon, and he had let himself be deceived. He had allowed them to convince him that the digimon all hated and mistrusted his father when in fact many actually believed in him or had never been given the opportunity to meet him.

They hadn't yet had the chance to trust him.

_I'm such a fool. I'm such an idiot!_

Turning his gaze to DarkAngelicmon, who had resorted to fighting with his spear now, he called out, "It's true, isn't it."

"Indeed," DarkAngelicmon managed to respond while attempting to hold off the enemy with ground attacks. "Those Vilemon work for us. You may not understand now, but one day you will."

Sam couldn't even bring himself to hate the fallen angel. Right now, the only person he hated was himself.

_How could I have fallen for such an obvious trick? How could I have been so stupid?_

"So let me get this straight," Matty said coldly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You were willing to trust a bunch of suspicious digimon who had been spying on my cousin, spying on all of us most likely, but you wouldn't trust your father or your friends who have known you since the beginning? You were willing to trust a bunch of strange digimon, but you weren't willing to trust the people you _know_ you can trust? The people who have never yet betrayed you? The people who have _never_ given you a reason not to trust them? I don't even have to say anything, Sam. You know exactly what I'm thinking right now."

It was true. The look of disappointment on Matty's face said it all, and reaching out a hand, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me," Matty snapped. "Apologize to your dad!"

Not only was Matty mad at him, but the look on Mickey's face made him want to dig himself a hole in the sand and never crawl out again. And his parents. Disappointed, but their eyes still so full of love for him, even after he had failed them.

He had failed everybody, but most of all he had failed himself.

_I'm not the Emperor. I'm my own person. I always have been. And even when the darkness haunts me there's always going to be somebody to help pull me back. That's why everyone is here right now. That's why they came for me._

A sudden thought occurred to him, and breath stuck in his throat, he said swiftly, "Dai and the others?"

"They're risking their lives out there for you," Matty said stiffly, turning away from him. "They're fighting against powerful megas who are stronger than they are, all to give us a chance to come here and bring you back. The D-Coders and other Digivices can only tell us so much. We have no way of knowing if they're hurt or not, or if they're even still alive. And it was all for you, Sam. We risked everything for you because we care!"

_They're fighting for me because they believe in me, even though I don't believe in myself. They could be dead because of me, and I have only myself to blame. So many people I care about. So many people I love. All hurting because of me. All risking themselves for me._

People like his father. He had given up on his father, but his father had never given up on him. Were those the actions of a Digimon Emperor? An Emperor that no longer existed? No, they were the actions of a man who had fought his way through the darkness and conquered the shadows surrounding his heart. They were the actions of a man who had earned the trust and respect of all those who had crossed his path. Friends, strangers, and even enemies alike.

That was the man he admired.

_Dad..._

This was the father he trusted. This was the man he wanted to be like. The one he _still_ wanted to be like. This was the father he would always love, no matter who tried to tear them apart.

"Next time I suggest you have a little more faith in us," Matty said shortly, his amber eyes growing hard and lacking in sympathy.

And then the golden-haired Digidestined turned his back on him and walked away.

_Faith. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to believe in others, or even in myself. Matty does it so easily. It must be the strength of his power. Even when he feels lost and alone, he can't bring himself to give up on the people he cares about. He can't let himself distrust them or allow himself to fully lose his faith in them..._

A sudden scream split the air, and Sam jerked his head up in surprise at the sound, his sapphire eyes growing wide at the scene taking place before him. Several of the shadows had somehow managed to grab his mother, and he realized with a spark of fear in his heart that the scream had come from her. They had her by the arms and they were dragging her away from his father. And he didn't need an explanation as to why.

Several had also gotten their hands on Matty. They had managed to knock him to the ground, and they were holding him in place so he couldn't come after the former Emperor. Mickey was in the same boat as his brother, and Sam could see the shadows advancing on his father.

"We can't hold them back anymore!" Aquilamon shouted. "There are just too many and they won't stop coming!"

"We need to get out of here!" JewelBeemon replied.

"It's too late," DarkAngelicmon said calmly, holding out his arms. "They've slipped through. Come, Angelicmon!"

Angelicmon was by his side in an instance, and together the two of them shouted, "Zenith Point!"

Fourteen rays of light descended upon the shadows, and Gabrielmon's Heavenly Vortex attack swallowed several more. But it wasn't enough. The shadows were so thick Sam could barely discern one from the other.

"Sam, look out!" Glowmon cried.

Sam screeched as several shadows grabbed him and pushed him down, making him cough and sneeze as the grains of sand on the beach tickled his nose. Glowmon tumbled out of his arms, and the shadows snatched him up to prevent the little rookie from escaping. They also had Kenji's partner, who was struggling wildly in their dark arms.

This time was different, though. This time Sam could tell the shadows weren't holding him or his friends and mother to steal their powers. Instead the shadows were merely trapping them so they could get to his father without any outside interference.

_Dad, no!_

Sam watched in horror as the shadows descended upon his father, and something inside of him seemed to snap.

The kindness in his heart and the faith he had in his family and friends that had been missing from him for so long seemed to burst out of him in a wave of fear. The compassion he felt for all those who had suffered, both digimon and humans alike, surged out so strongly that it almost overwhelmed him. And most of all, the love and forgiveness he felt for his father erupted and sent the shadows building around his heart scattering to the very corners of his mind.

With a strength he did not know he possessed, he wrenched himself free from the shadows holding him and raced towards his father.

Screaming for his dad, he flung himself onto the shadows that were engulfing his father, and his Digivice exploded with the light that was burning deep inside of him. It seemed to burst out of his body in a dazzling blast of colour, engulfing him in its strong, warm glow, and he watched in shock as it descended upon the shadows with a vengeance. All across the beach the shadows screamed and shrieked in pain as they disintegrated into vapour, and even the shadows that were still climbing out of the ocean were unable to survive its brilliance. The light was everywhere, and there was no way to escape it.

Sam caught a glimpse of Angelicmon, who was close by, and squinting through the light he let out a gasp at the sight before him. The celestial digimon had shoved DarkAngelicmon into the sand, and shielding him with his own body, Angelicmon said, "I'm not quite sure you're yet ready for this kind of power, my fallen friend."

Surprisingly DarkAngelicmon didn't argue. He merely ducked his head and let the other angel shield him.

_It's so strong. Is this...because of me?_

Sam watched in shock as the light somehow managed to rip a hole in the sky, and he thought he caught a glimpse of the Digital World on the other side.

_Did I...do that?_

Eventually the angry screams faded and the light died away, leaving Sam stretched out on the sand and panting to catch his breath. His father was lying sprawled next to him, and the raven-haired man's eyes were filled with shock and wonder as they stared at each other. Sam could feel himself tingling as he gazed back at his father, the light continuing to pulse softly through his body.

All around them there was silence, and not a single shadow remained.

_What happened?_

Sam lifted his gaze to the hole that had split the sky open, and all of a sudden he was overcome with the sensation that the World of Darkness looked just a little bit brighter than it had before.

There were tears in his eyes, and as he turned on his side he thought he caught a faint glimpse of his uncle standing near the edge of the water. The late Sam Ichijouji was smiling at him, and he appeared to give a gentle nod before he turned and disappeared into the waters of the ocean.


	240. A Promise Fulfilled

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Another chapter complete finally! Almost getting to the end of this Spirit Chip arc!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 240: A Promise Fulfilled

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World  
_

As a general rule Daichi Motomiya was not the type to scare so easily, nor was he the type to panic, but glancing around at the battle field in its current state he had to admit it was making him feel a tad bit uneasy.

Almost all the Vilemon had been defeated, but that wasn't exactly much of an achievement, since they weren't really a large threat. They weren't the main source of the problem. Not by a long shot.

They still had Vampiramon, Spritemon, Jestermon, BlackWidowmon, and Ivymon to deal with, four of whom were megas. And as far as Dai could tell none of their enemies were going easy on them. Kibomon, Aiwemon, Velinemon, and Gessmon were doing their best to help, but they had pretty much already depleted their energy while helping to get rid of the Vilemon. They were only rookies after all, without a current means to reach their higher stages of digivolution. They had done well to last as long as they had already.

Some of the others weren't doing much better.

Monochromon, Ibismon, Ankylomon, and Tirimon had already returned to their rookie forms, and much of their power had been depleted dodging attacks from the megas while trying to take out Ivymon. That left only FireDragermon, MegaKabuterimon, MetalGarurumon, Lilymon, and Leomon in full fighting form. Leomon had even digivolved to his mega form of SaberLeomon, but despite now having two megas on their side they were still in a lot of trouble. It was all they could do to simply avoid enemy attacks while trying to hit back with some of their own.

The battle field was a mess. Trees had fallen or been damaged in the crossfire, and there was debris everywhere. All of the digimon who were in their rookie forms had fallen back to protect the humans huddled around the pedestal, who were simply doing their best just to stay out of the way.

The situation wasn't exactly looking all that positive, and glancing up at the sky where only moments ago another hole had split the atmosphere, giving them a glimpse at the world beyond, Dai gave it a rather critical glance before turning to regard their expert at all things Digital World related. "What's the deal, Izzy?"

Keeping one eye on the battle, Izzy also gave the hole in the sky a brief glance as he clutched his laptop tightly to his chest. "Someone on the other side opened the portal between the worlds again."

"But who?" Mimi asked anxiously, wrapping her arms around herself to hold in her fear.

Matt hovered protectively next to his wife, and frowning, he said, "Friend or foe?"

"I can't be sure," Izzy replied. "There doesn't seem to be any activity or anybody attempting to come through yet, but it's obvious someone must have opened the portal."

"Do you think Sam is okay?" Rosa asked, tugging nervously on Izzy's arm.

"I hope so, but there's no way of knowing until they come back."

"They better hurry up because I don't think we're going to last much longer," Cody warned, turning his face away as a blast from Jestermon caused a spray of dirt to rain down upon their heads.

"Well, that portal or whatever it is better stay open this time," Ryoko snapped, glaring indignantly at the hole in the sky. "I almost had a heart attack when it closed earlier. What if Sam and the others couldn't find their way back to us? We would be even worse off than we are now."

Dai rolled his eyes, and cuffing the golden-haired Digidestined lightly on the shoulder, he said, "Relax, Ishida. I wouldn't have let them go off without us if I didn't think they'd be able to find a way back. I'm sure they're probably having better luck than we are."

"I don't know about that," Takara said quietly, unable to look at him.

Dai hesitated before moving to join her, and wrapping an arm around her, he said, "It'll be okay. We haven't lost yet."

Takara smiled at him, and leaning into his shoulder she turned her face away from the battle taking place. Dai could feel the warmth of her closeness, and resting his head against her hair he tightened his arm around her, reluctant to let go.

_Our lives are in danger and I'm in the middle of a battle that could change the entire fate of the Digital World, but despite that being here with Kara feels so right. Being here next to her...I feel like I belong here. What is this feeling inside my heart? When did everything suddenly change? Why do I see her so differently_ _now?_

A sudden cry and a rain of sparkles broke his train of thought, and glancing up in dismay he watched as Lilymon reverted back to her rookie form, thanks to Spritemon's Pixie Dust attack. That now left them with only two ultimates and two megas.

They were most definitely in trouble now.

"Palmon!" Mimi cried, scooping up the little rookie and hugging her tightly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but if we don't get some backup soon we're done for," Palmon said weakly, her petals drooping as she hugged Mimi back.

The little rookie had managed to extract herself from the battle without sustaining any more damage, but it was obvious she had very little energy left. Soon they were going to run out of ultimates and megas, and when that happened the Spirit Chip would be Vampiramon's to use as she pleased.

Which, of course, would definitely not be a good thing.

_No, I can't think like that! Sam will come through for us! I know he will. Just a little bit longer..._

"Now what?" Kibomon asked, his blue eyes narrowing in concentration. "Anyone got any bright ideas?"

"Sorry, I'm all out," Aiwemon replied, settling himself on Kara's shoulder.

Dai glanced down at Kibomon, who seemed determined to protect him while FireDragermon was indisposed, and shrugging, he said, "Let's do what we always do. Ask Izzy!"

"I'm afraid I'm almost out of ideas myself," Izzy replied, regretfully shaking his head. "There's not much else we can do without the others."

"So in other words we're doomed," Alopemon snorted.

"Be a little more pessimistic why don't you?" Velinemon replied, rolling her eyes.

"Oh! FireDragermon, look out!" Gessmon cried.

Dai jerked his head up to see his partner narrowly avoid Vampiramon's Scarlet Lightning attack, and doing his best not to let Kibomon see he let out a sigh of relief. FireDragermon was fine for the moment, but Dai could tell his partner was getting tired. How much longer would the dragon type digimon last before he too reverted back to his rookie form?

"Had enough?" Vampiramon taunted, her crimson eyes gleaming with excitement.

"We're just getting warmed up," MetalGarurumon growled, pacing warily to find an opening.

"The fool sees only two megas and two ultimates left!" Jestermon sang out, indulging in his sense of fun and doing a little impending victory dance. "This will be easier than doing a handstand and juggling with my feet. The smell of victory is ever so sweet."

"You might want to tell your leader to hand over his Spirit Chip now before the rest of you are forced to revert back to your rookie stages," BlackWidowmon sneered at the remaining digimon. "If you refuse we'll turn you all into data and take it by force!"

"You're all nothing but a nuisance!" Spritemon complained. "Don't tempt me to kill the humans right now!"

"We're not letting you go anywhere near the Spirit Chips or our partners," MegaKabuterimon shot back from his aerial position in the sky.

"Suit yourselves," Vampiramon snapped, her body beginning to glow a bright crimson. "If death is what you seek then I shall grant you your wishes!"

"Move now!" SaberLeomon shouted.

The group scattered as Vampiramon's lightning lit up the clearing, and Dai squinted through the bright flashes to see what was going on. Somehow their four remaining digimon had managed to avoid the bolts, but it wasn't looking good.

_A few more attacks like that and we'll be done for. Come on, Sam! Get your act together! I know you can do it. We need you..._

_Ken Ichijouji_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Ken slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, and staring at his son he wasn't quite sure what to do. He had always known Sam was a strong child, with a gentle soul and a stubborn will never to give up, but the amount of power that had erupted from the raven-haired Digidestined was not something even he had anticipated. It had completely blown him away, and even now he still felt like he was in a state of shock.

His son. The Child of Compassion. There was no doubt about it in his mind.

_Sam...Your strength is far greater than mine. If I had been like you there would have been no Digimon Emperor._

And knowing that Ken felt a sense of peace wash over him.

Sam was going to be fine. Ken could feel it in the very depths of his heart, and all the pain and remorse he had struggled with over the last little while seemed to slip away from him.

Watching his son, Ken did not attempt to move from his position. He simply waited, hoping in his heart that Sam would come to him.

_This world seems brighter somehow, and the silence is peaceful._

"Sam?" Mickey called out quietly, moving hesitantly closer.

Ken remained silent as the others gathered around them, including DarkAngelicmon, but no one tried to intervene. They simply waited as well, their expressions a mixture of hope and uncertainty.

Sam was lying sprawled out on his back, and his sapphire eyes were gazing out at the ocean. His expression was calm and serene, and there was a lightness about him that seemed to brighten the air around him.

Whatever the young raven-haired Digidestined had seen had brought a small smile to his face, and sitting up he shook his dark head as if waking from a dream.

Ken held his breath as Sam turned to face him, their gazes meeting. Sam's expression was calm and peaceful, and there was a soft sparkle in his sapphire eyes that Ken had not seen in what felt like forever. It made his heart flutter with hope, but he did not speak. Instead he continued to wait.

"I had a dream," Sam finally said, his words soft and his voice unhindered by nervous anxiety. "I was here in this place, but the darkness was thick all around me. There was a light shining way out on the horizon, but I couldn't seem to reach it."

"Sam," Matty said, a smile coming to his face.

"That light was all of you," Sam murmured, glancing around at the group. "Reaching out to me in the darkness."

"You're finally starting to see," Yolei said, smiling at her son.

Sam's next words were obviously a quote he had heard from someone else, and he spoke the lines with a smile. "There's always a choice, Sam, even when you can't always see where each road begins or where each road will end. Don't you see your path, just over the horizon?"

Ken wanted to speak, but he wasn't sure what to say. But in the end it didn't matter, as Sam didn't give him a chance to open his mouth.

The young raven-haired Digidestined came to him, and kneeling in front of him, Sam continued to quote words from an unknown source. "Kindness and compassion will show you the way."

_The tone of those words..._

Ken felt his chest tighten, and gazing directly into his eyes, Sam said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Uncle said he wants me to tell Miya and Nao that he wished he could have met them. He told me to tell you he misses you. I promised him I would. Now it's a promise fulfilled."

And then Sam was hugging him, and Ken could feel the tears in his eyes dripping into his son's hair.

For a long moment they merely clung to each other, and then finally Ken was able to find his voice. "I'm sorry, Sam. I'm so sorry."

"No," Sam countered, looking up at him with a serious expression. "I'm sorry. You have always guided me down the right path. It was my own fault that I was led astray. I was the one who ignored those who were only trying to help. I won't make that same mistake again."

_Sam, my brother. Thank you._

It was almost as if his son had read his mind because the young raven-haired Digidestined whispered, "I'll tell you all about my dream. If you can call it a dream."

Ken nodded, and brushing a hand over his eyes he helped Sam to his feet, a smile of his own suddenly coming to his face.

Gazing at his son, the difference was instantly recognizable. This was Sam. This was the son that he loved more than he could put into words. This was the son that had finally been returned to him.

"I love you," Sam mumbled into his chest, hugging him tightly around the waist.

Ken returned the hug, reluctant to let go just yet, and ruffling his son's dark hair, he murmured, "I love you too."

"Oh, Sam!" Glowmon cried, leaping at his partner.

Sam managed to catch the little rookie, and hugging Glowmon tightly he turned to Matty and said quietly, "Thank you."

Matty shrugged his shoulders, looking rather embarrassed, and scratching the back of his head, he said, "Don't thank me, thank Taniko."

"What did she say to you?" Mickey asked curiously.

"Later. Right now we have more important things to worry about."

"Matty's right," Sam agreed, the sudden determination in his voice catching Ken off guard. "Dai and the others need our help. I'm not going to let anyone else suffer because of me."

"We should get going then," Kenji's Halomon butted in.

"I have...a lot to tell you guys, but it can wait," Sam agreed.

"Let's go then," Yolei replied, motioning for Aquilamon to join her.

Sam turned to look up at DarkAngelicmon, and smiling softly at the fallen angel, he said, "Will you take me?"

DarkAngelicmon didn't reply. Instead he picked Sam up easily off the ground, holding the raven-haired Digidestined securely in his arms. Glowmon, who was in Sam's arms, looked surprised by the fallen angel's reaction to his partner's request, but he chose to remain quiet as well. DarkAngelicmon, in turn, was watching Sam, and there was a curious glint in his emerald eyes that Ken found particularly interesting.

He also found it interesting that DarkAngelicmon would turn his face away whenever Sam would look up at him.

_The strength of Sam's heart has him thinking. I wonder what kind of results it will bring..._

"Ready to go, Ken?" JewelBeemon asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Ken nodded, and as JewelBeemon lifted him into the air, he gave the ocean one last glance before leaving the World of Darkness behind.


	241. The Flag of Compassion

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait with this chapter! Just a couple more chapters before we'll be back in the human world, where more of the mystery of the past will be revealed! A little inspiration here from Final Fantasy with regards to the title, but it suits well and everybody loves a good quote! Enjoy!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

_"Compassion is the flag a righteous man, a righteous man will hold." -Cosmos and Chaos Lyrics (Dissidia: Final Fantasy) _

Chapter 241: The Flag of Compassion

_Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World  
_

"Dai, I don't think we can wait much longer," Takara said urgently, nudging him in the side to get his attention. "If any more of our digimon fall we're just going to have to go through the portal ourselves and see if we can find Sam. We can't afford to lose FireDragermon and have him revert back to his rookie form. He's our main source of transportation, and we're going to need him if we want to make a quick escape."

Dai knew his female friend was right, but he didn't want to give up on Sam so easily. Going through the portal would get them away from Vampiramon, but there was no telling what would be waiting for them on the other side. There was still a chance they could end up in a worse situation than the one they were currently in. Not to mention the fact that going through the portal wouldn't be much help to them if Vampiramon somehow managed to follow. They couldn't be sure that the portal would close behind them the way it had for Mickey's group.

No matter what decision they made there were so many things that could go wrong. As a result Dai wasn't sure what to do anymore, and his inability to make a decision was starting to frustrate him.

"Too bad we can't move the Spirit Chip and take it with us," Ryoko sighed, wrinkling his nose.

"Duck!" Mimi cried, dropping down immediately behind the pedestal.

Dai turned just in time to see two of Jestermon's wayward spheres spinning through the air towards him, and letting out a gasp he quickly dropped to the forest floor with Kara ad Ryoko. All three of them covered their heads as the spheres slammed into the pedestal behind them, but surprisingly they did very little damage. The pedestal remained neatly intact, and Dai couldn't help wondering if that was because it was currently being protected by the power of the crests.

"Our little game is coming to an end!" Jestermon cackled, dancing his way towards them. "I do believe the climax is at hand. Time to hand over your Spirit Chip, my goggle-headed nemesis."

Dai took a quick glance at the battle taking place behind Jestermon, and his heart sank at the sight of what he was seeing. There was pixie dust everywhere, and Vampiramon's lightning bolts were striking relentlessly without pause. The trees and surrounding area were covered in BlackWidowmon's sticky webs, and even Ivymon, the only ultimate, did not look the least bit tired. At the moment FireDragermon, MetalGarurumon, SaberLeomon, and MegaKabuterimon were simply doing their best to stay alive, so there was nobody to cut Jestermon off and keep him distracted.

Which meant they were really in some serious trouble.

"Stay back!" Kibomon warned, his body tensing up and his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "You touch the humans and we won't hesitate to fight back!"

"And what could a bunch of rookies possibly do to me?" Jestermon shot back, a dangerous glint in his red eyes.

"We'll do everything we can to stop you," Aiwemon replied, ruffling his feathers.

Velinemon quickly took a stance beside Kibomon, and pointing a paw at the fool, she said, "If you're trying to scare us you're wasting your breath. We've taken down Demon Lords and have lived to tell the tale. Don't underestimate us!"

"Have you now?" Jestermon countered, juggling idly as he watched them. "I've heard about the prophecy before, but I've never been one to take a prophecy very seriously. Do you think that somehow makes you untouchable? Even if you are partners of the original Digidestined, that doesn't make you any more tough than your average rookie. Now move aside if you don't want me to delete you!"

At first during the battle Jestermon and the other megas were surprised to learn that Kibomon and his friends were the partners of the original Digidestined, and Spritemon and Vampiramon had spent a good minute shouting at Ivymon for not telling them earlier. Ivymon had apologized profusely, insisting that she had not been aware of just who the new rookies were, as their origins had never come up when she had spotted Dragermon leaving Modem. Once they had gotten over the initial shock their surprise had quickly turned into contempt for Kibomon and his friends, and since then Jestermon had done nothing but taunt the rookies about their past and their partners.

Dai could tell that Jestermon and the others obviously knew a little about GranDracmon and the past, but he still couldn't quite figure out just exactly how informed they were. He was pretty sure they didn't know as much as Kibomon and his friends, who had lived through the experience, but that didn't mean whatever they did know couldn't turn out to be useful information.

This sudden outburst about a prophecy was new, though, and Dai couldn't help being a bit curious as to what Jestermon was talking about.

_But as much as I want to know, asking now probably wouldn't be a very good idea._

"Without your partners here you can't even digivolve," Jestermon taunted, a sneer on his face. "Taking down a Demon Lord or two doesn't mean anything if you can't even summon the strength to put up a decent fight."

"If you don't want to end up like Daemon you'd better keep your mouth shut," Matt said coldly, glaring at Jestermon.

"Is that a threat?" the fool cackled, the bells on his hat dancing. "Shadow Spheres!"

Screams split the air, and crying out Dai quickly hit the grass again, using his own body to protect Kara and Ryoko. He felt himself being jerked roughly and then something was forced out of his hand.

Lifting his head he did a quick check to make sure everyone was okay, and he was surprised to see that no one had been injured. Matt was using his body to protect Mimi at the back of the pedestal, and Izzy, Cody, and Rosa were huddled together at the base on the right. All of the rookie digimon also appeared to be unharmed, but at the same time they looked a bit confused as to what had happened.

"Looking for something?" Jestermon smirked.

Dai frowned, and with a start he realized that the Digivice he had been holding in his hand was missing. Jestermon had purposely aimed for the pedestal, which he knew would not be damaged, while using his attack because he had not actually been tying to hit them. He had simply used his attack as a distraction in order to steal the Spirit Chip.

"You give that back right now!" Ryoko snapped, leaping to his feet and nearly knocking Dai into the pedestal.

Jestermon shook his head, and juggling the D-Coder in his hands, he said, "Looks like I got myself a D-Coder and a Spirit Chip all at once! Today is my lucky day! Once angel boy brings the little Emperor back to us, we'll have twice as many. It's a two for one deal!"

"Get him!" Alopemon shouted.

Even the fearful Gessmon rose to the challenge, and as one the rookies proceeded to bombard the fool with their attacks. Instead of responding in turn, Jestermon just cackled and danced away, the bells on his hat singing a merry victory tune.

"This is bad!" Rosa groaned.

"Very bad," Izzy agreed. "We need to get that Spirit Chip back at all costs."

Dai, for his part, was furious with himself.

_How could I have let myself get tricked like that?_

"Not your fault," Ryoko said quietly, as if reading his mind. "Let's just concentrate on getting it back."

"But how?" Mimi wondered.

"We barely have enough energy left just to hold them off," Dovemon agreed, her tone full of anxious fear.

"Look what I have here, Vampy!" Jestermon sang out, dancing his way towards the vampire digimon and holding the Spirit Chip high in his hand for her to see.

Vampiramon ceased her attacks, and looking up an evil smile split her face, making her look even more scary than she normally did. She was about to respond when there was a burst of commotion in the sky, which caught Dai's attention as well.

Looking up he spotted JewelBeemon, Aquilamon, and a heavenly host of angels following behind them, and immediately his face split into a wide grin. He was about to pump his fist into the air when he spotted Sam in DarkAngelicmon's arms, and his mouth fell open in shock, effectively wiping the smile off his face.

DarkAngelicmon carrying Sam? Why would the fallen angel have consented to such a thing?

The sight almost made him forget his anger over the loss of his Spirit Chip, but Ken and JewelBeemon were quick to remind him. Out of nowhere JewelBeemon suddenly swooped down towards Jestermon, and Ken snatched the D-Coder right out of the fool's outstretched hand.

Jestermon yelped in surprise and toppled over onto his bony bottom, but before he could recover JewelBeemon was already well clear of the fool and heading back towards the Spirit Chip.

Vampiramon's triumphant expression changed to one of rage, and stomping her foot she proceeded to scream at Jestermon and shout insults at him that were loud enough to hurt the ears. Jestermon must have thought so as well because he covered his own ears and proceeded to tell the vampire digimon to shut her large trap.

Laughing, Dai began to jump up and down with his arms in the air, Ryoko and Kara following his lead, and he grinned again as the angels settled around him, their wayward feathers raining down upon his head.

"Lose something?" Ken asked, smiling as he leaped from JewelBeemon's shoulder and handed him back his D-Coder.

Dai gratefully accepted the Digivice, and beaming at Ken, he said, "Thanks a lot. I owe you one!"

"Perfect timing!" Kibomon agreed.

"Welcome back!" Takara said happily, her hazel eyes sparkling.

"You guys look like you could use some help," Matty joked, winking at them. "Mind if we take over from here?"

"By all means go ahead!" Ryoko laughed, beaming at his cousin.

Yolei quickly jumped down to join Ken, and the twins were quick to gather around Ryoko, both of them talking at once to their cousin. Ryoko actually had to tell them to speak one at a time and more slowly so he could understand them, but despite his scolding he was positively radiant as he smiled proudly at the two Takaishi children.

Sam was the only one who had not been deposited on the ground, and his gaze was focused firmly on Vampiramon.

"So you managed to get your hands on the Emperor's son," the vampire digimon said coldly, sweeping past Jestermon and forgetting all about the fool for the moment. "At least you're useful for something. Now hand him over!"

"If I hand him over how do you expect him to get his Spirit Chip?" DarkAngelicmon said dryly, looking rather amused.

Vampiramon glared at him in response, but the fallen angel ignored her. Smiling, he turned his back on the vampire digimon, and setting Sam on his feet he pointed to the pedestal and said softly, "Go."

"What do you think, Izzy?" Mimi asked, glancing anxiously at Vampiramon.

The battle had come to a momentary standstill, but it was far from being over. Both sides were merely waiting to see what would happen next, and once Sam's fate was decided it would become even more fierce with both sides having something to lose.

"Let's go for it!" Izzy replied, waving his hand at the pedestal. "One way or another we need that Spirit Chip, and this may be our only opportunity to get it."

"Be well prepared then," Matt warned, keeping his voice low. "As soon as we free that Spirit Chip Vampiramon will be on us like a pack of wolves who've just caught the sent of blood."

"You better stay back," Armadillomon suggested, directing his words at the fallen angel.

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows, and giving the rookie a slight bow he stepped back and purposely placed himself between Angelicmon and Gabrielmon, thus allowing the two angels an opportunity to easily stop him if he attempted to make a grab for the Spirit Chip once it was free.

FireDragermon and his crew were keeping close to Vampiramon's group, which left Sam to grab his Spirit Chip.

"Ready?" Mimi asked, smiling at Ken and Izzy as the three of them held out their crests.

There was a blast of light and colour as the three crests connected to one another, and then their light dissolved the orb of multicoloured mist that was protecting the Spirit Chip, leaving only a glowing purple barrier to deal with.

Sam stepped forward, but instead of going to the pedestal he stopped to look behind him, and Dai was surprised to find that the raven-haired Digidestined was staring at him. The change in Sam was immediately recognizable, and Dai didn't need an explanation to get the gist of what had happened.

Moving to join Sam and holding out his hand, he said, "I knew you could do it. I knew you guys were going to be fine. It's good to have you back."

Sam took his hand, but instead of shaking it the raven-haired Digidestined pulled him into a hug, causing Dai to stumble.

"It's good to be back," Sam said softly in his ear, the smile on the raven-haired Digidestined's face reaching his sapphire eyes.

Dai smiled in return, and pulling back he gave Sam a thumbs up. "Do your thing!"

Without hesitation, Sam said, "Glowmon, digivolve now!"

"Right!" Glowmon said happily, beaming at his partner.

There was a flash of light and then Dracomon was behind Sam, standing tall and proud, his long white hair blowing in the wind.

Sam stepped up to the pedestal, and there was absolutely no hesitation from the small trinket hiding behind the force field of violet light. The Spirit Chip responded instantly to Sam's D-Coder, and the inscription written on the pedestal began to change so it could be read easily by all those who crossed its path.

Dai read the inscription and his smile widened. It suited Sam perfectly, and there was no doubt anymore that the Spirit Chip of Compassion did indeed belong to Sam. The inscription said:

_**"Kindness is the gentle soul that heals the wounds of time. Compassion is the symbol of the one who leaves the past**** behind."**_

"Are you ready, Sam?" Dracomon asked, reaching out to place a hand upon his partner's shoulder.

Sam nodded, and pointing his D-Coder directly at the Spirit Chip, he said, "I'm ready."

There was a flash of light from Sam's D-Coder, and then the final seal of purple mist surrounding the Spirit Chip shattered like fragile glass. The Spirit Chip of Compassion stood proudly upon the pedestal, and its purple surface glinted in the sunlight. The symbol engraved onto its surface looked like a half moon, and it seemed to be calling to Sam, whispering to him that they belonged together,.

Ken stepped forward to stand by Sam's side, and holding out his crest he smiled at the young raven-haired Digidestined, who smiled back at him.

Moving on its own the Spirit Chip floated into the air, and Ken's crest quickly joined it. With a flash of purple light the crest and the Spirit Chip merged together, and the final product quickly inserted itself into the back of Sam's D-Coder. The Spirit Chip was a dark purple, and it still had the symbol of a half moon on it, but now there were thin, intricate lines of a lighter purple running over its shiny surface.

As Dai was still attempting to absorb what had happened, Sam didn't hesitate. He turned quickly to Dracomon, and holding out the D-Coder in his hand, he said, "Let's help our friends and go home. Dracomon, digivolve again!"

Dracomon bowed his head in agreement, and then the light from the D-Coder surrounded his body.

Deep within the circle of light his words could be heard, and speaking in a clear voice, he called out, "Dracomon digivolve to, Odonatamon!"

_What?_

As the light of Sam's D-Coder died away, Dai couldn't help staring in awe. Odonatamon was slightly larger and taller than Dracomon, but that wasn't the most interesting aspect of his appearance. He still had Dracomon's violet eyes and long snowy hair, but the armour covering his body and face was all gold, and it greatly resembled JewelBeemon's green armour. There were purple, blue, and green jewels adorning his armour at the joints, much like the gold jewels on JewelBeemon, and they were also on his chest. As an added touch there was a ring of jewels surrounding the top of his head where his hair flowed out of his armour and down his back, making it look as if he were wearing a circlet of jewels. He still had his large wings that resembled the wings of a dragonfly, and they were almost transparent, allowing the sunlight to seep through. Like Dracomon his wings were several shades of blue, green, and purple, and they matched the jewels on his armour.

There was no denying Odonatamon looked impressive, and as those violet eyes stared out of that gold armour adorning his muscular form, his human-shaped body standing erect, Dai could feel the intensity of the insect digimon's gaze, and it made him feel glad that they were on the same side.

"Two fully functional Spirit Chips are now ours for the taking," Vampiramon said coldly, not looking the least bit concerned by Dracomon's sudden digivolution. "Having one more ultimate digimon on your side isn't going to save you."

"You know nothing of the power that invokes the true strength of the heart," Odonatamon replied, his violet eyes boring into the vampire digimon's crimson ones. "You forced my partner to suffer and thus your actions have only made him stronger in the end."

"And?" Vampiramon snapped, look annoyed.

Odonatamon's violet eyes narrowed, and pointing at her with the golden spear in his hand, he said firmly, "And now you shall reap the rewards of what you have done!"


	242. The Secret to Success

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: I'm back from holidays with a new chapter! Hope you all enjoy it. I'm looking forward to the next couple chapters that are up and coming, but until then we have this one to finish up this Spirit Chip arc. Well, almost!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 242: The Secret to Success

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World  
_

The first thing Mickey noticed about Odonatamon was his incredible speed. The dragonfly digimon had barely finished what he was saying before he leaped at Vampiramon, catching her off guard. He used the jewel encrusted spear in his hand to sweep the vampire digimon off her feet, and then before she could recover the jewels on his armour began to glow. Leaping into the air, he spread his arms and legs wide and shouted, "Gemstone Barrage!"

"Wow, pretty!" Takara gasped, beaming at the dragonfly digimon.

All of the jewels on Odonatamon had begun to glow a deep purple, and a series of bullets began to shoot out of the gems embedded into the armour of his joints. The bullets themselves resembled colourful beads, and they slammed into Vampiramon's body, sending up a cloud of smoke.

Mickey was sure if he had blinked he would have missed the entire thing, and exchanging a look with Matty the two of them smiled at each other. He wanted to laugh at the stunned expressions on the faces of Spritemon and Jestermon, but instead he kept his attention focused on the battle.

Taking advantage of their momentary surprise, Odonatamon waved his allies closer and called out in a clear voice, "Come, gather around! Your strength shall be needed!"

At first Palmon and the other rookie digimon looked confused, but instead of questioning the ultimate digimon they gathered beneath him on the forest floor, their expressons curious. They were joined quickly by MetalGarurumon and the other digimon who were still fighting, and spreading his wings, Odonatamon called out, "Draco Remedy!"

A cloud of colourful dust originating from Odonatamon's wings settled down onto the digimon waiting below him, and moving their arms and legs they stared at one another in surprise.

"I feel...refreshed somehow," Alopemon said slowly, lifting his head to gaze at Odonatamon with new respect.

"Our energy has been restored!" Palmon said happily, her face lighting up.

"Are you serious?" Dai asked, raising his eyebrows. "But how?"

Mickey chose to answer, and beaming at his fellow Digidestined, he said, "Don't you see? It's a healing move. It works like MagnaAngemon's attack. Odonatamon just healed all of your digimon, and now they're in full fighting form again!"

Everyone turned to stare at Sam with slightly awed looks on their faces, and looking a tad bit embarrassed, Sam said rather sheepishly, "I guess that probably would have come in handy a lot earlier, huh."

There was a moment of silence and then everybody started laughing, and once Odonatamon's sparkling dust had cleared up Ryoko held out his D-Coder and said with determination, "Now let's see who has the upper hand in this fight. Come on, Alopemon, it's time to digivolve again!"

"I'm on it!" the small rookie replied as his body began to glow. "Alopemon digivolve to, Tirimon!"

All of the other digimon who had fallen victim to Vampiramon and her allies earlier quickly digivolved back into their champion or ultimate forms again, and then the battlefield broke into utter chaos.

Odonatamon didn't even wait for Vampiramon to get back on her feet again. Instead he left her to FireDragermon, and darting over Jestermon's head he swooped towards Ivymon and shouted, "Corona Beam!"

A blast of purple light shot out of the middle jewel on the circlet adorning his head, and it hit Ivymon in the neck, effectively silencing her from calling out an attack of her own. She dropped like a stone, and Lillymon was upon her, the female digimon's Flower Cannon attack smashing into Ivymon's head. The force of the blast chewed up the ground all around the enemy's body, and without waiting for a response Lillymon followed up with another flowery explosion.

"Get them!" Dai cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

As soon as Odonatamon had taken the first shot, DarkAngelicmon had quickly leaped away from the angel guards he had voluntarily placed around himself and went to join BlackWidowmon. And since Vampiramon was still getting to her feet he took it upon himself to shout out orders in a rather curt tone.

Thrusting his spear in Odonatamon's direction, he said with authority, "Take him down and subdue the others. We need that Spirit Chip!"

"You got it, angel boy," Jestermon smirked, dancing out of Angelicmon's reach and making his way towards Aquilamon and JewelBeemon.

Mickey was finding it a tad difficult to keep track of the battle, but for the most part he was able to follow along. Kibomon and his rookie friends had stayed behind to guard them and keep the Spirit Chips safe while the digimon who were able to digivolve were all out there fighting. FireDragermon, SaberLeomon, and MetalGarurumon were attacking Vampiramon, while Aquilamon and JewelBeemon were keeping Jestermon occupied. Monochromon and MegaKabuterimon were testing their strength against BlackWidowmon while Angelicmon, Gabrielmon, and Ibismon were trying to subdue Spritemon. Tirimon and Ankylomon were keeping DarkAngelicmon on his toes, and finally Odonatamon and Lillymon were trying to make quick work of Ivymon.

Matt motioned for everyone to gather close, and speaking in a low voice, he said, "We got lucky with Odonatamon, but even with his help there's no way we're going to defeat four megas, an ultimate, and a champion all at once. At least, not in our current state. We need to find an opening and get out of here before Vampiramon or one of the others manages to break through and try to make a grab for the Spirit Chips."

"True," Dai agreed, glancing over his shoulder to frown at Vampiramon. "Everybody keep your eyes open. Dragermon's our best bet of getting everyone out of here in one piece."

"As soon as an opportunity presents itself, have FireDragermon digivolve back to champion. We're getting out of here the first chance we get," Izzy instructed. "I've already searched for the location of the nearest gate. It's in the opposite direction of where we came into the swamp. We'll head there immediately as soon as we see an opening."

"Let's hope this works," Mimi sighed, looking rather worried.

Mickey jumped as Kenji's partner suddenly leaped into his arms, and without speaking the two of them turned to watch the battle taking place. DarkAngelicmon was wielding his spear like an experienced fighter as he weaved around Tirimon and Ankylomon, expertly avoiding their attacks, but on closer inspection Mickey suspected that the fallen angel's heart really wasn't in it. DarkAngelicmon was fighting alongside his allies, yes, but he didn't seem to be putting much effort into it. As good as he was at the moment, Mickey had seen better from him, and something about the lack of motivation in his eyes was a telltale sign. Luckily Vampiramon and the others were too distracted at the moment with their own battles to notice DarkAngelicmon's lack of enthusiasm, but Mickey had seen it right away.

And naturally he was curious.

Ever since jumping into battle, DarkAngelicmon had not once looked in their direction, and twirling his spear he missed Tirimon's flank as the fox digimon leaped aside.

_The way he's fighting reminds me of Luciamon. She didn't want to hurt our digimon so she was very careful with how she used her attacks against them. In the end it turned out she wasn't really evil. Does the same hold true for DarkAngelicmon?_

"Had enough?" Lillymon called out, diving out of the sky and sending a kick straight to Ivymon's midsection.

"You won't remain an ultimate for long," Ivymon threatened, recovering and letting the roots that acted as her hands intertwine into a weapon. "Berry Blaster!"

Lillymon easily avoided the white pellets shooting in her direction, and twirling his spear, Odonatamon shouted, "Velocity Rush!"

Ivymon never even had a chance to move. Odonatamon came at her in a blur, and stabbing her multiple times in the chest with his golden spear he sent violet sparks exploding into her body. Unable to withstand the attack, she fell backwards onto the grass, a startled gasp escaping her throat. Lillymon sent another blast at her, and then Odonatamon was in the air again, his spear glinting in the morning sunlight. "Together now! Let's get rid of her once and for all!"

"Right!" Lillymon agreed, holding out her hands. "Fairy Cannon!"

"Corona Beam!" Odonatamon shouted, sending his blast directly into Lillymon's attack.

Unlike the two fully energized ultimates, Ivymon had already been fighting for quite some time. As a result she had already used up quite a bit of her energy in an effort to help steal Dai's Spirit Chip. Already weakened, she wasn't able to move fast enough to avoid the combined attacks. They slammed into her in a flash of purple and green light, and she screamed in pain as bits of her data began to float up into the air.

"Time to finish her off and be done with this charade," Odonatamon said, regretfully shaking is head as he hovered above the fallen Ivymon. "May your data be restored at Primary Village. Gemstone Barrage!"

The colourful jewels erupting from his body crashed into the fallen Ivymon, and her data exploded in a blast of multicoloured light. Odonatamon didn't stick around to relish his victory, though. He was already moving again before Ivymon's data had disappeared entirely, and swooping down upon Vampiramon he caught her in the back with his Velocity Rush attack. She fell forward on her face, and batting the purple sparks out of her eyes she leaped to her feet again, her crimson eyes blazing with fury.

"You," she hissed, pointing at Sam as she stepped out of the way of FireDragermon's flaming bullets. "You'll pay for this, little Emperor!"

"Little Emperor?" Sam replied, lifting his chin and gazing back at the female digimon without a hint of fear in his sapphire eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment! Get her, Odonatamon!"

"Gemstone Barrage!" the dragonfly digimon shouted, aiming for the vampire digimon's head.

Vampiramon dropped and rolled to avoid the attack, and then FireDragermon was making his way towards her. Using his Serpentine Blast attack, he sent a gale of flaming artillery at her, and she disappeared in a fiery inferno that completely obscured her from sight. MetalGarurumon's Giga Missile attack immediately followed, and a cloud of smoke and ash rose into the air. SaberLeomon finished up with his Twin Fang attack, leaving Vampiramon momentarily paralyzed and lying sprawled on the ground.

"Thanks for the help!" FireDragermon laughed, using a clawed hand to give the dragonfly digimon a thumbs up.

Odonatamon was about to reply, but before he could do so BlackWidowmon rushed him from behind. With a scream of rage she tackled him to the ground and proceeded to stomp on his chest. The spider digimon had witnessed what had happened to Vampiramon, and leaving Monochromon and MegaKabuterimon behind she had leaped at the dragonfly digimon in a fit of anger.

Unfortunately for her Odonatamon had yet to suffer an injury or even receive a blow, so he was back on his feet and in the air again before she could launch one of her attacks at him.

"Is that all you have?" Odonatamon inquired, enraging the female mega further.

"Wow, did you see that?" Rosa gasped, her eyes growing wide. "He's so quick!"

"Well, dragonflies are one of the fastest species of insects in the human world," Izzy informed her. "And Odonatamon reflects that."

"Sam, you're very lucky," Ken said softly, beaming at his son.

"We're so proud of you," Yolei added, reaching out to put an arm around his shoulders.

Sam looked up at his parents, and smiling at them, he said simply, "I know."

"Web Shackles!" BlackWidowmon screamed, her sticky threads shooting into the air.

"Now, JewelBeemon!" Odonatamon shouted, diving to the side.

JewelBeemon had just enough time to grab Jestermon right off his feet, and throwing the mega digimon with brute force the fool got caught in the webs that had originally been meant for Odonatamon. The jester digimon hit the ground with a solid thump, his body completely tangled up in BlackWidowmon's sticky webs.

For good measure Aquilamon used his Grand Horn attack, his heavy body crashing into the disabled Jestermon, and then JewelBeemon stepped in, determined to have a turn of his own.

"Spike Buster!" the insect digimon shouted, the energy bullets from his javelin careening into Jestermon.

By this time Spritemon had become aware of what was going on, and abandoning her fight with Angelicmon, Gabrielmon, and Ibismon, she dived at Odonatamon, intending to take him out.

As fast as she was, though, Odonatamon was faster, his speed not yet having been affected by the length of the battle, as was the case with Spritemon, and hitting her in the back with his Corona Beam attack he sent her falling on top of Jestermon.

"How dare you!" the little pixie shrieked, leaping up and twirling in the air. "Pixie Dust!"

Odonatamon had been clever enough to hover in the air above a confused BlackWidowmon, who appeared shocked that her attack had hit Jestermon instead of the intended target, and spinning out of the way of the dust it hit BlackWidowmon instead.

"What are you doing, you fool!" BlackWidowmon screamed, falling to her knees as the pixie dust began to affect her energy levels.

"Oops, sorry," Spritemon said dismissively, though she didn't really look all that sorry.

Turning her back on BlackWidowmon, Spritemon quickly made for Odonatamon again, but her Fairy Cannon attack missed.

In a fit of fury BlackWidowmon was on her feet again, and she launched her sticky thread at Odonatamon a second time. Odonatamon had been anticipating the attack, though, and grabbing Spritemon by the waist he used her as a shield to block the webs spinning in his direction. The little digimon squealed in surprise as the thread wrapped tightly around her body, and letting go of her Odonatamon simply watched as she tumbled out of the sky like a brick, landing next to a struggling Jestermon.

"Now's our chance!" Ibismon cheered, taking advantage of the fact that Spritemon's wings were out of commission and she could no longer use her attacks. "Emerald Flare!"

The green blast hit Spritemon between her wings, and the two angels dived in to continue what Ibismon had started. Combining their attacks, Angelicmon's Celestial Star and Gabrielmon's Holy Sceptre exploded on impact, and Spritemon's shriek echoed throughout the clearing.

"Now!" Odonatamon called out. "BlackWidowmon has been weakened by the hand of her own ally. Let us finish the job and be done with this mess!"

"Amazing!" Izzy said quietly, shaking his head and smiling in amusement.

"What do you mean?" Matty asked curiously.

"Teamwork," Kibomon said simply, letting out a soft snort. "Vampiramon and the others have no teamwork skills whatsoever, and it has been their downfall in this battle so far."

"And it could be the one thing that saves us," Velinemon remarked.

"Our allies are at full strength, and they have excellent teamwork skills to boot," Aiwemon continued, settling himself on Kara's shoulder. "Not only that, but we also outnumber them. Even though they're megas they're not fighting at full strength, and they aren't fighting as effectively as they could be."

"They're relying on sheer strength alone instead of on each other," Kenji's Halomon said quietly, his ears fluttering in the breeze. "They believe that is the key to their power, but they couldn't be more wrong. Our true power comes from working together with other digimon."

"Right now we have the advantage," Gessmon said shyly, moving to hide behind Sam's legs.

"Do you guys think maybe...we could really win?" Takara asked hesitantly, her gaze growing hopeful.

"It's too soon to tell," Cody replied, watching the battle closely. "Anything could happen still."

And something was happening. Spritemon and Jestermon were megas, but so was BlackWidowmon, and her attacks were powerful. The fool and the pixie seemed to be having some trouble escaping from BlackWidowmon's webs, and it didn't help that they were being bombarded by attacks. Vampiramon was still recovering from SaberLeomon's paralyzing attack, and she too was being caught in the ongoing blasts of her enemies. Only BlackWidowmon and DarkAngelicmon were still mobile, and soaring right over DarkAngelicmon's head, ignoring him completely, Odonatamon tackled the spider digimon and sent her crashing into the trees at the edge of the clearing.

"Dragon Pistols!" FireDragermon shouted, sending his flaming bullets at the tree directly behind BlackWidowmon's fallen body. There was a loud cracking sound, and then the giant tree toppled over onto the spider digimon, pinning her to the earth.

"Tirimon! Ankylomon!" Odonatamon shouted, getting their attention.

"We're on it!" Tirimon called back, getting the message. "Arctic Blast!"

"Tail Hammer!" Ankylomon shouted.

DarkAngelicmon was thrown backward by the force of the iron sphere on Ankylomon's tail, and then Tirimon's snowy blast caught him in the back of the skull.

Somehow DarkAngelicmon got to his feet, but he wasn't standing for very long. Gabrielmon was by his side in an instant, and holding the fallen angel's arms behind his back, he said soberly, "I am sorry we have to do this, but we cannot allow you to interfere."

DarkAngelicmon turned his head to glance at the celestial digimon trapping him, and emerald eyes glowing, he simply said, "I know. Your eyes speak the truth."

Mickey gasped as DarkAngelicmon suddenly turned back to look at him, their eyes meeting. He could feel the intensity of the fallen angel's gaze, and suddenly Mickey found himself unable to look away. And then Angelicmon was there, and using his attack with careful precision, the celestial digimon shouted, "Zenith Point!"

Seven blinding rays of light rained down from the sky, but as Angelicmon had intended only one of those rays just grazed the fallen angel's body.

There was a soft gasp and then DarkAngelicmon slumped in Gabrielmon's arms, his eyes falling closed. Smoke rose off his body, but he looked peaceful, and lying him gently on the ground, Gabrielmon said softly, "Sleep, my friend. You will recover soon enough."

Angelicmon bowed his head in respect, a hand resting against his heart, and then the angels, along with Tirimon and Ankylomon, were off to join Odonatamon, leaving DarkAngelicmon unconscious on the ground.

"Oh!" Mickey gasped, turning from the sight.

He felt Matty's hand on his shoulder, and looking up he gave his twin an anxious look.

"He'll be okay," Matty reassured him. "Angelicmon knows what he's doing. He wouldn't hurt him."

"I know."

"Now, while she's weak and still down!" Odonatamon shouted.

"Megaton Press!" Ankylomon shouted, crushing the spider digimon beneath the fallen tree with his weight.

"No!" she shrieked, struggling to break free.

"Nice! Volcanic Strike!" Monochromon cried, the balls of fire shooting out of his mouth exploding into BlackWidowmon.

"Horn Buster!" MegaKabuterimon added, his electrical blast smashing into BlackWidowmon's body.

"Our turn!" Ibismon called out, combing her attacks with Lillymon and Aquilamon. "Emerald Flare!"

"Flower Cannon!"

"Blast Rings!"

"This can't be happening!" BlackWidowmon screamed, still struggling to free herself as bits of data began to float off her body. "I'm a mega!"

"Even a mega cannot fight forever," SaberLeomon shot back, readying himself. "Howling Crusher!"

The mega digimon's claws tore into BlackWidowmon, and then Tirimon and MetalGarurumon were stepping up to have their turn.

"Winter Inferno!" Tirimon shouted, swiping her with his tail and causing a huge explosion of snow and ice.

"Metal Wolf Claw!" MetalGarurumon growled, adding his own blast to the explosion.

The insect digimon were next, and JewelBeemon's Spike Buster attack combined with Odonatamon's Gemstone Barrage to create another explosion.

The two angels readied themsleves, and hovering between them, FireDragermon shouted, "Fire Meteor!"

His huge ball of fire collided with BlackWidomon, and it was followed up by Gabrielmon's Holy Sceptre attack.

BlackWidowmon's eyes were deadly, but she never had another chance to speak. Pointing at the heavens, Angelicmon let loose his Zenith Point attack, and all seven rays of light exploded into BlackWidowmon. The spider digimon disappeared in a blaze of light, and when the dust cleared she was gone. The only thing that remained were a few trailing sparks of red data that disappeared quickly afterwords.

_I can't...believe it._

There was dead silence in the clearing. Jestermon and Spritemon had stopped struggling in their webs to stare in stunned disbelief at the spot where BlackWidowmon had met her demise, and Vampiramon, who was on her feet again, looked momentarily at a loss as to what exactly had just happened. DarkAngelicmon was still unconscious, and Mickey could see that all of his friends looked shocked by what had happened.

Dai was the first to recover his wits, and holding out his Digivice, he said hastily, "This is the chance we were waiting for. FireDragermon!"

"Understood!" the ultimate replied, reverting back to his champion form.

There was a mad scramble as everyone, including the digimon without the ability to fly who had reverted back to their rookie forms, clamoured onto Dragermon, and then they were speeding through the air towards the gate Izzy had mentioned earlier, the angels and other aerial digimon following along behind.

Mickey still wasn't quite sure what exactly had happened, but he did know one thing.

Somehow they had just managed to defeat a mega digimon.


	243. Island Prophecy

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: This one's a little short, but it basically leads into what will be the main focus back in the human world as the story continues moving forward!  
**

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 243: Island Prophecy

_Spritemon  
_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World  
_

Spritemon managed to untangle herself from the last of BlackWidowmon's sticky webs, and climbing slowly to her feet she turned to gaze at Vampiramon in stunned disbelief. The vampire digimon was staring back at her, and although Vampiramon's eyes were flashing she looked unusually calm about the whole situation.

"The fool must admit...he hadn't seen this coming," Jestermon muttered to himself, also climbing to his feet and brushing off the last of the webs clinging to his clothing.

Spritemon knew the fool wasn't expecting an answer, but she nodded anyways and quickly made her way over to Vampiramon. The two of them continued to stare at each other for a minute, and crossing her arms over her chest, Spritemon finally said, "We're going to be in serious trouble."

_And even that is an understatement..._

Vampiramon didn't reply. Instead, she walked over to DarkAngelicmon, and giving the fallen angel a harsh kick to the ribs, she snapped, "Get up, you fool."

DarkAngelicmon's emerald eyes fluttered open, and letting out a soft moan he slowly sat up and glanced curiously around the clearing, his green gaze taking in the debris strewn all over the now vacant battlefield. Something about the view must have bothered him because the curious look on his face changed to one of obvious discontent.

"Nice of you to join us again," Vampiramon said sarcastically, her crimson eyes flashing.

"What happened?" DarkAngelicmon demanded, ignoring the wave of hostility coming from the vampire digimon.

Since Vampiramon seemed to be having some trouble controlling her temper, Spritemon decided to humour the fallen angel with a response. Crouching next to him, she said with what she hoped didn't sound like a hint of fear in her voice, "BlackWidowmon was defeated by the Digidestined, and they escaped on Dragermon."

_Escaped with two Spirit Chips. How could we have let this happen?_

DarkAngelicmon stared at her, and then he was up so fast that the wings on his back knocked her backwards onto her bottom.

"What's with you, angel boy?" Jestermon asked curiously, coming over to join them.

Realizing what DarkAngelicmon was about to do, Spritemon leaped to her feet and grabbed his arm to try and stop him. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

DarkAngelicmon didn't respond. Instead, he simply tugged his arm out of her grip, and spreading his wings he took to the air without so much as glancing at her.

"Hey! Get back here, you idiot!"

"Leave him be," Vampiramon said coldly, catching her arm just as she was about to launched herself into the air to follow him.

"But-"

"Whatever he's up to, it's no concern of ours," Vampiramon interrupted, her crimson gaze following the fallen angel as he disappeared over the treetops from view. "We need to return to the castle on Cyber."

"Really?" Jestermon replied, cringing at the mere thought of confronting their master. "Do we have to?"

Spritemon had her doubts, as well, and wincing at the thought of what their master might do to them it took all of her willpower not to show any fear. They had not only lost BlackWidowmon, but in the process they had allowed not one, but _two_ Spirit Chips to slip out of their grasp. Needless to say the Ruler of Darkness was not going to be very happy with them.

_We'll be lucky to leave his presence with our data still intact..._

Spritemon quivered at the thought, and certain that she was on the brink of meeting her demise she straightened her shoulders and tried to put on a brave face. The Ruler of Darkness had always frightened her, but now more so than ever. Would he allow them to live after they had managed to fail him so many times?

_Only one way to find out..._

"As much as I'm not too keen on suffering at the hands of our master's wrath, we don't have much of a choice," Vampiramon snapped, glaring at the fool. "Even if we did not return, one way or another he would find us. And if that were to happen our suffering would be even greater. You know as well as I do that our master's wrath is unforgiving. Sooner rather than later we would be punished. Best to get it over with as quickly as possible."

"Except if you're angel boy," Jestermon snorted. "He never seems to suffer as much as the rest of us at our master's hands. It pays to be the favorite I suppose."

Spritemon hesitated, unsure of whether or not she should mention it, and avoiding Vampiramon's eyes, she said, "What about DarkAngelicmon?"

"He'll be back," Vampiramon said coldly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "No doubt he will return to our master in his own time, but rest assured we have not seen the last of him."

"You're right. You're not that lucky," Jestermon cackled, earning himself a smack to the head.

Spritemon wasn't so sure, but she did not put her fear into words. She was still having trouble processing what had happened. The Digidestined had managed to take out a mega. Their power was growing stronger, and Spritemon knew that if things continued as they were, there was a chance that she could be next.

_We need to steal those Spirit Chips as soon as possible!_

If their master let them live, of course.

Spritemon winced at the thought, and holding onto Jestermon she launched herself into the air and proceeded to follow Vampiramon in the direction of the Western Hemisphere. The vampire digimon was right. There was no escape for them. In the end the Ruler of Darkness would have his way regardless of whether they chose to flee or not.

_Such is the life of dark digimon._

And yet even though her fate was hanging in the balance, she couldn't help feeling curious about DarkAngelicmon. Where had the angel gone, and what did he intend to do once he got there?

_Something to do with Lucemon maybe?_

She had not forgotten her orders from the Ruler of Darkness, and whatever DarkAngelicmon was up to, she hoped she lived long enough to find out the truth.

_Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi_

_Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World_

Mickey sat quietly between Ryoko and Matty, Kenji's digimon partner nestled tightly in his arms. Though he was quiet, his mind was racing, and gazing back at the swamp dwindling in the distance he shook his head at the memory of what had transpired. He still couldn't believe that they had managed to defeat a mega digimon, and judging by the silence of his peers, they too were still in a state of stunned disbelief. The silence was a bit unnerving, and remembering the unconscious fallen angel they had left behind, Mickey winced and wrapped his arms more tightly around Kenji's partner.

_I hope he's okay. He looked so vulnerable lying there all alone and completely defenseless..._

"Oh!" Takara suddenly gasped, the sound of her voice breaking the barrier of silence that seemed to have descended upon the group. It was the first time someone had spoken since they had left the clearing earlier, and it made Mickey jump in surprise.

"What is it, Kara?" Izzy asked, typing rapidly on his laptop.

"I almost forgot. Shouldn't we let Jijimon and Babamon know what happened? I'm sure they'll want to know that we managed to recover the Spirit Chip," Takara replied.

"Especially since we solved their mystery of the purple light once and for all," Ryoko murmured.

It was Leomon who responded, and giving Takara a reassuring smile, he said, "I'll have Gennai send one of us back to Modem to tell the villagers the news."

"Really? Thank you, Leomon! That would be excellent if you could," Izzy replied, smiling in response.

"Yes, thank you!" Takara added, beaming at the lion digimon.

Leomon gently patted her head, and smiling, he said, "I doubt it will come as a surprise to them, though. I could tell both Jijimon and Babamon have a lot of faith in you. They had no doubts that you would succeed, but as you said I'm sure they would like to officially hear the good news nonetheless."

"Whoever Gennai decides to send, make sure they give Jijimon and Babamon my thanks," Sam said softly, his sapphire eyes sparkling in the sunshine.

Leomon nodded, but before he could reply there was a sudden rustle of wings. Everyone jumped as Gabrielmon suddenly made a hasty landing on Dragermon's back, and seeing the look on his partner's face, Mickey asked nervously, "What is it?"

Gabrielmon knelt next to him, and pointing back the way they had come, he said calmly, "We are being followed."

"By who?" Dai demanded, immediately on the alert.

"DarkAngelicmon."

Mickey let out a gasp, and glancing around his partner's wings his eyes found Matty's, who was gazing fearfully at him in return.

"He is moving quickly and slowly closing in on us," Gabrielmon said quietly, gesturing with his hand. "He seems determined, almost desperate even, to catch up to us."

"Why?" Rosa asked curiously, frowning in confusion.

"We do not know. Whatever the reason, though, it seems important to him."

"What should we do?" Cody asked, looking to Izzy for guidance.

Izzy slowly set aside his laptop, and glancing back towards the swamp, he said, "Let's keep heading towards the gate."

_No!_

Mickey was about to protest, but Izzy held up a hand to stall him. "You didn't let me finish. We'll keep heading towards the gate, and once we get there we'll wait for him."

"Are you sure about this, Izzy?" Matt asked, exchanging a look with his wife.

"I sent Taniko a message informing her that we would be home soon. Turning back now would delay us. If DarkAngelicmon is so eager to talk to us he can do so at the gate."

"Because speaking to us near the gate rather than out here in the middle of nowhere gives us the advantage," Ken finished, nodding to show his approval. "I see your point, Izzy. Waiting for DarkAngelicmon will give us a chance to speak with him, but it will also allow us a chance to escape quickly through the gate if he tries anything."

"Exactly," Izzy replied, smiling at Ken.

"He won't," Sam spoke up, catching everyone off guard.

"What are you saying, Sam?" Yolei asked her son.

Mickey blushed in embarrassment as Sam looked directly at him, and raising an eyebrow at his reaction, the raven-haired Digidestined said calmly, "I agree with Dad and Izzy that we should take precautions, but I honestly don't think there's any cause for concern. I don't believe DarkAngelicmon will try anything. I really don't."

"But better to be safe than sorry?" Dai asked, grinning at the raven-haired Digidestined.

"Always better to be safe than sorry," Sam agreed, smiling back at his leader.

Despite his embarrassment, Mickey couldn't help smiling himself. This was the Sam they knew and loved. Smart, cautious, always thinking things through, but at the same time always giving the benefit of the doubt. Kind, courteous, and compassionate to the core. That was the real Sam Ichijouji.

"Are we almost there?" Mimi asked. "Don't forget we have some friends to take with us this time!"

"I haven't forgotten," Izzy replied, smiling at Kibomon. "Just a bit further now."

"We will keep tabs on DarkAngelicmon's progress," Gabrielmon informed them before leaping back into the air again.

They traveled the rest of the journey in silence, and spotting the gate up ahead Mickey could feel himself becoming more anxious.

They landed quickly, Dragermon turning back into his rookie form, and sticking close to his partner's side Mickey waited in tense silence. The others seemed eager to talk, though, and studying the gate, Kibomon said, "I can't believe I get to see Tal again."

"It's been a long time since we've been to the human world," Aiwemon agreed.

"Do you think they'll still remember us?" Gessmon worried.

"Of course they will," Takara reassured the little digimon. "You definitely don't need to worry about that!"

"There's no way Mai could ever forget about me," Velinemon agreed, winking at the little rodent digimon.

Mickey glanced at the celestial rookie standing by his feet, and gazing up at him, Kenji's partner said, "He comes."

Mickey quickly lifted his amber eyes to the sky, and spotting a black shape in the distance he felt his heart leap into this throat. The black spot slowly grew into the shape of a digimon, and then DarkAngelicmon landed with a flurry of dark feathers. His emerald eyes traveled over each of their faces, and Mickey felt his chest grow tight as that brilliant green gaze eventually settled on him.

"Whatever you have to say must be pretty important if it sent you all the way out here," Angelicmon said calmly, a slight frown marring his handsome features.

"Tell me, Digidestined, do you believe in prophecies?" DarkAngelicmon asked quietly, his black hair rustling in the breeze.

"Considering a prophecy once saved us, we would be stupid fools to ignore them," Matt replied just as calmly, MetalGarurumon standing protectively by his side.

DarkAngelicmon seemed to approve of Matt's answer, because the ghost of a smile appeared on his face. It wasn't there for very long, but Mickey had seen it.

The fallen angel's eyes were still on him, and he let out a gasp as DarkAngelicmon suddenly motioned for him to come closer. He hesitated, unsure of what to do, but then Sam gave him a gentle push and he suddenly found himself standing face to face with the fallen angel.

"Tell me, Makiya Takaishi, how good is your memory?"

Mickey was startled by the question, and shaking his head, he stammered, "I...um...good enough, I guess."

"Then heed my words and listen well," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, his emerald eyes growing serious. "The world will become shrouded in darkness, and the beings known as the Seven Great Demon Lords shall walk the land. In time, a digimon with immense power will appear out of that darkness, and he will have the power to unite the forces of evil. When the Seven Great Demon Lords gather under his command, the worlds of both digimon and humans will be at his mercy, and those under his reign will tremble with fear, for he is the source of evil that slumbers within the hearts of the guilty and the innocent."

For a moment all Mickey could do was stare, and then finding his voice, he whispered, "Is that...a prophecy?"

"Lucemon tells me the prophecies of File Island do not lie," DarkAngelicmon replied, crouching so they were at eye level. "One way or another we shall find out if he speaks the truth."

"But-"

"That is your only clue. Do with it what you will," DarkAngelicmon said simply, stepping back from him and turning to gaze at the Halomon that belonged to Kenji Iwamoto. "You want to unlock the secrets of my past? Do so on your own terms then. I will not make it easy for you."

Mickey did not know what came over him, but unable to stay silent, he said with conviction, "I will save you. Somehow I will."

"When so many others in the past have abandoned me?" the fallen angel said quietly, turning away from him. "Actions speak louder than words, Child of Innocence."

Mickey gasped. "How would you-"

"Only a fool wouldn't know," DarkAngelicmon replied stiffly, glancing once at him before turning his gaze to Sam. "If you see my old friend again, give him my regards."

Sam looked startled, and then DarkAngelicmon was in the air again, looking down on them all. "The Ruler of Darkness shows no mercy. You must understand the past to set your course for the future."

Mickey felt his face scrunch up, and screaming into the air, he cried, "Why? Why are you telling us all of this!"

"Show me your strength, Makiya Takaishi, and prove your worth to me," the fallen angel said with authority, his emerald eyes flashing. "I do not condone idle promises. If you cannot do so, we all die, and the human and Digital World along with us! Seek the truth and you will have your answers!"

And then he was gone, and Mickey was left staring after him, a flurry of black feathers floating out of the sky the only sign left to prove he had even been there at all.


End file.
